Birds

The blue jay can be seen roaming the skies in deciduous forests, but is also a common sight in city parks and back yards. Read on to learn more about this bird.

When you think of geese, the Canadian variety probably comes to mind. These large water birds are endemic to North America and their V-shaped migratory formations can be seen in the skies each fall and spring.

A medium-sized hawk, the cooper's hawk is slate gray above and whitish with fine stripes on its belly. Read on to learn more about this powerful bird.

This medium-sized sparrow can vary in color, but is generally slate gray with a white belly and, of course, dark eyes. Read on to learn more about this bird.

Contrary to its name, the eastern kingbird can be seen in the skies throughout North America as well as in the Amazon. Read on to learn more about this bird.

Smaller than a robin, this black bird turns a striking iridescent purple and green in the spring. Read on to learn more about this bird.

Mallards can be found in ponds, lakes and marshes. Read on to learn more about this bird.

Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk species in North America. These massive birds are known to mate for life, and, despite their name, to have feathers in a variety of colors.

By Wendy Bowman

A blackish bird about the size of an eagle, the distinctive flight pattern of the turkey vulture helps to identify this bird as it soars high in the air. Read on to learn more about this bird.

True to its name the yellow warbler is bright yellow. A light olive-green tinge colors its back and males have rusty streaks on their breast.

Read the greatest stories of the pigeons who have served as invaluable to people who need to send important messages over long distances.

Check out our list of the most common myths about pigeons, and perhaps you'll learn a thing or two about our familiar feathered friends!

By Colleen Cancio

Whichever came first, the chicken or the egg, you want to know how to collect the eggs from a chicken. This article will tell you how to collect eggs from a chicken.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You are an avid birdwatcher and would like to know how to identify birds. This article will tell you all about how to identify birds.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Many animals have defense mechanisms to ward off enemies. If you think it’s a good idea to frighten a vulture, be ready for the smell of rotting flesh and acid-like burns.

By Cristen Conger

Did you know that it's the possession of feathers, not the ability to fly, that distinguishes birds from other animals? Take a view of these bird pictures to see how many you recognize.

By Marie Bobel

Geese don't exchange vows or rings, but they do search for their lifelong mate. However, are geese really faithful, or do they take a gander at the opposite sex?

By Jennifer Horton

The Millennium Falcon might be fast in a galaxy far, far away, but the peregrine falcon reigns supreme on Earth. This bird doesn't have warp speed, but it sure can zoom.

By Jennifer Horton

Penguins and puffins might love formal wear and waddling, but the similarities end there. These fish-loving birds don't see eye to eye on issues like transportation and real estate.

By Cristen Conger

Flamingos can stand on one spindly leg for hours. But why do they do it? Are they posing as a tree to trick prey, or simply avoiding a bathtub prune-foot?

By Julia Layton

Hummingbirds almost never stop moving is and their legs are small and weak. So do hummingbirds do everything in midair -- even mate?

By Julia Layton

All you amateur ornithologists might scoff at this seemingly simple question, but the answer isn't as straightforward as you think. And no, it's not just that their bones are hollow.

By Jennifer Horton

It can be scary to have an owl fly in front of you without it making a sound. Find out if this phenomenon is a supernatural power or something as simple as the hip bone being connected to the tail bone.

By Sarah Winkler

While the ostrich might look like an avian punch line, it's actually a nutritious source of red meat. Why do ostriches produce meat that's more like that of a cow than a chicken?

By Julia Layton

A large, flightless bird that lives in the dry grasslands of Africa, the ostrich is raised for its feathers and skin in South Africa, Egypt and California. Ostriches form the single remaining species in an ancient, primitive order of birds.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.