- •Introduction
- •Verreaux’s sifaka
- •Identification: Males reach 8–10 feet in length and have a massive neck, shoulders, and mane; females are smaller.
- •Identification: a large deer (standing 4-5 feet at the shoulder) with brownish red fur and a pale rump patch; males generally have enormous antlers and a long mane.
- •Identification: a 3-4-foot-tall deer with a brownish coat and large antlers (3 feet long) in males.
- •Identification: a medium-sized deer typically with a grayish brown coat and white underparts, and antlers in both sexes. Moose
- •Identification : The largest species of deer (weighing up to 1,300 pounds); has slender legs, a pendulous nose, and (in males) prominent palmate antlers and a dewlap or “bell” beneath the throat.
- •Identification: The tallest mammal (up to 19 feet), with a sloping back, enormously long neck, bony, knobbed “horns” in both sexes, and the familiar reddish brown spotted patterning.
- •Identification: a deer-sized mammal with distinctive, sharply forked horns in males and reddish brown fur with white patches.
- •Identification: a medium-sized gazelle; males have distinctive spiral horns and a black-and-white coat; females and juvenile males are tan colored.
- •Identification: a large wild sheep (weighing up to 300 pounds) with massive spiral horns in males; coat is brown with a white muzzle, underparts, and rump patch.
- •Identification: Similar to Bighorn, except smaller and with thinner horns; coat is all white or brownish black to gray,
- •Identification: a large (6—8—foot—long) mammal with long, shaggy fur, humped shoulders, and massive, down-sweeping horns.
- •Identification: a stocky, 3-foot-tall, goatlike mammal with shaggy white fur and sharp horns in both sexes.
- •Identification: An enormous buffalo (up to 61/2 feet high) with massive forequarters, humped shoulders, and (in males) a beard.
- •Identification: Similar to American Bison but more slender, less hunched, and with longer legs.
- •Identification: a huge (II-foot-long), usually black buffalo with massive, upward-curving horns in both sexes.
- •Identification: The familiar wild horse with a black-and-white-striped pattern; Mountain Zebras usually have a distinctive dewlap.
- •Identification: a 3—5-foot-long wild pig with a large head, prominent tusks, and distinctive warts in front of the eyes and on the jaw..
- •Identification: a piglike mammal with grayish, speckled, or salt-and-pepper fur and a light-colored collar.
- •Identification: The familiar large (up to 71/2 tons), trunked mammal with enormous ears and tusks in both sexes.
- •Identification: a large wild cat (up to 550 pounds) with a prominent mane in males.
- •Identification: a small canid (body length up to 3 feet) with a bushy tail and a reddish brown coat (although some variants are silvery or black).
- •Identification: The largest wild canid (reaching up to 7 feet in length) with a gray, brown, black, or white coat.
- •Identification: a small (3 foot long), reddish brown, bearlike canid with short legs and tail. Social Organization
- •Identification: a huge bear (7–10 feet tall) with dark brown, golden, cream, or black fur..
- •Identification: a smaller bear (4–6 feet) with coat color ranging from black to gray, brown, and even white. Park, Saskatchewan, Canada; subspecies u.A. Altifrontalis.
- •Identification: a yellowish brown hyena with spotted flanks and back, a strongly sloping body profile, and rounded ears; females typically heavier than males.
- •Identification: a large (over 3 foot tall) kangaroo with a gray coat and a hair-covered muzzle.
- •Identification: a smaller kangaroo (21/2 feet tall) with a reddish brown wash on its neck.
- •Identification: a light gray kangaroo standing up to 3 feet tall, with a white facial stripe and a long, slender tail.
- •Identification: a small (6–7 pound), rodentlike kangaroo with reddish brown fur.
- •Identification: Stocky, tree-dwelling kangaroos; chestnut or chocolate brown fur with lighter patches.
- •Identification: a small, mouselike marsupial with a thick, conical, fat-storing tail.
- •Identification: a catlike marsupial, up to 2 feet long, with grayish brown fur and white splotches.
- •Identification: a medium-sized (10—15 inch), primarily tree-dwelling squirrel with a reddish brown or tawny coat and white underparts, often with a dark stripe on the side.
- •Identification: a large (20 inch), tree-dwelling squirrel with a long, bushy tail and gray, grizzled, or buff fur.
- •Identification: Small, guinea-pig-like rodents with coarse fur; Dwarf Cavies have a distinctive white eye-ring, Cuis have yellow-colored incisors.
- •Identification: a small (less than I foot long) insectivore with sandy-colored spines, white underparts, and prominent ears.
- •Identification: a dark gray goose with fine silvery-white feather patterning; the wild ancestor of domestic geese.
- •Identification: a brown-plumaged goose with a distinctive black neck and white cheek patch; varies widely in size, from 2–24 pounds.
