Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) and Dan at Brevard Zoo by Lee
“… It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;” (Psalms 92:1 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Galah and Dan
Category Archives: Birds of the World
Give Thanks – Egret
Snowy Egret – Gatorland 4-2-15 by Lee
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Bleeding-heart Dove
Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove by Dan at Zoo Miami
“Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalms 30:4 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Eagle
Bald Eagle (close up) Lowry Park Zoo by Dan
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Hornbill
Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) Brevard Zoo by Lee
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” (1 Chronicles 16:8 NKJV)
Woodpeckers in the Waterman Bird Collection
BJU Bird Collection 2018-Display Case 3 – Woodpeckers and Shorebirds
“If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;” (Deuteronomy 22:6 NKJV)
The next Display case of the Waterman Bird Collection contains Woodpeckers from the Picidae family and some shorebirds from the Scolopacidae Family. [Next post]
BJU Bird Collection 2018
– Woodpeckers
This post is about the five Woodpeckers; Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker [now the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)], Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) and a Common Flicker [now the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) “The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Look (and listen) for Pileated Woodpeckers whacking at dead trees and fallen logs in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes in the wood. The nest holes these birds make offer crucial shelter to many species including swifts, owls, ducks, bats, and pine martens.”
Pileated Woodpecker by Lee at Circle B
Cool Facts – “The Pileated Woodpecker digs characteristically rectangular holes in trees to find ants. These excavations can be so broad and deep that they can cause small trees to break in half.” [Pileated Woodpecker – All About Birds]
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 BJU Bird Collection Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) – “Found in boreal forests and montane coniferous forests across North America. Because of its choice of habitat, it is infrequently seen by most people.” “The “Three-toed Woodpecker” was split in 2003 into the American Three-toed and Eurasian Three-toed woodpeckers. The two species are nearly identical in appearance, but differ in mitochondrial DNA sequences and in voice.”
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) by Daves BirdingPix
Cool Fact “Most woodpeckers have four toes on each foot. The three-toed and Black-backed woodpeckers have only three. The loss of the fourth toe may help deliver stronger blows, but at the expense of climbing ability.” [American Three-toed_Woodpecker – All About Birds]
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) Male – Waterman Bird Collection BJU
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) – “The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders. Downies and their larger lookalike, the Hairy Woodpecker, are one of the first identification challenges that beginning bird watchers master.”
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) Brevard Zoo by Dan
Cool Facts – “In winter Downy Woodpeckers are frequent members of mixed species flocks. Advantages of flocking include having to spend less time watching out for predators and better luck finding food from having other birds around.” [Downy Woodpecker – All About Birds]
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) – “On a walk through the forest you might spot rows of shallow holes in tree bark. In the East, this is the work of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, an enterprising woodpecker that laps up the leaking sap and any trapped insects with its specialized, brush-tipped tongue. Attired sharply in barred black-and-white, with a red cap and (in males) throat, they sit still on tree trunks for long intervals while feeding. To find one, listen for their loud mewing calls or stuttered drumming.”
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Daves BirdingPix
Cool Facts – “Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been found drilling sapwells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants, though they have a strong preference for birches and maples.”[Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – All About Birds]
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) – “Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump.”
Northern Flicker cropped by Lee at S. Lake Howard Nature Pk
Cool Fact – “Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants.” [Northern Flicker – All About Birds]
*
Some of the Previous Woodpecker Posts:
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker and Bones
- Woodpecker Video
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Chief Corner Stone’s Keystone by A J Mithra
- Buddy Davis – Woodpecker Song
- Red-headed Woodpecker – Video (Peterson’s Bird Series)
- God’s Amazing Pileated Woodpecker
- Pale-bellied Woodpecker
- The Woodpeckers by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
- Woodpeckers – The Core Species.. – A J
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black Woodpecker
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Wordless Woodpecker – Yellow-Fronted
Bible Birds – Hawk Introduction
“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south? (Job 39:26 NKJV)
According to the King James Version of Scripture, the other two verses with hawk in them are:
“the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;” (Leviticus 11:16 NKJV)
“the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after their kinds;” (Deuteronomy 14:15 NKJV)
For more advanced reading, you can check out Birds of the Bible – Clean vs. Unclean, Birds of the Bible – The Law Of The Birds and Deuteronomy 14:11-18 Visualized on Leesbird.com
What is a Hawk? To what Family of birds does it belong?
