This set of 90 slides illustrates a wide array
of avian behaviors.
| Common Name |
Activity |
|
Territorial Aggression
|
| Herring Gull |
Bills locked in combat |
| Herring Gull |
Pulling at opponents' wing |
|
Communal Roosting
|
| Cedar Waxwing |
Many roosting in same tree |
|
Mating Systems
|
| Monogamy |
| Bay-breasted Warbler |
Male and female in attendance at nest |
| Andean Flamingo |
Pair attempting to feed young |
| Cape Gannets |
Nesting colony |
| Cliff Swallows |
Nesting colony |
| Carmine Bee-eaters |
Nesting colony |
| Polygyny - Lekking |
| Sage Grouse |
Males displaying, females nearby |
| Satin Bowerbird |
Male on display ground |
| Polyandry |
| Red Phalarope |
Larger, colorful female with male |
|
Nesting Cycle / Parental Care
|
| Cliff Swallow |
Nest building |
| Bald Eagle |
Carrying nest material |
| Grosbeak Weaver |
At completed nest |
| Herring Gull |
Pair copulating |
| Reddish Hermit |
Incubating |
| Red Phalarope |
Male incubating |
| Lazuli Bunting |
Male feeding female |
| White Pelican |
Altricial young hatching |
| Common Crane |
Precocial young hatching |
| Eastern Bluebird |
Male bringing food to nestlings |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
Female feeding nestlings |
| American White Pelican |
Feeding young |
| Blue-footed Booby |
Adult preening young |
| Brown Thrasher |
Adult removing fecal sac |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler |
Male feeding fledglings |
| Greater Flamingo |
Creche |
| Flightless Steamer Duck |
Adult attending young |
|
Self Maintenance
|
| Blue-footed Booby |
Pressing bill to uropygeal gland |
| Anhinga |
Preening |
| Northern Flicker |
Preening |
| Red-footed Booby |
Preening |
| Eastern Bluebird |
Scratching |
| Painted Bunting |
Waterbathing |
| Ruffed Grouse |
Dustbathing |
| Anhinga |
Sunning |
| Semipalmated Plover |
Stretching |
| Common Ostrich |
Drinking water |
|
Allopreening
|
| White Stork |
Allopreening |
| Black-lored Babbler |
Allopreening |
|
Migration
|
| Snow Geese |
Migrating at night |
| Red Knot & Ruddy Turnstone |
In flight |
| Ruddy Turnstone & Sanderling |
Eating horseshoe crab eggs (Del. Bay) |
|
Foraging
|
| Northern Harrier |
Eating duck |
| Bald Eagle |
Carrying fish in talons |
| Great Egret |
With lizard in bill |
| Rufous-tailed Jacamar |
After capturing insect |
| Great Blue Heron |
Fishing |
| Black Heron |
"Shadowing" |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
Feeding on sap |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
Foraging on bayberry |
| Painted Bunting |
Feeding on seeds |
| Broad-billed Hummingbird |
Extracting nectar |
| Masked Flower-piercer |
Robbing nectar |
| Nene |
Chewing grass |
| Laysan Finch |
Sipping contents of petrel
egg |
|
Commensal Relationships
|
| Yellow-bellied Oxpecker |
On back of zebra (will eat
ectoparasites) |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
Singing with epaulets raised |
|
Communication
|
| Swamp Sparrow |
On exposed perch, singing |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
Singing with epaulets raised |
|
Displays performed by males
|
| Ruffed Grouse |
"Drumming" |
| Superb Lyrebird |
Fanning tail feathers |
| Kori Bustard |
"Bowing" while extending wings |
| Sage Grouse |
Inflating air sacs and extending
tail feathers |
| Sage Grouse |
Close up of male displaying |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper |
Female inspecting male in "parabola"
display |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper |
Male showing white underwing |
| Yellow-rumped Cacique |
Male singing and displaying
to female in nest |
| Greater Frigatebird |
With filled red throat sac and
wings arched |
|
Ritualized Displays (involving
both members of a potential pair)
|
| Adelie Penguin |
Ceremonial greeting during egg
exchange |
| Western Grebe |
Performing courtship ritual |
| Western Grebe |
Performing courtship ritual |
| Blue-footed Booby |
Courtship dance |
| Sandhill Crane |
Courtship dance |
| Herring Gull |
Coaxing male to regurgitate
food by bill-touching |
| Herring Gull |
Coaxing male to regurgitate
food by bill-touching |
Herring Gull
|
Male starting to regurgitate
food |
| Herring Gull |
Male regurgitating food for
female |
| Herring Gull |
Female taking food from bill
of male |
| Herring Gull |
Female with regurgitated food
in bill |
| Herring Gull |
Female swallowing regurgitated
food |
|
Distraction Displays
|
| Willow Ptarmigan |
Performing distraction display
while on nest |
| Killdeer |
Performing distraction display |
|
Agonistic Displays
|
| Least Bittern |
Female in a threat display |
| Black Vulture |
Chick performing a threat display |
| Sooty Owl |
Hunched over extended wings |
| Pied Kingfisher |
One aggressive, one submissive
display |
| Pectoral Sandpiper |
One male chasing another |
| Black-necked Stilts |
Fighting |
|
Mobbing
|
| Crow & Barn Owl |
Crow mobbing owl |
