Blue-bellied Roller (Coracias cyanogaster)
These social, stocky, pigeon-sized birds received their name because of their blue bellies. They also have cream-colored heads, darker blue wings and a forked, teal-colored tail. Blue-bellied rollers, as with other rollers, got their name from their unique courtship flights. Rollers will roll or tumble through the air and to the ground while calling to their potential mates. Blue-bellied rollers are most often found in wooded areas and forest edges in the western and central part of Africa, from Senegal to southern Sudan. Their heavy, downward-curved beak is ideal for eating a variety of insects, but they will also feed on small reptiles, as well as oil-palm fruits. The IUCN has listed them as a species of Least Concern due to their large range and fairly stable population.
Fun Fact: Blue-bellied rollers will flock to forest and savanna fires, where they wait outside the fire to feed on insects fleeing the flames.
Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove
This plump ground dove is named for the patch of red on its breast. Otherwise, they are grey above and buff colored below. The Luzon bleeding heart dove is only found in the tropical rainforests of the Philippines, where flocks spend much of their time moving along the forest floor looking for food. Typically, they only fly into the trees when seeking rest or to sleep. Even their nests are built near the ground in bushes or creeping plants. The Luzon bleeding heart dove’s diet includes insects, worms and other invertebrates, seeds and fallen berries. They are very secretive, so it can be difficult to quantify their actual population. However, it is thought to be rapidly declining, primarily due to hunting and logging. As such, the IUCN has listed them as Near Threatened.
Fun Fact: Like other doves and pigeons, Luzon bleeding heart doves drink by submerging their beak in water, sucking the water up and swallowing without ever having to raise their head between sips like other birds.
Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
Nicobar pigeons have quite striking metallic blue-green feathers with coppery reflections. The elongated feathers around their neck, called hackles, have black and purple iridescence. As with other pigeons and doves, they are fairly stocky with a small head. Nicobar pigeons are found in Southeast Asia—from India eastward, on the Nicobar Islands, New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, where they prefer to live in mangroves and lowland forests. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, berries and insects. Nicobar pigeons are monogamous and tend to mate for life. Males actually choose the nesting site and gather twigs, roots and other materials for the female so that she can build the nest, but both parents share in the incubation of the 1-2 egg clutch. The IUCN has listed the Nicobar pigeon as Near Threatened because it is declining throughout its range. The main causes for this decline are from capture for food and the pet trade, habitat destruction and predation from introduced mammals.
Fun Fact: Nicobar pigeons are very nomadic, often commuting to larger islands to feed during the day. However, they typically roost and breed on islands where there are no predators or humans.
Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
This huge vulture has a bare, buff colored neck with a down covered head and dark markings around the eye that give its face a skull-like appearance, as well as a dark, massive and powerful beak with a blue cere. Cinereous refers to color of their feathers, which is ash-like. They are one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and can have a wingspan of 8-9 feet. The main portion of the cinereous vulture’s diet is carrion; however, they have been known to kill small animals and will also feed on insects, tortoises and lizards. They are typically found in high mountains, large forests, steppes and grasslands in the Caucasus Mountains, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine and through the central Asian plateau to Mongolia and China. The cinereous vulture is decreasing throughout its range, except in parts of Europe, where its population is actually increasing. The main threats to the species are mortality caused by humans and decreasing food supply. Human caused mortality comes mainly from the use of poisoned baits put out to exterminate wolves and other predators. The birds are also commonly shot and trapped for their feathers. Another cause for concern is the veterinary application of the anti-inflammatory Diclofenac in domestic livestock. The vultures ingest these anti-inflammatory residues when they consume the livestock carrion, and it can cause liver and kidney damage and make the birds more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. All of these factors, as well as others, have caused the IUCN to list them as Near Threatened.
Fun Fact: Cinereous vultures build a huge nest, as large as 8 feet wide and 7 feet deep, where they then lay 1 egg.