Hawks are one of God’s Created Avian Wonders. The bird family of Hawks, Accipitridae, not only includes Hawks, but also Eagles, Kites, Harriers, Vultures, plus more. The Lord has given them great eyesight, hearing, and speed.
Hawks have excellent eyesight. They can see up to 8 times more clearly than the sharpest human eye. Eyesight is primarily used for hunting.
Their hearing is acute, but their sense of smell is poor.
Hawk species are known for their speed, particularly when chasing prey. During the hunt, some species of hawks can dive 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour through the air. [Just Fun Facts]
“All hawks are almost exactly the same structurally as all other birds, and the distinguishing features that set them apart from all of the other hawks are minute. Hawks are distinguished from all other birds, especially falcons, by their broader, more rounded wings. They also have sharp, curved, hooked bills, strong feet with curved talons, and amazing sight capabilities. All hawks have uniform 20/2 vision, exactly 8 times better than a human with good eyesight! Almost all male hawks are smaller than females.” Hawks – CreationWiki [with editing]
Hawks are in the Accipitridae Family of Kites, Hawks & Eagles and you can read more about them in the Birds of the Bible – Hawk section.
Hawks have claws which are used for catching their prey. Beware of these:
- A Cooper’s Hawk captures a bird with its feet and kills it by repeated squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch away from the body until it dies. [Cool Fact from All about Birds]
Hawks and the other birds in this family did not always prey (catch) other living critters. Because of sin, these avian creations from the Lord, were placed under God’s curse. One day, when that curse is removed, the birds of prey will become birds of play [with others.]
Check out All About Birds – Hawks and Falcons
See also:
- Bible Birds – Hawks
- Bible Birds
- Waterman Bird Collection – Hawks and Owls
- Birds of the Bible
- Birds of the Bible – Hawk Migration
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Spotted Harrier
- Hawk Photos
- Hawk Videos
- Raptor ID
- Raptor Overview
Accipitriformes – Order, Accipitridae – Family (Kites, Hawks & Eagles)
Ravin’ about Corvid Hybrids: Something to Crow About!
Ravin’ about Corvid Hybrids:
Something to Crow About!
Dr. James J. S. Johnson
HOODED CROW (World Life Expectancy photo)
“Every raven after his kind” (Leviticus 11:15)
Who provides for the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of food. (Job 38:41)
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; they neither have storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them; how much more are ye better than birds? (Luke 12:24)
There is, as Moses noted, a “kind” (i.e., genetically related family) of birds that we call “corvids”, crow-like birds, including ravens. [In the English Bible (KJV), these birds are always called “ravens”.]
These black (or mostly black – see Song of Solomon 5:11) omnivores are known to “crow”, often calling out a harsh KAWWWW! Also famous for their “ravenous” appetites and eating habits, it is no wonder that the English labeled many varieties of these corvid birds as “ravens”.
The HOODED CROW (Corvus cornix) lives and thrives in the Great North – including Sweden, Finland, and Russia. This I learned firsthand, on July 6th of AD2006, while visiting a grassy park near the Vasa Museum of Stockholm, Sweden. The next day (July 7th of AD2006), it was my privilege to see another Hooded Crow in a heavily treed park in Helsinki, Finland. Again, two days later (i.e., the 9th of July, AD2006), while visiting Pushkin (near St. Petersburg, Russia), I saw a Hooded Crow, in one of the “garden” parks of Catherine’s Palace. Obviously, Hooded Crows appreciate high-quality parks of northern Europe!
HOODED CROW (photo credit: Warren Photographic)
The physical appearance of a Hooded Crow is, as one bird-book describes, “unmistakable”.
Unmistakable. Head, wings and tail black, but body grey (can show pinkish cast in fresh plumage).
[Quoting Chris Kightley, Steve Madge, & Dave Nurney, POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRITAIN AND NORTH-WEST EUROPE (Yale University Press / British Trust for Ornithology, 1998), page 271.]
Like most large corvids, the Hood Crow is quite versatile in filling various habitats.
Wary, aggressive scavenger found in all habitats from city centre to tideline, forest to mountain top. Generally seen in ones and twos, but the adage ‘crows alone, rooks in a flock’ unreliable; often accompanies other crows, and hundreds may gather at favoured feeding spots and roosts. Watch for crow’s frequent nervy wing flicks whenever on ground or perched. Calls varied. Typically a loud, angry kraa, usually given in series of 2—6 calls. Unlike Rook, pairs nest alone (usually in tree).
[Again quoting Kightley, Madge, & Nurney, POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRITAIN AND NORTH-WEST EUROPE, page 271.]
