Beaks are one of the most important body parts of birds and are used for more than gathering and eating food. Each beak has been "designed" by evolution to best meet the needs of the owners, so they are often used for courtship, fighting, feeding, building nests and even regulating body temperature. Here are some examples of birds with the most unusual and prominent beaks.

big toucan ( lat. Ramphastos toco)

The bright beak of these birds is about a third of the entire length of their body and is used to collect and clean fruit, scare away predators, attract females and protect the territory. Recent studies show that the cool bill helps toucans regulate their body temperature in hot weather.

Asian hornbill ( lat. Anthracoceros albirostris)

Compiling a rating of the most unusual beaks, it is difficult to ignore the hornbill. The beak of these birds is so heavy that evolution had to provide hornbills with powerful neck muscles and several fused vertebrae. The beak is used to catch prey, fight and, of course, attract females. However, the most recognizable element of these birds is the hollow horn that grows at the top of the beak. It is also used to attract females, fights, as well as enhance the emitted screams.

Bald Eagle ( lat. Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

The powerful, sharply curved beak of the eagles is used to kill fish, mammals and birds. The beak helps to butcher prey, as well as tearing the victim's flesh into small, easily swallowed pieces.

Swordbill Hummingbird ( lat. Ensifera ensifera)

The beak of this bird is notable for being longer than the rest of its body. The incredibly long beak and tongue of the hummingbird are used to extract nectar from flowers with long petals.

Curly Pelican ( lat. Pelecanus crispus)

Most often, pelicans feed on fish, which are caught from the water in a huge throat bag. After being caught, the birds drain the water and swallow the prey. The hook at the top of the beak is used to catch the fish that they toss up before swallowing.

Red flamingo ( lat. Phoenicopterus ruber)

The flamingo is mostly known for its grace, but its beak is no less remarkable. Flamingos feed on algae, crustaceans and other small living creatures, which are filtered out of the water through their beaks.

Australian Avocet ( lat. Recurvirostra novaehollandiae)

The beaks of these birds are long, thin and curved upwards. When feeding, avocets dip the tip of their beak into water or the upper layer of silt and, moving their beak, collect small crustaceans, mollusks and insects.

Yellow-billed Toko ( lat. Tockus leucomelas)

Currents are also one of the representatives of hornbills. They feed on seeds, small insects, as well as spiders and scorpions. The horn on the beak of the current is not as pronounced as in many other representatives of the species.

Spoonbills ( lat. plateinae)

The shape of the beak of these birds is ideal for their lifestyle. In search of food, they slowly roam the shallow water with their beak lowered into the water. The spoonbills move their beak in different directions and, having found the prey, immediately slam it shut.

Black water cutter ( lat. Rynchops nigga)

The large asymmetric beak of these birds is perfectly adapted to catching fish. Water cutters fish by flying directly above the surface of the water, "cutting" it with the lower part of the beak. When touching a fish, the beak instantly closes.

Spruce crossbill ( lat. Loxia curvirostra)

Of all bird species, crossbills have perhaps the most specialized beak. The crossed halves of their beaks look odd, but they are actually the perfect tool for extracting seeds from pine cones. Interestingly, the beaks different types crossbills differ in shape and are adapted to open only certain types of cones.

Curlews ( lat. Numenius)

Curlews are easily recognizable by their long, sharp, slightly downwardly curved beaks, which help locate prey in wet, soft bottoms. The length of the beak can reach more than 20 cm, which allows curlews to easily catch worms and other invertebrates from the mud.

Collared arasari ( lat. Pteroglossus torquatus)

Arasari is another representative of the toucan family. A powerful beak allows these birds to eat not only the fruits of trees, but also insects, lizards, as well as eggs of other birds.

Australian Pelican ( lat. Pelecanus conspicillatus)

Pelicans have one of the largest beaks of any bird species, and the bag under their beak can hold approximately 13 liters of water. During the breeding season, the coloring of the bags also serves to attract females. But the pelican in the photo is really irresistible!

Quirks of evolution: 15 completely fantastic and completely real birds

After you see these vagaries of nature, you begin to perceive any Hollywood monster as realistic.

