Appearance: blue-gray body, dark blue feathers on insides of wings, long legs, long and dagger-like orange beak, black or blue stripe around eye Height: 3 to 4.5 feet Despite their height they only weigh 5-6 lbs Wingspan: 65-80 inches (about 5.5 to 6.5 feet) Status: least concern, populations are increasing Nearly hunted to extinction for…
Appearance: white head and belly, dark grey (“black”) backs, black on tips of wings, white on undersides of wings, beige legs, yellow beak with red spot near tip Identical plumage coloration, but male is larger Length: 28 to 31 inches (about 2.5 feet) Wingspan: 57 to 63 inches long (about 5 feet) Status: common, populations…
Appearance: black head and back, red eyes, grey wings, white underbelly, yellow legs, can be seen resting in a hunched position during the day No significant difference between males and females Length: 23-26 inches (about 2 feet) Wingspan: 45-47 inches (just short of 4 feet) Status: populations recovered from mid-1900s pesticide use and are fairly…
Appearance: black back and head, white underside, wings are black on top and white underneath, red legs, red beak with black tip, top half of beak is longer than bottom half no difference in plumage coloration, but males are noticeable larger than females Black skimmers used to be known as “scissor bills” because their beaks…
Appearance: black head, brown back, white stripe on wings and tail, long red/orange beak, yellow eyes surrounded by yellow ring, pale pink legs, white undersides Females are larger than males, identical plumage Height: 17-21 inches (about 1.5 feet) Wingspan: 35 inches (about 3 feet) Status: recovered from severe decline in 1800s; common, but threatened by…