Most bird watchers and scientists say that there are roughly 9,000 to 10,000 species of birds. One of the main ways to identify them is physical appearance and once you start looking closer, it becomes obvious that birds come in many shapes and colors. And some are absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. From those with incredible eyelashes to the ones that look like tiny cotton balls, continue scrolling and check out some of the most beautiful birds from around the world.
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Understanding the differences between bird plumages is vital to everyone who want to identify them. The term refers to a bird's feathers, including the color and pattern those feathers produce.
Birds have developed intricate plumages due to various aspects, including protection from predators, via camouflage, and sending sexual signals to potential mates. Birds usually lose and replace their feathers at least once a year through molt and regrowth.
"Each feather on a bird's body is a finely tuned structure that serves an important role in the bird's activities," Mya Thompson, the co-director for Engagement in Science and Nature for the Cornell Lab, wrote. "Feathers allow birds to fly, but they also help them show off, blend in, stay warm, and keep dry."
"Some feathers evolved as specialized airfoil for efficient flight. Others have been shaped into extreme ornamental forms that create impressive displays but may even hinder mobility. Often we can readily tell how a feather functions, but sometimes the role of a feather is mysterious and we need a scientific study to fill in the picture," Thompson explained.
A good example of one of these mysteries are feather tufts on the heads of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) which are often mistaken for ears. These modified contour feathers are completely separate from the ear and do not help owls hear, yet scientists can't explain the function of these tufts. Some think the horns are for display, others suggest that owls use them for more complete camouflage while roosting in daylight, but no one knows for sure.
Grandala
Beautiful Strawberry Finch
South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher
My what fluecent colours —-could not replicate those colours from my paint box.
Tilhi
Tilhi in Finnish 🇫🇮💙 In English it's the Bohemian waxwing (according to Wikipedia at least). Such a beautiful bird with a lovely voice!
Quetzal
This bird has been my favourite ever since I was little. Saw it in a NatGeo coffeetable book on exotic birds when I was about four. I named her Green (because I'm very original) and went to say hello to the illustration every day for years. Still stand by it though, the tiny beak makes it really cute.
Sword-Billed Hummingbird
Hello. My name is Hummingo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
Mandarink Duck
We had one in Central Park for a while, most beautiful thing I've ever seen in person
Taiwan Blue Magpie
Plate-Billed Mountain Toucan
Lady Amherst's Pheasant
This famous Picasso was painted as he progressed from his blue period to experimenting with cubism.
Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I'm surprised this list doesn't include Eurasian Hoopoe - it's really worth it! See for yourself: dudek.jpg
One of my favourites. We get them in our garden occasionally.
It is beautiful!!
The Hoopoe is the national bird of Israel. Some call it the "archeology" bird because it spends most of its life on the ground, pushing its beak into the soil! (And heaven knows we have plenty of Biblical sites here that the archeologists love to investigate!) The Hoopoe has a great way of discouraging predators - it can emit a really noxious smell.)
Wait, that's a real bird? There's a Midsomer Murder Episode centered around twitching and the Hoopoe. That's so cool!
Every time I see such spectacular photos of birdlife, I marvel at the colours and that God created something so beautiful.
Live & let live! "All things dull and ugly, All creatures short and squat, All things rude and nasty, The Lord God made the lot. Each little snake that poisons, Each little wasp that stings, He made their brutish venom. He made their horrid wings. All things sick and cancerous, All evil great and small, All things foul and dangerous, The Lord God made them all. Each nasty little hornet, Each beastly little squid, Who made the spikey urchin? Who made the sharks? He did! All things scabbed and ulcerous, All pox both great and small, Putrid, foul and gangrenous, The Lord God made them all. Amen." =)
I think that went straight over someone's head... Obviously never heard of satire.. What a Terd...
You seem to be complaining that God gave his creatures means to catch food (venom, stings, teeth, etc.) and defend themselves (again, stings, venom, teeth, spikes, etc.). Dull and ugly? Short and squat? Rude and nasty? Talk about value judgments! Now you're complaining because the natural world doesn't come up to your aesthetic standards. Yes, I get parody, I get satire, but like most of those who love to criticize religion, you focus only on the negative aspect, which is tiny compared with the positive . Funny 'hymn', though.
R L, looking on all those God's creations, it doesn't looks like a well thought out plan to me. And the most malicious and ruinous species occupies the top.
You forgot all things wide and wonderful...like you, for instance, for making me smile. If forgotten all creatures great and small...
Good grief, what a lot of nothing.
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So it's an evil god you worship? Disgusting. Where was this god during the holocaust?
I wish God would protect all that innocent beautiful creation against destructive, diabolical humans.
Tred, 97.8% of human misery is man-made. It is every person's responsibility to protect his/her health, look what everything people do wrong, abuse drugs, smoke, and yes, don't protect their skin from sun overexposure, and most importantly - diet. You are what you eat. Eating more than one million animals every hour will give you all the chronic, painful conditions and diseases on the books. Doctors can't make you healthy, only you can make yourself healthy; all the doctors do is a damage control. So don't complain, you are not an animal slaughtered in the most brutal, painful way, so "we" people could eat meat, dairy, eggs all day, every day to ruin our health, health of the environment, and cause unimaginable pain and unconscionable suffering to innocent sentient beings, you as a human being do not suffer - you only cause suffering. You have a choice, animals do not have that luxury, please stop complaining.
