221 Exotic Birds Encyclopedia

The Urocolius macrourus (scientific name) or blue-naped mousebird is found in the dryer arid regions of East Africa. 13-14 inches in length, this bird has an ash-brown greyish body and spiky head crest feathers. It also has a turquoise-coloured nape. They have black and red beaks, and pointed elongated tail feathers. Its feet are large […]

The Merops nubicus (scientific name) or Carmine bee-eater has 2 species, the Southern Carmine and the Northern Carmine bee-eater which are separated by 2,000 km of warm dry area. This bird is found in huge colonies in sand cliffs along the river and the savannah woodlands of countries in Central Africa and Southern parts of

The Merops bullocki (scientific name) or red-throated bee-eater is endemic to Africa. It has a vast range, from Burkina Faso and Chad, to Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda amongst other countries. A small-sized bird with a height of only 9 inches, this bird is extremely colourful with a distinctive red throat. It has a

The Entomyzoncyanotis (scientific name) or blue-faced honey-eater is found from rainforests and eucalyptus forests to mangroves, wetter areas of semi-dry regions and even urban areas. They are native to North and East parts of Australia and Southern New Guinea. 9-13 inches in height, this bird has olive coloured plumage on the upperside and white feathers

The Goura Victoria (scientific name) or Victoria-crowned pigeon is native to the lowlands and swamp forests of Northern New Guinea. 29-30 inches in height, this bird is famous for the elegant blue feather crest it has on its head. Its feathers are white- tipped. This bird is deep blue grey in colour and has a

The Patagioenas oenops (scientific name) or Peruvian pigeon is endemic to sub-tropical and tropical dry forests, moist lowland forests and montane forests of Ecuador and Peru. It is also known as the Maranon pigeon. It is a medium-sized pigeon and its average height is 13 inches. This bird is greyish pinkish in colour overall, with

The Gallicolumba luzonica (scientific name) or Luzon bleeding heart pigeon is only found in the forests of the island Luzon, Philippines. The bird is named such because of the deep crimson red stain on its white chest which resembles a blood stain. The upper-body is an iridescent steel grey colour. The belly and under wings

The Columbina cruziana (scientific name) or croaking ground dove is commonly found in tropical forests, shrub lands and high altitude tropical forests of South America, specifically Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Even though it is buff brown in colour, yet it differs in looks from other ground birds because of its black primary feathers, a distinctive

The Gallicolumba jobiensis (scientific name) or white-bibbed ground dove is found in tropical lowlands and forests of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. This medium-sized bird has a purple coloured plumage all over with tail feathers which are stubby and dark in colour. As the name suggests, it has a white bib-like shape of

The Spelopelia chinensis (scientific name) or spotted dove is a long-tailed resident breeder of forests, gardens and urban areas of India and South-East Asia, though it has been introduced to different parts of the world. 11-12.8 inches in length, the spotted dove has rosy-buff coloured under parts, and a greyish head and belly. It has

The Orthotomus sutorius (scientific name) or common tailorbird is native to the tropical parts of Asia. 4.0-5.5 inches in length, this bird has an olive-green plumage on the upper parts, with a rufous-coloured crown. The underparts, including the chest and belly, are white. It has a long tail, short rounded wings and strong legs. The

The Meleagris gallopavo (scientific name) or wild turkey is endemic to the forests of North America, Mexico and the United States. 40-50 inches in length, the male has a large featherless head, throat and wattles, which are all brightly red-coloured. Its face is distinctive looking with fleshy skin right over the beak. The tail is

The Troglodytidae (scientific name) is a family of small birds known as the wren. This bird is distributed globally in varying habitats. Ranging from 4.0-5.5 inches in length, the wren has very drab-coloured plumage, ranging from grey to black, brown and white. It has a long straight, but slightly curved beak. There isn’t any sexual

The Dromaius novaehollandiae (scientific name) or emu is endemic to Australia. With a height of 6.6 feet, these birds have soft brown feathers overall. They have strong legs used to run great distances, since they are flightless. It uses its strongly clawed feet as a defence mechanism. Mostly herbivores, the emu eats a variety of

The Ophrysia superciliosa (scientific name) or Himalayan quail is found in two locations in India, i.e. the Western Himalayas, Uttarakhand and North-West India. However, since its last siting in 1876 in Mussoourie, this bird is feared to be extinct. There is sexual dimorphism in the species, with the male having dark grey plumage and whitish