Flamingos spend about 15% to 30% of their time during the day preening. This is a large percentage compared to waterfowl, which preen only about 10% of the time. Flamingos preen with their bills. An oil gland near the base of the tail secretes oil that the flamingo distributes throughout its feathers.
Here is a Lesser Flamingo preening at Sylvan Heights Bird Park.
Lesser Flamingo Grooming
Hawaiian Duck, also known as Koloa, is a medium-sized duck, similar to a female Mallard in appearance, but smaller and darker. Both sexes have spotted tail feathers. The bill is dark greenish, with an orange tip in some females. This duck is a native species found exclusively in the Hawaiian Islands; this one is at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. This beautiful duck exhibits a stunning combination of mottled brown plumage and a distinctive white eye-ring.
Hawaiian Duck
Saddle-billed Stork is a tall, lanky, black-and-white stork with a unique red, yellow, and black bill. The male has dark-brown eyes, and the female has yellow eyes. It is named after the yellow “saddle” across their multi-colored bill.
Here is one at Sylvan Heights Bird Park, North Carolina.
Saddle-billed Stork
Adult American flamingos are smaller on average than greater flamingos, but are the largest in the Americas. The American flamingo is about 42 inches tall and has a wingspan of about five feet. It has a large hooked bill with a black tip curved down.
Here is one at Sylvan Heights Bird Park in North Carolina.
In addition to flowers at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, we spotted a heron.
Heron is a long-legged, long-necked wading bird with a long, tapering bill and large wings. Herons are in the Ardeidae family and are found all over the world, but are most common in tropical regions. They feed by quietly wading in shallow water, catching fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals.
Heron in a Pond
The Black Swan, as its name suggests, is mostly dark purplish-black, but the bright red bill or beak noticeably adds color to the bird. This swan is a regional symbol of the English town of Dawlish.
Red Beaks of Dawlish Black Swans