Tag Archives: North Carolina

American Oystercatcher

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American Oystercatchers are boldly patterned shorebirds with red-yellow eyes and a vivid red-orange bill. They survive almost exclusively on shellfish, including clams, oysters, and other saltwater mollusks. The American oystercatcher received its name for its unique ability to open oysters and other small shellfish. Using its knife-like bill, the bird quickly “stabs” the oyster to break open its shell to eat the soft inside.

One here at Sylvan Heights Bird Park in North Carolina.

American Oystercatcher

Saddle-billed Stork

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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

Toco Toucan

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Toco Toucan is the largest species of toucan and has a distinctive appearance: a black body, a white throat, chest, upper tail covers, and red undertail. Toucans are native to the Neotropics, from southern Mexico through Central America, into South America, and south to northern Argentina.

Here is one at Sylvan Heights Bird Park, North Carolina.

Toco Toucan Side Look

Toco Toucan Looking Away

American Flamingo

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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.

Flamingos at Sylvan Heights Bird Park

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We visited Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck, North Carolina. It has nature trails through manicured woods, gardens, and wetlands, home to flamingoes, parrots, and toucans.

A flock of American flamingos takes center stage in this aviary featuring waterfowl worldwide. American flamingos are one of the largest species of flamingo.

Flamingos Together

Flamingoes with Company

Great Blue Heron

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The Great Blue Heron is a stately heron with subtle blue-gray plumage. It often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. Although they may move slowly, Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher.

We saw this bird at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina.

Great Blue Heron

 

Antlerless Bull Elk at the Zoo

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The bull (male) elk are beginning to drop their antlers—a yearly occurrence that happens a few months after breeding season due to a decrease in testosterone.

Antlers drop annually in late winter, typically January through March. The dropped antlers are called “sheds,” and the process does not hurt the buck. From spring to summer, the antlers regrow and are usually larger than the previous year.

Here is one at the North Carolina Zoo.

Elk Looking Up

Elk

Chimpanzee Lying Down

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The chimpanzee, also known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa.

Chimpanzees are listed as endangered in the wild. The North Carolina Zoo is actively involved in wild chimpanzee conservation in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, which boasts the largest chimpanzee population in East Africa.

Here is one lying down at the zoo to get some rest.

Chimpanzee Lying Down

Chimpanzee Closeup

Baboon Fellow Grooming

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Grooming is indeed a valuable commodity in itself, likely due to its stress- and tension-reducing effects. Primates also groom socially in moments of boredom, and this act has been shown to reduce tension and stress.

One hamadryas baboon is grooming another at the North Carolina Zoo.

Fellow Grooming

Hamadryas Baboon Staring

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The hamadryas also differs from other baboons in its social behaviour. Instead of maintaining a large cohesive troop, hamadryas split during the day into groups consisting of a single male and his “harem” of up to six (or more) females. Unlike most species that live in one-male social units, hamadryas males use aggression both during and after takeovers to condition females to maintain proximity.

This one at the North Carolina Zoo looks pretty aggressive.

Hamadryas Baboon Staring