CARRION CROW (Yves Thonnerieux / Ouiseaux-Birds photo)
Yet the HOODED CROW is not a genetically self-contained “species”, regardless of what taxonomists might wish about them. They happily hybridize with other crows, especially the CARRION CROW [Corvus corone], whose international range the Hooded Crow overlaps.
CARRION CROWS + HOODED CROWS = HYBRIDS (Bird Hybrids photo)
CARRION AND HOODED CROWS. The familiar crow. Two distinct races occur … [In the]British Isles and western Europe, Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) is common everywhere except north and west Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man and Europe east of Denmark, where it is replaced by Hooded (Corvus cornix). Where breeding ranges overlap hybrids are frequent [emphasis added by JJSJ].
[Again quoting Kightley, Madge, & Nurney, POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRITAIN AND NORTH-WEST EUROPE, page 271.]
The Carrion-Hooded Crow hybrids are also noted within a larger discussion (i.e., pages 224-228) of Corvid family hybrids, in Eugene M. McCarthy, HANDBOOK OF AVIAN HYBRIDS OF THE WORLD (Oxford University Press, 2006), at page 227.
CORVIDS Jelmer Poelstra / Uppsala Univ. image
Dr. McCarthy, an avian geneticist, has accumulated and summarized genetic research on Carrion-Hooded hybrids, especially examples observed in Eurasia:
Because the Carrion Crow has a split range … with the Hooded Crow intervening … there are two long contact zones, one extending from N. Ireland, through N. Scotland, to N.W. Germany, then S to N Italy, and another stretching from the Gulf of Ob (N Russia) to the Aral Sea. … Even in the center of the [overlap] zone, only 30% of [these corvid] birds are obviously intermediate. Due to hybridization these [corvid] birds are now sometimes lumped, but Parkin et al. (2003) recommend against this treatment since the two have obvious differences in plumage, as well as in vocalizations and ecology, and because hybrids have lower reproductive success than either parental type. Hybrid young are less viable, too, than young produced from unmixed mating (Saino and Villa 1992). Genetic variability increases within the hybrid zone (as has been observed in many other types of crossings). Occasional mixed pairs occur well outside [the overlap range] zones (e.g., Schlyter reports one from Sweden).
[Quoting Eugene M. McCarthy, HANDBOOK OF AVIAN HYBRIDS OF THE WORLD (Oxford University Press, 2006), at page 227.]
Dr. McCarthy, on pages 224-228, lists several other examples of documented corvid hybridizations, including: Corvus capellanus [Mesopotamian Crow] X Corvus corone [Carrion Crow]; Corvus cornix [Hooded Crow] X Pica pica [Black-billed Magpie]; Corvus albus [Pied Crow] X Corvus albicollis [White-necked Raven]; Corvus albus [Pied Crow] X Corvus ruficollis [Brown-necked Raven]; Corvus albus [Pied Crow] X Corvus splendens [House Crow]; Corvus brachyrhynchos [American Crow] X Corvus caurinus [Northwestern Crow]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus brachyrhynchos [American Crow]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus corone [Carrion Crow]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus cryptoleucus [Chihuahuan Raven]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus levaillantii [Jungle Crow]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus macrorhynchos [Large-billed Crow]; Corvus corax [Common Raven] X Corvus ruficollis [Brown-necked Raven]; Corvus corone [Carrion Crow] X Corvus macrorhynchos [Large-billed Crow]; Corvus daururicus [Jackdaw, a/k/a “Coloeus dauuricus”] X Corvus monedula [Jackdaw, a/k/a “Coloeus mondela”]; Corvus levaillantii [Jungle Crow] X Corvus macrorhynchos [Large-billed Crow]; Pica nuttalli [Yellow-billed Magpie] X Pica pica [Black-billed Magpie]; plus it looks like an occasional Rook [Corvus frugilegus] joins the “mixer”, etc. Looks like a good mix or corvids!
Avian hybrids, of course, often surprise and puzzle evolutionist taxonomists, due to their faulty assumptions and speculations about so-called “speciation” – as was illustrated, during AD2013, in the discovery of Norway’s “Redchat” — see “Whinchat, Redstart, & Redchat: Debunking the ‘Speciation’ Myth Again”, posted at https://leesbird.com/2017/12/12/whinchat-redstart-redchat-debunking-the-speciation-myth-again/ .