Kiwi

The first one that comes to mind with the phrase "strange bird". True, we got used to it in childhood and no longer experience bewilderment, looking at a hairy, wingless and tailless schmuck. But if you think about it, it's really strange!

Birds should have feather-like feathers and wings, even if they run like an ostrich or swim like a penguin! Is not it? And yet, unlike other birds, the nostrils of the kiwi are not at the base of the beak, but at its tip, the body temperature is like that of a mammal, but the kiwi smells like mushrooms.

Kiwi. Smells. Mushrooms.

Quezal

All tropical birds resemble Christmas decorations, but some are somehow too much. Quezal is one of them. By the way, this is the bird after which the god is named. Not vice versa. Seems like a unique case. This is the Aztec Quetzalcoatl.

When Cortes destroyed the great South American empire, he tried to capture and kill all the Quetzals in order to leave the Aztecs without their god.

The bird really looks majestic from the point of view of the Indians. She has two layers of feathers on her wings, and the upper one, bright, hangs over the lower one, like a precious imperial cloak. How can you not worship them!

gigantic nightjar

Unlike the quezal, you won't be happy to meet this bird in a dark forest. To put it mildly. It's like it was designed for a Stephen King movie or Sesame Street. Oddly enough, the nightjar lives in South America and is also a tropical bird, so once and for all reconsider your ideas about how a tropical bird should look like.

In addition to the strange appearance in general, there are something like cuts in the eyelids of the nightjar, which makes them look like curtains. Through these cuts, the male looks at the world when he sits on his eggs, so as not to unmask himself and the nest with his bright yellow eyes.

The ideal resting position for nightjars is sitting, stretched out with a string and chin up (or whatever they have instead).

long-eared owl

Although the gigantic nightjar is not a relative from any side, it has the same superpower: it can turn into a stump. If someone is scared. Or into a huge colorful ball, if someone needs to be scared. For this, on the Internet it is often called a “transforming owl”. A very funny bird.

Vulture parrot

Are parrots supposed to be cute? No matter how. Do you want a creature similar to a mutant? Looking at him, you begin to believe in witchcraft, following the rural population of Brazil, because this could only appear in an extremely unnatural way.

The head of a fabulous griffin and a bright parrot body. Red. In combination with black, red sometimes looks ominous, and this is the case. And yes, in places it does not grow feathers, so it looks like a lichen. Ugh.

Shrike

The previous bird, although it looks ominous, in fact, feeds harmlessly on berries. And our native European shrike, a nondescript bird, has a truly villainous character. No wonder she wears a black bandage over her eyes, like bandits in an old movie.

Shrikes are known for killing, whether full or hungry. Just because they can.

They eat everything that moves: large insects, lizards, mice and other birds. Moreover, shrikes are one of the few birds that use auxiliary items to kill victims. They impale birds and mice on the thorns of plants or on the thorns of a wire stretched by a person.

No, this is not the murder itself, because the heart is not always pierced. This is the immobilization of the victim. Having attached the prey, the shrike begins to eat it or ... leaves it for the future, so that it itself dies in agony. And often completely in vain, because shrikes, as we have already said, kill more than they can eat. They just seem to like it. Brrr.

Malay kalao

The most famous of the hornbills. Very large - more than a meter in length, but not known for its size. The fact is that she has a huge bullshit growing on her forehead. Well, it’s very huge, it’s even surprising how she flies with her and doesn’t tumble. And the answer is simple: this growth is empty inside.

Looks like a mutation. However, biologists say that everything that distinguishes us from the amoeba is a mutation.

Despite the radical black color of the feathers, in Malaysia it is considered a symbol of purity. In addition, the growth on the head is considered similar to a helmet, which is why the Malay kalao is associated with the local god of war.

As a sign of respect for the symbolic meaning of the bird, it was traditionally killed to put its beak on jewelry.

Inca Tern

Just a very cute bird with a mustache. True embodiment of ideals male beauty the places where it lives - Latin American countries. He is friends with dolphins and seals, but they do not know about it: the Inca tern loves to pick up fish remains for the warm-blooded inhabitants of the sea. And the cries of the bird resemble an impatient cat's meow: "Meow, give me fish, give me!"

