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July 31, 2014

Ostrich and Baby, Africa



The ostrich or common ostrich  is either one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member  of the genus Struthio, which is in the ratite family. Some analyses indicate that the Somali ostrich may be better considered a full species separate from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies. The ostrich shares the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries. However, phylogenetic studies have shown that it is the basal extant member of Palaeognathae and is thus equally closely related to flighted tinamous.  Source

Masked Trogon, South America



The Masked Trogon is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is fairly common in humid highland forests in South America, mainly the Andes and tepuis. The Masked Trogon is a mid-sized trogon, averaging 27 centimetres  in length and 56 grams  in mass. Like all trogons, it displays sexual dimorphism. The upperparts, head and upper chest of the male are variously glossy green, reddish-bronze or golden-green. The belly and lower breast are red; the latter separated from the greenish upper chest by a narrow white band.  Source

Long Eared Owl, Europe, Asia



The long-eared owl is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping of owls are the barn owls, family Tytonidae. The long-eared owl is a medium sized owl, 31 to 40 cm  in length with an 86 to 100 cm  wingspan and a body mass of 178 to 435 g. It has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the center of the head.  Source

Little Seagull, Germany



Gulls or seagulls  are seabirds of the family Laridae in the sub-order Lari. They are most closely related to the terns  and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Until the twenty-first century most gulls were placed in the genus Larus, but this arrangement is now known to be polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of several genera. An older name for gulls is mew, cognate with German "Möwe", Danish "måge", Dutch "meeuw" and French "mouette"; this term can still be found in certain regional dialects.  Source

Little Blue Bird, America



The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Sialia of the thrush family. Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and rose beige, plumage. Female birds are less brightly colored than males, although color patterns are similar and there is no noticeable difference in size between the two sexes. Bluebirds are territorial and prefer open grassland with scattered trees.  Source

Kingfisher in Norfolk, England



Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found outside of the Americas. The group is treated either as a single family, Alcedinidae, or as a suborder Alcedines containing three families, Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.  Source