CORVID RANGES of the world (Wikipedia map)
Meanwhile, as the listed examples (of corvid hybridizations) above show, corvid hybrids are doing their part to “fill the earth”, including Hooded-Carrion Crows.
Now that is are something to crow about! ><> JJSJ profjjsj@aol.com
Pleasant Surprise – Hawks and Owls
BJU Waterman Bird Collection Hawks Display 2018
“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26 KJV)
The next upper display case had Hawks and Owl specimen. The three Hawks give a size perspective of those hawks. The largest is the Red-Shouldered Hawk, then the Northern Harrier (female), and the Broad-Winged Hawk.
BJU Waterman Bird Collection Hawks and Owls Display 2018
“And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,” (Deuteronomy 14:15-16 KJV)
The Owls went from small to the large Great Horned Owl being the largest. The two small owls are the Boreal Owl, and the Common Screech Owl. Out of the five species, we have only seen the Red-shouldered Hawk, the Harrier and a Great Horned Owl in the wild. Again, I think these birds look pretty good, considering how long they have be preserved. [Before 1910]
Hawks and Owls are both mentioned in Scripture and are therefore – Birds of the Bible. Birds of the Bible – Hawks and Birds of the Bible – Owls. Did you notice their coloration? Most sleep during the day and the Lord, their Creator, has provided them with a camouflage that helps many of them look like bark on trees.
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) Tail by Lee
[My favorite “bark” covered bird is the Tawny Frogmouth. We see them in the zoos.] Back to this article.
Here are some very informative articles with great photos about these birds from WhatBird and All About Birds. The WhatBird links have sounds to which you can listen.
Red-shouldered Hawk BJU Bird Collection 2018
- The Red-shouldered Hawk and the Barred Owl occupy the same range in the eastern United States. They prefer the same moist woodland habitats and eat similar animals. The hawk is active during the day, and the owl is active at night. [WhatBird]
Red-shouldered Hawk All About Birds
Northern Harrier BJU Bird Collection 2018
- Unusual among hawks, Northern Harriers use their sense of hearing to help locate prey. They have an owl-like facial disk to help with directional hearing and soft feathers for a quieter flight. [WhatBird]
Northern Harrier All About Birds
Broad-Winged Hawk BJU Bird Collection
- During migration, weather and geography cause these birds to concentrate into groups that number in the thousands. These large groups are referred to as “kettles.” [WhatBird]
Broad-Winged Hawk All About Birds
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) BJU Collection
- The Boreal Owl is also known as Tengmalm’s Owl, after the Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. [WhatBird]
Boreal Owl All About Birds
Screech Owl (Megascops asio) BJU Bird Collection 2018
- The Eastern Screech Owl was first described by Carolus Linnaeus, in 1758. They have also been called the Common Screech Owl, Ghost Owl, Dusk Owl, Little-eared Owl, Spirit Owl, Whickering Owl, Little Gray Owl, Mottled Owl, Mouse Owl, Cat Owl, Shivering Owl, and Little Horned Owl.” [WhatBird]
Eastern Screech-Owl All About Birds
Great-Horned Owl BJU Bird Collection
- A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a “bazaar”, “glaring”, “parliament”, “stooping”, and “wisdom” of owls. [WhatBird]
Great Horned Owl All About Birds
*
Accipitriformes – Order, Accipitridae – Family (Kites, Hawks & Eagles)
Pleasant Surprise – Petrel and Crow
Leach’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) BJU Bird Collection 2018
Just realized I didn’t post this. Again, it is a duplicate of a Waterman Bird Collection – Part II – Petrel & Crow article on the Birds of the Bible for Kids blog. [I am behind in blogging] This time it is about the Leach’s Storm Petrel and the Crow.
As promised, in Waterman Bird Collection – Part II, here are the last two birds from that display. The Leach’s Storm Petrel and the Crow will now be introduced. Many of you already have heard of a Crow, but how about a Storm Petrel? Let’s see what we can find out about these avian creations from the Creator.
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Bottom Shelf
The two birds today are the two right hand birds in the Display.
The Leach’s Storm Petrel [at the top] is starting to show a tiny bit of deterioration, but considering it’s over 100 years old, it’s not too much.
“The Leach’s Storm Petrel or Leach’s Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small seabird of the tubenose order. It is named after the British zoologist William Elford Leach. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek. Oceanodroma is from okeanos, “ocean” and dromos, “runner”, and leucorhoa is from leukos, “white” and orrhos, “rump”.