Kitoglav

He is a royal heron. A huge ugly bird that lives in East Africa and prefers not just fish for lunch, but lungfish protopters. In general, a gourmet.

The beak of the shoebill is so large and heavy that when the bird is not hunting, it puts it on its chest so that its neck does not break. He prefers to tear off the head of the fish before the start of the meal, but not out of sadism, but so as not to flutter: it is difficult to hold both the fish and such a large beak at the same time.

So that the eggs and hatched chickens do not fry in the African sun, the shoebill carries water in its beak and pours it over them. In general, it is difficult for him to live.

Luzon turtledove

A bird that looks like a victim of a maniac. And if not for the "bleeding wound" on the chest, there would be a dove like a dove. Actually, its second name is very prosaic: red-breasted chicken. Lives in the Philippines. It is hard to even imagine what purpose such a color can serve. Doesn't the sight of blood attract predators?

Kakapo

Also known as the Owl Parrot, another flightless New Zealand schmuck. More than anything else, he likes to pretend to be a ball of moss and is very successful in this, despite his size (a little over half a meter). And yet, unlike other parrots, these are polygamists and are not at all interested in their chicks. Freaks, no matter how you look at it.

white peacock

A huge number of birds that live on our planet adorns human life. It is believed that the diversity of birds reaches the mark of 10 thousand various kinds. However, within any species there are several more subspecies. Birds are found in every corner of the globe, they live in Antarctica, in the Arctic, they are big and small, flying and not able to fly, wild and domestic ... Today you will find out which birds with a large beak (photo attached) exist on the planet.

australian pelican

The Australian pelican belongs to the pelican family, whose habitat is the sea and river coasts, swamps and coastal islands throughout Australia.

Answering the question: “Which bird has the largest beak?”, You can say: “The Australian pelican.” This bird is generally considered the largest in Australia. Its wingspan can be from 2.5 to 3.4 meters, and the pelican can weigh 5-6 kg, the beak can grow up to 40-50 cm in length.

Such weighty dimensions are not given to this bird by chance. A beak with a throat bag can hold 10-13 liters of water. However, the bird does not use the bag to store food, it plays the role of a trapping net and temporary food retention. After the prey gets into the bag, the bird closes its beak and presses it tightly to the chest, thus removing water. Now the fish can be swallowed.

Toucan

To the question: “Which bird has the largest beak?”, You can answer like this: “A toucan has.” The beak of this bird is from 30% to 50% of the entire length of its body. But the unambiguous version of why the toucan needs such a huge beak does not exist to this day. One of the latest assumptions is that the bird needs a large beak to regulate body temperature, like an air conditioner. Scientists have noticed that in the heat, the beak heats up and thus takes on body heat, giving it out.

Stork

Which bird has the largest beak? The stork is also considered the owner of a large beak. They are large birds with white plumage and black wingtips. Storks are the owners of a long beautiful neck and a large red beak, which has a conical shape. Such a device provides the bird with food such as frogs, lizards, snails, moles, mice, insects. The beak for the stork is tweezers, with which he easily pulls a frog out of the swamp and catches fish. But why the stork's beak is red remains a mystery.

sword-billed hummingbird

The largest beak, if we consider it in relation to the body, is in the sword-billed hummingbird. A small bird lives in territories from Bolivia to Venezuela in the high Andes.

The length of the beak is 10.2 cm, and this is 4 times longer than the body of a bird without a tail. The beak of the female is longer than that of the male. And the bird needs such a device in order to easily reach the nectar of tubular post-flower flowers. In a calm state, the bird holds its beak in a straight upward direction, and in flight the beak assumes a horizontal position.

The beak is considered an important feature of a bird, it not only determines its position in the system, but also indicates activity. The beak has a direct connection with the ways of feeding and living conditions of the bird. It can even report how food is being swallowed. Therefore, the very fact of which bird has the largest beak is not important, but the important thing is that, thanks to its size and shape, the bird adapts to its habitat and can eat the food that is abundant in the area.

