Osprey

A very distinctive fish-hawk, formerly classified with other hawks but now placed in a separate family of its own.

Cormorant Visits With Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

The gangly Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking, matte-black fishing bird with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination … More

Dunlin at Bath

The name, first applied long ago, simply means ‘little dun-colored (gray-brown) bird,’ a good description of the Dunlin in winter plumage. Birds … More

Great Blue Heron on the Rocks

The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America. It is a large bird, with a slate-gray body, … More

European Starling

First brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century, European Starlings are now among the continent’s most … More

Willet

A Willet standing on the beach is simply a large plain shorebird; but its identity is obvious as soon as … More

Great Blue Heron Perched in a Pine Tree

Despite their impressive size, Great Blue Herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a … More

Cooper’s Hawk at Fort Morgan

Unlike falcons that use their bills, Cooper’s Hawks squeeze their prey to death with their feet and have been known … More

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up … More

Sanderlings at Fort Morgan

The Sanderling is a small, light-colored sandpiper with a straight, black bill and black legs.