World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/blue-jay): Blue Jay — wildlife guide.

## Are blue jays members of the crow family?
Yes. The blue jay belongs to the family Corvidae, the same family as crows, ravens, magpies and other jays. Corvids are among the most intelligent birds, known for problem-solving, tool use in some species, strong spatial memory and complex social behaviour. The blue jay shares the family's boldness, loud calls and habit of mobbing predators, and like many corvids it caches food to survive lean periods.

## Why are blue jays blue?
Blue jays are not blue because of blue pigment. Their feathers contain the dark pigment melanin, but their microscopic internal structure scatters light in a way that makes us perceive blue, an effect called structural colour. If you crush a blue jay feather, the structure is destroyed and the blue vanishes, leaving a dull grey-brown. Almost all 'blue' birds produce their colour this way rather than with true blue pigment.

## Do blue jays really imitate hawks?
Yes. Blue jays are talented mimics and frequently copy the screaming calls of hawks, especially the red-shouldered hawk. Scientists think this may scare other birds away from food, or warn fellow jays that a real hawk is near. They also have a broad natural vocabulary of harsh jay calls, whistles, clicks and rattles, and use soft notes to communicate quietly with their mate and family group.

## What do blue jays eat?
Blue jays are omnivores that favour nuts and seeds, especially acorns and beechnuts, alongside insects, fruit, grain, and occasionally eggs or nestlings. At garden feeders they relish sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet. In autumn a single jay may collect and bury thousands of acorns. Because some caches are never recovered, blue jays act as important seed dispersers that help oak woodlands regenerate and spread.

## Do blue jays migrate?
Some do and some do not. Parts of the northern population migrate south in loose daytime flocks during autumn, often following coastlines and ridges, while many other blue jays stay in the same area all year. Puzzlingly, an individual may migrate one year and remain the next. The exact triggers for this partial, irregular migration are still not fully understood by ornithologists.

## Are blue jays endangered?
No. The blue jay is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is widespread and not currently at risk. It is also not listed by CITES. The species is common across eastern and central North America and has even expanded westward, helped by its adaptable diet and comfort around parks, gardens and suburbs. Like all wildlife, it still benefits from healthy woodland habitat.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pelican): Pelican — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A pelican is a large waterbird of the family Pelecanidae, recognised by its long bill and the expandable skin pouch beneath it, which it uses to scoop up fish. There are eight species in the genus Pelecanus, living on coasts and inland waters across every continent except Antarctica.

## Introduction
Pelicans are large, unmistakable waterbirds known for the huge expandable pouch slung beneath their long bill, which they use like a net to scoop fish from the water. The family Pelecanidae contains eight living species in a single genus, Pelecanus, found on every continent except Antarctica. They range from the snowy-white American white pelican to the grey-brown brown pelican of warm coasts. Among the heaviest flying birds in the world, pelicans are nonetheless graceful in the air, soaring on broad wings and often flying in long, orderly lines. They are highly social, nesting in colonies and feeding either cooperatively in shallow water or, in one species, by spectacular plunge-diving.

## Takeaway
Pelicans are large waterbirds in the family Pelecanidae, with eight species in the single genus Pelecanus.

## Takeaway
Their defining feature is an expandable throat pouch used to scoop fish and drain water before swallowing.

## Takeaway
They are among the heaviest flying birds, yet soar efficiently on broad wings, often in formation.

## Takeaway
Most species feed cooperatively by herding fish in shallow water; the brown pelican plunge-dives from the air.

## Takeaway
Most pelican species are assessed as Least Concern, though a few, such as the Dalmatian pelican, are Near Threatened.

## Takeaway
Pelicans nest in colonies and depend on healthy wetlands, lakes and coasts for breeding and feeding.

## What does a pelican use its pouch for?
The pelican's most famous feature is the large, stretchy pouch of skin that hangs from the lower half of its bill, attached to the flexible bones of the lower mandible. Contrary to a common myth, pelicans do not store fish in this pouch for later; instead they use it as a dip net. When feeding, the bird plunges its open bill into the water and the pouch balloons outwards, scooping up fish along with several litres of water. The pelican then tips its bill down to drain the water out of the sides before tilting its head back to swallow the catch. The pouch is also used in other ways: it helps regulate body temperature, as the bird can flutter it to lose heat in hot weather, and it features in courtship displays, when in some species it flushes with bright colour. The skin is so thin and elastic that a feeding pelican's pouch can hold considerably more water than its stomach.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pelican): Pelican — wildlife guide.

## How do pelicans catch fish?
Pelicans are specialist fish-eaters and use two main hunting styles. Most species, including the great white and American white pelicans, feed cooperatively in shallow water. Groups swim in a line or horseshoe shape, beating the surface with their wings to drive shoals of fish into the shallows, then dip their bills in unison to scoop them up. This teamwork lets relatively slow-swimming birds corral fast fish efficiently. The brown pelican of the Americas hunts very differently: it is the great plunge-diver of the family, soaring above the sea and then folding its wings to crash bill-first into the water, stunning fish and trapping them in its pouch as it surfaces. A pelican's diet is dominated by fish, but it may also take amphibians, crustaceans and, occasionally, smaller birds. Because they need large quantities of fish, pelicans depend on productive, healthy waters, which makes them sensitive to overfishing and pollution.

## Where do pelicans live and breed?
Pelicans are found on coasts, lakes, rivers, deltas and inland wetlands across every continent except Antarctica, favouring warm and temperate regions. Different species occupy different ranges: the brown and American white pelicans live in the Americas, the great white and Dalmatian pelicans across parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, the pink-backed and spot-billed pelicans in Africa and southern Asia, and the Australian pelican across Australia and nearby islands. They are highly gregarious and breed in colonies, sometimes numbering thousands of pairs, on islands, in trees or among dense reeds and vegetation. Nests range from simple scrapes on the ground to bulky stick structures. Both parents typically share incubation and feed the chicks by regurgitation, with young birds reaching into the adult's pouch to be fed. Many populations move seasonally between breeding and wintering sites, and some undertake long migrations, making safe stopover wetlands essential to their survival.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run field projects specifically for pelicans, which live mostly outside the countries where WARN's partners work; this guide is part of WARN's free, science-based educational library. The threats that affect pelicans most, including wetland loss, water pollution, overfishing and disturbance at breeding sites, are the same pressures that harm the species WARN's local teams do protect, so understanding them supports wider conservation.

## Donation hook
If you value clear, honest wildlife guides like this one, a small gift helps keep our educational work free and supports the animals our local teams care for every day.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/pelican): Pelican — wildlife guide.

## Do pelicans store fish in their pouch?
No. This is a popular myth. A pelican's pouch works as a dip net, not a lunchbox. The bird scoops up fish along with water, then drains the water out of the sides of its bill before swallowing the catch straight away. Fish are not carried around in the pouch for later, though parents do regurgitate food from the stomach to feed their chicks.

## How big do pelicans get?
Pelicans are among the largest waterbirds. The biggest species, such as the Dalmatian and great white pelicans, can reach wingspans approaching three metres and weigh well over ten kilograms, placing them among the heaviest flying birds in the world. Smaller species, like the brown pelican, are more modest but are still large, conspicuous birds with long bills and broad wings.

## What do pelicans eat?
Pelicans are primarily fish-eaters and need large quantities of fish each day. Depending on the species and location, they take a wide range of fish, and may occasionally eat amphibians, crustaceans and even small birds. Most species herd fish cooperatively in shallow water, while the brown pelican catches them by plunge-diving from the air, trapping fish in its pouch as it hits the surface.

## Are pelicans endangered?
Most of the eight pelican species are assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern, meaning they are not currently at high risk of extinction. A few are of greater concern: the Dalmatian pelican is listed as Near Threatened. Like all wetland and coastal birds, pelicans face pressures from habitat loss, pollution, disturbance and overfishing, so their status varies between species and regions.

## How many species of pelican are there?
There are eight living species of pelican, all in the single genus Pelecanus within the family Pelecanidae. They include the great white, Dalmatian, pink-backed, spot-billed, American white, brown, Peruvian and Australian pelicans. Together they occur on every continent except Antarctica, on coasts, lakes, rivers and inland wetlands across warm and temperate parts of the world.

## Can pelicans fly well despite their size?
Yes. Although pelicans are among the heaviest flying birds, they are strong and efficient fliers. They use their broad wings to soar on rising air and often travel in long lines or V-formations, alternating flaps with glides to save energy. Some species migrate considerable distances between breeding and wintering grounds, relying on safe wetland stopovers along the way.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/vulture): Vulture — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A vulture is a large scavenging bird of prey that feeds mainly on carrion. There are two unrelated groups: Old World vultures of Africa, Asia and Europe, and New World vultures of the Americas, which evolved similar features independently. Most have a bald head and soar to find food.

## Introduction
Vultures are large scavenging birds of prey that feed mainly on carrion, the carcasses of dead animals. They fall into two unrelated groups: Old World vultures of Africa, Asia and Europe, which belong to the same family as eagles and hawks, and New World vultures of the Americas, which form a separate family. The two groups look strikingly similar because they evolved the same scavenging lifestyle independently, an example of convergent evolution. Most share a bald head, keen eyesight and a remarkable ability to soar for hours on rising warm air while scanning the ground below. By consuming carcasses quickly, vultures remove disease before it spreads, making them one of the most ecologically valuable birds on Earth.

