A Barn Swallow in Nepal. Photo by Deepak Budhathoki / Macaulay Library.
Photo Gallery: Celebrate the Birds that Tie the Whole World Together
Our planet has a bounty of birds—more than 11,000 species in all. But on a planetary scale, most have relatively small ranges. Just a couple of dozen species can be called "cosmopolitan," with ranges that touch six continents or at least three oceans. These are the birds that tie our human world together. How many are familiar to you?
Mystery Bird in India. Photo by Hemant Kumar / Macaulay Library.
What Bird Is This?
It's hard to miss this long-legged, long-necked, and long-billed quiz bird—it has a home on every continent except Antarctica. Though they can look merely brownish at a distance, up close and in the sunlight they really live up to their shimmering name. Do you know which species this is? Check your answer and learn more.
Ospreys are a familiar sight across much of the world; they occur on every continent except Antarctica.
WATCH: A Young Osprey Makes Its First-Ever Flight
What must it be like to stretch a five-foot wingspan and take to the air for the first time? That's what Sum-eh, the older Osprey nestling from our live cam in Montana just found out. First came a quick hop onto a nearby perch, followed by a long loop over the river before dropping neatly back into the nest beside its sibling, Antali. Watch the highlight.
Sum-eh and Antali: The Osprey chicks' names were suggested by the Salish people of western Montana and voted on by the Bird Cams community. Learn more about the rich history of their names.
Travel around the world with this one-of-a-kind quiz, and see if you can pick out the closest relatives of goldfinches, meadowlarks, tanagers, and more. When it comes to evolution, not everything is quite as it seems! Try the quiz and see how you do.
The four species of stilts have a combined range across six continents.Black-necked Stilt by Hugo Orellana / Macaulay Library.
Salt Farmers Protect Shorebirds, and Everyone Wins
Find out how the Black-necked Stilt (or soldadito) became a mascot of sorts for salt farmers in Honduras. The farmers' artisanal way of life provides golden opportunities for sustaining both people and shorebirds.
Bird News and Resources
New Season of Webinars from Birds of the World:In this free series, learn from experts about everything from latest taxonomy changes to the amazing Amur Falcon of India. See the schedule.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.
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