The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to coastal Spain, the Azores, and areas of far southern Europe.
The scientific name comes from Latin ardea, and Ancient Greek erōdios, both meaning “heron”.
Photo of the Day – The European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) breeds in southern Europe, as well as parts of northern Africa and western Asia. The species takes on a serious migration every year, where they winter in tropical Africa, as far south as South Africa.
This photo is of a wintering bird, taken by Rich Lindie in Kruger NP, South Africa.
The nocturnal lifestyle is kind’ve an owl “thing,” but several species buck the trend—like the Northern Hawk Owl, a boreal owl so hawk-like in behavior and appearance it’s often mistaken for a completely different raptor.
For starters, Northern Hawk Owls hunt mostly by day, and depend more on keen eyesight than hearing. The ears of Northern Hawk Owls are placed symmetrically on either side of the skull, rather than offset for enhanced hearing like most owl species. That doesn’t mean they don’t hear well; Northern Hawk Owls can still locate and capture prey tunneling unseen under the snow!
They perch atop trees in open grass- and woodlands, scanning for small mammals and birds. When prey is located, the owl swoops into flight, stroking swiftly with sharply pointed wings like a falcon or accipiter to nab its meal with scimitar talons.
