The Wild Turkey is a large, darkly coloured, ground-dwelling bird. The head and neck are bare and the head is bluish in colour while the throat is a strong red. These birds have a short, slightly down-curved bill and long, powerful reddish-orange legs. On the head there are a number of fleshy growths known as caruncles. There is also a fleshy flap on the turkey’s bill which expands and becomes engorged with blood when the turkey is excited. The average bird is between 110-115 cm long with a wingspan of 125-144 cm. The male is generally larger than the female and has red wattles on the throat and neck as well as spurs on their lower legs. Male turkeys may also have red, green copper, bronze and shiny gold on their feathers while females are quite dull. Turkeys have a long, fan-shaped tail with glossy bronze wings. The Wild Turkey of North America has a chestnut-brown tail while the Ocellated Turkey of Central and South America has a white tail. This makes it easy to distinguish between the resident wild birds and those re-introduced as a farm animal by European settlers who had bred with original Mexican stock in Europe.

While the most commonly recognised turkey sound is a ‘gobble’ noise, the bird is capable of making many other sounds. During breeding season, Wild Turkeys move out of heavily wooded areas to places with greater visibility. This may include pastures, fields, open woods and sometimes even quiet roads. These open areas give the birds a quick means of escape. The hens usually nest near the base of a tree or shrub, though they may also make use of tall grass. When they are not nesting, Wild Turkeys generally roost in trees. The males are polygamous and they may have as many as five hens in their territory. After performing several courtship rituals, the male mates with the females who then go off to search for nesting sites. Once they have found a suitable depression, the hen lays between 10-12 eggs which are incubated for 28 days. Being nidifugous, these young chicks quickly learn how to feed themselves and leave the nest between 12-24 hours later. Wild Turkeys are omnivourous and they feed on shrubs and small trees as well as acorns, nuts, berries, roots and insects. They may also eat snakes, frogs and salamanders.

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Ostriches live off fruit, nuts, seeds, lizards, succulents and shrubs. To adapt to the dry, desert regions, they are able to get water through the plants. Stones are often eaten to assist with food digestion. As the Ostrich is not capable of flying, they are capable of running speeds of up to 70 kilometers an hour, and their powerful legs can fatally injure predators. Even though Ostriches are not dependant on water, they enjoy taking a bath or refreshing splash when they are able to. In the wild, the Ostriches tend to move together with the antelope and other grazing animals. They themselves are usually in flocks of up to 50 birds, but will tend to break into smaller groups during the breeding season, which is approximately five months.

Once the smaller breeding groups have been established, a hole is dug into the ground that serves as a communal nest. Between 15 to 60 eggs are laid in the nest that are approximately 18 centimeters in length, 11 centimeters in width and can weigh about 1400 grams. These shiny, creamy white eggs can stand the weight of a human. The incubation period is close to 40 days, and the females take turns during the day, and the males at night, to incubate the eggs. If an Ostrich feels threatened while on the nest, they will stretch their necks out along the ground to avoid detection, and do not stick their heads into the ground as many believe. The town of Oudtshoorn, in South Africa, is the largest Ostrich farming community in the world. At present there are approximately 900,000 domesticated Ostriches in this region. Here, you are able to visit the farms, be educated on these amazing birds, see the various product ranges and even ride one, if you are brave enough!

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When the skylark takes flight it sings a beautiful song, which can be clearly heard by all, although it can be difficult to see him as he flies 50 to 100 m above the ground, staying in one spot. The song lasts for about 2 to 3 minutes but lasts longer as the season changes and it gets later in the year. When they fly away from you, you can see their short broad wings and short tail because of the white tail and edges of the wings.

The Skylark breeds mainly throughout Britain and Europe, in the mountains of North Africa and in certain parts of Asia. The eastern populations are a more migratory type bird, moving south for the winter. Even the western populations will move to the coast and lowlands for the winter. The skylark enjoys open areas like cultivated land, heath land and meadows. The skylark also uses the ground to make a grass nest, which it hides in between the foliage making it difficult to find. The female will then lay between 3 to 6 eggs during June and may have a second and third brood later on in the year. The eggs are an off-white with brownish-purple spots near the large end of the egg.

