Dazzling Exotic Birds

1. These South African birds are named for their almost all black coloring and, of course, their extremely long tail. The tail of the males can be over 16 inches long, which is more than twice their body length. .....

Splendid Fairywren

2. The males are fully blue when breeding, but otherwise look more similar to the females. They turn pale brown on top and white underneath, although retain the blue on wings and tail. .....

Royal Flycatcher

3. There are 4 species of royal flycatchers all with the royal crown which is generally only on display during courtship rituals and competitions with other males. Usually the crest is lying flat but opens up like a fan. .....

King of Saxony Bird of Paradise

4. The ornamental head plumes on the males are so bizarre that when the first specimen was brought to Europe, people thought it was fake. .....

Resplendent Quetzal

5. Many people believe these are the most beautiful birds in the world. They are the national bird of Guatemala, and name to the Guatemalan currency. .....

Lilac Breasted Roller

6. This bird (and the other species of rollers) get their name from their impressive courtship flight, a fast, shallow dive from considerable elevation with a rolling or fast rocking motion, accompanied by loud raucous calls. .....

Inca Tern

7. These awesome seabirds with mustaches nest in rocky hollows or burrows along the coasts of Peru and Chile. .....

Curl Crested Aracari

8. This bird is a member of the toucan family and gets it s name from the feathers on it s head that are curled up like ribbons on a gift. .....

D Arnaud s Barbet

9. This is one of 42 barbet species all of which are found in sub Saharan Africa. .....

Red Necked Tanager

10. There are 3 sub species of this bird which differ primarily in the extent of the throat patch and in the coloration of the head. They are residents of the lowland tropical forests of eastern South America. .....

Wilsons Bird of Paradise

11. Another crazy bird of paradise that is easy to recognize with it s curly tail feathers and unique coloring. The turquoise crown of the male is actually a patch of bare skin, not feathers. .....

Guianan Cock of the Rock

12. Their almost perfect semi circle crest is formed by two rows of feathers, flattened against each other. Unlike other birds, their crest is always on display. .....

Purple Crowned Fairywren

13. Their song is quite different from other fairywrens because it is of lower frequency, quite loud, and usually sung as a duet. .....

Livingstones Turaco

14. Turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae (literally banana eaters ). Despite the name, they generally do not eat bananas. .....

Spangled Cotinga

15. These cotingas live in the Amazon Rainforest and are usually silent, except when alarmed by predators. .....

Bare Throated Bellbird

16. These birds live in the Atlantic Forest of South America and have one of the loudest calls of any bird. .....

Malabar Pied Hornbill

17. These are an easily recognizable bird due to the large casque (the display growth on the upper bill). The tribal people of central India believed that hanging a skull of the hornbill brought wealth. .....

Red Naped Trogon

18. This type of trogon is found in and around Borneo and is threatened due to habitat loss. .....

Turquoise Browed Motmot

19. Motmots aren t born with their signature racket tipped tails. The feathers are weakly attached and shed away easily after development. .....

Malayan Banded Pitta

20. This is one of three separate species of banded pittas that were lumped together as one. Due to their vocal and visual differences the species were recently split. .....

White Throated Kingfisher

21. These birds nest in tunnels dug into the steep banks on the sides of streams and roads. .....

Purple Gallinule

22. These birds will swim in water like a duck and walk on floating plants like a chicken with the help of their long toes. .....

Splendid Astrapia

23. This is another of the 41 species of the birds of paradise and is only found in the mountains of New Guinea. .....

Kea

24. These are the only alpine parrots in the world and are found on the south island of New Zealand. They are large parrots known for their intelligent and inquisitive nature. .....

Capped Heron

25. You can easily spot these in South America as they are the only all white heron with a little black cap and bright blue bill, but you may not hear them because their muffled hoots are known to be very quiet. .....

Twelve Wired Bird of Paradise

26. The male will do a dance and brush the female with his 12 wiry display feather to seduce her. .....

Horned Sungem

27. This is a type of hummingbird found in South America and only the males have the iridescent horns. .....

Red Bearded Bee Eater

28. These birds catch bees and other insects in the air, not after they have landed. They remove the stinger by hitting the insect repeatedly on a hard surface and this removes most of the venom. .....