the pyrrhuloxia or desert cardinal is closely related to the familiar northern cardinal, but inhabits drier desert-like habitat. they are native to parts of the southwestern united states and mexico. the birds pictured may be foraging for cactus fruit, an unusual part of the bird’s diet.
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common ravens may be stereotyped as aloof loners, but they are incredibly social birds. ravens live in a flock called an unkindness. flock members respond to calls for help and assist other flock members in defending against predators. ravens are monogamous, and pairs are devoted to each other and can frequently be seen together consistently engaging in ‘couple’ behaviors like preening.
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albino and normally colored american crows stand next to each other. albino crows rarely make it to adulthood; they are often ostracized by their peers, more visible to predators, and have weaker eyesight and feathers due to lack of melanin.
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though loggerhead shrikes may appear cute and fluffy, a little like shrunken mockingbirds with oversized heads, their gruesome eating habits have named them the nickname of ‘butcherbirds’. shrikes take their prey (sometimes their own size or larger) and pinch down on the neck with their beaks, rendering them paralyzed, then shake their heads rapidly to snap the neck. shrikes store their food by impaling it on sharp sticks or barbed wire; sometimes a shrike’s cache looks like a bizarre collection of small animals hung on a fence.
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vermilion cardinals are closely related to the more common northern cardinal but with noticeably brighter plumage and a stiffer, longer crest. these songbirds are native to columbia and venezuela.
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red junglefowl are native to asia, and are the main species domestic chickens are descended from. ‘pure’ junglefowl are becoming increasingly harder to find as they hybridize with feral chickens.
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indigo buntings are a small member of the cardinal family found in north america (and south america during the winter). in fall and winter, the male and female buntings look the same, but in spring males molt into striking blue plumage.
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the short eared owl is native to every continent except for australia and antartica. the tufts, earlike in appearance, that give the owl its name are not always visible and are typically displayed when the owl feels defensive.
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a southern masked weaver feeding a diederik cuckoo. like others in the cuckoo family, diederik cuckoos are brood parasites. the mother cuckoo will lay her egg in another species’ nest, leaving those birds to raise the young.
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an unusual but natural hybrid between a sharp tailed grouse and a greater prairie chicken. despite the confusion of the names, sharp-tailed grouse are also considered prairie chickens, and both species are members of the grouse family.
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today's bird 
