birds

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 59

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #59

We’re jumping on a plane and heading to New Zealand to meet a one of kind bird on this fine Feathery Friday! Are you ready for an adventure down under?

MEET THE WRYBILL!

Range/Habitat: New Zealand/rivers-estuaries

Diet: Carnivore: insects, insect larva

Length/Weight: 7.9-8.3”/ 1.5-2.5 oz

Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

Wrybills have grey and white feathers.
They have long black bills.
Wrybills are curved to the right and sideways. They are the only birds in the world with this type of beak.
They perform aerial ballets during mating and migration.
Wrybills are a wading bird.

These funny little birds are so neat! You must get up close to see their unusual sideway bent beaks! We sure do love meeting such amazing birds!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, rivers, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | 2 Comments

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 58

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #58

Birds come in so many colors! We are always amazed by these bright beauties! This Feathery Friday takes us to the rainforests of Indonesia to meet a bright red bird! Keep your eyes peeled!

MEET THE BLUE-STREAKED LORY!

Range/Habitat: Indonesia/ rainforests

Diet: Herbivore: pollen, nectar

Length/Weight: 12”/ 6oz

Conservation Status: near threatened

Fun Facts:

Blue-streaked Lories are members of the lorikeet family.
They have a violet-blue streak on their neck and back.
They are very vocal and social.
Blue-streaked lories have a brush-like tipped tongue to help them gather nectar.
They can live up to 28+ years.

We could just watch these little birds all day. They are so funny and outgoing! We wish we could be a bright color like them too!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, rainforests, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

FEATHERY FRIDAY #57

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

FEATHERY FRIDAY #57

It’s Feathery Friday and we’re going to meet a little bird who calls the wetlands of Europe home. So let’s grab our binoculars and wellies and head off for some bird watching fun!

MEET THE SPOTTED CRAKE!

Range/Habitat: Europe-Asia-Africa/wetlands, marshes

Diet: Omnivore: algae, insects, aquatic animals

Length/Weight: 9-9 ½”/ 2-5 oz

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Spotted Crakes are small secretive bird.
Their feathers camouflage with the reeds and plants of the wetlands.
Spotted Crakes bob their heads while they walk.
Spotted crakes are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk).
They are not very vocal.
Spotted crakes use their bills to find food in the mud.

Spotted Crakes are cute little birds. They fit in perfectly in their habitat. If you were a bird what habitat would you decide to live in?

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wetlands, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | 3 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 5

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #5

It’s the last day of Penguin Week and we sure have had a blast meeting some of these flightless feathery friends and hope you’ve had fun too. Our last day of adventure takes us back to Antarctica to meet yet another cute penguin species!

MEET THE ADELIE PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: Circumpolar Antarctica/ coasts-ice

Diet: Carnivore: krill, small fishes

Length/Weight: 18-24”/ 8 ¾-12 lb

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Adelie penguins nest on the mainland of Antarctica.
They have blue-black feathers with pure white fronts.
Adelie penguins have white rings around the eyes.
Adelie penguins breed in colonies of up to 200,000 birds.
They build nest with rocks.
Adelie penguins have been seen stealing rocks from other penguins to make their nests.

Adelie penguins are so proper looking with their white bellies and sharp looking blue-black feathers. All they need now is a bowtie!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, education, Environment, nature, oceans, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | 10 Comments

JANUARY CRAFT!

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

JANUARY CRAFT

We’re starting off our monthly craft feature with a penguin coloring sheet. It is an original Ellie drawing! We know penguins are black and white, but we want to see them in color and glitter :)!

Download and print this penguin trio and then show us your best stuff! As always we love it when you share your artwork with us on Facebook or Twitter!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, crafts, education, Environment, nature, penguins, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, crafts, education, environment, nature, penguins, wildlife | 2 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 3

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #3

We’re off to South Georgia Island to meet a crested penguin who spends most of their life in the ocean, but form gigantic colonies during breading season! So let’s grab our coats and head down towards the south pole!