We present you a selection of rare, beautiful and simply strange birds, which will be of interest not only to ornithologists, but also to photographers.

tangerine(Aix galericulata) is a wood duck that breeds in the Far Eastern regions of Russia and flies to China and Japan for the winter. Mandarin ducks can also be found in China, Ireland, England and the USA, sometimes they are bred in parks. The female, as usual, is unremarkable, but the male in the wedding attire looks his best: a majestic crest sticking up like fins, wingtips, bright plumage with graphic stripes on the chest, tail and head. Keep an eye on the season - in winter, the macho mandarin loses some of its charm as unnecessary.

blue-footed booby(Sula nebouxii) relies heavily on legs, at least during the display period. The intensity of color is important for the female: the applicant with bright blue “flippers” will find a family, and the owner of faded gray-blue legs will be rejected. The easiest way to photograph these charismatic birds is in the Galapagos Islands, where half of the entire population lives. They are also found on the islands of Peru and the Gulf of California and on the west coast of Mexico.

Cassowaries do not fly, but are considered birds and live mainly in the forests of New Guinea. Their name is said to mean "horned head" in the local language. The most unusual of the three species is the helmeted cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), also found in north Queensland, Australia. The purpose of the cartilaginous outgrowth, covered with a shiny horn-like substance, has not yet been clarified for certain. Perhaps it helps to make its way through the dense thickets of the undergrowth, or it is a resonator for the calls of the cassowary.

Andean rock cockerel(Rupicola peruviana) has become a symbol of Peru, where it mainly lives. Bright plumage serves males bad service making them visible to predators. At the same time, scientists believe that appearance for females it is secondary - first of all, good dancers and singers are taken apart, and the most punctual ones, who do not miss their daily performance. However, this also has the logic of genetic selection: he came on time five times and was not eaten by anyone - which means that the most dexterous one will be the father. It remains for us to figure out exactly where his beak is.

Quezal, or quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), was a sacred bird of the Maya and Aztecs and was forced to supply the priests with long tail feathers for religious rites. A wide crest, a green top with a golden, as if metallic, sheen, a thick crimson belly, a white bottom of the tail - the appearance of a quetzal can hardly be a model of elegance. Photohunting is possible only in wild nature: they say that in captivity this freedom-loving bird dies of a broken heart.

Kitoglav(Balaeniceps rex) is a rather tall and powerful bird of East Africa. Its impressive beak is an excellent fishing tool. The rest of the time, he is more of a burden: if there are few fish, you can die of hunger, you won’t get any other food for them. Yes, and he is heavy - to give a rest to the neck, from time to time the shoebill puts his head on his chest.

Kiwi(Apteryx), which are birds, not fruit, pear-shaped, vestigial wings, shaggy feathers like wool, and they smell like mushrooms. At the same time, they have a developed sense of smell and habits like those of mammals. Around the spiked beak, long bristles-vibrissae are stuck, like a cat on the muzzle. They have strong paws, and in their natural habitat, kiwis are able to walk several kilometers per night. Unfortunately, now there are few of them left and they live mostly in captivity.

All the variety of colors of nature can be seen not only in flowers and plants, but also in the animal world, in particular in the world of birds. Almost 10 thousand species of birds live on earth, all of them are somewhat different from each other. Some birds are the fastest, some are the best hunters, and some are the brightest. In this ranking, we want to show you the 16 most beautiful birds world, the appearance of which fascinates.

16

One of the largest species of parrots, some individuals of which reach a length of 95 cm, with about half falling on the tail, a wing length of 36 centimeters, and a weight of about 1.5 kilograms. The color of the hyacinth macaw is cobalt blue. From the sides, the head is covered with plumage, only a thin strip at the base of the mandible and a narrow ring around the eyes without feathers, golden yellow. The tail of this parrot is gray-blue, long and narrow. The beak is black-gray, large and powerful, the male is noticeably larger than the female. Paws are dark grey. The iris is dark brown. The voice of the macaw is very loud and sharp, including a hoarse screech that can be heard at fairly large distances - from 1 to 1.5 kilometers.

The large hyacinth macaw lives in the Central, Eastern and Southeastern parts of Brazil. This amazingly beautiful bird easily becomes tame, often strongly attached to a person, very inquisitive, trusting and has a very good memory. In the wild, the hyacinth macaw forms a family pair, there are also small family groups of 6-12 birds.

