![]() ![]() They have yellow eyes, wide mouths (hence the name), and curved beaks. Measuring around 40–50cm long and wrapped in brown/grey plumage, the tawny frogmouth’s colours exactly replicate that of tree branches – with a similar textural appearance too. It looks like an owl, it sounds like an owl, it’s nocturnal like an owl-but is not an owl. Starving to death, as the sailors ate their source of foodĪlthough they can no longer be found in the wild, museums around the world-including the British Museum-have relics and fossils of the bird.Succumbing to the predators brought by the sailors: rats, cats, pigs and monkeys.Being consumed as part of the sailors’ diets.There are a few suggested reasons, including: The arrival of humans on the island catalysed their extinction, though it’s not collectively agreed how. Pre-colonisation, the dodos lived on the island in relative peace with plenty of food, water, and no natural predators. ![]() There are a few different interpretations of the dodo. They had grey-blue feathers, a big head, hooked beak, and they weighed around 20kg. Part of the Raphidae family, dodos once grew to around 90cm, had tiny wings, and strong, flexible knees for manoeuvering around the rocky island. By around 1681, this large, flightless bird was extinct, mainly due to the Dutch colonists that arrived on the island-and the animals they brought along and introduced to the land. Dodoįamed for being the prime example of human-induced extinction, the dodo lived on Mauritius Island during the late 1500s. Shoebills are quite docile around humans, although they are known for their ‘golden stare’ – so if you ever see one in the wild, be prepared for the strangest staring contest of your life. As of 2018, there were 3,300–5,300 shoebills left in the wild, with a population trend of ‘decreasing’. The birds themselves are sometimes also killed as food, or due to people believing they’re a bad omen. The population is classified as vulnerable, with its habitat across East Africa (from Ethiopia and South Sudan to Zambia) being destroyed for a myriad of reasons. Shoebills also have long legs and large feet, which they use to walk on the vegetation of the swamps and marshes where they live. Shoebills have also been known to use their beak to catch turtles and even baby crocodiles! The foot-long bill is around 12cm wide and has sharp edges and a pointed hook at the end used for catching and impaling its preferred prey, lungfish. Shoebills are usually quiet, but when looking for a mate, they make a loud clattering noise.Ī shoebill’s head is proportionally bigger than the rest of its body-mostly due to its oversized beak. With a 30cm, hooked beak, and a 2.4m wingspan, they’re certainly not the type of birds you’d want to upset if you encountered them in the wild. Named for its clog-shaped beak, shoebills are large birds, usually measuring 1-1.5m from the tip of their head to the bottom of their feet. With its grey feathers, yellow eyes, orangey bill, and long, knobbly legs, the shoebill stork looks like a relic from the dinosaur age. You are unlikely to see these fellows on your daily dog walk, so we’ve rounded them up for you to take a gander. The wonderful, wild and the downright weird. They come in all shapes, sizes, and demeanours, with some louder, livelier, and more lovable than the next. From the humble city pigeon and moody magpie to the seaside gull and high-flying falcon, there’s a good chance you see or hear a bird at least once a day no matter where you are. Feathery, talony, chirpy or squawky-birds are often a regular fixture of daily life.
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