“It breeds on inaccessible islands in the colder northern areas of the Atlantic and Pacific. It nests in colonies close to the sea in well concealed areas such as rock crevices, shallow burrows or even logs. It lays a single white egg which often has a faint ring of spots at the large end. This storm petrel is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. The largest colony of Leach’s storm petrels can be found on Baccalieu Island of eastern Canada, an ecological reserve with more than 3 million pairs of the bird.” [Wikipedia with editing]
Fun Fact: “Flies swiftly, erratically, buoyantly with 1 or 2 fast, powerful flaps followed by glides on wings held well above the horizontal and noticeably kinked; sudden changes of direction impart a bounding quality. Flutters less than other storm-petrels.” [Neotropical Birds]
Drinks salt water – Formed By Him – Sea Birds That Drink Seawater, is an interesting article about Tubenose birds.
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) BJU Bird Collection 2018
The last bird in the part of the collection is a Crow. It wasn’t shown which one exactly, so we are using the American Crow.
“The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the new world counterpart to the carrion crow and the hooded crow. Although the American crow and the hooded crow are very similar in size, structure and behavior, their calls are different. The American crow nevertheless occupies the same role the hooded crow does in Eurasia.”
Florida Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) at Lake Morton By Dan’sPix
“From beak to tail, an American crow measures 40–50 cm (16–20 in), almost half of which is tail. Mass varies from about 300 to 600 g (11 to 21 oz). Males tend to be larger than females. The most usual call is CaaW!-CaaW!-CaaW!.’
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) by Ray
“The American crow is all black, with iridescent feathers. It looks much like other all-black corvids. They can be distinguished from the common raven (C. corax) because American crows are smaller and from the fish crow (C. ossifragus) because American crows do not hunch and fluff their throat feathers when they call, and from the carrion crow (C. corone) by the enunciation of their calls.” [American Crow – Wikipedia]
A Cool Fact from American Crows – All About Birds:
- Crows sometimes make and use tools. Examples include a captive crow using a cup to carry water over to a bowl of dry mash; shaping a piece of wood and then sticking it into a hole in a fence post in search of food; and breaking off pieces of pine cone to drop on tree climbers near a nest.
*
Here are the links to this Series:
A Pleasant Surprise At The BJU Homecoming
Woodstock’s New Hairdo
Today’s Peanut’s cartoon reminds me of the birds we saw at the Jacksonville Zoo recently. It had rained before and it rained while we were visiting.
Woodstock and Rain
“Poor Woodstock.. When he gets wet, he looks like an English Sheep-Bird!” [In case you can’t read it]
“Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields.” (Job 5:9-10 NKJV)
In Where Am I Found? – Abdim’s Stork, the first photo showed the stork still wet. Dan just showed me his photo of the Stork, which definitely shows a wet bird hairdo.
Wet Abdim’s Ibis at Jacksonville Zoo by Dan
My photo of this wet Ibis:
Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii) -Jacksonville Zoo wet
There were a few others that were not up to their normally sleek appearance.
Another wet avian wonder was the Yellow-billed Stork. He was damp, but not as wet as the Abdim’s Stork.
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) Wet at Jacksonville Zoo
Are you taking a picture of me like this when I am not preened?
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) – Jacksonville Zoo
This is why you see so many birds preening. The Roseate Spoonbill was busy straightening and drying its feathers.
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) Preening – Jax Zoo
“Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.” (Psalms 147:8-9 NKJV)
There were a few others that were not up to their normally sleek appearance.
*
Where Am I Found? – Abdim’s Stork
Some of the Other Jacksonville Zoo articles:
Jacksonville Zoo’s Noisy Stork Tree
Marabou Stork Chicks and Inca Tern at Jacksonville Zoo
Birdwatching at the Jacksonville Zoo by Dan’s Pix
Birds of the Bible – Black-faced Ibis at Jax Zoo by Dan
Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) Jax Zoo by Dan
On the way to South Carolina we visited the Jacksonville Zoo. The birds were a bit damp as it had just rained. Here is one of the avian wonders that Dan captured with his camera.
and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it: and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it. (Isaiah 34:11 Brenton)
“The Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split. The black-faced ibis also included the Andean ibis (T. branickii) as a subspecies. Some taxonomic authorities (including the American Ornithological Society) still do so.” [Wikipedia with editing]
Links:
- Birds of the Bible – Ibis
- Black-faced Ibis – Wikipedia
- Black-faced Ibis – HBAlive
- Black-faced Ibis – Neotropical Birds
- Threskiornithidae – Ibises, Spoonbills
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 