Macaw nests are built in crevices among stones, in hollows of trees or in holes that they dig themselves with the help of their beak and paws in steep river banks. Macaws reach puberty at the age of 3 years, after which, in their usual environment, the hyacinth macaw finds a mate. The mating season usually begins in May, most often there are only 2 eggs in the clutch. In view of the fact that these birds nest in hard-to-reach places, the life of this parrot has not been studied well enough.

15

The rainbow toucan is the largest representative of the Ramphoslos group of woodpeckers, which is distributed in Central and South America to Northern Argentina. There are 36 species. Toucans, rather large, heavy birds. The first thing that catches your eye when looking at them is a disproportionately large, hollow, brightly colored beak up to 17 centimeters in length. Its length is almost equal to the length of the bird's body. The body length of the bird is about 50 centimeters, and the weight is 400 grams. The plumage on the back, belly, and upper part of the wings is matt black, on the upper part of the neck it is black with a red tint. The chest and cheeks are yellow-lemon in color, the lower part of the tail is bright red.

Rainbow toucans live in small groups of 5-10 individuals. Males are slightly larger than females. They spend the night in hollows, tightly clinging to each other and tucking their bulky beaks under the wing of their neighbors, which saves space well due to the small size of the dwelling. Nests are arranged in their own or hollowed out by other birds hollows. Rainbow toucans are monogamous. The female lays 2 to 4 eggs, and the offspring hatch 20 days after laying. A couple can raise up to three broods per year. Both parents take care of newborns, taking turns incubating them. Birds mainly feed on fruits, less often on tree frogs, and with a lack of food, they can even eat the chicks of other birds.

14

Hornbills are representatives of the order Coraciiformes, which has 57 species that live in Africa and Southeast Asia, on the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The sizes of hornbills vary from 30 centimeters for the smallest representative, to 1.2 m for the largest. Differences in weight from 60 grams to 6 kilograms, respectively. Hornbills got their name because of the large long beaks, sharply bent down and having significant outgrowths of various shapes at their base. The edges of the beak are irregularly serrated, and hollow inside, which is why they are quite light despite their size. The function of the hornbills' outgrowths is not clear, but scientists speculate that they may serve to support their beaks, increase calls, or attract females.

Hornbills are mostly large stocky birds. In order to hold their head and large beak, they have fairly strong neck muscles. The head is small in relation to body size; the tail, neck and wings are quite long, and the legs are very short. The plumage of most hornbills is black, white, gray or brown. These birds can fly quite long distances, although the flight is rarely long. During flight, air passes through the air spaces between the flight feathers of the wings, resulting in a vibrating sound similar to the sound of an approaching train.

Some species have bare skin on the throat and around the eyes, and thick, long eyelashes on the upper eyelid. Hornbills are quite noisy; in almost all species, a frequently repeated sharp, deaf, monosyllabic or two-syllable call. It can be heard from time to time during the flight of birds, or when they are alarmed. If the bird is hurt or caught, it emits an unceasing terrifying screech. This sound can be heard even a mile away.

13

Flamingos are the only genus of birds in the Flamingo family and in the Flamingo order. Flamingos are common in Africa, the Caucasus, Southeast and Central Asia, as well as in South and Central America. Colonies of pink or common flamingos also exist in southern Spain, France and Sardinia. This species is the largest and most common species in the family. His height reaches 130 centimeters. Flamingos have thin long legs, a flexible neck and plumage, the color of which varies from white to red. Their special distinguishing feature is a massive downward-curved beak, with which they filter food from water or silt.

Unlike most other birds, the movable part of the flamingo's beak is not the lower, but the upper part. Flamingos live in large colonies along the banks of shallow ponds or lagoons. Flamingo colonies often number hundreds of thousands of individuals. These birds feed mainly on crustaceans, algae, and insect larvae. In the surrounding water, pathogenic microorganisms develop due to bird droppings, and even a slight scratch on the skin can lead to inflammation. From 1 to 3 large eggs incubate in the silt seal. Flamingos make tall, cone-shaped nests of silt, mud, and shell rock in shallow water that reach up to 60 centimeters in height. Chicks are born well developed, active and leave the nest in a few days.