## Takeaway
Vultures are specialised scavengers that feed almost entirely on carrion, the carcasses of dead animals.

## Takeaway
There are two unrelated groups: Old World vultures (Africa, Asia, Europe) and New World vultures (the Americas), which evolved similar traits independently.

## Takeaway
Conservation status varies enormously: several Old World species are Critically Endangered while some are still relatively secure.

## Takeaway
The veterinary painkiller diclofenac, fatal to vultures that eat treated livestock carcasses, caused South Asian populations to collapse by up to 99% from the 1990s.

## Takeaway
Extremely acidic stomachs let vultures safely digest carcasses carrying anthrax, botulism and other pathogens, limiting the spread of disease.

## Takeaway
By clearing carcasses rapidly, vultures provide a free, natural sanitation service that protects both wildlife and people.

## What is a vulture and what makes it different?
A vulture is a large bird of prey that has specialised in scavenging rather than hunting live prey. Instead of strong gripping talons like a hawk or eagle, most vultures have relatively weak, flattened feet better suited to walking around a carcass than seizing prey. Their most recognisable feature is a bald or sparsely feathered head and neck. Feeding deep inside a carcass would foul any feathers there, so bare skin stays cleaner and is easier to keep free of bacteria; it also helps the bird regulate its temperature. Vultures are superb soarers, riding columns of warm rising air called thermals so they can patrol vast areas while using very little energy. Old World vultures locate food almost entirely by sight, scanning the ground from great height. Several New World vultures, such as the turkey vulture, add an unusually keen sense of smell, detecting gases from decay even under forest cover. A flock circling in the air is called a kettle, a group feeding at a carcass a wake, and birds resting together a committee.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/vulture): Vulture — wildlife guide.

## Old World vs New World vultures: are they related?
Despite looking almost identical in lifestyle and silhouette, the two vulture groups are not close relatives. Old World vultures, including griffon vultures, the lammergeier and the huge cinereous vulture, belong to the family Accipitridae alongside eagles, hawks and kites, and live across Africa, Asia and Europe. New World vultures, including the turkey vulture, black vulture, king vulture and the great condors, form the separate family Cathartidae and live only in the Americas. The strong resemblance between them is a classic case of convergent evolution: two different lineages independently evolved the same set of adaptations because both fill the same scavenging niche. There are useful differences. Old World vultures find carcasses by eyesight alone, while some New World vultures track scent. New World vultures also lack a fully developed voice box and are largely silent, communicating with hisses and grunts, and several cool themselves by urinating on their own legs. Both groups share the same essential job: turning death into clean, recycled nutrients.

## Why are so many vultures endangered?
Vulture conservation status varies dramatically by species. Some remain reasonably widespread, but a large share of Old World species are now Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered, and the group as a whole has suffered some of the steepest declines of any birds. The most notorious cause is diclofenac, a cheap anti-inflammatory drug given to livestock. When cattle treated with it die, vultures that feed on the carcasses suffer fatal kidney failure. From the early 1990s this collapsed populations of several South Asian species by up to 99% in only a couple of decades, one of the fastest declines ever recorded in a wild bird. In Africa, deliberate and accidental poisoning is the leading threat: poachers sometimes lace carcasses to stop circling vultures revealing the location of illegal kills, killing hundreds of birds at once. Other pressures include collisions with power lines, loss of large wild grazing animals, and use of vulture body parts in traditional medicine. Because vultures breed slowly, often raising a single chick at a time, recovery is painfully slow once a population crashes.

## Why do vultures matter to ecosystems and people?
Vultures are among nature's most important recyclers. A group can strip a large carcass in hours, removing rotting flesh before it becomes a breeding ground for disease. Their stomachs are extraordinarily acidic, with a pH close to 1, which destroys dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, botulism and cholera that would sicken other animals. By consuming infected carcasses safely, vultures break chains of transmission that could otherwise reach livestock and humans. When vultures disappear, the consequences ripple outward. After the Asian vulture collapse, carcasses lingered longer and populations of feral dogs and rats rose, which is linked to greater risks of rabies and other diseases. Vultures therefore provide a vast, free sanitation service that would be almost impossible and hugely expensive to replace. Protecting them means tackling shared threats such as poisoning, habitat loss and the disappearance of the large wild and domestic animals whose carcasses they depend on, exactly the kinds of pressures that also harm many other species.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/vulture): Vulture — wildlife guide.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run dedicated field projects for vultures, most of which live outside the countries where WARN and its partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational mission to help people understand and value wildlife. The threats that have pushed many vultures towards extinction, such as poisoning, habitat loss and the decline of the animals they feed on, are the same pressures that harm species WARN does help protect, which is why raising awareness of them matters.

## Donation hook
If you value clear, science-based wildlife guides like this one, a small gift helps keep WARN's educational work free for everyone.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/vulture): Vulture — wildlife guide.

## What do vultures eat?
Vultures eat carrion, the flesh of animals that are already dead. They almost never kill healthy prey. Most feed on whatever carcasses they find, from large grazing animals to smaller creatures. A few, such as the lammergeier, specialise in bones, while the palm-nut vulture also eats fruit. By consuming the dead, vultures recycle nutrients and stop carcasses spreading disease.

## Why do vultures have bald heads?
A vulture's bald head is an adaptation to its messy diet. Because vultures push their heads deep inside carcasses, bare skin stays far cleaner than feathers would, and is easier to keep free of harmful bacteria after feeding. The exposed skin also helps the bird control its body temperature, flushing red when hot and paling when cool, and in some species plays a role in social signalling.

## Are vultures dangerous to humans?
No. Vultures are not dangerous to people. They scavenge dead animals and have weak feet unsuited to attacking live prey, so they pose no threat to humans, pets or livestock. They will not harm a living animal. In fact vultures benefit people by clearing carcasses and destroying dangerous pathogens such as anthrax and rabies in their highly acidic stomachs, reducing disease risk in the wider environment.

## What is the difference between Old World and New World vultures?
Old World vultures live in Africa, Asia and Europe and belong to the same bird family as eagles and hawks. New World vultures live in the Americas and form a separate family. They look alike only because both evolved to scavenge, an example of convergent evolution. A key difference is that Old World vultures find food by sight, while some New World vultures, like the turkey vulture, also use a strong sense of smell.

## Why are vultures endangered?
Many vultures, especially in Asia and Africa, have declined catastrophically. The biggest cause in South Asia is the livestock drug diclofenac, which causes fatal kidney failure in vultures that eat treated carcasses and cut some populations by up to 99% since the 1990s. In Africa, poisoning, including carcasses deliberately laced by poachers, is the leading threat. Power lines, habitat loss and slow breeding rates make recovery difficult.

## How high and how far can vultures fly?
Vultures are exceptional soarers, riding rising columns of warm air called thermals to gain height without flapping. Many routinely soar at hundreds of metres and can reach several thousand metres up. The Ruppell's griffon vulture holds the record for the highest confirmed bird flight, recorded at around 11,000 metres. By gliding from thermal to thermal, vultures can cover very large distances each day while spending little energy searching for food.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/seagull): Seagull (Gull) — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A seagull is any of around 50 species of gull, seabirds in the family Laridae. Typically white and grey with black wingtips and webbed feet, gulls are adaptable, intelligent coastal birds that scavenge, fish and increasingly thrive in towns and cities worldwide.

## Introduction
"Seagull" is an everyday name rather than a species: the birds we mean belong to the family Laridae, which holds around 50 living gull species worldwide. Gulls are medium to large seabirds, typically white and grey with black wingtips, webbed feet and stout bills, found on coasts, lakes, farmland and increasingly in towns. They are among the most adaptable and intelligent of birds, scavenging, fishing and learning to exploit human food sources with ease. Most gull species are common and classed as Least Concern, yet some are declining: in the UK the familiar herring gull is actually a bird of conservation concern, listed and legally protected despite its noisy, confident reputation.

## Takeaway
"Seagull" is a colloquial term; there is no single species, but around 50 gull species in the family Laridae.

## Takeaway
Gulls are highly adaptable and intelligent, exploiting coasts, wetlands, farmland and urban areas alike.

## Takeaway
Most gull species are globally Least Concern, but conservation status varies and several are declining.

## Takeaway
In the UK the herring gull is a bird of conservation concern and is legally protected, despite seeming abundant in towns.

## Takeaway
The great black-backed gull is the world's largest gull, with a wingspan approaching 1.7 metres.

## Takeaway
Many gull problems people notice in cities trace back to habitat loss and changing food supplies at sea.

## Is a seagull a real species?
Strictly speaking, there is no bird called a "seagull." The word is an informal catch-all for gulls, a group of seabirds making up the family Laridae, which contains roughly 50 living species spread across about ten genera. They range from small, delicate birds such as the little gull to the bulky great black-backed gull, the largest of them all. Familiar examples include the herring gull, common gull, black-headed gull, lesser black-backed gull and ring-billed gull. Most gulls share a recognisable look: white and pale-grey plumage, black-marked wingtips, webbed feet and a strong, slightly hooked bill, often with a red spot on the lower mandible in larger species. Young gulls are mottled brown and can take two to four years to gain full adult plumage, which is why many "different" birds on a beach are really the same species at different ages. Calling them all "seagulls" is also slightly misleading, since many species spend much of their lives well inland, on lakes, rivers, farmland and rubbish tips, returning to the coast only to breed or roost.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/seagull): Seagull (Gull) — wildlife guide.

