The name Ant Thrush was given by Latham in 1783 (Gen. Synops. ii. p. 87) to Buffon's Fourmilier proprement dit (Hist. Nat. Ois. iv. page 473), a bird figured by Daubenton (Pl. enl. 700  fig. 1) as the Fourmillier de Cayenne, the Formicarius torquatus of Boddaert in 1783, the Turdus formicarius of Gmelin in 1788, and the Rhopotrope torquata of 19th century systematists.  Although it should be logically recognized as the type of the genus Formicarius, Professor Cabanis in 1847 (Orn. Notiz. page 227), misled probably by G. R. Gray, removed it to one of his own making. 

  Picture of Ant Thrush (Thamnophilus)  This little bird, not so big as a Skylark, is very beautiful, notwithstanding its curious figure, with a disproportionately long bill, short tail, and strong legs, and absence of bright coloration, for the black, rich brown, sienna, buff, grey and white which its plumage present...

Kiwi (Apteryx spp.) are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand.  They are a member of the Order Struthioniformes, which are large, flightless birds of Gondwanan origin and include ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, and the extinct moa.  Collectively these birds are known as ratites, and along with tinamous, they make up the Paleognathae superorder of birds. Paleognaths are the most ancient lineage of birds, having diverged from neognaths (all other birds) around 100-120 million years ago.

Kiwi are oddities in the bird world, and have been described as “honorary mammals”.  Like mammals, but unusually for a bird, they have a relatively low body temperature of 37-38°C, highly developed senses of smell, touch and hearing, a heavy skeleton and two functional ovaries. They are odd-looking birds, with a round body lacking a tail and obvi...

Penguins are some of the most recognizable and beloved birds in the world, and they are also some of the most unique. Do you know why?

1.There are 17 species of penguin in the world. While some species are thriving, 12 of them have declining populations.

2.Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere. While most people associate penguins with Antarctica, they are much more widespread and penguin populations can also be found in South America, South Africa...

The first thing you should know about the Dodo bird (Raphus Cucullatus) is that it no longer exists. It was driven to extinction by humans in 1681. Dodos were only found on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese sailors were the first Europeans to stumble upon them. Sailors, settlers and the subsequent release of feral populations of cats, dogs and pigs, destroyed the dodo's habitat and used the dodo for food. 175 years after their discovery, the last dodo was dead.

The dodo developed in near isolation, without any natural predators. They were ground-living, ground-nesting and flightless. Without the capacity to fly, the dodo could not extend its population to neighboring islands. Subsequently, the dodo became an even more isolated species, existing in one static environment. When threatened by encroaching species, the dodo had ...

 A long-time centerpiece of American holiday feasts, the turkey has a colorful and delicious history. Here are some intriguing facts about our nation's favorite bird, that you may not know:

- Turkeys originated in North and Central America, and evidence indicates that they have been around for over 10 million years.

- Until 1863, Thanksgiving Day had not been celebrated annually since the first feast in 1621. This changed in 1863 when Sarah Josepha Hale encouraged Abraham Lincoln to set aside the last Thursday...