12

The barn owl is a bird of prey of the barn owl family, the most common bird of the genus barn owl in the world. It is found on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. The length of her body is about 35 centimeters, and the wingspan is 80-95 centimeters. The weight of birds varies from 187 to 700 grams. The plumage is very soft and fluffy. The upper part of the body is usually buffy-red with small dark stripes and speckles. The tail is short. A distinctive feature of all barn owls is a heart-shaped facial corolla, usually white with a buffy border, with small areas of red feathers under the eyes. The legs are completely covered with feathers. Males and females look little different from each other.

The ears are located asymmetrically - one of them is located in the forehead, and the other is at the level of the nostrils. This structure of the hearing aid helps the birds perfectly hear the sounds made by a potential victim from different angles. Most often, barn owls make various sounds during the breeding season - at this time they hoarsely or shrillly scream, sniff, hoot. Thanks to its special, hoarse and rattling cry “heee”, the bird got its Russian name “barn owl”. Outside of the breeding season, the birds are usually silent. In addition to vocal sounds, barn owls sometimes click their beaks, tongues, or defiantly flap their wings.

11

The common rosella is a bird of the parrot family that lives in the southeast of Australia and on the island of Tasmania. The length of her body reaches 30 centimeters, and her wings are about 11 centimeters. The weight of the bird is about 50-60 grams. The upper side of the back is black, but each feather is edged with green-yellow, the lower part of the back is greenish-yellow. The neck and chest are bright red, the lower part of the chest is bright yellow. Abdomen, rump and thighs are light green. The wings are purple-blue with black spots. The rump is light green. The coloration of females is duller. Their cheeks are grayish-white in color, a green-variegated color of the top of the neck in the shape of a triangle comes to the back of the head, the beak and head are smaller than in males.

Ordinary rosellas settle in places of high human activity - savannahs, parks. They feed on seeds of wild and cultivated herbs and some fruits. They can harm crops, but they also bring benefits by destroying weeds and eating harmful insects. The flight of rosellas is wavy, with frequent wing beats, rarely fly long distances. Easily move on the ground. The voice is quite loud, but not unpleasant; during the mating season, males emit a melodic whistle, almost singing.

10

Lory parrots, like some previous participants in our rating, are representatives of the parrot subfamily. The subfamily is divided into 12 genera, including 62 species. They live in Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines. They nest in hollows of trees, and some species even nest in termite mounds. Loris feed mainly on pollen and nectar, as well as soft, juicy fruits. Their tongue ends in a brush of horny papillae. With their help, birds suck juice from fruits and nectar from flowers.

Yellow-backed lorises have a raspy and unusually harsh voice, thanks to which they easily learn to repeat human speech and other audible sounds. In the process of learning, yellow-backed lorises memorize up to 50 words and up to 15 small sentences. The origin of the name Lori is originally determined from the Dutch "clown". The birds have a very juicy and bright color, more suitable as an outfit for the circus arena. But in nature, such disguise protects the parrot, which can easily feed among flowers and leaves.

9

The bird of paradise is a member of the family of birds from the order of passeriformes. There are 45 species in total, 38 of which are found only in New Guinea and small adjacent islands. As a rule, these are forest birds, certain types can only be found in high mountain forests. These fantastic birds are the closest relatives of our common crows, and range in size from a jay to a lark. Most of them have bright plumage, some are dark, with a metallic tint. Red, blue and yellow colors predominate. Males are usually more brightly colored than females, many have decorative feathers on their heads, sides or tails, which are displayed during complex mating games.

Birds feed on seeds, berries, small fruits, mainly insects, small tree frogs and lizards. Usually these birds are kept alone. Couples don't meet very often. Some species are monogamous and mate for life. Birds of paradise in most cases build their nests on branches. And only the royal bird of paradise suits him in the hollows of trees. The female lays and incubates only 2 eggs.