## Why are gulls so clever and adaptable?
Gulls are widely regarded as among the most intelligent birds. They are opportunistic generalists: they fish, scavenge, follow ploughs for worms, raid other seabirds' nests, drop shellfish onto rocks to crack them, and have learned to paddle their feet on grass to mimic rain and bring earthworms to the surface. In towns they exploit discarded food, open bins and outdoor dining, and individuals can become bold enough to snatch food from the hand. Studies have shown that herring gulls watch human cues and are more likely to peck at food a person has handled or looked at, suggesting they read our behaviour. This flexibility lets gulls thrive in habitats many seabirds cannot. It also explains their move into cities, where flat roofs mimic the cliff ledges they nest on, street lighting extends foraging time, and food is plentiful and predictable. The same adaptability that makes gulls successful, however, can bring them into conflict with people during the breeding season, when adults defend chicks robustly.

## Are seagulls endangered or thriving?
It depends entirely on the species, which is why a single conservation label does not fit. Globally, most gulls are assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern, reflecting large ranges and adaptable habits. Yet that worldwide average can hide sharp regional declines. In the UK, for example, the herring gull, one of the most recognisable "seagulls", is a bird of conservation concern and is legally protected; its breeding population has fallen substantially over recent decades. Drivers include changes in fishing practices and discards, reduced food at sea, disturbance, disease such as avian influenza, and loss of natural nesting habitat, which partly explains the shift to roofs in towns. A handful of gull species worldwide are genuinely threatened. So the honest answer is that gulls as a group are not endangered, but particular species and populations can be vulnerable even while appearing common in everyday life.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for gulls, which are widespread and mostly fall outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand and value commonly misunderstood wildlife. The threats that affect declining gull populations, such as habitat loss, pollution and pressure on food supplies, are the same pressures facing many of the animals WARN does help protect.

## Donation hook
If this guide helped you see the humble seagull a little differently, a small gift helps keep WARN's free wildlife education and frontline animal protection going.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/seagull): Seagull (Gull) — wildlife guide.

## Is a seagull a real bird species?
Not exactly. "Seagull" is a common nickname rather than a scientific species. The birds people mean are gulls, members of the family Laridae, which contains around 50 species worldwide. Familiar ones include the herring gull, black-headed gull and great black-backed gull, each a distinct species with its own size, range and conservation status.

## What is the largest type of gull?
The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the world's largest gull. It can measure roughly 64 to 79 centimetres long with a wingspan approaching 1.7 metres, and a powerful bill it uses to take fish, scraps and even other seabirds. It is noticeably bigger and darker-backed than the more familiar herring gull.

## Are seagulls endangered?
It varies by species. Most gulls are assessed globally as Least Concern by the IUCN, but some populations are declining. In the UK the herring gull is a bird of conservation concern and is legally protected, because its breeding numbers have fallen markedly. So gulls as a group are not endangered, yet particular species can still be vulnerable.

## Why are seagulls moving into towns and cities?
Urban areas suit gulls remarkably well. Flat building roofs resemble the cliff ledges they naturally nest on, street lighting lets them forage for longer, and human food waste is abundant and reliable. Changes and declines in food at sea have also pushed some gulls inland. Their intelligence and flexibility make exploiting towns straightforward for them.

## Are seagulls intelligent?
Yes, gulls are considered among the more intelligent birds. They drop shellfish onto rocks to break them, paddle their feet to imitate rain and lure up worms, and learn to exploit human food sources. Research suggests herring gulls watch people closely and prefer food a human has touched or looked at, hinting they can read our behaviour.

## Is it legal to harm or kill seagulls in the UK?
In the UK all wild birds, including gulls, are protected by law, and several gull species are of conservation concern. It is generally an offence to kill, injure or take them, or to damage active nests and eggs, except under specific licensed circumstances. Problems are better managed by removing food sources and using deterrents than by harming the birds.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/woodpecker): Woodpecker — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A woodpecker is a tree-climbing bird of the family Picidae, with around 240 species worldwide. It uses a chisel-like bill to drum and excavate wood, aided by a shock-absorbing skull, gripping zygodactyl feet, a stiff propping tail and a long, barbed tongue for extracting insects.

## Introduction
Woodpeckers are tree-climbing birds of the family Picidae, found across most of the world's forests and woodlands. Roughly 240 species share a remarkable toolkit: a chisel-like bill, a shock-absorbing skull, gripping zygodactyl feet, a stiffened propping tail and an extraordinarily long, barbed tongue for extracting insects from wood. Their rhythmic drumming and excavating shape woodlands, creating nest holes later used by many other animals. Most woodpeckers are common and classified as Least Concern, but a handful tied to old-growth forest are Endangered or feared extinct. This guide explains what makes a woodpecker, how it survives repeated head-hammering, and why these birds matter for healthy forests.

## Takeaway
Woodpeckers form the family Picidae, with about 240 species spread across most of the world's wooded regions.

## Takeaway
Their skull combines spongy bone and a wraparound hyoid apparatus that helps cushion repeated high-impact pecking.

## Takeaway
Zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two back) and stiff tail feathers let them climb and brace on vertical trunks.

## Takeaway
A long, often barbed and sticky tongue probes deep into wood and bark to extract insects and larvae.

## Takeaway
Drumming on resonant surfaces is non-vocal communication used to defend territory and attract mates.

## Takeaway
Most species are Least Concern, but old-growth specialists such as the ivory-billed woodpecker are critically threatened or likely extinct.

## What makes a bird a woodpecker?
Woodpeckers belong to the family Picidae, which also includes the closely related piculets and wrynecks. The family contains roughly 240 species in about 35 genera, and is absent only from a few areas such as Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. What unites them is a suite of adaptations for life on tree trunks. Most have a strong, straight, chisel-tipped bill for excavating wood, and feet that are typically zygodactyl, with two toes pointing forward and two back to grip bark securely; a few species have only three toes. Stiffened, pointed tail feathers act as a prop, forming a stable tripod with the feet against a vertical surface. Inside the skull, an extraordinarily long hyoid apparatus supports a tongue that can extend far beyond the bill tip, often barbed and coated in sticky saliva. Sizes range widely, from tiny piculets around 7.5 cm long to the great slaty woodpecker, which can reach 45-55 cm. Many species show bold black-and-white patterning with patches of red or yellow.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/woodpecker): Woodpecker — wildlife guide.

## How do woodpeckers survive constant head-banging?
Repeatedly striking wood at speed would concuss most animals, so woodpeckers rely on several structural features. The skull contains spongy, plate-like bone, concentrated at the forehead and the back of the head, which helps distribute and absorb impact forces. The hyoid bone, which anchors the tongue, loops up and around the back of the skull, and is thought to act partly as a restraint and cushion for the braincase. The brain itself is small and packed tightly within the skull, and the bird tends to strike in near-straight lines to limit twisting forces. Strong neck muscles drive and control each blow. Researchers continue to study exactly how these features combine, and recent work suggests the head behaves more like a stiff hammer than a shock absorber, with the small brain tolerating the brief decelerations involved. Specialised nasal feathers and a protective membrane that can cover the eye during impact help keep out flying debris. Together these adaptations let a woodpecker hammer many times each second without obvious harm.

## Why do woodpeckers matter for forests?
Woodpeckers are widely described as ecosystem engineers. By excavating nest and roost cavities in dead and living wood, they create holes that many other species cannot make for themselves. Once a woodpecker moves on, its old cavities are reused by owls, other birds, bats, small mammals and insects, so a single pair can support a wider web of woodland life. Their constant foraging also helps regulate populations of wood-boring beetles and other insects, including some that damage trees. Because many woodpeckers depend on mature trees, standing deadwood (snags) and continuous forest, they are sensitive indicators of woodland health: where large old trees and decaying timber are removed, woodpeckers decline. This is why old-growth specialists are among the most threatened members of the family. Conserving the messy, deadwood-rich forests that woodpeckers need therefore benefits countless other species, from fungi and insects to the birds and mammals that shelter in abandoned woodpecker holes.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run field projects specifically for woodpeckers, which live mainly outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational programme, helping people understand and value wildlife. The threats that endanger rarer woodpeckers, above all the loss of mature forest and deadwood, are the same pressures of habitat destruction that harm many of the animals WARN does directly protect.

## Donation hook
If learning about these forest carpenters brightened your day, a small gift helps keep WARN's free wildlife education and its hands-on animal rescue work going.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/woodpecker): Woodpecker — wildlife guide.

## How fast and how often do woodpeckers peck?
Woodpeckers can deliver rapid bursts of strikes, with drumming sequences reaching on the order of 10-20 hits per second in many species. A bird may drum many times a day, and an individual can make thousands of pecks daily while foraging and excavating. Each species has its own drumming pattern, varying in speed, length and number of beats, which helps individuals recognise one another.

## Why do woodpeckers peck wood at all?
Woodpeckers peck for three main reasons: to find food, to excavate nest and roost holes, and to communicate. Foraging birds chisel into bark and wood to reach insects and larvae, then extract them with a long, barbed, sticky tongue. Excavation creates cavities for breeding and shelter. Drumming, the fast rhythmic tapping on resonant surfaces, is non-vocal signalling used to claim territory and attract a mate rather than to find food.

