Tag: american bird conservancy

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

A bird that drinks blood? The aptly named Vampire Ground-Finch fills the bill — literally! Like other sanguivorous animals, including mosquitoes and leeches, this bird gets vital nourishment from blood. Although they may seem gruesome, the Vampire Ground-Finch’s taste for blood is actually a clever adaptation to its arid environment.

Researchers theorize that its blood-slurping behavior evolved from the Vampire Ground-Finch’s habit of cleaning parasites from the plumage of the larger seabirds, such as boobies, that nest on its home islands. Pecking at parasites with its long, sharp bill eventually

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

The Northern Bobwhite’s whistling call was once common across its range in eastern U.S. and Mexico. A popular game bird, this icon of North America’s grasslands and forest edges was once found even in suburbs. Watch this American Bird Conservancy webinar for some “quaility” information on the Northern Bobwhite from conservation experts who know these birds best. You’ll learn about bobwhite behavior, habitat, threats, and conservation efforts — including what YOU can do to help bring bobwhite back.

_{This YouTube video was produced by the American Bird Conservancy.}

As renowned naturalist Alexander Skutch once remarked: “Although the anis have much to recommend them to the attention of the naturalist, it is not by their beauty that they attract him.”

With its rumpled appearance and ungainly movements, the Groove-billed Ani might not be the most beautiful bird, but it is no doubt a fascinating species. Its highly-arched, grooved beak inspired its species name sulcirostris, a combination of the Latin words for “groove” and “beak.” Its genus name, Crotophaga, comes from Greek and Latin words for tick and eating, reflecting