What does spread-eagle mean?
Spread-eagle means to stretch with arms and legs straight out (extended). It means to lie flat.
Category Birds
What is the difference between the Asian Golden Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, and the Steppe Eagle?
What is the difference between the Asian Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea), the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), and the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)?
The Asian Golden Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, and the Steppe Eagle are all large birds of prey, raptors, and accipiters from the Northern Hemisphere.
The Asian Golden Eagle, the Eastern Imperial Eagle, and the Steppe Eagle all have a dark-grey or black-tipped sharply down-turned beak with a yellow cere (the hard substance at the top of the beak).
The difference between them is mainly due to size, colour, and flight.
Steppe Eagle
The Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large bird of prey, a raptor, and accipiter (the family of eagles).
The Steppe Eagle is brown with blackish flight feathers and a blackish tail. It has banded white and brown flight feathers. It has brown eyes, and a black sharply down-turned beak with a yellow cere.
Asian Golden Eagle
The Asian Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) is a large bird of prey, and one of the most common. It is a raptor and an accipiter. It is also called the Himalayan Golden Eagle or the Berkut.
The Asian Golden Eagle is dark-brown with red-golden-brown feathers on the back of its neck. It is blackish on its back. It has white on its tail and some white markings on its long, strong wings. It has a grey beak with a dark, sharply down-turned tip. Its beak has a yellow cere. It has grey legs, and grey feet with long claws.
Eastern Imperial Eagle
The Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a large bird of prey. It is a raptor and an accipiter.
The Eastern Imperial Eagle is dark-brown with white shoulder patches and pale-cream feathers at the back of its neck. It has a grey base to its bi-coloured tail. It has grey legs with large claws, called talons. Its eyes are brown and its beak is sharply-hooked and grey with a yellow cere.
Violet-Backed Starling
The Violet-Backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster) is a small bird. It is also called the Plum-Coloured Starling or the Amethyst Starling.
The male and female Violet-Backed Starling have very different appearances. The male has an iridescent violet-coloured back with a white underbelly. The female is brown with flecks on her white underbelly. The male has a dark-violet-black face. Both have a dark-grey beak and dark-grey legs. Both have yellow eyes with dark pupils.
Andean Condor
The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is a large South American bird in the Vulture family. It is a raptor and bird of prey.
The Andean Condor is black with a white ruff (collar) around its neck. Its face and neck are pinkish-red and nearly bald. Females have a bald blackish-red head and neck. It has a flattened head. Males have a dark carbuncle or comb on their head. It has white feathers on its wings. Its pale cream beak is strong with a slightly downward-curved hook, and its eyes are orange-brown. It has long sharp talons on its feet to grip its prey.
Pink-Backed Pelican
The Pink-Backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) is a large freshwater wetlands bird, but smaller than other pelican species.
The Pink-Backed Pelican is mainly grey and white, with pinkish-brown back and wing feathers. Its beak is yellow on the top, with a greyish pouch. It has dark eyes with white eye-rings.
Socorro Dove
The Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni) is an extremely rare bird and extinct in the wild. It is related to the Mourning Dove.
The Socorro Dove is a deep cinnamon colour with a blue-grey neck that has an iridescent pink patch. It has black patches on its lower back. It has pink legs and a grey beak with a pink cere.
Northern Bald Ibis
The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) is also called the Waldrapp Ibis. It is a non-wading bird.
The Northern Bald Ibis has glossy black feathers with an iridescent green and purple sheen. It has a red bald face and head, with a ruff of feathers on its neck. Its red beak is long and downward-curved. It has amber (orange-brown) eyes and pink legs.
Java Sparrow
The Java Sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora) is also called the Java Finch or the Java Rice Bird. It is a small passerine songbird. It is an estrildid.
The Java Sparrow has grey upperparts, grey chest, pink belly, and a black head with white cheeks. It has red eye-rings, pink feet, and a thick red beak.
Hooded Pitta
The Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) is a small passerine songbird.
The Hooded Pitta is a green bird with green wings, a black head, and chestnut crown. It has a chestnut belly patch. Its beak and legs are grey. It has dark eyes.
Northern White-Faced Owl
The Northern White-Faced Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis) is a large nocturnal bird.
The Northern White-Faced Owl has grey and white body feathers, streaked with black, with a white face. Its has a black rim around its face. It has pale-yellow legs with strong claws. Its eyes are large and orange-brown.
African Grey-Headed Gull
The African Grey-Headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus poiocephalus) is a coastal bird, a seagull.
The African Grey-Headed Gull has a grey back, grey wings, a white chest, a pale grey head, and black-tipped tail feathers. It has a red beak and red legs.
Grey Partridge
The Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) is a ground-dwelling (terrestrial) game bird, also known as the English Partridgeor the Hungarian Partridge. It is a gallinaceous bird.
The Grey Partridge has a short, round body with a brown back, grey sides, and a grey chest. Its belly is white with a large chestnut horseshoe mark.
Fallacy: Ostriches bury their heads in the sand
Ostriches bury their heads in the sand. This is not true. It is a fallacy.
When ostriches are alarmed, they do not bury their heads in the sand, but they lie low and press their long necks down on the ground. This is because they are trying to hide from their predators, or to be less visible and not so prominent (large).
From a distance, it might look as if they have buried their heads in the sand, but they haven’t.
Continue reading “Fallacy: Ostriches bury their heads in the sand”
Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill
The Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes brevis) is a large African bird with a huge beak.
The Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill has iridescent black feathers with a silvery-grey head, and silvery spots on its cheeks. It has a white rump, white lower back, and white tips on its tail feathers. It has a large cream-coloured casque (bony growth) on its beak. It has dark eyes, and females have red skin around their eyes.
Chestnut Sparrow
The Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey) is a small eastern African bird.
The Chestnut Sparrow has a deep chestnut plump body with a thick grey beak. It has black colourings on the face, wings, and tail. It has pale-grey legs. Females are grey-brown with a paler beak, with chestnut only on the lower back and rump.
Common Redstart
The Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) is a small bird. Redstart means red tail.
The Common Redstart is grey with a white forehead and a black throat. Its wings and two central tail feathers are brown, whereas the other tail feathers are orange-red. It has orange on its sides and a white belly. Its beak and legs are black. It has a pale eye-ring.
Brown Snake Eagle
The Brown Snake Eagle (Circaetus cinereus) is a bird of prey, a raptor and an accipiter.
The Brown Snake Eagle is brown with a few white feathers. The juvenile has mottled white chest feathers, as well as white facial feathers. It has a rounded owl-like head. It has a grey beak and pale legs. Adults have yellow eyes. Its tail has three narrow white bands.