Birds

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

Laysan Albatross with a Chick

May 10, 2013 - 9:27AMThe Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) breeds mainly in Hawaii and other Pacific islands where male and female pairs will incubate their egg for nine weeks. The pair participates in an elaborate courtship dance where...
Apr 15, 2013 - 10:25AM
These cute Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are actually having a bit of...
Mar 27, 2013 - 9:30AM
There are over 30 colonies of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) on...

SPOTLIGHT

Puffin in Flight

A tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) in flight against a gray sky in Alaska’s Pribilof Islands (USA). Puffins are...
Nov 4 2010 - 3:54pm
The St. Kilda site in the United Kingdom was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986. The volcanic archipelago and surrounding marine waters have some of the highest cliffs in Europe and host large colonies of rare and endangered birds.
Jun 6 2010 - 7:34pm
On June 3, 2010 a brown pelican, the Louisiana state bird, stands mired in oil in East Grand Terre. According to reports, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was contacted, and biologists rescued about 20 oiled birds from the area. In November 2009 the brown pelican’s removal from...
May 10 2013 - 9:27am
The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) breeds mainly in Hawaii and other Pacific islands where male and female pairs will incubate their egg for nine weeks. The pair participates in an elaborate courtship dance where movements and noises bond them together for the rest of their lives. After...
Dec 7 2009 - 3:14pm
Blue-footed Boobies (Sula nebouxii), common in the Galapagos Islands and other warm coastal areas of the Pacific, can catch flying fish in mid-air. Their blue feet are for fashion AND function. Male and female boobies wave their feet about in elaborate courtship displays and dances. Bluer feet mean...
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Scripps scientist Gerald Kooyman's expeditions have documented climate-induced changes to emperor penguin habitat in Antarctica. Learn more about life at the poles or check out this emperor penguin chick with mother.
Apr 23 2013 - 5:19pm
Even if you aren't a hardcore birder, chances are you have some hidden love for penguins. These flightless birds have captured our hearts through countless movies, beautiful images and their adorable fluffy young.
Mar 22 2011 - 9:55am
A still from Albatrocity, part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital.
Jun 28 2012 - 8:30am
“As we motored around Paulet Island in a Zodiac boat, these two curious penguins waddled across an iceberg to get a closer look at us.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Phillip Colla. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo contest....
Apr 20 2012 - 9:24am
GRAND ISLE, La. -- Brown pelicans congregate on containment boom that surrounds Queen Bess Island, a few miles north of Grand Isle, Louisiana on August 25, 2010, a few months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The island is a sensitive nesting area for brown pelicans. More about the Gulf oil...
Jun 16 2010 - 11:36am
Carl Pellegrin (left) of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Tim Kimmel of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepare to net an oiled pelican in Barataria Bay, La., Saturday, June 5, 2010. The pelican was netted and transported to a facility on Grand Isle, La., for stabilization...
Jul 9 2010 - 1:19pm
After leaving Australia, Dampier and his men reached the western coast of New Guinea on New Year’s Day 1700. There Dampier observed birds that he had never seen before, like the “stately land-fowl” shown here.
Jan 11 2013 - 10:40am
“I slowly approached this bird resting on the back of a turtle just under the surface of the water. I got the shot just before the tern flew away.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Nuno Sá. See more beautiful ocean photos in our slideshow of winners from the 2010 Nature's Best Ocean Views photo...
Mar 18 2011 - 2:25pm
A menageries of seabirds (including cormorants and pelicans) and seal gather on a rocky outcrop. The photo is a still from The Changing Sea, part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival, which was held in Washington, DC in 2011. See more pictures from the festival's movies.
May 10 2013 - 2:47pm
Laysan albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis) are incredible birds. They have a wingspan of more than 6 feet, soaring vast distances without flapping their wings.
Apr 20 2012 - 11:59am
Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, brown pelicans roost on a mangrove island at the spill's "ground zero," said James Morris of the University of South Carolina. "The impact to this island was great. The recovery is impressive." More about the Gulf oil spill can be found in our Gulf...
Sep 25 2012 - 10:05am
An emperor penguin chick (Aptenodytes forsteri) huddles under its mother's legs to keep warm in the long Antarctic winter. Learn more about research on emperor penguins and other Antarctic creatures.