- •Identification: a pinkish-red-billed goose with two major color phases: all-white and “blue” (grayish plumage with a white head and neck).
- •Identification: The only swan with fully black plumage; wing feathers are white, bill is bright red, and the neck is especially long.
- •Identification: a large swan (up to 33 pounds) with a black knob at the base of its reddish orange bill (less prominent in females).
- •Identification: a familiar duck with a blue wing patch, an iridescent green head and white collar in males, and brown, mottled plumage in females.
- •Identification: a grayish brown duck with a light blue upper-wing patch, tawny spotted underparts, and white, crescent-shaped facial stripes in males.
- •Identification: a broad-billed duck with a purplish black head and breast and white underparts in males, and a dark head and brownish plumage in females.
- •Identification: Cinnamon breast, dark green head and back, and white collar; adult females have white eye and bill rings.
- •Identification: a large, grayish duck with a prominent lobe hanging from the lower bill, and a spike-fan tail..
- •Identification: a gull-sized, web-footed bird with contrasting black upperparts and white underparts; some individuals have a white eye ring.
- •Identification: a large, white-plumaged, gull-like bird with an enorous wingspan (over 61/2 feet), a dark back, and a grayish black wash on the face.
- •Identification: a large (3 foot), black, web-footed bird with a white throat and white filamentary plumes on the nape.
- •Identification: Similar to Great Cormorant, but smaller and uniformly black, with a prominent forehead crest.
- •Identification: a ducklike bird with grayish white plumage, bright red eyes, and yellow facial tufts.
- •Identification: Similar to Silvery Grebe, but with a buff or chestnut wash on the breast, white streaks on the head, and black-and-white eyes.
- •Identification: a stocky, medium-sized (2 foot long) heron with a black crown and back, white underparts, gray wings, and white ribbon plumes at the nape of the neck.
- •Identification: Long-legged, typically white herons with ornamental, filamentous plumes on the back, breast, and nape; these are golden-buff-colored in the Cattle Egret.
- •Identification: Similar to Little Egret but with slaty-gray plumage and a reddish brown head and neck.
- •Identification: a large (3 foot long) heron with a gray back, white head and neck, and black “eyebrow” stripe and nape plumes.
- •Identification: a large (nearly 20 inch) wading bird with bluish purple plumage, a red shield on its forehead, and red feet with long toes.
- •Identification: Similar to Pukeko, but flightless, and with grayish brown plumage, no red frontal shield, and shorter legs.
- •Identification: Similar to Pukeko, but with black plumage and shorter legs.
- •Identification: The largest flamingo species (4—5 feet tall) with plumage ranging from pale whitish pink to bright orange-pink.
- •Identification: a large (12 inch) sandpiper with gray or brownish plumage and, in some males, spectacular ruffs and feather tufts on the head that vary widely in color and pattern (see below).
- •Identification: a medium-sized (7—8 inch) wading bird with a small head and short beak, buff-colored face and underparts, and regular dark brown patterning on the back and crown.
- •Identification: a large (13—14 inch) sandpiper with streaked and spotted, dark brownish gray plumage; long and slightly upturned bill; greenish yellow legs.
- •Identification: Slightly smaller than the Greenshank; plumage grayish brown, with black and dark brown streaks and spots; orange-red legs.
- •Identification: a fairly large (12—15 inch) sandpiper-like bird with long pink legs, white plumage with black wings and back, and a slender black bill.
- •Identification: Similar to Black-winged Stilt but with entirely black plumage.
- •Identification: a medium-sized (10 inch) sandpiper-like bird with mottled buff and black plumage; adult males have a black face and underparts bordered with white.
- •Identification: a large gull (up to 27 inches) with a dark gray back and wings; spotted black-and-white wing tips; pink legs; and a yellow bill with a red spot.
- •Identification: a smaller gull (to 17 inches) with a blue-gray mantle; more pointed black wing tips; relatively short black legs and dark eyes; and a yellowish green bill.
- •Identification: a medium-sized (16 inch) gull with gray back and wings; spotted black-and-white wing tips; bright red bill and legs; white iris.
- •Identification: Similar to Silver Gull except larger (2 feet long), legs pinkish, bill yellow with a red spot, and iris yellow.
- •Identification: a medium-sized gull (to 17 inches) with a distinctive black or chocolate brown “hood,” red legs, and a gray back and wings.
- •Identification: a medium-sized (to 18 inches) black-headed gull with white eye-crescents, a dark gray back, and red legs and bill..
- •Ivory gull
- •Identification: An all-white gull with black legs and a blue-gray bill.
- •Identification: a large (to 22 inches) gull-like bird with a black cap and crest, light gray back and wings, forked tail, and long red bill with a black tip.
- •Identification: Similar to Caspian Tern but smaller (to 17 inches) and with a more deeply forked tail and slighter bill.