## Do woodpeckers get headaches or brain damage?
Woodpeckers are remarkably well protected against the forces of pecking. Spongy bone in the skull, a small tightly packed brain, strong neck muscles and a hyoid bone that wraps around the braincase all help manage impact. They typically strike in straight lines to reduce twisting forces. Current research suggests the head acts more like a stiff hammer than a cushion, and the small brain tolerates the brief decelerations without the damage such blows would cause in larger animals.

## Where do woodpeckers live?
Woodpeckers occur on most continents and across a wide range of wooded habitats, from rainforest and temperate woodland to deserts and grasslands with scattered trees. They are absent from Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species depend on trees for feeding and nesting, though a few, such as ground-foraging species, spend much of their time away from trunks, feeding on ants and other ground insects.

## What do woodpeckers eat?
Most woodpeckers are insectivorous, specialising in wood-boring beetle larvae, ants and other invertebrates that they extract from bark and timber using their long, barbed tongues. Many also eat fruit, nuts and seeds, and some take tree sap. Sapsuckers, for example, drill neat rows of small wells to feed on sap and the insects it attracts. This varied diet helps woodpeckers regulate insect numbers and makes them important members of woodland food webs.

## Are woodpeckers endangered?
As a family, no: most of the roughly 240 woodpecker species are common and classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, a number of species that depend on old-growth forest are threatened, and the situation varies greatly from one species to another. The ivory-billed woodpecker and imperial woodpecker are critically endangered and may already be extinct, and the Bermuda flicker died out historically. Habitat loss, especially the removal of mature trees and deadwood, is the main threat to vulnerable species.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/toucan): Toucan — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A toucan is a brightly coloured, fruit-eating rainforest bird of the family Ramphastidae, native to Central and South America. Around 40 species exist, all recognised by an enormous yet lightweight bill used for feeding, display and heat regulation. They are important seed dispersers in tropical forests.

## Introduction
Toucans are the brightly coloured, large-billed birds of the family Ramphastidae, found only in the forests of Central and South America. The family contains around 40 species across five genera, ranging from tiny araçaris to the crow-sized toco toucan. Their most famous feature is an oversized, surprisingly lightweight bill that helps them reach fruit, sparring partners and even regulate body heat. Mainly fruit-eaters, toucans are vital seed dispersers, planting the next generation of rainforest trees as they feed. Most species are currently classed as Least Concern, but several are slipping toward threatened status as their forest homes shrink, making them both a familiar emblem and a quiet conservation barometer.

## Takeaway
Toucans belong to the family Ramphastidae, around 40 species native only to Central and South America.

## Takeaway
The huge bill is built from a foam-like keratin over bony struts, making it strong but very light.

## Takeaway
Research shows the bill works as a heat radiator, shedding a large share of the bird's body heat.

## Takeaway
Toucans are mainly frugivores and act as key seed dispersers for many rainforest trees.

## Takeaway
They nest in tree cavities and typically lay two to four eggs; chicks hatch naked and helpless.

## Takeaway
Most species are Least Concern, but several are Near Threatened or Vulnerable as forests are cleared.

## Why is a toucan's bill so big and what is it for?
The toucan's bill is its signature feature, reaching more than half the body length in the largest species such as the toco toucan. Despite its size it weighs very little, because it is made of a thin, hollow shell of keratin supported inside by a delicate lattice of bony struts and foam-like tissue. This light construction lets the bird wield a long reach without overbalancing. The bill is genuinely useful: toucans use it to pluck fruit from branches too slender to perch on, to reach into tree holes for food, to peel and manipulate items, and in social sparring matches that appear to settle dominance. Perhaps most remarkably, scientists have shown the bill doubles as a thermal radiator. Rich in blood vessels and lacking insulating feathers, it can release a large proportion of the bird's body heat, with studies finding it responsible for roughly 30 to 60 per cent of heat loss depending on conditions, comparable in effect to an elephant's ears. Toucans can adjust blood flow to the bill, dumping heat when warm and conserving it when cool. So the bill is feeding tool, display banner and built-in air conditioner all at once.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/toucan): Toucan — wildlife guide.

## What do toucans eat and why do forests need them?
Toucans are primarily frugivores, feeding on a wide range of fruits from figs and palm fruits to guavas and peppers. They are not strict vegetarians, though: opportunistically they take insects, spiders, lizards, and the eggs and nestlings of other birds, which adds valuable protein, especially while raising young. A toucan typically grabs a fruit at the bill tip, then tosses its head back to flick the food into its throat. This fruit-heavy diet makes toucans some of the most important seed dispersers in tropical America. As they move between fruiting trees, often in noisy groups, they swallow seeds whole and deposit them, intact and ready to germinate, far from the parent tree. Large toucans can swallow big seeds that smaller birds cannot, so they help spread tree species that few other animals can move. This service knits the forest together, influencing which trees grow where and supporting the wider web of rainforest life. When toucan numbers fall in a forest, the dispersal of certain large-seeded trees can decline with them, a quiet but real ecological cost.

## How do toucans live, breed and behave?
Most toucans are non-migratory residents of lowland and montane forest, with some Andean species living at surprisingly cool, high altitudes. They are social and often noisy, gathering in groups of a handful up to twenty or more, communicating with croaks, yelps and rattling calls that carry through dense canopy. Many species engage in playful-looking bill fencing and food-tossing, behaviour thought to reinforce pair bonds and social rank. For nesting, toucans rely on tree cavities, frequently old woodpecker holes or natural hollows, rather than building elaborate nests. A pair typically lays two to four glossy white eggs, and both parents share incubation. Chicks hatch blind, naked and helpless, with no down, and develop slowly inside the safety of the cavity, supported by pads on their heels that protect them on the bare nest floor. This dependence on tree holes ties toucan breeding success closely to the presence of large, old trees. Outside the breeding season, their bold colours, sociability and habit of perching in the open make them one of the most conspicuous and beloved sights of the neotropical forest.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run dedicated field projects for toucans, which live in Central and South American forests outside the countries where WARN's partners work partner countries. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand the wildlife that shares our planet. The threats that press hardest on toucans, above all rainforest loss and the wildlife trade, are the same forces that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect, so caring about toucans and caring about WARN's work pull in the same direction.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your wonder at the natural world, a small gift helps keep WARN's free educational work and its frontline animal rescue going.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/toucan): Toucan — wildlife guide.

## Are toucans endangered?
It depends on the species. Toucans are not a single conservation case: of the roughly 40 species, most are currently assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, including the familiar toco and keel-billed toucans. However, several species are listed as Near Threatened or Vulnerable, largely because of rainforest clearance and trapping for the pet trade. As forests shrink, more species could move toward threatened status over time.

## How big is a toucan and how heavy is its bill?
Toucans vary widely in size. The smallest araçaris are about 29 cm long and weigh around 130 g, while the largest, the toco toucan, reaches about 56 to 63 cm and roughly 540 to 680 g, similar to a crow. The enormous bill can be over half the body length, yet weighs very little because it is built from light, foam-like keratin over a thin bony framework.

## What do toucans eat?
Toucans are mainly frugivores, eating a broad range of fruits such as figs, palm fruits and guavas. They are also opportunistic omnivores, taking insects, spiders, lizards and occasionally the eggs and chicks of other birds for extra protein. By swallowing fruit whole and depositing the seeds elsewhere, toucans act as important seed dispersers, helping rainforest trees regenerate across wide areas.

## Why is the toucan's bill so colourful and large?
The bill's bold colours likely aid species recognition and social signalling, helping toucans identify one another and display in the canopy. Its great size gives the bird a long reach for fruit and a tool for sparring. Crucially, the bill is also a thermal radiator: rich in blood vessels, it can shed a large share of the toucan's body heat, working a little like an elephant's ears to keep the bird cool.

## Where do toucans live?
Toucans are found only in the Neotropics, from southern Mexico through Central America and across South America to northern Argentina. Most live in lowland tropical rainforest, but some species, such as certain mountain toucans, inhabit cooler Andean cloud forests at high altitude. They are non-migratory, staying within their forest territories year-round and relying on tree cavities for nesting.

## Can toucans be kept as pets?
Toucans are wild birds with specialised needs, including a fruit-rich diet, plenty of space to move and complex social lives, which make them very difficult to keep well in captivity. Demand for them as exotic pets has fuelled trapping that harms wild populations. International trade in some species is regulated under CITES. For their welfare and conservation, toucans are best appreciated in the wild or through responsible, accredited facilities, not bought as pets.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A swan is a large, long-necked waterbird of the genus Cygnus and the biggest member of the duck and goose family. There are six living species worldwide. Swans feed mainly on aquatic plants, form strong, often lifelong pair bonds, and are renowned for their graceful appearance.

## Introduction
Swans are large, long-necked waterbirds of the genus Cygnus, the biggest members of the duck, goose and swan family. There are six living species, including the mute, whooper, black, trumpeter, tundra and black-necked swans, found across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Among the heaviest flying birds, they glide on lakes and slow rivers, feeding mostly on water plants reached by upending their long necks. Swans are celebrated for their grace and for forming strong, often lifelong pair bonds. In the UK the mute swan carries a long royal tradition, and the common species are not currently threatened, though wetland loss affects them everywhere.

## Takeaway
Swans (genus Cygnus) are the largest waterfowl and among the heaviest flying birds, with the trumpeter and mute swans the biggest species.

## Takeaway
There are six living species, ranging from the all-white northern swans to the black swan of Australia and the South American black-necked swan.