In the last 30 years the UK skylarks have decreased in numbers to the point of there being only 10% of what was recorded three decades ago. This large decline in the population seems to be connected to changing farming practices more than because of the pesticides used. Before cereals were planted in spring, grown through the summer months and harvested in early autumn but now that has changed, which has made it harder for the skylark to find food.

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The RSPB has been particularly excited, and also perplexed, at the highs and lows in bird populations this breeding season. On the one hand, it appears that many of their conservation efforts have paid off with the organization enjoying one of the best bird breeding seasons on record. However, at the same time a number of more common bird species are clearly struggling to deal with climatic changes and their numbers are dwindling.

some bird species but, despite that, this was one of the best breeding seasons on record.” He then went on to discuss some of the bird numbers recorded during the season at the Minsmere nature reserve. It seems it was a good season for Terns, but other birds such as the Turtle Dove and Spotted Flycatcher were noticably absent and worrying. In the end there were a record 102 bird species breeding at the Minsmere nature reserve during the course of the season. Unfortunately several Bittern nests failed due to flooding and the Avocets were not terribly successful breeders.

The arrival of a pair of Arctic Terns at Minsmere for the first time was probably the first sign that it would be a good season for Terns in general. Not long after they arrived, a pair of Sandwich Terns, which have been absent in the area for several years, joined the existing Tern colony which numbered around 86 pairs by the end of the season. Not too far away, 41 pairs of young Terns took it upon themselves to raise about 33 youngsters. The Havergate Island Reserve was home to a further 43 pairs of common Terns for the breeding season. Another bird species which arrived in large numbers at the two RSPB nature areas was the Black-headed Gull. A record 758 pairs of these birds were to be found at the Minsmere ‘scrape’ during peak season. Unfortunately the Mediterranean Gulls that had formerly seen an increase, dropped to just two pairs. There were 19 pairs of Common Gulls and three great Black-backed Gull pairs, while the lesser Black-backed Gulls increased to a whopping 1,185 pairs and the Herring Gulls increased to 501 pairs. The increase to three pairs of Stone-Curlews at Minsmere was also noteworthy.

The Avocets nesting at Minsmere increased very slightly in numbers and suffered a bit of tragedy with heavy spring rainfall causing only four chicks to fledge successfully of all those hatched from the 130 pairs nesting at the sight. Birds that researchers are concerned about include Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwit, Bitterns, Dartford Warblers, Yellowhammers, Spotted Flycatchers and Turtle Doves. The Nightjar and Woodlark populations managed to remain stable this year.

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It seems that a group of rare two-barred crossbills ‘looked’ at their internal compasses a little cross-eyed since they took a wrong turn and ended up in a remote, windswept outcrop of Scottish islands. No doubt the birds came in search of food but it is unlikely that they’re going to find their favorite snack – larch and spruce cones – this far north.

The rare and colorful two-barred crossbill hails from Russia and usually scours parts of Europe in search of coniferous forests. Their normal haunts stretch from Sea of Okhotsk to the Finnish border – a distance of some 3 500 miles. While they have been spotted in Scotland before, they don’t generally make a habit of venturing all the way to Britain in their travels. This year it seems that not only have they decided to cross the sea, but they’ve done so in large family groups. So far 22 of the birds have been counted in Shetland – the greatest number to hit the island since 1990. The females and juveniles of the species are green and yellow, while the males are dark red. Both are easy to spot in the somewhat barren Shetland Isles and they are attracting a lot of attention. But Shetland isn’t the only place they’ve been spotted. More birds have been spotted in Orkney, Harris in the Western Islands, and on St Kilda – a staggering 50 miles further north than any of the other locations. Some have also been spotted much further south in Kent. In total at least 48 birds have been recorded in the country during a period of just three weeks.

Commenting on the number of juveniles in the groups, Shetland bird recorder Paul Harvey suggested that the birds’ presence is most likely the result of a successful breeding season followed by a shortage of food in their more usual forage areas at the top of Russia. Essentially they were not meant to end up as far away from their homes as Britain, but it seems they’ll get by. Harvey noted that since they’ve arrived in Scotland they’ve been feeding mainly on thistle heads, seeds and sea pinks. He surmised that they will eventually move on in their quest for food. Until that happens, the birds will continue to be hunted by amateur and professional cameramen alike as they attempt to catch the colorful phenomenon on film. It seems they have even caught the attention of a few tourists – many of which can no doubt sympathize with the inconvenience of taking a wrong turn during ones travels.

