| Amazilia hummingbird 
Amazilia amaziliaLike the name suggests, the Amazilia hummingbird is simply amazing!
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: Western Peru and Ecuador
Diet: Nectar, insects
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
Physical features: Long pointed wings, short legs, long bills
Did you know?: Like all hummingbirds the amazilia is an incredibly skilled flier being able to hover, fly backwards, up and down | |
| Toco toucan 
Ramphastos tocoThe largest of all of the toucan family, this distinctive bird is renown for its strikingly colourful, large beak. This species of bird was made famous most recently as the star of the Guinness advertisement campaign.
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: South America (Guiana, Brazil, North Argentina)
Diet: Fruit, insects
Habitat: Open woodland, savannas with palms, riverine forests, forest islands, rainforests
Physical features: Glossy black wings and body, small patch of white feathers beneath the beak, short wings, long deep red-orange beak, red patch under the tail, orange skin around a dark eye
Did you know?: The internal structure of the toucan’s beak is filled with small, honey-combed structured air cavities, which make it remarkably light for the size but incredibly strong. | |
| Mindanao bleeding heart dove 
Gallicolumba crinigerSo-called because of the area of red feathers on the breast of these birds, the Mindanao is one of five species of bleeding-heart dove. Endangered in the wild these forest-dwelling birds live in flocks, and stay in touch by cooing to their mates.
Conservation status: Endangered
From: Philippines
Diet: Seeds, fruit, insects
Habitat: Dry areas of forests
Physical features: Large white breast with a patch of deep blood red feathers. Top of head, neck and sides are a metallic green and greyer on the sides of the breast. Cinnamon belly and black tipped wings
Did you know?: You might find it difficult to find the Mindanao in the wild, as this species is known to be a secretive floor-dwelling bird. It was first bred in captivity successfully at the ZSL London Zoo over a 150 years ago, in 1864, when a pair bred five times, each occasion the female delivering a single egg | |
| Scarlet ibis 
Eudocimus ruberThis stunning national bird of Trinidad is distinctive and instantly recognizable with its vivid scarlet feathers, which brighten with age. Visually spectacular, these birds nest, feed, and fly in large groups in the wild.
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: South America (Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guiana, Brazil, Amazon Delta)
Diet: Crustaceans, insects, small fish
Habitat: Mangrove swamps, shallow lakes, fish ponds, rice fields
Physical features: Deep scarlet plumage. Long, light-coloured, curved bill – the colour may differ between sexes
Did you know?: The Scarlet ibis feeds on crustaceans, and other water-dwelling creatures, by wading slowly through shallow waters with the tip of its bill submerged in the water to probe through the mud. The pigment of the crustaceans consumed is absorbed, causing their feathers to become deep red in colour | |
| Blue-winged kookaburra 
Dacelo leachiiOne of the smallest species of kookaburra this bird has more blue wing feathers than any other species in its family. However it makes up for its slight size by being very noisy!
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: Northern Australia and Southern New Guinea
Diet: Insects, reptiles, fish, frogs, small birds, birds’ eggs
Habitat: Open woodlands and forests, often close to wetlands and watercourses
Physical features: Pale grey head and body with darker streaks, with fluffy white underparts. Large angular bill. Mostly dark blue upper wing with contrasting bright blue feathers on the lower part of the wing
Did you know?: The blue-winged kookaburra behaves similarly to the well known Laughing kookaburra but is shyer and much less approachable. It will usually be found perched inconspicuously on a tree branch during the exhausting afternoon heat of Northern Australia | |
| Socorro Dove 
Zenaida graysoniA native from the island of Socorro this unique species of dove is extinct in the wild, last seen in its natural habitat over 30 years ago
Conservation status: Endangered / Extinct in the wild
From: Island of Socorro, Mexico
Diet: Fruit, seeds, insects
Habitat: Forest, shrubbery
Physical features: Deep cinnamon plumage, and body. Brown bill and head
Did you know?: Now bred only in captivity, including in the ZSL London Zoo, this species of dove almost vanished completely in 1972, because of cat predation and human settlement on the Mexican island of Socorro | |
| Splendid sunbird 
Cinnyris coccinigasterNamed because of its spectacular iridescent colours, the Splendid sunbird is known to perch conspicuously on top of bushes and bare trees
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: West and central tropical Africa
Diet: Nectar, insects
Habitat: Woods, grasslands
Physical features: Long, thin downward curving bill. Purple and blue head with a red breast
Did you know?: The male appears to constantly change colour in the sunlight because of their highly iridescent plumage | |
| Lilac-breasted roller
Coracias caudataAn exquisite looking bird, its brightly coloured plumage stands out like a diamond in the rough in its home on the African grasslands
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: Eastern and Southern Africa
Diet: Insects, reptiles, small birds, rodents
Habitat: Grasslands, open woodlands
Physical features: Large head, short neck, medium length legs and fairly long/large wings and tails. Their bill is stout and slightly hooked. Brightly multi-coloured plumage, with a lilac tuft on the chest
Did you know?: This species is a remarkably skilled flier. Its name is derived from the graceful somersault aerobatics it performs when in motion | |
| Bali starling 
Leucopsar rothschildiOne of the rarest birds in the world, it’s hard to miss the stunning snow white feathers of the Bali starling
Conservation status: Critically endangered
From: Indonesia
Diet: Seeds, fruit, insects, small reptiles
Habitat: Savannas and open woodlands with grass
Physical Features: White body with black tips on its tail and wings, blue patch of bare skin framing its eye. Long lacy crest of feathers on its head. Pale yellow bill
Did you know?: Also known as Rothschild’s mynah, the Bali starling is regarded as a precious creature to Indonesian natives on the island Bali. Its rarity is increased by its high value on pet trading markets, encouraging poaching among local villagers. Though it’s extremely rare in the wild it is commonly bred in zoos all around the world. | |
| Scarlet-chested sunbird
Chalcomitra senegalensisAn old world version of the hummingbird, this species is one of the most common sunbird species in Africa
Conservation status: Not threatened
From: Subsaharan Africa, East and South West Africa
Diet: Nectar, spiders, insects
Habitat: Dry woodlands, open country, farmland, riverine forests
Physical features: Metallic green forehead and crown. Sides of head, neck and body are sooty black. Blackish brown tail. Scarlet red patch on its breast.
Did you know?: While they are not as skilled fliers as hummingbirds, they may also hover in front of flowers and leaves, sometimes even feeding on spiders directly from their web | |
| Victoria crowned pigeon
Goura victoriaSpectacular in colour this vulnerable species is related to the now extinct dodo. Named after Queen Victoria it produces a distinctly unusual ‘sonic boom’ display call.
Conservation status: Threatened
From: Indonesia, New Guinea
Diet: Fruits, berries, seeds
Habitat: Tropical forests
Physical features: A large sized pigeon, with a large crest on its crown. Greyish blue plumage- with white tips on the crest.
Did you know?: This is the largest pigeon to exist, but it still wasn’t as big as the extinct species of pigeons, the dodo, which stood at about a metre high and weighed between 20 and 23 kilograms | |
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