The Rufous Hornero (ARGENTINA) is a large ovenbird with a square tail and a straight bill.

The plumage is overall reddish brown with a dull brown crown and a whitish throat. Both sexes look alike, and juvenile birds are slightly paler below. There is some clinal size variation from north to south due to Bergmann's Rule. Rufous Horneros feed on insects and other arthropods obtained by foraging on the ground while walking.They sometimes also feed on human waste, such as bread crumbs[1]. Predators of the Rufous Hornero and/or its young include birds of prey such as the Black Chested Buzzard Eagle Buteo melanoleucus[2], domestic cats, and a number of species of snakes and possibly lizards[3]. However, building a covered nest and keeping the eggs protected greatly increases young birds' rate of survival. The nest of the Rufous Hornero is a common sight in Argentina and Uruguay The Rufous Hornero breeds in the austral summer, laying eggs between September and December and raising nestlings between October and January. The species is monogamous and will maintain the pair bond for many years, even for life. The nest of the species is typical for the genus, a large thick clay "oven" placed on a tree, or more recently on man made structures such as fenceposts, telephone poles or buildings. Pairs remain together throughout the year and will work on the nest during that time; nests can be constructed in as little as 15 days but are usually completed in 23 months. Between 2-4 eggs are laid and incubated for 1418 days. Chicks are fed for 2326 days before fledging; young birds remain in the parental territory for around 6 months after fledging. Both parents undertake incubation and feeding responsibilities. The birds do not use the same "oven" for succeeding breeding-seasons, therefore it is quite common to see a number of structures - from two to three - close to each other (or even atop each other) at the same nesting area. However, a formerly unused nest can be repaired for a new breedingseason. The Rufous Hornero has benefited from human changes to the environment and many live in highly modified habitat. Conversely, it can benefit various other species of birds, such as the Saffron Finch, who nest at its unused "ovens". It is a familiar sight over much of its range and has been adopted as the national bird of Argentina. It is not threatened by human activities and is listed as least concern by the IUCN. The Rufous Hornero carries the eggs before laying anywhere from 23 days. Incubation period lasts 16 17 days. Thia bird is also the state bird for Argentina.

The American Flamingo (BAHAMAS) breeds in the Galpagos, coastal Colombia, Venezuela and nearby islands, besides the Guyanas and Cape Orange in Brazil. It also breeds in the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico, and in the northern Caribbean in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Most sightings in southern Florida are usually considered to be escapees, although at least one bird banded as a chick in the Yucatn Peninsula has been sighted in Everglades National Park, and others may be wanderers from Cuba. From a distance, untrained eyes can also confuse the Roseate Spoonbill with it.[1][2] They migrate to India and Bhutan during winter. American Flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber American Flamingos with dilute coloring, in Lago de Oviedo, Dominican Republic. Its preferred habitats are similar to that of its relatives: saline lagoons, mudflats, and shallow brackish coastal or inland lakes. An example specific habitat is in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatn.[3]

[edit] Description
Like all flamingos, it lays a single chalky white egg on a mud mound, between May and August; incubation until hatching takes from 28 to 32 days; both parents brood the young for a period of up to 6 years when they reach sexual maturity. Their life expectancy of 40 years is one of the longest in birds. 120140 cm (4755 in) in length, the males weigh 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) and females 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) kg. Most of its plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy Flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler Greater Flamingo. The wing coverts are red, and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink and white with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

The Red-crowned Crane (CHINA) (Grus japonensis), also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane (Chinese: or ; Hanyu Pinyin: Dndng H; Japanese: or , tancho; the Chinese character '' means 'red', '/' means 'crown' and '/' means 'crane'), is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity.

[edit] Description
Adult Red-crowned Cranes are snow white with black to the wings (appears almost like a black tail when standing, but the real tail feathers are white), blackish to the head and neck, and a patch of red skin on the crown. This patch of skin becomes brighter red when the crane becomes angry or excited. This species is among the largest cranes, typically measuring about 158 cm (62 in) tall, 136 cm (54 in) in length (from bill to tail tip) and spanning 242.5 cm (95.5 in) across the wings.[2][3][4] Typical body weight can range from 7 to 10 kg (15 to 22 lb), with males being slightly larger than females and weight ranging higher just prior to migration.[5][6] On average, it is the heaviest crane species, although both the Sarus and Wattled Crane can grow taller and exceed this species in linear measurements.[6][7][8][9] The maximum known weight of the Red-crowned Crane is 15 kg (33 lb).[10][11]

Behaviour
in the spring and summer, the migratory populations of the Red-crowned Crane breed in Siberia (eastern Russia), northeastern China and occasionally in northeastern Mongolia[1] (i.e., Mongol Daguur Strictly Protected Area). Normally the crane lays 2 eggs, with only one surviving. Later, in the fall, they migrate in flocks to Korea and east-central China to spend the winter.[1] Vagrants have also been recorded in Taiwan.[1] In addition to the migratory populations, a resident population is found in eastern Hokkaid in Japan.[1] The habitats used are marshes, riverbanks, rice fields, and other wet areas. The crane eats small amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, insects, and plants that grow in marshes and swamps.

The Mute Swan (DENMARK) (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less vocal than other swan species.[2][3][4] Measuring 125 to 170 centimetres (49 to 67 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange bill bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill.

Taxonomy
The Mute Swan was first formally described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin as Anas olor in 1789, and was transferred by Johann Matthus Bechstein to the new genus Cygnus in 1803. It is the type species of the genus Cygnus.[5] Both cygnus and olor mean "swan" in Latin; cygnus is related to the Greek kyknos.[6][7] The synonym Sthenelides olor has occasionally been used in the past. Despite its Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the Black Swan of Australia and the Black-necked Swan of South America, not the other Northern Hemisphere swans.[2] The species is monotypic with no living subspecies.[2][4]
[edit] Evolution

Mute Swan subfossils, 6,000 years old, have been found in post-glacial peat beds of East Anglia, Great Britain.[8] They have also been recorded from Ireland east to Portugal and Italy,[9] and from France, 13,000 BP (Desbrosse and Mourer-Chauvire 19721973).[Full citation needed] The paleosubspecies Cygnus olor bergmanni, which differed only in size from the living bird, is known from fossils found in Azerbaijan.[citation needed] Fossils of swan ancestors more distantly allied to the Mute Swan have been found in four U.S. states: California, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon.[10] The timeline runs from the Miocene to the late Pleistocene, or 10,000 BP. The latest find was in Anza Borrego Desert, a national park in California.[10] Fossils from the Pleistocene include Cygnus paloregonus from Fossil Lake, Oregon, Froman's Ferry, Idaho, and Arizona, referred to by Howard in The Waterfowl of the World as "probably the mute type swan".[11] The largest Mute Swans are found in the Caspian Sea area, on migration.[12]

The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family (Columbidae). The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove.[2] It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also the leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure stems from its prolific breeding: in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods a year. Its plaintive woo-OO-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph).[3] Mourning Doves are light grey and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning Doves eat almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk by their parents.
The Mourning Dove is closely related to the Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata) and the Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni). Some authorities describe them as forming a superspecies and these three birds are sometimes classified in the separate genus Zenaidura,[4] but the current classification has them as separate species in the genus Zenaida. In addition, the Socorro Dove has at times been considered conspecific with the Mourning Dove, although several differences in behavior, call, and appearance justify separation as two different species.[5] While the three species do form a subgroup of Zenaida, using a separate genus would interfere with the monophyly of Zenaida by making it paraphyletic.[4]