birds with fleshy plumage
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1. Eastern Rosella
The Eastern Rosella is native to Australia and ishighly intelligent, is capable of learning a largerepertoire of songs, and can be trained to speak.Although Rosellas can be kept as pets, they preferto have minimal human interaction. So if you’reever Down Under, keep your distance and snap a
2. HYACINTH MACAW
world. Although these macawsare at the top of their foodchain—with no known naturalpredators—they find themselveson the endangered species list,due to caged-bird trade andhabitat loss.
The hyacinth macaw’s beauty isneither understated norundersized: this bird, whichmakes its home in central andeastern South Africa, is the largestspecies of flying parrot in the
3. KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN
The national bird of Belize can be foundfrom southern Mexico to Venezuela andColombia. The keel-billed toucan is a highlysocial bird and is rarely seen alone.Although six to thirty of these birds traveltogether in flocks, you’ll rarely see them
4. Golden PheasantThe golden pheasant, or Chinesepheasant, lives mostly in themountainous areas of westernChina. The male pheasants tendto upstage their femalecounterparts, as the femalegolden pheasant lacks the male’sbeautifully colored body and ismostly a dull, dappled brown.What a show-off!
5. Painted Bunting
The painted bunting isan award-winner,commonly dubbed themost beautiful bird inNorth America. It is amember of the cardinalfamily and is found mostoften in the southernU.S. states. The paintedbunting used to be apopular caged bird, butnow capturing it isillegal.
6. Bronzed-Winged PionusThe bronze-winged pionus isa remarkably colored parrotthat is endemic tonorthwestern SouthAmerica. These birds canlive to be over forty yearsold and are often the bestchoice for first-time .parrot owners, becausethey are very social andeasily tamed. If you’replanning to purchase a
7. Grey Crowned Crane
The grey crowned cranestands tall, at aboutforty-two inches, and isthe national bird ofUganda. It is native tothe dry savannah southof the Sahara Desert inAfrica. This crane doesnot migrate and isfacing widespread andever-increasing threatsto its natural habitat.
8. FlamingoThe flamingo is a bit mysterious, as no one canquite explain its signature behavior ofstanding on one leg. Some think that thesebirds, like some other animals, have the abilityto allow one-half of their body to sleep at atime—but this idea has never been proven.Flamingos get their beautiful color fromcarotenoid proteins found in their diet ofblue-green algae.
9. Golden Conure
The golden conure, aka
golden parakeet, lives in
the upland rainforests of
Brazil and finds itself on
the endangered species
list, due to deforestation
and high risk of capture
for its attractive plumage.
It employs a breeding
technique that is unique
among parrots: a pair of
parents usually has a
number of fellow helpers to
raise their young.
10. Rainbow Lorikeet
The rainbow lorikeet is indigenous to Australia,eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, NewCaledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.The rainbow lorikeet is highly territorial and willprotect its nest against nearly any size intruder.There are approximately twelve colorfulsubspecies of this gorgeous bird.
11.White-Bellied CaiqueThis parrot is native to the Amazon Basin in South America and is nicknamed “the dancing parrot” because of its tendency to hop or “dance” when encouraged with rhythmic clapping. You might want to put this parrot at the bottom of your wish list for household pets, though—its call has been compared to a smoke alarm.
12. Greater Bird-of-Paradise
The greater bird-of-paradise is the largest member in the genus Paradisaea, which contains seven species of birds-of-paradise. It is distributed across New Guinea and the Aru Islands in Indonesia. Although the plumage of this species is sexually dimorphic (differences between sexes in the same species), both males and females have yellow irises and blue bills.
13. Dusky Lory
The dusky lory is endemic to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is the only species of parrot of the genus Pseudeos. Dusky lories have a greater talking potential than other,
14. Peach-Faced Lovebird
Peach-faced lovebirds get their name for their affection toward their owners and other birds. These birds, with more than twelve mutations, are native to southwest Africa, are very social and affectionate, and love companionship. Peach-faced lovebirds make great pets; just be sure you get two if you can’t supply one with the attention it needs on your own