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If you live in North America you may well be familiar with the Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana). This adorable passerine bird is fairly large in size and is ash-grey in color with black and white wings and tail feathers. The bill, legs and feet of the Clark’s Nutcracker are also black – all in all a fairly ordinary looking bird. However, the Clark’s Nutcracker is anything but ordinary.

The Clark’s Nutcracker is a fairly industrious bird that works hard to ensure that he has enough food for the winter months. He collects and buries about 33 000 seeds every year! What’s more, he does not store them in the same location but may choose from as many as 2 500 different storage spots when deciding where to keep his winter hoard. Clearly this is not your typical bird! The average Clark’s Nutcracker is well equipped to handle the cold winter months with such a large supply of food. How the bird knows exactly where it has placed its little stockpiles is another mystery. It seems their long-term spatial memory allows them to relocate caches with noteworthy accuracy for a period of up to six months – even if their little hidey holes are located under three feet of snow!

These intriguing birds feed on a number of different foods, but their most important food resource is that of pine seeds – something which is quite widespread in North America. However, when the breeding season is over, the birds may wonder down to lower altitudes where they may use the seeds of pinyon pines or search out other food sources. Once they have gathered up these seeds they may store them in the ground in caches of 5-10 seeds. The reason they store so many seeds in different places is to ensure that they will still have some food if one or two of their caches are raided by other animals such as squirrels. Thus the Clark’s Nutcracker is one of nature’s foremost tree planters, since any seeds that are not consumed by the end of the winter months are left to germinate and grow into beautiful trees.

Other foods consumed by the Clark’s Nutcracker include insects, berries, some fruits, peanuts, small mammals and occasionally carrion. They have even been known to eat eggs and nestlings! Fortunately this is the exception rather than the rule and it seems that Clark’s Nutcrackers generally prefer to stick to pine tree seeds, which they are perfectly adapted to retrieve from pine cones.

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Keen birders have long appreciated the intelligence and communication skills of birds. Apart from the fact that birdsong is delightful to listen to, it is also an integral part of bird identification for bird-watchers, as well as a means for birds to communicate with one another. Ongoing avian research is continuously revealing fascinating facts about birds, how they interact with one another and how they adapt to a rapidly changing world. Recent research has revealed that some migratory songbirds choose their nesting area based solely on the songs of other birds that are successfully raising their young.

To test the theory that birds make use of this “eavesdropping” method of communication, researchers have played recordings of successful parents’ birdsong in areas that would not normally be chosen as a nesting site. The result was that the recorded songs prompted birds to nest there, suggesting that they are more influenced by their social network than by the suitability of the habitat. This is a strong indication that songbirds have far more complex communication skills than previously thought.

In a joint research project, scientists and avian ecology experts from Oregon State University, Wellesley College, Trent University and Queens University, monitored 54 research sites focusing on the black-throated blue warbler. Due to their limited life-span, selecting the right habitat to successfully breed is of primary importance to most birds, as they need to get it right first time. If their choice of nesting site doesn’t have sufficient cover and a ready food supply, their chances of breeding successfully are significantly diminished. It was previously thought that vegetation structure was the driving force behind their choice of nesting site, but the results of this new research indicate that younger birds listen to the songs of older, more experienced birds and use this as the criteria for their choice of nesting site in the next breeding season.

At the research site in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, during autumn when successful parents were singing to their young, presumably to show them how to sing, researchers recorded their song and played it in other, totally unsuitable habitats. Other black-throated blue warblers that were flying overhead chose to nest in these habitats the following spring, even though they were obviously unsuitable. It was further discovered that male birds are four times more likely to be influenced by the birdsong in choosing a nesting site and, even though the male’s choice was obviously unsuitable, the female would follow.

Although it has been understood for some time that birds make various sounds for various reasons, such as for sounding an alarm or to attract a mate, but researchers were surprised at just how strongly the birds were influenced by vocal and auditory communication when it came to choosing nesting habitat. The results of the research can prove invaluable in the light of rapidly changing climates and deteriorating environment. If birds respond to vocal cues, they could be persuaded to abandon previously chosen nesting sites should they no longer be suitable, and be guided to nesting sites which will benefit them and their offspring.