- •IdentifIfAtion: a crow-sized bird with cinnamon-brown plumage and a bare, blue-gray face..
- •Identification: Adult males are black with a red crown and a light blue patch on the back; yearling males and females are all green, while younger adult males are green with a reddish crown..
- •Identification: Small (5–7 inch) birds with brown and rufous plumage and a bluish gray patch around the eyes; Ocellateds have a distinctive scalloped pattern on the back feathers.
- •Identification: a small (5 inch), plain olive-green bird with a long tail and an ocher- or tawny-colored lower breast.
- •Identification: a small to medium-sized swallow with iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts, and a tail that is only slightly forked.
- •Identification: a bluish brown swallow with pale underparts, buff forehead, and a chestnut throat; tail is not forked..
- •Identification: a small, sparrow-sized swallow with a slightly forked tail, brown plumage, white underparts, and a brown breast band.
- •Identification: a small songbird with bright yellow underparts, olive green upperparts, and a black crown (“hood”) and throat in adult males and some females (see below).
- •Identification: a sparrow-sized bird with olive-brown plumage, distinctive white shoulder bars, and (in males) blue-gray crown.
- •Identification: a sparrow-sized bird with olive to orange-red plumage and a distinctive crossed bill..
- •Identification: a small (61/2 inch) bird with a thick, hooked bill, grayish brown plumage, and a darker facial mask (black in males)..
- •Identification: a tiny (41/2 inch) chickadee-like bird with a bright blue crown, black-and-white face, bluish green plumage, and yellow underparts.
- •Identification: a sparrow-sized bird with bright blue plumage, white underparts, and a chestnut throat and breast.
- •Identification: a grayish buff, sparrow-sized bird with a pale gray-white crown..
- •Identification: a drab, sparrowlike bird with brownish gray plumage and a black throat patch..
- •Identification: The familiar black-bibbed sparrow; Cowbird is iridescent black with a dark brown head..
- •Identification: Light gray plumage, black wings and tail, and (in some birds) bare yellow head and fleshy black wattles.
- •Identification: a small crow with black plumage and gray on the back of the head.
- •Identification: a large (2 foot), all-black bird similar to a crow but much bulkier..
- •Victoria’s riflebird
- •Identification: Adult males are black with an iridescent sheen and metallic crown, throat, and central tail feathers; females and younger males are drabber, with brown, buff, and off-white plumage.
- •Identification: a thrush-sized bird (12 inches) with velvety black plumage and brilliant golden yellow crown, nape, upper back, and wing feathers.
- •Identification: a pheasant-sized bird with brownish gray plumage, powerful legs and claws, and long, ornate tail feathers.
- •Identification: The largest living bird (over 6 feet tall), with striking black-and-white plumage in the male and powerful legs and claws.
- •Identification: The second-largest living bird (5—6 feet tall), with shaggy, brown plumage and bare patches of blue skin on the face and neck.
- •Identification: Similar to Ostrich but smaller (up to 41/2 feet tall) and with overall grayish brown plumage in both sexes.
- •Identification: a small penguin (approximately 2 feet tall) with a black band on its chest and patches of red skin at the base of its bill..
- •Identification: a large (3 foot tall) penguin with orange ear patches and a yellow-orange wash on the breast.
- •Identification: a medium-sized penguin (up to 21/2 feet) with a white patch above the eye.
- •Identification: a large vulture (wingspan up to 9 feet) with a white head and neck and brown plumage.
- •Insects
- •Introduction
Identification: a familiar duck with a blue wing patch, an iridescent green head and white collar in males, and brown, mottled plumage in females.
BLUE-WINGED TEAL
Identification: a grayish brown duck with a light blue upper-wing patch, tawny spotted underparts, and white, crescent-shaped facial stripes in males.
Social Organization
Mallard Ducks and Blue-winged Teals are highly sociable birds, usually congregating in their own flocks of hundreds or (in Mallards) even thousands for most of the year. During the breeding season, they typically form monogamous pairs, although many variations exist. As in many other duck species, heterosexual pairs usually separate soon after incubation begins. Females then incubate the eggs and raise their families on their own.
Description
Behavioral Expression: Female Mallards sometimes mount and copulate with other females in the early fall, when ducks congregate in groups and begin to establish pair-bonds. Two females may engage in the PUMPING display, a prelude or invitation to mating in which the head is bobbed up and down so that the bill touches the water in a horizontal position. Following this, one female flattens her body on the water and extends her neck, allowing the other female to mount. While copulating, the mounting female may grab her partner’s neck feathers in her bill or gently peck at her head. After dismounting, she performs a concluding display (also shown by females in heterosexual interactions) in which she dips her head in the water and then shakes the drops down her back while beating her wings. Homosexual mountings occasionally occur later in the season between heterosexually paired females and single females.
