Russia is a nesting place for birds of prey, many of them almost extinct in other parts of the world. No wonder some enthusiasts of the falcon hunt are willing to pay a lot of money for them and do not hesitate to break the law. On the other hand, there is a flow of exotic pets smuggled into Russia.

A video collage of the vibrant bird life on the Galapagos Islands. From a June 2004 trip to the Galapagos Islands. For more information see: www.jameslalonde.com

The Jocotoco Antpitta is a bird that looks like a stuffed duck on stilts and barks like a dog. The bird was discovered by ornithologist Robert S. Ridgley in the Andes in Ecuador in June 1998. Thirty of these long-legged, black-and-white barking birds were found. It apparently had gone undetected because it lives in remote parts and, of course, doesn’t sing. The size of a duck, it is one of the largest birds discovered in the 20th Century.

It looks like a duck, but sure doesn't walk or talk like one!

Picture the majestic sight of a condor or a Red-tailed Hawk soaring in the spring or fall sky. With quills widely outstretched, it circles round, rising without a single wingbeat, as if lifted by some invisible hand, higher and higher until it disappears from view. The beautiful dance it seems to be performing is known as soaring.

Soaring differs from gliding flight in that the bird does nor lose altitude and sometimes even climbs. When soaring, a bird uses no energy of its own; instead it depends on external forces called thermal currents -- rising masses of air that form over areas where the ground warms up rapidly. Thermal currents occur mostly above woodland clearings, cornfields, and even above some large towns.

Birds and airplanes face into the wind when taking of or landing so they can take advantage of wind speed. If the wind were at their backs, they would not have the control they have when facing into it. But differences exist here too: While large birds need a prolonged takeoff run to become airborne, small birds can jump straight into the air on takeoff; they can generally achieve lift from zero air speed. Larger birds can fly at speeds within a minimum and maximum range, but they cannot take flight at zero air speed. Therefore, larger birds need to generate air speed before they can take off. The often run over the ground or water until they reach the minimum air speed needed to take flight.