White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
The males of these little songbirds have a shiny blue-black upper with a chestnut colored chest and belly, a white rump and a long tail with white feathers underneath. The females have more of a grayish-brown coloration and lighter belly. White-rumped shamas can also be recognized by their repetitive tail movements, where they quickly raise the tail and then slowly lower it again. Tail movements are also common during courtship, where males flick and fan out their tail feathers to try and impress their potential mate. They are also know for their rich repertoire of loud and melodious songs and will even imitate the calls of other birds. White-rumped shamas have a very large range, extending from northern India, Nepal and southern China south to Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Additionally, they were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930’s. The white-rumped shama is especially fond of bamboo and teak forests but can be found in a variety of forests and foothills, where it nests in undergrowth near the ground. During twilight, they forage on the forest floor for grasshoppers, termites, grubs, caterpillars, and other insects, as well as fruit. Since these birds enjoy an extremely large range and population and any decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to cause alarm, the IUCN has listed them as a species of Least Concern.
Fun Fact: For the first eight days after hatching, the nestlings nearly double in weight each day. By the 10th day, they are usually already 70-80% the weight of an adult.
Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)
These small, stocky birds are metallic blue-green on their upper parts and neck with a bronzy-black face and very pale, yellow eyes. They have a white band on the upper part of their chest, but the rest of their chest, belly, flanks and thighs are a bright chestnut with white under their wings and tail. These birds have a fairly melodious song that includes warbling, trilling and chattering. Superb starlings prefer open woodlands, scrublands and agricultural fields. They are found in parts of northeastern Africa, in countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Sudan. Superb starlings eat a variety of insects, worms, fruit, grain and agricultural pests, and occasionally crops as well. When foraging for food, they probe the soil with their beak and then force their beak open to clear a space in the dirt where they can search. Superb starlings are very social birds, gathering in groups that can sometimes include thousands of individuals. This social nature extends to group assistance of breeding pairs as well. These helpers, usually the offspring from the males’ previous broods, provide nesting material and food for the young. The species is considered widespread and abundant and is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Fun Fact: Starlings generally have little fear of humans. As such, superb starlings often approach human settlements and lodges where they scavenge and beg for food. This has made them very popular with tourists visiting Africa.
Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pratensis)
The sandhill crane is a large, long-legged, long-necked bird with a noticeable patch of bald, red skin on the top of its head. The Florida sandhill crane is a subspecies of the North American sandhill crane. Unlike the North American sandhill crane, which migrates south in the winter, Florida sandhill cranes reside in Florida and a small portion of Georgia year around. They typically inhabit freshwater marshes, prairies, pastures and farmlands, but can occasionally be seen on lawns throughout Florida. Florida sandhill cranes are omnivorous and eat a variety of foods including seeds, plant tubers, grains, berries, insects, worms, mice, snakes, lizards, frogs and crayfish. They have one of the most distinctive bird calls of any bird in Florida. Their trumpeting or bugling, as it’s often called, can be heard for several miles. It is thought that at one time non-migratory sandhill cranes formed a single, extended population in the southeastern United States and Cuba. Over time, overhunting and the loss of wetlands and habitat to agriculture, development and deforestation fragmented and reduced the population to the separate groups of Florida sandhill cranes, Mississippi sandhill cranes and Cuban sandhill cranes. The Florida sandhill crane has benefitted from the establishment of protected areas in key portions of its remaining range, but commercial and residential development still pose a significant threat. Although the various subspecies of sandhill cranes are not recognized individually by the IUCN, Florida recognizes the Florida sandhill crane as a state-designated Threatened species.
Fun Fact: Sandhill cranes perform dancing displays that involve wing flapping, bowing and jumping and sometimes even the tossing of plants and sticks into the air.
Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
This lovely wading bird has plumage that can range from pink to orange to red with black wing tips. Although the scarlet ibis is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, it can be found inhabiting mud flats, estuaries and shorelines throughout northern South America, from Venezuela to eastern Brazil. It has even been found in the eastern United States in areas like the Everglades. Ibises use their curved, slender bills to probe the mud and shallow water for crustaceans, fish, mollusks, frogs and other small aquatic animals. This species has a large range, and any slight decline in population is not thought to be a cause for alarm. As such, this species is listed as one of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Fun Fact: As with flamingos, the color of a scarlet ibis’ feathers can vary based on its diet. The pink, orange or red coloration comes from carotene pigments in the algae and crustaceans they eat.