## Takeaway
They are largely herbivorous, feeding on aquatic vegetation reached by dipping or upending their long necks.

## Takeaway
Swans usually pair for life, and both parents help raise their grey cygnets, which can stay with the family for months.

## Takeaway
In the UK, unmarked mute swans on open water are traditionally Crown property, a custom dating back centuries.

## Takeaway
The common species are assessed as Least Concern, but wetland drainage, pollution and disturbance still threaten swans and other waterbirds.

## What does a swan look like, and how big do they get?
Swans are unmistakable: very large waterbirds with long, slender necks, broad webbed feet and heavy bodies. The northern species, the mute, whooper, trumpeter and tundra swans, are white as adults, while the Australian black swan is sooty-black with a red bill, and the South American black-necked swan has a white body and a dark neck. Size is part of what sets swans apart from their goose and duck relatives. The mute swan typically measures around 1.4 to 1.6 metres in length, with large males reaching well over 1.5 metres and occasionally weighing more than 15 kilograms, while wingspans can exceed three metres. The trumpeter swan of North America is generally considered the largest waterfowl species, although heavy male mute swans rival it in mass. Young swans, called cygnets, hatch covered in greyish-brown down and only gradually acquire adult plumage over their first year, which is why a flock often shows a mix of pristine white birds and mottled grey juveniles.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## What do swans eat and how do they live?
Swans are almost entirely herbivorous. They feed mainly on aquatic plants, taking the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of submerged and floating vegetation, and will also graze on grasses and crops in fields near water. Their long necks are a feeding adaptation, letting them reach plants on the bottom of lakes, ponds and slow rivers by dipping the head under or upending the body so the tail points skyward. They may also eat small quantities of aquatic insects and other tiny animals, particularly as growing cygnets need protein. Swans are strong fliers despite their bulk, and northern species such as the whooper and tundra swan are long-distance migrants, travelling between breeding grounds and milder wintering wetlands. On the ground and water they can be surprisingly assertive, defending nests and young vigorously. Outside the breeding season many swans gather in flocks on lakes, estuaries and reservoirs, sometimes numbering in the hundreds where food is plentiful.

## Do swans really mate for life?
Swans are famous for their devotion, and the reputation is largely deserved. Pairs usually form strong, long-lasting bonds and often stay together for life, returning to the same territory year after year to breed. Both the male, called a cob, and the female, called a pen, share in raising the family: they build a large nest of vegetation near or over water, take turns incubating the eggs, and then guard and guide the cygnets together for months after hatching. This long period of parental care gives young swans a strong start. Pair bonds are not absolutely unbreakable, and separations do occur, more often after a failed breeding attempt, but lifelong fidelity is the norm rather than the exception. The image of two swans facing each other with their necks forming a heart shape has become a widespread symbol of loyalty and love, rooted in genuine, observable behaviour rather than pure myth.

## Why are swans linked to the British Crown?
In Britain, the mute swan carries a centuries-old royal tradition. By long-standing custom, the reigning monarch holds the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans swimming in open water, a status that earned the swan the nickname 'Royal Bird'. In practice this right is now exercised only along certain stretches of the River Thames and its tributaries, where the Crown shares ownership with two ancient livery companies, the Vintners and the Dyers, who were granted rights to keep swans in the fifteenth century. Each year a ceremonial count and health-check of swans on the Thames, known as Swan Upping, takes place, during which young birds are weighed, measured and assessed before being released. It is worth correcting a common myth: the monarch does not own every swan in the country, only unmarked mute swans on certain open waters. Elsewhere, swans are wild birds protected under ordinary wildlife law.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects dedicated specifically to swans, which are mostly common and live well beyond the countries where our partners work; instead this guide is part of our free public education work. The wetland loss, pollution and disturbance that affect swans are the same pressures bearing down on many waterbirds and other species we do help protect, so understanding one connects to caring for all.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your wonder at the natural world, supporting WARN's free education and animal-welfare work helps us keep telling these stories.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/swan): Swan — wildlife guide.

## How many species of swan are there?
There are six living species of swan in the genus Cygnus: the mute swan, whooper swan, tundra swan and trumpeter swan of the Northern Hemisphere, the black swan of Australia, and the black-necked swan of South America. They share the family with ducks and geese but are the largest members. Several extinct swan species are also known from the fossil record.

## What is a baby swan called?
A baby swan is called a cygnet. Cygnets hatch covered in soft greyish-brown down and follow their parents on the water within a day or two. They gradually grow adult feathers over their first year, so young white-species swans look dusky grey before turning white. Both parents guard and feed the cygnets, which often stay with the family for several months.

## Do swans mate for life?
Swans usually form strong, long-lasting pair bonds and often stay together for life, returning to the same breeding territory each year. Both parents share nest-building, incubation and raising the cygnets. Bonds are not unbreakable, and separations do happen, more often after a failed breeding season, but lifelong fidelity is genuinely the norm, which is why swans have become a lasting symbol of devotion.

## Does the Queen or King own all swans in the UK?
No, this is a common misconception. By tradition the British monarch can claim ownership of unmarked mute swans on certain stretches of open water, chiefly parts of the River Thames, where the Crown shares the right with two ancient livery companies. The annual Swan Upping ceremony counts and checks these birds. Most swans in Britain are simply wild birds protected by ordinary wildlife law.

## Are swans dangerous or aggressive?
Swans are generally peaceful but can be assertive, especially when defending a nest, eggs or cygnets. A threatened swan may hiss, raise its wings and lunge, and large birds can deliver a strong blow with their wings. Serious injuries to people are rare, and most aggression is a bluff to drive intruders away. Giving nesting swans space during spring and summer keeps both birds and people safe.

## What is the difference between a swan and a goose?
Swans and geese are closely related waterfowl, but swans are larger, with much longer necks and heavier bodies, and are the biggest members of the duck, goose and swan family. Geese have shorter necks and proportionally longer legs, and graze more on land. Swans feed mainly on aquatic plants reached by dipping their long necks underwater, and tend to form longer-lasting pair bonds.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the world's largest and heaviest living bird, a flightless African species standing over two metres tall. Built for running rather than flight, it is the fastest bird on land at around 70 km/h and lays the biggest eggs of any living bird.

## Introduction
The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird on Earth. Native to the savannas and semi-arid plains of Africa, it cannot fly, but its long, muscular legs make it the fastest bird on land, sprinting at around 70 km/h. A grown male stands well over two metres tall and may weigh more than 100 kg. Ostriches also lay the largest eggs of any living bird, each roughly the weight of two dozen hen's eggs. With huge eyes, just two toes per foot, and a diet of plants and small animals, the ostrich is a striking example of how birds adapt to life on the ground rather than in the air.

## Takeaway
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird in the world.

## Takeaway
It is flightless but is the fastest running bird, reaching around 70 km/h on the open plains.

## Takeaway
Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living bird — each weighs roughly 1.4 kg.

## Takeaway
They are the only birds with just two toes on each foot, an adaptation for fast running.

## Takeaway
The common ostrich is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, but the closely related Somali ostrich is assessed as Vulnerable.

## Takeaway
They have the largest eyes of any land vertebrate, around 5 cm across.

## What does an ostrich look like and how big is it?
The ostrich is unmistakable: a towering, long-necked bird with a small head, large expressive eyes, and a body carried high on two powerful bare legs. Males are the larger sex, standing up to about 2.7 metres tall and weighing in excess of 100 kg, with bold black body plumage offset by white wing and tail feathers. Females and younger birds are smaller and a more muted greyish-brown, which helps camouflage them on the nest. The long neck and legs are largely bare, ranging from pinkish to bluish-grey depending on the population. Each foot bears just two toes — unique among birds — with the larger inner toe ending in a stout, hoof-like nail that aids both running and defence. The eyes are enormous, around 5 cm in diameter, the largest of any land vertebrate, giving the ostrich excellent long-distance vision across open country. Though the wings are useless for flight, they are far from redundant: ostriches spread them for balance and steering while sprinting, in courtship displays, and to shade their chicks from the harsh African sun.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## How fast can an ostrich run, and why can't it fly?
The ostrich is the fastest bird on land, capable of sustained speeds around 70 km/h and short bursts that are faster still. Its whole body is built for this: long, spring-like legs, reduced toes that concentrate force, and lightweight feathers. Flightlessness is not a failing but an evolutionary trade-off. Ostriches belong to the ratites, an ancient group of flightless birds that also includes emus, rheas, cassowaries and kiwis. Unlike flying birds, ratites lack a keeled breastbone to anchor large flight muscles, so their wings cannot generate lift. Instead, evolution invested in size, stamina and speed. On the open savanna, where there are few places to hide, outrunning a predator such as a lion or cheetah is a more reliable strategy than escaping into the air. A running ostrich can also deliver a formidable forward kick with its clawed foot, powerful enough to deter most attackers. Good eyesight and height let it spot danger early, and ostriches often graze alongside zebras and antelopes, the herds acting as extra early-warning systems against approaching predators.

## What do ostriches eat, and how do they breed?
Ostriches are mainly herbivorous, feeding on seeds, grasses, leaves, roots, flowers and fruit, with occasional insects, small reptiles and other small animals. Like many birds they swallow grit and small stones, which collect in the gizzard and help grind up tough plant matter. They can go for long periods without drinking, taking much of the moisture they need from their food — a valuable trait in dry habitats. Breeding revolves around a communal nest, which is simply a shallow scrape in the ground. A dominant 'major' hen lays her eggs there, and several minor hens add theirs, so a single nest may hold many eggs, of which around twenty are typically incubated. The dominant female incubates by day, when her paler plumage blends with the sun-bleached ground, and the black male takes over at night. Incubation lasts roughly six weeks. The chicks are well developed at hatching and can run within days, but they remain vulnerable to predators, and family groups sometimes merge into large crèches tended by a few adults.