Exactly! I think the very same thing. I wonder how God never ran out of ideas. The colours, the designs. I have a simple answer though. It is because GOD Himself is beyond beautiful and wise and that's why only HE, the Almighty God and Creator could produce such incredible beauty. Thank You LORD🙏
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
If god created that, then he also created every ugly creature. There are some worms that incubate in and come out of human eyeballs in a painfully tortuous way. Some human children are tortured by the natural world that your "god" created. Are you aware of that? Look up how painful the guinea worm is. If your god created the natural world, then he created our sun, our source of heat and light that gives people skin cancer. My grandparents suffered from skin cancer. Why don't you keep your stupid, ugly god out of your big fat mouth. Or just admit that there is no intelligent design.
I don't believe in God, but your reply seems unnecessarily... bitter? Let people believe in whatever brings them comfort.
Yes, I am aware. And God gave me a perfectly good mouth, thank you.
hey, terd, keep My God out of Your big, Fat mouth. You are an unintelligent worm of which you speak.
Gorgeous, but they left off one of my favorites - the roseate spoonbill. And the flamingo! roseate-sp...3ce0fc.jpg
I'm surprised this list doesn't include Eurasian Hoopoe - it's really worth it! See for yourself: dudek.jpg
One of my favourites. We get them in our garden occasionally.
It is beautiful!!
The Hoopoe is the national bird of Israel. Some call it the "archeology" bird because it spends most of its life on the ground, pushing its beak into the soil! (And heaven knows we have plenty of Biblical sites here that the archeologists love to investigate!) The Hoopoe has a great way of discouraging predators - it can emit a really noxious smell.)
Wait, that's a real bird? There's a Midsomer Murder Episode centered around twitching and the Hoopoe. That's so cool!
Every time I see such spectacular photos of birdlife, I marvel at the colours and that God created something so beautiful.
Live & let live! "All things dull and ugly, All creatures short and squat, All things rude and nasty, The Lord God made the lot. Each little snake that poisons, Each little wasp that stings, He made their brutish venom. He made their horrid wings. All things sick and cancerous, All evil great and small, All things foul and dangerous, The Lord God made them all. Each nasty little hornet, Each beastly little squid, Who made the spikey urchin? Who made the sharks? He did! All things scabbed and ulcerous, All pox both great and small, Putrid, foul and gangrenous, The Lord God made them all. Amen." =)
I think that went straight over someone's head... Obviously never heard of satire.. What a Terd...
You seem to be complaining that God gave his creatures means to catch food (venom, stings, teeth, etc.) and defend themselves (again, stings, venom, teeth, spikes, etc.). Dull and ugly? Short and squat? Rude and nasty? Talk about value judgments! Now you're complaining because the natural world doesn't come up to your aesthetic standards. Yes, I get parody, I get satire, but like most of those who love to criticize religion, you focus only on the negative aspect, which is tiny compared with the positive . Funny 'hymn', though.
R L, looking on all those God's creations, it doesn't looks like a well thought out plan to me. And the most malicious and ruinous species occupies the top.
You forgot all things wide and wonderful...like you, for instance, for making me smile. If forgotten all creatures great and small...
Good grief, what a lot of nothing.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
So it's an evil god you worship? Disgusting. Where was this god during the holocaust?
I wish God would protect all that innocent beautiful creation against destructive, diabolical humans.
Tred, 97.8% of human misery is man-made. It is every person's responsibility to protect his/her health, look what everything people do wrong, abuse drugs, smoke, and yes, don't protect their skin from sun overexposure, and most importantly - diet. You are what you eat. Eating more than one million animals every hour will give you all the chronic, painful conditions and diseases on the books. Doctors can't make you healthy, only you can make yourself healthy; all the doctors do is a damage control. So don't complain, you are not an animal slaughtered in the most brutal, painful way, so "we" people could eat meat, dairy, eggs all day, every day to ruin our health, health of the environment, and cause unimaginable pain and unconscionable suffering to innocent sentient beings, you as a human being do not suffer - you only cause suffering. You have a choice, animals do not have that luxury, please stop complaining.
Exactly! I think the very same thing. I wonder how God never ran out of ideas. The colours, the designs. I have a simple answer though. It is because GOD Himself is beyond beautiful and wise and that's why only HE, the Almighty God and Creator could produce such incredible beauty. Thank You LORD🙏
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
If god created that, then he also created every ugly creature. There are some worms that incubate in and come out of human eyeballs in a painfully tortuous way. Some human children are tortured by the natural world that your "god" created. Are you aware of that? Look up how painful the guinea worm is. If your god created the natural world, then he created our sun, our source of heat and light that gives people skin cancer. My grandparents suffered from skin cancer. Why don't you keep your stupid, ugly god out of your big fat mouth. Or just admit that there is no intelligent design.
I don't believe in God, but your reply seems unnecessarily... bitter? Let people believe in whatever brings them comfort.
Yes, I am aware. And God gave me a perfectly good mouth, thank you.
hey, terd, keep My God out of Your big, Fat mouth. You are an unintelligent worm of which you speak.
Gorgeous, but they left off one of my favorites - the roseate spoonbill. And the flamingo! roseate-sp...3ce0fc.jpg