This remarkable seabird holds the record for the longest migration on Earth, flying from pole to pole each year. The Arctic Tern is a slender, medium-sized seabird with a distinctive appearance. Its ...

Pelicans are unmistakable with their enormous bills and giant webbed feet. There are only eight species of pelicans, though they are distributed across every continent except the Arctic and Antarctica ...

There are six species of swans distributed throughout every continent except Africa and Antarctica. Swans are some of the most majestic and elegant birds around, and they’re also exceptionally large, ...

Sparrows are often an overlooked bird, due to their rather drab gray-brown plumage and status as one of the world’s most common birds. However, delving deeper into their symbolic meanings in many ...

“Female peacocks” is an oxymoron. Peacocks are male peafowl, and peahens are female peafowl. There’s no such thing as a “male peacock”! Nevertheless, peafowl have come to be known simply as peacocks.

Humans have lived alongside the humble chicken for over 5,000 years or so. Chickens originally descended from Red junglefowl, a shy bird that lives primarily in South-Eastern Asia, but they have been ...

Ducks belong to the Anatidae family, which contains some 174 species spread across 43 genera. With their broad and stout body, large beaks and webbed feet, ducks are a common and recognisable sight ...

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the epitome of speed and power. They strike fear into the hearts of the birds they hunt, a fact that falconers have enjoyed for over 3000 years! These ...

A bird’s respiratory system is somewhat different to that of a human, and needs to work efficiently, even at higher altitudes where the air has lower oxygen levels. In order to sustain flight, a ...

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) are cosmopolitan birds of prey that have different migration routes across the globe. They are expert fish hunters that can be found patrolling up and down rivers and ...

Budgies – or budgerigars to give them their full official name – are sociable and fascinating birds, also known as parakeets in some countries. Although native to Australia, they are kept as pets all ...

“Bury your head in the sand” is a well-known idiom that means to ignore one’s problems. If you bury your head in the sand, you can’t see your problems - but that doesn’t mean they’ll go away! This ...