## WARN work
World Animal Rescue Network does not run dedicated field projects for ostriches, which live across Africa, outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational library, written to help people understand the world's wildlife. The pressures that touch ostriches — habitat loss, conversion of wild land, and hunting — are the same forces that threaten the animals WARN does protect, so understanding one species helps make the case for all of them.

## Donation hook
If you have enjoyed learning about the ostrich, a small gift helps WARN keep this educational library free and supports the animals our partners care for every day.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/ostrich): Ostrich — wildlife guide.

## Is an ostrich the largest bird in the world?
Yes. The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest and heaviest living bird on Earth. A large male can stand around 2.7 metres tall and weigh well over 100 kg. No other living bird matches it for size or weight. It also lays the largest eggs of any living bird, each weighing roughly 1.4 kg — about the equivalent of two dozen chicken eggs.

## Can ostriches fly?
No, ostriches cannot fly. They belong to a group of flightless birds called ratites, which also includes emus, rheas and cassowaries. Ratites lack the keeled breastbone needed to anchor powerful flight muscles, so their wings cannot lift them off the ground. Instead, ostriches have evolved to run extremely fast, using their wings for balance, steering, courtship displays and shading their chicks.

## How fast can an ostrich run?
The ostrich is the fastest bird on land, able to run at around 70 km/h, with short bursts that can be faster still. Its long, muscular legs and reduced two-toed feet are built for speed and stamina across open country. This running ability is its main defence: rather than flying away from predators such as lions and cheetahs, an ostrich outruns them, and can also deliver a powerful kick if cornered.

## How big are ostrich eggs?
Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living bird. A single egg is about 15 cm long and 13 cm wide and weighs roughly 1.4 kg — more than twenty times the weight of a hen's egg. Several females may lay in one communal nest, so a nest can hold many eggs, of which around twenty are typically incubated. Despite their size, the eggs are relatively small compared with the ostrich's body.

## Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?
No — this is a myth. Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand to hide from danger; they would suffocate if they did. The idea probably comes from their behaviour at the nest: ostriches periodically lower their heads to turn their eggs in the shallow ground scrape, and from a distance a head held low against the earth can look as though it has vanished. When threatened, an ostrich runs, hides by lying flat, or kicks.

## Are ostriches endangered?
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, meaning it is not considered at high risk of extinction overall, though some local populations have declined. The closely related Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), recognised as a separate species in 2014, is assessed as Vulnerable, facing pressures from hunting and habitat loss across the Horn of Africa.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is a large flightless bird native to Australia. The country's tallest bird and the second-tallest living bird after the ostrich, it reaches about 1.9 metres, runs nearly 50 km/h, and is unusual in that males incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

## Introduction
The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is Australia's largest native bird and, after the ostrich, the second-tallest living bird on Earth. Standing up to around 1.9 metres, this soft-feathered, flightless giant roams woodland, grassland and arid scrub across mainland Australia, striding on powerful three-toed legs that can carry it at speeds approaching 50 km/h. Emus are famous for their reversed family roles: the male alone incubates the dark-green eggs and then guards and raises the striped chicks for many months. Highly nomadic, emus follow rainfall and food across vast distances. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the species remains widespread and is also farmed for meat, oil and leather.

## Takeaway
The emu is Australia's largest bird and the world's second-tallest living bird after the ostrich.

## Takeaway
It is flightless but a powerful runner, reaching speeds of around 48 km/h on long three-toed legs.

## Takeaway
Males take sole charge of reproduction, incubating the eggs for about eight weeks and raising the chicks.

## Takeaway
Emus lay large, thick-shelled dark-green eggs, typically a clutch of around 5 to 15.

## Takeaway
Highly nomadic, emus travel long distances to follow rainfall and seasonal food.

## Takeaway
The IUCN lists the emu as Least Concern, though three island subspecies became extinct after European settlement.

## What does an emu look like and how big is it?
The emu is an unmistakable bird: tall, long-necked and covered in shaggy, soft, grey-brown plumage that hangs loosely and gives it a slightly dishevelled appearance. Adults stand up to roughly 1.9 metres tall and weigh anywhere from about 18 to 60 kilograms, with most birds averaging in the low-to-mid thirties. Unusually, each feather has a double shaft, and the loose structure helps insulate the bird against both heat and cold. The head and upper neck are sparsely feathered, exposing bluish skin that is most visible during the breeding season. Emus are flightless — their wings are reduced to small stubs roughly the size of a hand — but they more than compensate on land. Three-toed feet and strong legs let them stride at a relaxed pace over huge distances and sprint at close to 48 km/h when alarmed, with a stride that can exceed two metres at full speed. They are also capable swimmers. Only the ostrich stands taller among living birds, making the emu the second-tallest bird on Earth and the largest native to Australia.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## Why do male emus raise the young?
Emus reverse the parental roles seen in most birds. After a female courts a male and they pair for a breeding season, the female lays a clutch of large, thick-shelled, dark-green eggs — commonly around 5 to 15 — in a simple ground nest. From that point the male takes over entirely. He incubates the eggs for about 56 days, during which he barely eats, drinks or leaves the nest, often losing a significant share of his body weight and surviving on stored fat. Females may wander off and sometimes mate again with other males, occasionally laying in more than one nest. Once the chicks hatch, the striped, cream-and-brown youngsters follow their father, who fiercely defends them and leads them to food. He may care for the brood for five to seven months, and young birds can remain with him for up to a year and a half. This male-centred system, combined with communal nests that sometimes hold eggs from several females, makes emu family life one of the most distinctive among large birds.

## Where do emus live and what do they eat?
Emus are found across most of mainland Australia, occupying a remarkable range of habitats from sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland to semi-arid grassland and shrubland. They tend to avoid only the densest forests and the most extreme deserts and the heavily cleared, settled regions. Because so much of Australia is dry and unpredictable, emus are strongly nomadic, travelling long distances — sometimes hundreds of kilometres — in response to rainfall and the food it brings. Their diet is broad and opportunistic. Emus are omnivores that feed mainly on the parts of plants richest in nutrients: seeds, fruits, flowers, fresh shoots and young foliage. They also eat insects and other small invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars, especially when feeding growing chicks. Like many birds, they swallow stones, glass and other hard objects (gastroliths) to help grind food in the gizzard, and they will travel to drink when water is available. By eating fruits and moving widely, emus act as important seed dispersers, spreading native plants across the landscape — a quiet but valuable ecological role for such a large and far-ranging bird.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for emus, which are widespread across Australia and lie outside the countries where WARN's partners work on the ground. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand the world's wildlife. The broad threats that touch emus — habitat clearance, road collisions and changing rainfall — are the same pressures that fall on the animals WARN does protect in its partner countries.

## Donation hook
If you enjoy learning about wildlife like the emu, a small gift helps keep these guides free and supports the everyday animals in WARN's care.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/emu): Emu — wildlife guide.

## Can emus fly?
No, emus cannot fly. They are flightless birds whose wings are reduced to small stubs roughly the size of a human hand. Instead of flight, emus rely on running: their long, powerful legs let them stride efficiently over long distances and sprint at speeds of around 48 km/h to escape danger. They are also surprisingly good swimmers when they need to cross water.

## How fast can an emu run?
An emu can run at speeds of up to around 48 km/h (about 30 mph). Its long legs and three-toed feet are built for endurance and speed across open country, and at full sprint an emu's stride can exceed two metres. This running ability is its main defence against predators, since the bird is flightless and relies on its legs rather than its small, vestigial wings.

## Do male or female emus sit on the eggs?
Male emus do all the incubating. After the female lays a clutch of large green eggs, the male sits on them for about 56 days, rarely eating, drinking or leaving the nest and losing a large share of his body weight in the process. Once the chicks hatch, the father continues to guard and raise them, often caring for the brood for several months.

## What colour are emu eggs and how big are they?
Emu eggs are very large, thick-shelled and a distinctive dark green colour, sometimes appearing almost blackish-green. A single egg is far larger than a chicken's, weighing around half a kilogram or more. A typical clutch contains roughly 5 to 15 eggs, and because several females sometimes lay in one nest, communal nests can hold considerably more. The male incubates them for about eight weeks.

## What do emus eat?
Emus are omnivores with a broad, opportunistic diet. They feed mainly on nutrient-rich plant parts such as seeds, fruits, flowers and fresh shoots, and they also eat insects and other small invertebrates like grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars. Emus swallow small stones (gastroliths) to help grind food in the gizzard. By eating fruit and travelling widely, they help disperse the seeds of many native Australian plants.

## Are emus endangered?
No, emus are not endangered. The IUCN Red List classes the species as Least Concern, with a large population and a wide range across mainland Australia. However, three island subspecies — on Tasmania, Kangaroo Island and King Island — became extinct after European settlement. Today the main pressures on emus are habitat clearance, vehicle collisions and the unpredictable rainfall of their arid homeland.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
An albatross is a large oceanic seabird of the family Diomedeidae, comprising about 22 species. Albatrosses have the longest wingspan of any living bird — up to around 3.5 metres in the wandering albatross — and glide vast distances over the Southern Ocean and North Pacific, coming ashore only to breed.