Homosexual pair-bonds also occur in both male and female Mallards. As in heterosexual pairs, the two partners keep close company, swimming together as well as resting, preening, and feeding in perfect synchrony. Same-sex partners also “defend” their mate from the approach of other Mallards. Females use a special INCITING display for this, in which they trail their partner while looking back over their shoulder and making a trembling call. Overt sexual activity is not generally a feature of same-sex partnerships, however: drake pairs, for example, engage in mutual head pumping and feather ruffling (which are preludes to copulation) but neither partner mounts the other or invites his mate to mount him. Interestingly, though, some males in homosexual pairs have been observed attempting to rape or forcibly copulate with males outside their pair-bond (just the way drakes in heterosexual pairs often participate in nonmonogamous raping of females—see below). Among females, homosexual pair-bonds are more ephemeral, generally occurring only in the pre-and postbreeding seasons. Some drake pairs are also temporary, while others are long-lasting, persisting for years and possibly even for life.
A homosexual pair of male Mallard Ducks engaging in synchronized preening
A flock, or “club,” of homosexual Mallard drakes
Male Mallards that have been raised together also frequently develop homosexual bonds of great strength and longevity. When large numbers of such birds are present, they often form their own groups, known as CLUBS. They flock together for hours or even days at a time, excitedly running about and swimming together while quacking continuously. Sometimes a female associates herself with a drake pair to form a bisexual trio; although one or both males may mate with her, their homosexual bond remains primary. Less commonly, females that have been raised together may also form a pair-bond, jointly incubating a nest and coparenting any ducklings that may result from promiscuous matings with males.
Blue-winged Teal drakes will court each other in the absence of females, even competing and fighting with one another for the attentions of another male.
Frequency: Homosexual copulations and pairings between female Mallard Ducks occur sporadically and are most common during the fall. In one study, roughly a quarter of the days on which sexual activity was observed included same-sex mountings. The proportion of male homosexual pairs varies between populations, anywhere from 2–19 percent of all pairs.
Orientation: Several forms of bisexuality occur among Mallards: females may participate in homosexual copulations while paired with a male, and both sexes may form seasonal homosexual attachments prior to or following a period of heterosexual mating. Some males are probably more exclusively homosexual, forming ongoing same-sex bonds that last for many years. In addition, most males probably have a bisexual potential: when raised in all-male groups, Mallards usually form lifelong homosexual pairs, and re-pair with other males on being “widowed.” Nevertheless, even among males that have not been raised together, approximately 13–17 percent still participate in homosexual pairing for at least a portion of their lives. In Blue-winged Teals, homosexual behavior appears to be primarily a manifestation of a bisexual potential, since same-sex pairing or courtship have so far only been observed in males isolated from females.
Nonreproductive and Alternative Heterosexualities
Mallard pairs regularly engage in nonreproductive matings. For example, copulation is common during the five-to-seven months that heterosexual couples are together prior to the breeding season (when males are not producing sperm). Later in the breeding season, however, male-female relations are often marked by hostility, since forced copulation or rape is a common feature of opposite-sex interactions in both Mallards and Blue-winged Teals. Following egg-laying, male Mallards regularly abandon their female mates (who thus become “single parents”), congregate in all-male groups, and begin pursuing other females to try to forcibly mate with them. Rapes also occur between paired ducks in both species. As many as a 12–40 males may chase a single female in aerial or aquatic pursuit; drakes have even been known to grab and mount females underwater when they dive (attempting to escape), or to knock females to the ground in midflight. In some populations, as many as 7–10 percent of all females die each year as a result of drownings or other injuries incurred during rapes. Occasionally, males even try to mate with dead females. Even while they are still paired earlier in the breeding season, males frequently court and attempt to mate with (or rape) females other than their mate. About 3–7 percent of offspring are a result of such nonmonogamous matings, and in some populations multiple parentage occurs in at least 17–25 percent of all broods.
Mallards also sometimes form trio-bonds, either one male with two females (2–4 percent of all heterosexual bonds) or, more commonly, two males with one female (3–6 percent of all bonds). Paired males sometimes switch mates during the breeding season as well, and at least 9 percent of all heterosexual couples divorce between breeding seasons. Overall, long-term male-female pair-bonds (lasting two or more seasons) are rare in this species. Mallard mothers can be extremely aggressive in defense of their young, even killing other youngsters that stray from their own broods. In some populations the greatest cause of mortality among ducklings is attacks from other mothers. Occasionally, however, two broods join together and are defended by a single mother for short periods.
Other Species
Homosexual pairs also form among male Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) that are raised together; such pairs are lifelong, and the two males may even search for nesting sites together each year. Female Chiloe Wigeons (Anas sibilatrix ) have also been known to pair together in captivity; the partners remain bonded for many years and each lays eggs in their nest.
LESSER SCAUP DUCK