MEET THE MACARONI PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: South Chile, South Atlantic/ rocky islands-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: krill

Length/Weight: 28”/ 7 ¾-14 lb

Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

Macaroni penguins have a yellow crest of feathers on their head.
They were named after the macaroni hat of the 1800s.
Macaroni penguins are very vocal.
Macaroni penguins spend most of their time at sea.
They come ashore and form large breeding colonies.
Macaroni penguins form lifelong pair bonds.
Both male and female macaroni penguins incubate the egg.

We just love these little penguins with their fun name and their yellow crest of feathers on their head! We must see what we would look like with a fun crest on our heads!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, oceans, science, wildlife | 4 Comments

PENGUIN WEEK DAY # 2

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK DAY #2

For day two of Penguin Week we’re going South America! That’s right; we’re going to the temperate climates of South America to meet one cute little bird! Are you ready for today’s adventure?

MEET THE HUMBOLDT PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: Western South America/ coasts-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: anchovies, sardines

Length/Weight: 22-26”/10-11 lb

Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

Humboldt penguins were named after a cold weather current that goes in their habitat.
They have a black u shaped stripe on their chest.
Humboldt penguins have pink faces at the base of their beaks.
Humboldt penguins nest in underground burrows.
They form monogamous pairs.

Humboldt penguins are adorable! It’s so cool that they live in rocky outcrops on the coasts and not on an icy continent!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, oceans, penguins, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, birds, children, education, environment, nature, oceans, penguins, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

PENGUIN THEME WEEK!

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Ellie and Edmond ©

PENGUIN WEEK!!

It is theme week and this year we’ve decided to focus theme weeks on one group of animals! Because it’s winter our first theme week is focusing on a flightless and well feathered bird that we associate with coooooold habitats. Ironically, only eight species of penguins live in cold weather habitats. All other species of penguins live in temperate habitats. Our first adventure of penguin week is taking us to islands off of Antarctica! So let’s grab a jacket and head out to meet…

MEET THE CHINSTRAP PENGUIN!

Range/Habitat: Antarctica/ rocky outcrops-oceans

Diet: Carnivore: krill, shrimp, fish

Length/Weight: 28-30”/ 6 ½-10 lbs

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Chinstrap penguins have thing black lines that run ear to ear.
They live on islands off the continent of Antarctica.
Chinstrap penguins breed in large colonies.
They build their nests with stones.
Both female and male chinstraps incubate the eggs.

Chinstrap penguins are so cute with their black and white attire and little straps. These little birds are one of our favorites!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

FEATHERY FRIDAY # 56

FEATHERY FRIDAY #56

We’re so excited for the first Feathery Friday of the year! We’re off to China today to meet one handsome bird! Let’s get out there and go bird watching!

MEET THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT!

Range/Habitat: North America-Europe-Asia/ grasslands-farmlands

Diet: Omnivore: grains, seeds, insects

Length/Weight: 35”/1 ¾-4 ½ lb

Conservation Status: common

Fun Facts:

Male Ring-necked Pheasants have bright green heads and white rings around their necks.
Female ring-necked pheasants are drab brown.
They have long tails.
Ring-necked pheasants tend to stay, feed and nest on the ground.
The young fly within two weeks of being born.

Ring-necked pheasants are really neat birds. We love the males’ bright green heads. They must look good to attract the lady birds! Hehehehe!

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: adventure, birds, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife | Leave a comment

HAPPY NATIONAL BIRD DAY!!

HAPPY NATIONAL BIRD DAY!!

It’s National Bird Day and we’re celebrating our favorite avian friends! Every Friday here at Ellie and Edmond Headquarters we go on an adventure to meet a feathery friend! Birds come in every shape and size! They eat everything from seeds, insects, nectar to carrion. They live on every continent on the planet, including Antarctica! Most birds can fly, but a few species are flightless and penguins fly in the water! Our favorite thing about birds is that scientist think that they are the distant relatives of the long extinct dinosaurs! Wow! We’re celebrating these awesome animals today by sharing some great pictures and some of our favorite posts! Tell us your favorite bird?

To learn more about National Bird Day visit their website! Also check out your local Audubon Society to learn more about birds in your area!