Weird But Classy
The hooded merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
The rufous potoo
The Eurasian hoopoe
Upupa epops
Who forgot to brush their feathers before leaving the nest? This small bird, measuring 30 cm and weighing less than 100 grams, lives in Africa, Asia, Europe, and even in Alaska! The sun-loving Eurasian hoopoe enjoys nothing more than bathing in the sun, sand, and sand or dust bath.
The great curassow
The rhinoceros hornbill
Buceros rhinoceros
This jolly flying rhinoceros’ casque is made of keratin, just like our fingernails, and takes around six years to reach full size. Contrary to what you might think, the casque is actually hollow, amplifying this Asian bird’s call throughout the forests of Indonesia and Thailand.
The marabou stork
The Inca tern
Larosterna inca
As its name suggests, this tern lives along the western coast of South America, from Chile to Peru, home to the famous Inca civilization centuries ago. This bird’s rather stylish moustache is a feature of both males and females of the species. Feeding on small fish, Inca terns will sometimes dive for their supper, but will also eat dead fish thrown (or stolen directly) from fishing boats. After all, where’s the fun in hard work?
The long-wattled umbrellabird
Cephalopterus penduliger
This bird can be found sporting its rock-and-roll hairstyle along the coasts of Colombia and Ecuador. Though the umbrellabird does have wings, flying is not really its strong suit. It prefers, instead, to hop from branch to branch.
The ribbon-tailed astrapia
Astrapia mayeri
Males of this species have magnificent tails (after which they are named) that are almost three times as long as their bodies. This native Papua New Guinea bird lives at high altitudes in hard-to-reach places and is not endangered. It feeds on insects, spiders, and frogs.
The southern cassowary
Casuarius casuarius
The southern cassowary’s height of up to six feet and its large brown helmet make it difficult to miss. It is mainly found in northern Australia, New Guinea, and eastern Indonesia. This bird feeds primarily on fruit that has fallen onto the ground, but won’t turn its nose up at the odd snail or even small dead animals
The magnificent frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Why be content with a modest name when you could have a name like this? This fabulous fowl nests in the southern regions of North America. To impress the ladies, males will inflate the striking red membrane over their throat (known as the throat patch), flap their wings, and wave their heads back and forth. A real sight to behold!
The vulturine guineafowl
Acryllium vulturinum
This bird, with its rather unusual hairstyle, lives in the desert regions of east Africa. The rarely used adjective “vulturine” refers to its bald head, which looks similar to that of a vulture.
Temminck’s tragopan
Tragopan temminckii
You’ll have to take a trip to the Himalayas to catch a glimpse of this magnificent and grandly named creature. While it prefers to remain hidden, making it very hard to spot in the wild, the Temminck’s tragopan does descend from the heights of its mountain-range home (between 1,000 and 2,000 m above sea level) to breed.
The black heron
Egretta ardesiaca
This African wading bird uses its wings to form a canopy over its head when fishing, providing a clear, reflection-free view of what’s on the menu. It makes you wonder…
The scarlet ibis
Eudocimus ruber
This bird gets its magnificent scarlet colouring from the carotenoids in its food. The ibis, which prefers to live in groups, is found primarily in South America and the southwestern United States.
The hoatzin
Ophisthocomus hoazin
The kakapo
Strigops habroptilus
If you’ve ever wanted to know the name of the world’s biggest parrot, now you do – it’s the kakapo! Also known as the owl parrot, this native New Zealand bird was thought to be extinct until it reappeared in 1970. Growing up to two feet tall, the flightless kakapo is still endangered, although climate change does seem to be helping population numbers.
The Philippine eagle
Pithecophaga jefferyi
This impressive bird of prey is also known as the monkey-eating eagle, and with good reason. It has no qualms about making a meal of mammals that it hunts in the tropical forests of the Philippines. Lemurs, macaques, and squirrels all feature on this hawk’s menu. Interesting fact: Philippine eagles hunt in pairs, using diversion tactics and surprise attacks.
The hyacinth macaw
This beautiful bird can be found in the humid tropical forests of South America. Unfortunately, its popularity as a pet and the destruction of its habitat are contributing to a population decline.
The golden pheasant
Chrysolophus pictus
Here’s another bird that really likes to spread its wings. This species can be found all the way from the mountainous forests of western China to the Falkland Islands and New Zealand. Usually only male pheasants have superb golden plumage. However, in very rare cases, some older females also develop these feathers and adopt behaviours that are typically observed in males.
The greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Depending on the species, flamingos are found in the Mediterranean region, in southern Africa, central Asia, and Central and South America. The small lamellae in their beaks filter food out of the muddy water they scoop up. One flamingo subspecies – the plastic variety – can be found inhabiting lawns in suburbs across the globe.
The keel-billed toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratus
This Central American toucan is a real fun-loving fowl. Groups of up to 20 birds gather on tree branches and “play”, throwing pieces of fruit in the air and catching them or pushing each other with their beaks.