## Introduction
Albatrosses are large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae, with around 22 species ranging across the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are famous for having the longest wingspan of any living bird — the wandering albatross reaches roughly 3.5 metres — which lets them glide for thousands of kilometres over open water using barely a wingbeat. Superbly adapted to a life at sea, they come ashore only to breed, often on remote islands, and many pairs bond for life. Yet albatrosses are also the most threatened bird family on Earth, with many species classed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered, chiefly because they are killed as bycatch on longline fishing gear.

## Takeaway
Albatrosses (family Diomedeidae, about 22 species) are large seabirds of the open ocean.

## Takeaway
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, up to roughly 3.5 metres.

## Takeaway
They use a technique called dynamic soaring to glide vast distances with very little effort.

## Takeaway
Most spend years at sea, returning to land only to breed, and many pairs bond for life.

## Takeaway
Albatrosses are the most threatened bird family on Earth, with many species Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

## Takeaway
Longline-fishing bycatch is the leading driver of their decline.

## Why do albatrosses have such enormous wings?
Albatrosses are built for a life of near-perpetual flight over the open ocean, and their wings are the key to it. The wandering albatross has the longest wingspan of any living bird, reaching around 3.5 metres, with the great albatrosses generally the largest. Their wings are long, narrow and stiff — a shape that excels at gliding rather than flapping. To stay aloft over featureless seas without exhausting themselves, albatrosses use a technique known as dynamic soaring. They repeatedly climb into the wind, then turn and swoop down across it, harvesting energy from the difference in wind speed between the wave troughs and the air higher up. The result is that an albatross can travel for hours, and cover thousands of kilometres, with scarcely a wingbeat. A tendon arrangement in the shoulder even lets them lock their wings open, holding them outstretched at little muscular cost. This efficiency is why albatrosses can forage across entire ocean basins and circle the globe between breeding seasons.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## Where do albatrosses live and how do they breed?
Most albatross species live in the Southern Ocean, ranging across the seas around Antarctica, South America, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and breeding on remote subantarctic and oceanic islands. A smaller group lives in the North Pacific. They are pelagic for most of their lives, drinking seawater and excreting excess salt through specialised glands above the bill, and coming ashore only to nest. Breeding is famously slow and deliberate. Albatrosses are long-lived — individuals can survive for decades, with some passing fifty years — and they typically mate for life, reuniting with the same partner across many seasons. Pairs perform elaborate courtship dances of bowing, bill-clattering and calling. Most lay only a single egg, and in the larger species the chick takes the best part of a year to fledge, so many pairs breed only once every two years. This low reproductive rate makes albatross populations slow to recover from any added source of adult deaths.

## Why are albatrosses so threatened?
Albatrosses are widely regarded as the most threatened bird family on Earth. The single greatest pressure is bycatch in longline fisheries: birds dive on the baited hooks set behind fishing vessels, get caught, and are dragged underwater and drowned. Because albatrosses are long-lived and breed slowly, the loss of even modest numbers of breeding adults each year can drive steep population declines. Trawl fisheries also kill birds through collisions with cables. On their breeding islands, introduced predators such as rats, cats and mice prey on eggs, chicks and even adults, while plastic pollution and ingested debris add further harm. Climate change and shifting ocean conditions may compound these threats. The encouraging news is that bycatch is largely preventable: measures such as setting lines at night, weighting them to sink quickly, and trailing bird-scaring streamer lines can cut seabird deaths dramatically where they are adopted, offering a realistic path to recovery for many species.

## WARN work
WARN does not run field projects specifically for albatrosses, which live far from the countries where our partners work out on the open ocean. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work: helping people understand the wildlife that shares our planet and the pressures it faces. The threats that drive albatross declines — habitat loss on breeding islands, introduced predators, pollution and unsustainable fishing — are the same forces that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect closer to home.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your wonder at the natural world, a small gift helps WARN keep producing free wildlife education and caring for animals in the communities we serve.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/albatross): Albatross — wildlife guide.

## What is the wingspan of an albatross?
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, reaching around 3.5 metres from tip to tip. This makes it, along with the southern royal albatross, one of the largest flying birds in the world. Smaller albatross species, such as the mollymawks, have shorter wingspans but are still substantial seabirds built for long-distance gliding.

## How long can an albatross fly without landing?
Albatrosses spend most of their lives at sea and can stay airborne for very long periods, gliding for days at a time. Using a technique called dynamic soaring, they harvest energy from the wind to cover thousands of kilometres with almost no flapping. Outside the breeding season some birds range across entire ocean basins, coming ashore only to nest.

## Are albatrosses endangered?
Albatrosses are the most threatened bird family in the world. Of the roughly 22 species, many are classed by the IUCN as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. The chief cause is bycatch in longline fisheries, where birds are hooked and drowned. Because albatrosses breed slowly and live long, populations recover only slowly from added adult losses.

## What do albatrosses eat?
Albatrosses feed mainly on squid, fish and krill, taken from at or near the ocean surface. They seize prey while sitting on the water or in shallow dives, and some scavenge offal and discards from fishing vessels. They can drink seawater, excreting the excess salt through special glands above the bill — an adaptation for a life spent far from fresh water.

## Do albatrosses mate for life?
Most albatrosses form long-term pair bonds and typically mate for life, reuniting with the same partner across many breeding seasons. Pairs perform elaborate courtship dances of bowing, bill-clattering and calling to maintain the bond. They usually lay a single egg, and in the larger species raising a chick can take most of a year, so many pairs breed only every other year.

## How long do albatrosses live?
Albatrosses are among the longest-lived birds. Many individuals survive for several decades, and some are known to pass fifty years of age. This long lifespan goes hand in hand with very slow breeding — a single egg, slow-growing chicks and often only one breeding attempt every two years — which is why losing breeding adults to fishing bycatch is so damaging to their populations.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small Eurasian songbird with a distinctive orange-red face and breast, brown upperparts and a pale belly. Common in gardens, woods and hedgerows, it is famously territorial, sings year-round and is widely associated with British winters and Christmas.

## Introduction
The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small, round garden bird famous for its bright orange-red face and breast, and for being one of the few birds in Europe to sing right through the depths of winter. Found across the UK, Europe, North Africa and into western Asia, it is the model for countless Christmas cards and a fixture of gardens, woodlands and hedgerows. Despite its tame, friendly reputation around gardeners and bird tables, the robin is fiercely territorial and will defend its patch with song and, sometimes, violence. Crucially, it is not the same bird as the American robin, a much larger and unrelated thrush that merely shares the name.

## Takeaway
The European robin is a small Eurasian songbird with an unmistakable orange-red face and breast.

## Takeaway
It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a large and widespread population.

## Takeaway
Robins are highly territorial and use their song to defend a patch all year, not just in spring.

## Takeaway
Both male and female robins look alike, so the sexes cannot be told apart by plumage alone.

## Takeaway
The American robin is an unrelated, larger thrush that only shares the name.

## Takeaway
It is not CITES-listed and faces no major global conservation threat, though it shares pressures like habitat loss with other wildlife.

## What does a European robin look like?
The European robin is a compact, plump-looking songbird, about 12.5 to 14 centimetres long with a wingspan of roughly 20 to 22 centimetres and a weight of 16 to 22 grams, making it a little smaller than a house sparrow. Its most striking feature is the warm orange-red wash that covers the face and breast, bordered by a soft blue-grey band along the sides of the head and chest. The upperparts are an olive-brown, the belly is whitish, and the bird has slender dark legs, a fine pointed beak and large dark eyes suited to feeding in low light. Males and females are essentially identical in plumage, so they cannot be reliably told apart by appearance alone. Young robins look quite different: they lack the red breast entirely and are instead heavily mottled and spotted in brown and buff, which helps camouflage them and avoids triggering the territorial aggression that the red breast provokes in adults. This rounded silhouette and bright breast make the robin one of the most instantly recognisable birds in Europe.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## Why are robins so territorial?
For a bird with such a friendly public image, the robin is remarkably aggressive. Males, and often females in winter, hold individual territories which they defend vigorously throughout the year. The robin's song is its primary weapon: a clear, fluting, slightly melancholy warble used to advertise ownership and warn off rivals. The orange-red breast is also a signal of dominance, puffed out and displayed during confrontations. When display fails, robins will physically attack intruders, and disputes can occasionally escalate to the point of injury or death, an unusually high cost among small songbirds. This is why a robin reacts so strongly to its own reflection or even to a tuft of red feathers. The same boldness explains the robin's famous tameness around people: in Britain, robins learned to follow large animals, and later gardeners, to snap up insects and worms turned up by digging. What looks like affection is really an opportunistic feeding strategy, with the gardener standing in for the wild boar that once disturbed the soil.

## Is the European robin the same as the American robin?
No, and the difference matters. The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) belongs to the Old World flycatcher family and is a small bird weighing well under 25 grams. The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a true thrush, in the same genus as the blackbird and song thrush, and is far larger and heavier. The two are not closely related at all; they simply ended up sharing a name because early European settlers in North America saw a red-breasted bird and called it after the robin they knew from home. The resemblance is superficial, limited mainly to the reddish breast. In behaviour, song, size and family they are quite distinct. So when people picture a robin on a snowy branch on a Christmas card, that is the European robin, while the bird hopping across North American lawns pulling up worms in spring is the unrelated American robin.

