221 Exotic Birds Encyclopedia

The Cardinalis cardinalis (scientific name) or Northern cardinal is a North American bird, found in woodlands and swamps, from Southern Canada to Eastern United States and Mexico. With a striking red plumage in the male (a duller red-brown shade in the female), the cardinal is a mid-sized song-bird whose height does not exceed 8 inches. […]

The Pavo christatus (scientific name) or Indian peacock is a big beautiful colourful bird mostly found in India, Sri Lanka and Mayanmar. The ones in India and Sri Lanka are blue in colour, while the ones found in Mayanmar are green. While its body height is 40-50 inches, it has a beautiful blue-green tail which

The Coraciiformes (scientific name) or kingfisher is a small-to-medium-sized brightly coloured bird that has a very cosmopolitan distribution throughout the world. Its plumage is bright, generally blue and green in colour. This is a result of the structure of its feathers which scatters blue light. It has bill like that of a stork to help

The Anodorhynchus leari (scientific name) or lear’s macaw is a noisy social parrot which roosts in colonies located in cliffs or canyons, found mostly in Brazil. First described by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1856, this bird was not seen for over a century after and only rediscovered in 1978. The lear’s macaw is as long

The Fratercula arctica (scientific name) or the Atlantic puffin lives on the open ocean ranging from East coast Canada to West coast Europe. 60% are found off the coast of Iceland. Known as ‘Clowns of the Sea’, Atlantic puffins have bright orange-coloured beaks and feet. The male is slightly larger than the female, measuring 8

The Upapa epops (scientific name) or the hoopoe is a brightly coloured bird native to Afro-Eurasia. Weighing approximately 12 inches, this medium-sized bird has a distinctive ‘crown’ of feathers on its head. It has a long thin bill, with a fawn-coloured head. Although they are known to eat seeds and small vertebrates, their diet is

The Paradisaea apoda (scientific name) or bali bird-of-paradise is found in the hill forests of South-West New Guinea and Aru Islands of Indonesia. The male bird’s height is 17 inches, excluding its tail. This bird has an iridescent green face and body, maroon-brown body and yellow white with maroon streak tail which is very long.

The Pharomachrus mocinno (scientific name) or quetzal is a strikingly coloured bird, native to Central American cloud forests and sub-tropical woodlands. With a height of 14-16 inches plus 26 inches of tail length, the quetzal weighs 210 grams. It is bright golden-green all over, except on its belly, which is red in colour. The female

The Chrysolophus pictus (scientific name) or golden pheasant is found in China; however, some are found as far as the UK. An adult male typically measures an average of 90-105 cm; its tail is the longest part of its body. The golden pheasant male is a beautiful bird, and many folk tales about it, abound.

The Trichoglossus haematodus (scientific name) or the rainbow lorikeet is a brightly coloured parrot, native to Australia and many regions of South-East Asia. Its habitat consists of rainforests, woodlands and coastal bush areas. Weighing an average of 75 grams, it grows to a length of over 11 inches. Its plumage is extremely bright and attractive.