a male violet-backed starling perches on a flower. violet-backed starlings are known for their iridescent plumage, seen only in the male.

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male resplendent quetzals are good dads – often, the female abandons the chicks when they aren’t quite ready to leave the nest, and the male picks up the slack. up until this point, both parents take shifts incubating the eggs, then feeding the young.

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two wild painted conures forage for fruit. painted conures are rare in the pet trade, which may be a good thing – they are still common in their native habitat in south america.

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bird of the day: banded cotinga

the banded cotinga is a passerine bird native to a very small section of brazil.

male and female banded cotingas are easy to differentiate. males are vibrant blue with reddish-purple ‘bands’, and females are brown.

the banded cotinga mainly feeds off of fruit, berries, and insects. they live and forage in the rainforest canopy.

little is known about the banded cotinga, but it is clear their population is declining. not only do they live in a very small range, their total population size is estimated to only be around 1000 birds. the banded cotinga is classified as endangered by the iucn.

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the new zealand kaka, sometimes just called the kaka, is a large parrot found only in new zealand. they are similar to the more well-known kea, but have overall darker plumage with orange highlights. the kaka is currently endangered, threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators.

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feral blue crowned and nanday conures visit a backyard birdfeeding station in florida. large flocks of feral parrots call florida home. while most escaped or released parrots don’t survive long enough to breed and create flocks, florida provides a warm enough environment with many food sources.

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this pied common grackle was spotted in hudson, new york. the splotches of white result from leucism, a mutation that causes a lack of pigmentation.

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though the females of the species are brown and are often described as drab, the male violet-backed starling has stunning plumage. the upperside of the bird’s body is an iridescent people that can present as either dark or purplish-pink depending on the light. the violet-backed starling is a relatively small species of starling and is native to africa.

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cassowaries have large, powerful legs and feet – equipped with a natural dagger. one of a cassowary’s toes features a long, sharp claw that can cause serious damage via stabbing.

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a male boat-tailed grackle, native to north america, shows off his iridescent plumage from the top of a post.

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