8

crowned crane - large bird from the family of real cranes, leading a sedentary lifestyle in West and East Africa. The bird is about 100 centimeters high, with a wingspan of 183-198 centimeters and a weight of 4-5 kilograms. The plumage of most of the body is black or dark gray; the covering feathers of the elytra are white. The main distinguishing feature of this species is the presence of a large crest on the head, consisting of hard golden feathers, thanks to which the bird got its name. There are red and white spots on the cheeks, a pair on each side.

There are no visible differences between the male and the female, although the males appear somewhat larger. In young birds, the plumage is lighter, the feathers of the upper body are reddish at the ends, and sand-colored below. The back of the neck is brown and the face is yellow. Lives in open spaces - both swampy and more arid, but prefers swamps with fresh water, water meadows or banks of reservoirs. Often in habitats you can see acacias or other trees on which birds settle for the night. The crowned crane is not afraid of humans and often settles close to human habitation. It has the status of a vulnerable species in the International Red Book.

7

The South American harpy is a large bird of prey, a forest hawk eagle that breeds and hunts on the plains of the tropical forests of Central and South America, from Mexico to Brazil. The harpy is the strongest of all birds of prey. The body length of this eagle reaches 110 centimeters, the wingspan is about 2 meters, and the weight is about 8 kilograms. The harpy has a dark gray back, a light gray head with large dark eyes and a relatively small but powerful black beak. At the moment of excitement, the harpy raises the feathers on its head almost vertically like “horns”.

The paws of the harpies are extremely large and powerful, capable of withstanding a very large weight, the fingers are armed with very long black claws. The main food of the harpy are sloths and monkeys, as well as some of South America. In addition, harpies attack macaws, and are the only predators that prey on tree porcupines. From the villages, harpies often drag pigs and medium-sized dogs. The harpy nests in the crown of tall trees at a height of 50-75 meters above the ground. The female lays, as a rule, one yellowish egg. Chicks develop very slowly and are under the care of their parents for a long time. At the age of 8-10 months, harpy chicks already fly well, but they cannot feed on their own. They can starve up to 10-14 days without harm to themselves.

6

The golden pheasant is one of the brightest representatives of the pheasant family. Golden pheasants live in the mountainous regions of central China at an altitude of up to 2000 meters above sea level, in the mountain forests of southeastern Tibet and northern Assam. In Central Europe, there are semi-wild populations of the golden pheasant. Males are distinguished by very beautiful plumage and therefore are kept in zoos as ornamental birds. Golden pheasants avoid forested, swampy and open areas. For most of the year, golden pheasants are solitary. With the onset of spring, the behavior of birds changes, and they begin to seek partnership.

In their homeland, golden pheasants feed mainly on leaves and shoots of various shrubs, as well as bamboo. They also eat rhododendron flowers. During the day they feed on the ground, and at night they sleep, fleeing from predators, high in the trees. The golden pheasant keeps within its own territory. Birds living high in the mountains often descend to lower areas during the day. In search of food, the golden pheasant easily crawls through even the most dense thickets. The diet of golden pheasants living in Europe is little studied. Probably, the menu of European golden pheasants does not differ from the menu of their Chinese relatives.

5

The Atlantic puffin is a bird of the auk family that lives on the coast of northern Africa and east coast Atlantic Ocean. Body length 30-35 centimeters, weigh 450-500 g. High brightly colored beak strongly compressed laterally. The back is black, the bottom of the body is white. Paws are orange-red. Puffins walk well, fly, swim and dive using wings and paws. Despite its relatively small size, the life expectancy of a bird is about 25 years. Working with wings at full strength, during flights, the puffin can reach speeds of up to 80 km / h.

They nest in groups or colonies along steep slopes. They feed on small fish and marine invertebrates. Most of the time they spend at sea, swaying on the waves, sometimes hundreds of kilometers from land. This is the period when puffins can lead a solitary life, although some keep in pairs. In the spring, hundreds of puffins gather on the shore to hatch their chicks. Most often, these birds dig holes with their beaks in steep hillsides, and sometimes among stones at the foot of cliffs.