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Found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Torres Strait Island and eastern Australia, Birds of Paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae, of the order Passeriformes. Birds of Paradise are possibly best known for the males of most species, which boast flamboyant plumage, with elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the wings, the beak or the head. Their magnificent plumage along with their intricate mating displays, have made Birds of Paradise a popular subject for nature and wildlife programs.

The name “Birds of Paradise” originates from specimens of the Greater Bird of Paradise (Paradiseaea apoda) that were brought back to Europe by explorers who had been on trading missions. Unbeknown to the explorers, the wings and feet of these specimens had been removed by native traders, apparently for decorative purposes. This led to the belief that the birds used their plumes to remain permanently in the air, giving rise to the name “Birds of Paradise”, as well as “apoda” meaning “without feet”.

The forty-seven species of Birds of Paradise range in size from the 50gram King Bird of Paradise to the 430 gram Curl-crested Manucode, with most species having complex mating rituals, including lek-type mating. A gathering of males for the purpose of competitive mating displays is known as a lek, taken from the Swedish word meaning “to play”. Before and during the breeding season, leks gather on a daily basis. Generally the same group of males meets at the same venue, with each taking up the same individual positions in order to occupy and defend their small territory. Each male will put on an impressive performance, which may include intricate dances, plumage displays, vocal challenges and occasionally sparring with a neighbor. These displays attract a number of females, which gather around watching intently before choosing a mate.

The hunting of Birds of Paradise has been going on since the beginning of human settlement. The beautiful plumes of many Birds of Paradise have been used in rituals and dress for centuries in places such as Papua New Guinea. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the indiscriminate killing of Birds of Paradise for their plumes for use in the millinery trade in European countries was common. Hunting and habitat destruction, mainly due to deforestation, has resulted in some species being reduced to endangered status.

Today these magnificent birds enjoy legal protection, which is good news for bird watchers who would like to see this fascinating bird family preserved for future generations of birding enthusiasts to enjoy.

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Aviornis, or Aviornis International, was established in the year 1973 by a group of Belgian aviculturists who shared the same vision in the conservation of waterfowl and ornamental birds. A Dutch branch of Aviornis was founded in 1973, and has spread across the globe, with more than eight thousand members in seven different countries. Aviornis International is a conservation group that not only protects different bird species but also assists members in various aspects of birding.

At present, the members of Avionis, in all the different chapters, take care of an estimated six hundred and twenty five various bird species. The chapters of Aviornis International are as follows: Aviornis United Kingdom (founded 1991), Aviornis Germany, Aviornis France, Aviornis Ibercia, Aviornis Netherlands and Aviornis Belgium. Members of Aviornis come from countries including Spain, Portugal, Holland and Italy. And as a member of this lifesaving establishment, members receive a color Aviornis magazine with informative articles, legislation updates and reports on breeding programs and projects. Members are also informed of upcoming lectures, activities in areas close to them, and are able to turn to Aviornis for assistance and information in regard to their birds.

The main goal of Aviornis as an organization is to protect endangered bird species against extinction and to assist agencies and related programs in their efforts to conserve and protect these species. To ensure that a healthy stock of each species, in regard to genetics, remains within the breeding programs, Aviornis arranges international exchanges of young individuals, and provides advice and knowledge to breeders and the breeding projects. Reintroduction into the wild is always the end goal for Avionis and other organizations that run breeding programs.

The most important birds in the breeding programs at present include quails, ibis, waterfowl, cranes, pheasants and junglefowls, but there are many other species that are already in breeding facilities. This organization also took the lead in introducing the Ringing and Registration System, which allows Aviornis members a lifetime membership number, serial number and rings that are available in various sizes (depending on the bird species) and every year a different color is given to the rings. This creates a central information network in regard to breeding seasons and the birds that were bred within a specific season.

Aviornis was founded to provide protection and aid to bird species that need human intervention to save them from extinction, and to date it still performs this noble service. Supporting and aiding where possible, and ensuring that its members have updated information in regard to legislations, regulations and other successful projects, Aviornis is certainly serving a vital role in bird conservation.

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