ARFAK MOUNTAINS, Indonesia — Seblon Mandacan scampers with ease up the slippery footpath through the forest in the Arfak Mountains. I follow slowly. It’s about 4 a.m. and the sky’s…
Cinnamon Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus). Photo by Rhett A. Butler For the month of December, I'll be posting some of my favorite pictures from 2012. All of these photos were taken…
Collared Puffbird (Bucco capensis). Photo by: Jeremy Hance. The Collared Puffbird (Bucco capensis) in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park
This species has been identified by a number of readers--thank you. It is the Wreathed Hornbill (Aceros undulatus). Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2010. To see more highlight photos from…
One of the few photos of Jerdon's courser, and probably the world's best. Photo by: Simon Cook/Birdlife International. Jerdon's courser, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, is…
This hermit ibis in the Bronx Zoo is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2008. 'Critically Endangered' is the highest rating given to…
Unidentified bee approaching an unidentified bird of paradise flower. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. At mongabay.com we love to take photos. However, sometimes it proves difficult to decipher what species…
A little bee-eater alights on a branch over the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs, 2009. To see more photos of Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Photos.
A white-throated toucan (Ramphastos tucanus) female captured in Ecuador. Photo by: Kimberly Holbrook. New research shows that the toucans of South America and the hornbills of Asia and Africa are…
Mated white-naped cranes practice "calling" behavior as their first chick scampers below them at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher. "Calling" behavior means that mated…
Asia's great hornbill Buceros bicornis. Photo by: Shumpei Kitamura. Hornbills are big and beautiful birds, but they are also key species in Asia's fragmented rainforests. As long distance seed-dispersers, hornbills…
A barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) takes off while another watches on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The barn swallow is present on every continent except Antarctica. Photo: Rhett A. Butler,…
A tufted puffin(Fratercula cirrhata) glides peaceably in Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2007. To see more photos of birds in Alaska: Alaskan birds.
A flock of brown pelicans flying (Pelecanus occidentalis) over crashing surf on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2009. To see more photos from the…
The southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) are so-named because they hop from place to place rather than slide on their belly or waddle. Photo by: Brodie Ferguson, 2006. The species,…
The beautiful spectacled eider is not in decline, but several of its neighboring species are. A new study finds that while species populations in the overall Arctic biome are on…
A white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2007. Vultures are rarely people's favorite animals, yet they play a big role by devouring the bodies of…
Defensive ostrich in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Photo by Rhett A. Butler, 2007
Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus). The Hyacinth Macaw of central South America is the world's largest parrot (in terms of length--the Kakapo of New Zealand is heavier). The species, which is…
Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex). Photo taken by Rhett A. Butler in 2006 Uganda's wetland ecosystems are increasingly under pressure from industrial agriculture and plantation development. Local protests have thwarted several projects…
Fishermen in Laos Great hornbill in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
Male scale-crested pygmy tyrant in Costa Rica, 2008 The Scale-crested pygmy tyrant (Lophotriccus pileatus) ranges from Costa Rica to Peru and Venezuela. It is found in subtropical montane and tropical…
The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is a species of turkey found in the Yucatán Peninsula, including parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Ocellated Turkeys are considerably smaller than any of…