## WARN work
WARN does not run any field project specifically for the European robin, which is a widespread and secure species across Europe and lies outside the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work, helping people understand and value the wildlife around them. The pressures robins ultimately share with many less fortunate species, such as habitat loss and the degradation of green spaces, are exactly the kinds of threats that do harm the animals WARN's partners protect.

## Donation hook
If this guide deepened your appreciation of garden birds, you can help WARN keep producing free wildlife education and supporting the animals most in need.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/robin): European Robin — wildlife guide.

## Are male and female robins different colours?
No. Unusually for a brightly coloured bird, male and female European robins look virtually identical, both showing the same orange-red face and breast. You cannot reliably tell the sexes apart by plumage in the field. They behave similarly too, with both sexes holding and defending territories, especially in winter. Behaviour during the breeding season, such as the female being fed by the male, is often the only practical clue to which bird is which.

## Why do robins sing in winter?
Robins sing year-round because both males and females hold individual feeding territories through the winter, not just breeding territories in spring. Song is how they advertise ownership of that patch and warn off rivals. The winter song tends to be quieter and more wistful than the fuller spring song. This habit of singing in the cold and dark, often under street lights, is a big part of why the robin is so strongly linked with British winters and Christmas.

## What do European robins eat?
European robins are mainly insectivorous, feeding on terrestrial invertebrates such as worms, spiders, beetles and other insects, which is why they follow digging gardeners to snatch prey from disturbed soil. In autumn and winter they also take berries, fruit and seeds, and will readily visit bird tables and feeders for suet, mealworms and crumbs. Occasionally they eat small vertebrates or scraps of carrion. This flexible diet helps them survive cold months when insects are scarce.

## How long do robins live?
Most robins live short lives, with high mortality in the first year meaning average life expectancy is only around one year. Those that survive their difficult first winter can live considerably longer, and ringing records include exceptional individuals reaching well over a decade, with one recorded at around 19 years. The combination of predators, harsh winters and the energetic cost of defending territory keeps the typical lifespan low, even though the species as a whole is abundant and secure.

## Are European robins endangered?
No. The European robin is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a very large global population estimated in the hundreds of millions and a broad range across Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It is not CITES-listed and faces no major global threat. Like all wildlife it can be affected by habitat loss, harsh winters and the decline of insect-rich green spaces, but at present its numbers are considered stable and it remains one of the most familiar garden birds in its range.

## Why are robins associated with Christmas?
The robin's link with Christmas is partly natural and partly cultural. Robins are conspicuous in winter, when they keep singing and their red breasts stand out against frost and snow. The cultural link is often traced to Victorian Britain, where postmen delivering Christmas cards wore red uniforms and were nicknamed robins, so the bird began appearing on the cards themselves. The two ideas reinforced each other until the red-breasted robin became a fixed symbol of the festive season.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## One-line answer
A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, famous for hovering in mid-air to hunt voles, mice and large insects. Reddish-brown above with pointed wings, it can detect ultraviolet light reflected by rodent urine trails. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

## Introduction
The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a small, widespread falcon of Europe, Asia and Africa, best known for hanging motionless in mid-air as it hunts. Hold its head still against a buffeting wind, fan its tail, and it can hover for long stretches above a roadside verge or rough field, scanning the grass below for voles and mice. Once it locks on, it drops in stages onto its prey. Reddish-brown above with a dark-tipped tail, the kestrel is one of the most familiar birds of prey across the British countryside and beyond, often glimpsed beside motorways. Remarkably, it can see ultraviolet light, which helps it find rodents by their urine trails.

## Takeaway
The common kestrel is a small falcon famous for hovering in place while hunting, holding its head perfectly steady against the wind.

## Takeaway
It feeds mainly on small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews, supplemented by insects, small birds and reptiles.

## Takeaway
Kestrels can see near-ultraviolet light, letting them detect the urine trails rodents leave around their burrows.

## Takeaway
The species is widespread across Europe, Asia and Africa and is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Takeaway
It is one of the most familiar British birds of prey, often seen hovering above motorway verges and rough grassland.

## Takeaway
Like all falcons, the kestrel is listed under CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade in the species.

## Why does a kestrel hover?
Hovering is the kestrel's signature hunting technique and the reason for its old country name, the windhover. By facing into the wind and making constant fine adjustments with its wings and fanned tail, the bird holds its head almost perfectly still in the air, typically around 10 to 20 metres above the ground. A steady head means a steady gaze, so the kestrel can scan the grass below for the tiny movements of a vole or mouse without the image blurring. When prey is spotted, it usually drops in stages, pausing at lower heights to reassess before the final plunge with talons outstretched. Hovering is energetically costly, so kestrels also hunt from perches such as fence posts, telegraph poles and roadside wires, especially in colder weather or when there is little wind to ride. The technique is so effective over open, grassy ground that motorway verges, with their long uncut grass and thriving vole populations, have become some of the best places in Britain to watch a kestrel at work.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## How does a kestrel see ultraviolet vole trails?
Kestrels possess a striking sensory advantage: they can see into the near-ultraviolet part of the spectrum, beyond the range of human vision. Voles and other small rodents scent-mark their runways and burrow entrances with urine and droppings, and these deposits reflect ultraviolet light. To a kestrel's eyes, a well-used vole highway can therefore stand out as a glowing trail against the surrounding vegetation, revealing where prey is concentrated even before an animal appears. This lets the bird judge which patches of grassland are worth the effort of hovering over and which are likely to be empty. Combined with exceptionally sharp overall vision, ultraviolet sensitivity makes the kestrel a highly efficient hunter of cryptic, fast-moving mammals. Vole numbers naturally rise and fall in multi-year cycles, and kestrel breeding success tends to track these fluctuations closely, with more young raised in good vole years. This intimate link between predator and prey is one reason the kestrel is so often used as an indicator of the health of open farmland and grassland habitats.

## What does a kestrel look like and how big is it?
The common kestrel is a slim, long-tailed falcon measuring about 32 to 39 centimetres from bill to tail, with a wingspan of roughly 65 to 82 centimetres. Females are larger than males on average, weighing around 184 grams against the male's 155 grams or so. The sexes also differ in plumage. Males have a blue-grey head and tail, a warm chestnut back spotted with black, and a single black band near the tail tip. Females and young birds are more uniformly reddish-brown above, barred with darker brown, and lack the grey head. In flight the kestrel shows pointed wings and a long tail, and its hovering habit usually identifies it at a glance. Its call is a shrill, repeated kee-kee-kee. The species is widespread and adaptable, breeding from open countryside and moorland to farmland, marshes and the edges of towns and cities, where it will nest on ledges and in old buildings. It does not build a nest of its own, instead using tree holes, cliff ledges, old crow nests or nest boxes.

## WARN work
WARN does not run dedicated field projects for the common kestrel, which across most of its huge range is a widespread and resilient bird far from the countries where WARN's partners work. This guide is part of WARN's free educational work to help people understand and value wildlife. The pressures that locally reduce kestrel numbers, chiefly the loss of rough grassland and the intensification of farming, are the very same habitat threats that endanger many of the animals WARN does protect on the ground.

## Donation hook
If learning about the windhover brought you a moment of wonder, you can pass that on by supporting WARN's free educational work and the animals it protects.


World Animal Rescue Network (https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/kestrel): Common Kestrel — wildlife guide.

## Is the common kestrel endangered?
No. The common kestrel is classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a large global population spread across Europe, Asia and Africa. It remains widespread and adaptable. However, numbers have declined in parts of its range, including the UK, mainly because of the loss of rough grassland and changes in farming that reduce its small-mammal prey.

## What do kestrels eat?
Kestrels feed mainly on small mammals, especially voles, along with mice and shrews, which make up the bulk of their diet by weight. They also take large insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, earthworms, small birds, lizards and frogs. Diet varies with season and location; insects and worms become more important when small mammals are scarce, particularly for young birds learning to hunt.

## Why is the kestrel called the windhover?
Windhover is an old English name describing the kestrel's habit of hovering, or beating against the wind, while it hunts. By facing into a breeze and adjusting its wings and tail, the bird holds its head still in the air to scan the ground below. The name was made famous by Gerard Manley Hopkins's poem The Windhover. Other archaic names include windcuffer and standgale.

## Can kestrels really see ultraviolet light?
Yes. Common kestrels can see into the near-ultraviolet range, beyond human vision. Voles mark their trails and burrow entrances with urine and droppings that reflect ultraviolet light, so to a kestrel a busy vole runway can appear as a glowing path through the grass. This helps the bird identify which patches of habitat hold prey before committing to the effort of hovering and hunting there.

## How long do kestrels live?
In the wild many kestrels die young, but those that survive their first year can live for several years, and the biological lifespan can reach about 16 years or more. One exceptionally old ringed individual lived almost 24 years. Survival depends heavily on food supply, particularly the natural multi-year cycles in vole numbers, as well as weather and hazards such as collisions with vehicles.

## Where do kestrels nest?
Kestrels do not build their own nests. Instead they use existing sites such as tree holes, cliff and quarry ledges, the abandoned stick nests of crows and magpies, ledges on buildings and ruins, and purpose-made nest boxes. They readily nest in towns and cities as well as open countryside. The female typically lays three to seven eggs, and breeding success rises and falls with the abundance of vole prey.