Animals & Zones

Multi-coloured with a long tail ending in two racquets, this dashing crow-sized bird can be found across a broad swathe of lowland forests.

This species has the most vibrant plumage of all flamingo species.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock belongs to the cotinga family of colourful fruit-eating forest birds.

The Bali myna is almost entirely white with long head plumes and black wing-tips. Endemic to Bali where it formerly ranged across the north-west third of the island, the species was never very widely distributed.

Whittled down by habitat loss, trapping for the pet trade and persecution as crop pests, there are only 1,500 to 7,000 mature blue-winged macaws left in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

This bizarre bird inhabits the evergreen lowland rainforests of South America where it forages for fruits and large insects in the canopy.

In spite of their bright colours, macaws are camouflaged in the forest canopy as they blend in with the colourful fruits and flowers they feed on. The chestnut-fronted macaw is found throughout Central and South America.

Emus belong to a family of flightless birds called ratites, which also include ostriches, rheas, cassowaries and kiwis.

Gentoo Penguins is the world’s fastest underwater bird, swimming at speeds of up to 36km/h!

The golden-shouldered parrot nests in conical termite mounds. Dubbed the ‘antbed parrot’, it excavates its nest during the wet season when the mound is rain softened.

Great Argus are amongst the largest pheasants, related to the peafowls.

Hailing from the forests of Central America, the great green macaw is Critically Endangered with only 500 to 1,000 mature individuals surviving in the wild.

This parrot loves company. Hundreds of them gather to roost communally in a few trees, socialising in animated chatters before spending the night together.

Among the 350 odd parrot species worldwide, grey parrots are best able to mimic human speech.

The hyacinth macaw stands out as the largest of all parrots at 1 m long, attractively cloaked in cobalt blue feathers.

The King Penguin stands at a height of 1 metre. It is the second tallest penguin, after the Emperor Penguin, which is 1.3m tall.

The cackle of the laughing kookaburra is an iconic sound of the dry eucalypt forests of eastern Australia at dawn and dusk.

Out of six flamingo species, the lesser flamingo is the smallest and most numerous with around three million individuals.

Natives call the masked lapwing the ‘spear-carrying bird’ due to the sharp yellow spurs on its wings.

The military macaw’s curious name is inspired by the green hue of its feathers, similar to the colour of military uniforms. Ranging from Mexico to Argentina, it makes a throaty roar that carries for long distances.

Like other parrots, the northern red-shouldered macaw moves around in flocks, seeking out seeds, fruits, and flowers. These gregarious birds are also known to raid crops and rice fields.

Rockhopper penguins are so named because of their ability to hop over rocks and boulders, sometimes reaching heights of up to 1.8m.

The palm cockatoo is the world’s largest cockatoo. Its distinctive cheek patch of bare skin flushes from pink to bright red when the bird is alarmed or excited.

The Papuan hornbill is the only hornbill in New Guinea. Called ‘Kokomo’ in local Tok Pisin language, it is a show stealer. In flight, its wings give off a very loud whooshing sound.

This cotinga showcases sexual dimorphism where the sexes take on different looks. The male has handsome burgundy feathers coloured by carotenoid pigments while the female is ashy grey.

Widespread in Central and South America, the red-and-green macaw resembles the better-known scarlet macaw except that it has green instead of yellow wing coverts.

The red-bellied macaw of South America eats Mauritia palm fruits almost exclusively, expertly peeling away the scaly husk with its hooked bill, muscular tongue and dexterous toes.

The critically endangered red-fronted macaw is only found in the Andean valleys of three rivers in Bolivia, with about 272 mature individuals in the wild.

Cockatoos are large parrots, known for their long life spans that range from 40 to 70 years. They differ from other parrots in that they have a head crest and no blue or green feathers. Black cockatoos are found only in Australia.

Named for its unique spoon-shaped bill, the roseate spoonbill has attractive pink plumage and a defined carmine wing patch. The bare green skin on its head takes on a yellowish hue during the breeding season.

A relative of toucans and aracaris, the smallish saffron toucanet occupies the Atlantic Forests of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

They are what they eat – scarlet ibises feed on crayfish, crabs and aquatic insects which give their plumage the bright red colour.

A macaw’s beak can crack the hardest nut and even crush your finger. Its flexible and scaly tongue contains a bone.

The southern cassowary is the third biggest bird after the ostrich and emu. Compared to the single wattled northern cassowary, it is slightly larger and has two wattles, which hang loosely from its neck.

Known for its melodious calls, the straw-headed bulbul has been hunted to extinction across much of its range in Southeast Asia.

Male and female eclectus parrots look so different that they were once thought to be separate species. Males are predominantly green; females are red or purplish red.

The sun parakeet is green on the wings, scarlet on the breast and golden orange on the head and neck. This brilliant mix of colours is characteristic of their genus Aratinga, a group of “mini-macaws” found predominantly in northeastern Brazil.

Often confused with owls, the nocturnal tawny frogmouth is closely related to night jars. It has a flat, wide beak like a frog’s mouth, hence its common name.