Red-billed Scythebill

     Inhabiting just under half of the continent of South America, the Red-billed Scythebill (don't ask for pronunciation), is on of the most astonishing species of woodcreepers, with striking plumage and a uniquely curved bill that it uses to scavenge and hunt. Most of it's unlucky victims are bugs, but sometimes it get's the rumbles that only frogs can satisfy. (Reference: Llamas with Hats) They can grow to about the size of a football, and weigh roughly 40g. It has a unique ability to climb straight up trees by using it's sharp claws and shafts at the end of it's tail feathers. They build their nests in tree holes and lay 2-3 eggs. Below is a link of the calls that this bird makes, if your interested. Honestly, It sounds just like Angry Birds.

http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Campylorhamphus-trochilirostris

The Ameraucana Chickens: Helping the Easter Bunny, One Egg at a Time.

We know what you might be thinking.
Either
1. What!? Do they lay rainbow eggs or something?
or
2. Oh yeah! They lay colored eggs!
Both of these are right. Ameraucana Chickens are best known for their ability to lay colored eggs. They come in green and brown most of the time but occasionally in blue.We actually had some for a while, so we decided to dedicate this post to Bella and Madea, the best chickens in the universe.

BellaMadea

Ameraucana Chickens actually come in about seven different colors. Ours looked like the ones above. Bella had a strange desire to peck at anything shiny. She was bigger than Madea and pecked at her feet when they were chicks. It was just the pecking order that they established. But as they grew older, Madea seemed to show more dominance than Bella. Madea was a lot more calm than Bella and acted more in-charge. Eventually, they appeared as if they thought of themselves as equals, but Madea had more of a mature nature, and was more comfortable around us. They acted like they were sisters. We don't know if this is true with larger groups of chickens, but it seems to be true for smaller groups.

Our chickens didn't start laying until they were fully fledged and spring had come. They each layed 1 egg every day until the weather started getting cold and winter swept in. Then they each layed 1 egg every couple of days. This is because they need about 12 hours of sun every day in order to have a hard shell. So when the sun is hidden above the clouds all day, they don't lay an egg.

If you are thinking about getting some, just don't let them free roam in your backyard if you want to keep it nice. They will probably dig a bunch of holes in the ground looking for bugs. It really stinks. We know from experience. Your best bet is to have an enclosed area for them to roam around that's outside the coop. They also poop a lot, which is a pain to clean up, but if you really want fresh eggs in the morning (or a fun pet), it's worth it all.

If Dwayne Johnson was a Bird, this is What he Would Be

As most of you probably know, Dwayne Johnson AKA The Rock, is bald, sort of like a bald eagle (except for in the new movie Hercules, which, in Kyle's opinion, looks pretty awesome. I just think it looks kinda weird.). He's also pretty strong, like a bald eagle.You'd be surprised at how many similarities they have. Going back to Hercules, in the movie he leaps off of a tree and attacks a giant pig (why a pig?) with a hooked blade or something like that. If you use your imagination, you can relate this to an eagle flying off of a branch and attacking a fish or a mouse with it's sharp talons. If you don't have an imagination, look at the picture. Unlike the solitary soldier, Hercules, bald eagles are pretty social, grouping in large flocks near salmon spawning areas during the winter, where the salmon miraculously die after or before laying their eggs. This is best explained in a poem.

In the light of the sun,

The salmon lay their eggs...

But not on leaves.

AND DIE!

For like,

No reason.

At all.

On the first day,

A bald eagle ate through one fish.

Alone.

On the second day,

A bald eagle ate through two fish.

With his friend.

On the third day,

A bald eagle ate through three fish.

With two of his friends.

On the fourth day,

A bald eagle ate through all the rest of them.

With all of his friends.

Then the bald eagle felt justified;

He didn't have to kill any of the fish.

And he felt just right.

Then he slept

All night.

And in the morning he flew away...

But he wasn't a beautiful butterfly.

The End.

So did you like it? In case you couldn't tell, this poem was our version of Eric Carl's, The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. Basically, the eagles feast on the dead remains of the salmon. But in reality, the fish are probably rotten by the time four days comes around. Most of the fish are going to be eaten on the first day.