4

Tree or whistling ducks - genus waterfowl from the duck family, which are common in the tropical and subtropical zone. Tree ducks have characteristics intermediate between ducks and geese: they resemble ducks in their physique, and in the long legs and neck, as well as the broad, blunt wings of geese. Males and females do not differ externally from each other. They swim and dive well, collecting food in the upper layers of the water, like river ducks. On land, the body is kept upright. The toes are arranged in such a way that they easily grab the branches of trees, on which some species sometimes sit down - hence the name "arboreal".

The second name, "whistling ducks", arose due to a special way of communication between birds - they emit melodious whistles. The plumage is not bright - it is usually dominated by brown, gray or beige tones. Active mainly at night. They feed mainly on the vegetative parts of aquatic plants and phytoplankton, filtering the water in the upper layers of the water. Hybrids with other species, unlike many ducks, do not form. In roosting areas, they gather in large flocks.

3

Opens the top three in the list of the most beautiful birds - Red Macaw from the parrot family. This bird lives in tropical forests from Mexico to Ecuador, Bolivia and the Amazon River, preferring to stay in the crowns of tall trees. Body length 78-90 centimeters, wings from 28 to 40 centimeters, tail from 50 to 62 centimeters. The head, top of the wings, neck, top of the back, breast and belly are bright red, the rump and bottom of the wings are bright blue, a yellow stripe runs across the wings. Bare cheeks are light with rows of white feathers. The mandible is white with a brown-black spot at the base of the beak and a black tip. The iris is yellow. The female's beak is smaller and wider at the base, and its upper half has a steeper curve.

They feed mainly on plant foods: fruits, nuts, young shoots of trees and shrubs. During the ripening period of agricultural crops, they fly to feed on fields and plantations, which bring tangible damage to the crop. They are very attached to the hollow where they nest, use it during the breeding seasons for many years in a row. The mating season usually begins in April-May. Sitting nearby on a branch, turning their tails in opposite directions, the parrots gently sort out each other's feathers, and they accompany all actions with low gurgling sounds. Then the male starts dancing, shaking his head, throwing it back and nodding.

2

In second place is the Mandarin duck - a bird of the duck family, common only in East Asia. In Russia, the mandarin duck nests in the Amur and Sakhalin regions, in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories. Winters in China and Japan. This is a small duck weighing about 600 grams. The male has a crest on his head and is more brightly colored than the female. This duck inhabits mountain rivers with tree branches hanging over the water and riverine mountain forests. The mandarin swims well, but rarely dives, only when injured. Its flight is fast and agile, it takes off easily, sometimes almost vertically. Unlike most ducks, the mandarin duck can often be seen perched on tree branches or on coastal cliffs. This bird is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species.

They feed on seeds, mainly acorns and aquatic. Tangerines also feed on shellfish, worms and fish caviar. Nests are arranged, as a rule, in hollows at different heights, sometimes up to 10 meters; less likely to nest on the ground. The clutch contains from 7 to 14 eggs, which the female incubates for about 30 days. The hatched chicks independently jump out of the nest to the ground. Weather conditions affect the success of mandarin duck breeding - chicks are very sensitive to hypothermia.

1

The first place in our ranking of the most beautiful birds is, of course, the peacock. This bird is a monotypic species, that is, it is not divided into subspecies, but it has a number of color variations. Widely distributed in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka at altitudes up to 2000 meters above sea level, it lives in jungles and woodlands, on cultivated lands and near villages, preferring thickets of bushes, forest clearings and river banks. Domesticated by man. A characteristic feature of the male is the strong development of the upper coverts, which are mistaken for the tail.

Body length 100-125 centimeters, tail 40-50 centimeters, elongated uppertail feathers 120-160 centimeters. The male weighs about 4 kilograms. The head, neck and part of the chest are blue, the back is green, the bottom of the body is black. The female is smaller, more modestly colored and lacks elongated uppertail feathers. The peacock is a polygamous bird: the male lives with a group of 3-5 females. Reaches sexual maturity at two to three years. The breeding season is from April to September. Lays 4-10 eggs directly on the ground, in captivity makes up to three clutches per year. The egg incubation period is 28 days. A young male from one to 1.5 years old wears an outfit similar to that of a female, and typical adult feathers fully develop in him only at the age of three years. Life expectancy is about 20 years.