Bald eagles also mate for life, meaning that they live with the same mate for their entire lives. This is uncommon among most birds, which have a different mate each breeding season. Their nests are also some of the largest of all the birds, as the different generations will sometimes add on to the existing nest rather than build a new one for their posterity. 

The bald eagle is also the U.S.'s national bird. Chosen for it's elegance, yet toughness, we think that this bird is the perfect symbol for the country.

I AM HERCULES!

FUN FACT: The bald eagle's call is not actually the majestic cry that we all hear in the movies. It's actually more of an ear-piercing KIKIKI! The name 'bald' actually comes from the latin word which means white headed.

That Poor Fish!

 Okay, I know how this looks. This bird is not actually as brutal as you might think. It's called the Great Blue Heron. This large water bird is covered in strikingly blue plumage on it's body and scruffy grey feathers around it's shoulders. During the winter, it's plumage is more white and grey. It lives all over North America, migrating around the Rocky Mountains, and James Bay, Canada. If you've ever seen these, then you know how huge they are. They are often hard to sneak up on, but if you can, it's totally worth it. Here's the URL for a video of this bird up close. Maybe we'll find a way to put the video on the page, but until then, this is what we've got.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr5E2MA0w38

If you saw the video, than I hope you realized that this fish eating water bird isn't so much a monster. We think it's pretty cool!
                                                   

The Worlds Laziest Bird.

The angel tern is one of the worlds laziest birds. They are white in color, with black eyes and a black bill. These seabirds inhabit islands near the equator and part of the southern hemisphere. We think that this is bird is one of the laziest birds on the planet because it refuses to do any hard work to take care of it’s young. For one thing, this bird does not build a nest, but lays it’s egg on a tree branch, and sits on it to keep it balanced.
How lazy is that? They don’t even make or look for a comfortable home for there young. If that isn’t idol enough, they don’t even bother making it easier for their young to chew. They just give them whole fish. Imagine a young chick trying to gulp down a whole fish. In flight, this birds wings look almost translucent at the egde. A great place to see these birds close up, is on Lord Howe island, off the east coast of Australia.

Pretty Bird, Hideous Home.-The Red and Yellow Barbet

      This is the Red and Yellow Barbet. this is bird is one of the most distinctive barbets of them all. It has a very vibrant head pattern and has spots on it's wings, like white drops of paint on a black canvas. It's tail feathers are stripes of black and white. It's chest and underparts are a lemonade yellow, and a stripe crosses it's chest with a pattern similar to that of its wings.


"Wata you lookin' at!?"

This doesn't taste anywhere as good as the hamburger I snagged from that teenaged girl's hands!
 

There diet includes fruit, seeds, insects, lizards, and even small birds and there eggs. They also take advantage of trash cans. This bird also lays it's eggs in an unusualy strange home. A termite mound. Red and Yellow Barbets group together during the mating season. The dominant male mates with one female, and the rest of the birds act as slaves, giving the couple food, and sometimes digging the hole in the termite mound. They're practically slaves! Aside from that, We think that this is a really cool bird.

Oh my gosh, that duck has TEETH!

       Imagine yourself as a fish. You have decided to take a morning swim through the lake. You are feeling pretty good, and you're minding you own buissiness. Little do you know that a viscious razor toothed duck named Vlad  has decided to have you and your little fishy friends for breakfast! You swim right into the serated mouth of death. In other words, the mouth of Vlad. Pain swallows your body, and black death engulfes your soul. You struggle to hold on to dear life, but you are forced down it's gulet, never to see the light of day again. You have been eaten by the not so freindly Vlad... he is a Common Merganser.

You and Vlad, together forever!

Vlad's assult weapon.

       Common Mergansers such as Vlad or his brother Phill (who ate the rest of your family), are a special kind of duck with a serated bill, which gives it the appearence of having teeth. They have a long thin bill and black patches of feathers on their back. The male has a greenhead. The female has an orange-brown head that spikes out in the back  As a snack they eat poor defenseles fishies like yourself. They live in North America, Asia, and Europe. They have "fins" on their feet that help them swim in lakes to eat fish. So, if you have thought about being a fish, you might want to rethink that.