White Peafowl

Female







Male

Hawk Headed Parrots

Hawk-headed Parrots, Deroptyus accipitrinus, are native to the Amazon basin. According to Forshaw (Parrots of the World), Hawk-heads inhabit undisturbed lowland rain forests on higher ground and tend to avoid flooded forests, forest margins, and clearings. They feed on fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, leaf buds, and vegetable matter. They congregate in small groups.

Relatively small, Hawk-headed Parrots are 31–35cm long and weigh 190–274g, again according to Forshaw. That is, they are about the size of Timneh Greys but are not as stocky. They are striking birds with buff-white crown and forehead, cheeks brown streaked with white, nape and hind neck dark red edged with blue, green backs and wings, and breast and abdomen dark red edged with blue.

Hawk-headed Parrots are not easy to breed. They lay two or three eggs and incubate 26 days. Babies fledge at about 9 weeks. Hawk-heads in breeding situations can be extremely aggressive towards both aviculturists and mates. Hawk-heads have been known to kill mates, even in pairs that appear to be closely bonded.

Hawk-headed Parrots are relatively rare in U.S. aviculture. Typical breeder prices for weaned babies range from $1400 to $2000.

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

"A very distinctive looking pigeon, this is one of the largest in the world. Easily distinguished from other pigeons by their dark blue-grey plumage and large fan-like crest feathers tipped with white and purple. Males and females look almost identical, with males sometimes a little larger than the females.

Longevity
Longevity in the wild not known, in captivity these large pigeons can live into their 30’s.

Behavior
Usually found in pairs or small groups, these large pigeons spend most of their time on the ground. When threatened, they may use an aggressive display where they turn sideways to their opponents and raise their wings making them look much larger and possibly more threatening. During courtship, the male will duck his head low while fanning his tail feathers out, both head and tail bob up and down.

Reproduction
Unlike most of the pigeons and doves, the Victoria crowned pigeon builds a fairly solid platform nest of sticks and leaves. In this nest, the female lays a single egg which hatches about 30 days after laying. Both the male and female incubate the egg and care for the chick. The chick will fledge approximately 4 weeks after hatching and the parents may continue to feed the fledgling for another 2 to 3 months. Like other pigeons, chicks are fed with a highly nutritious crop milk produced by the parents and regurgitated to the young."

Crowned Crane

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Crowned Crane(or also known as Grey Crowned Crane,or East Arican Crane)is a bird in the Crane family. Its habitat is in the dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. There are two species of this bird The East African Crane and the South African Crane.




"The Grey Crowned Crane has a breeding display involving dancing, bowing, and jumping. It has a booming call which involves inflation of the red gular sac. It also makes a honking sound quite different from the trumpeting of other crane species."








The nest is a platform of grass and other plants in tall wetland vegetation. The Grey Crowned Crane lays a clutch of 2-5 eggs. Incubation is performed by both sexes and lasts 28–31 days. Chicks fledge at 56–100 days.


The Grey Crowned Crane is about 1 m (3.3 ft) tall and weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs). Its body plumage is mainly grey. The wings are also predominantly white, but contain feathers with a range of colours. The head has a crown of stiff golden feathers. The sides of the face are white, and there is a bright red inflatable throat pouch. The bill is relatively short and grey, and the legs are black. The sexes are similar, although males tend to be slightly larger. Young birds are greyer than adults, with a feathered buff face.

Golden Pheasant

The Golden Pheasant is unsurpassed among pheasants in its brilliance, beauty, and desirability. The Golden Pheasant is one of the most popular birds in the Pheasant species. The Golden Pheasant was first brought to Europe in the 18th Century.These birds originated from China. The chinese have recognized the golden pheasant for centuries in art, literature and mythology. The Greeks also claimed that the pheasant is the Phoenix of Greek mythology,which is a bird fabled to have lived for 500 years.

The Female







"The female Golden Pheasant is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage similar to that of the female Common Pheasant. She is darker and more slender than the hen of that species, with a proportionately longer tail (half her 60–80 cm length). The female's breast and sides are barred buff and blackish brown, and the abdomen is plain buff. She has a buff face and throat. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow."














The Male


"Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The wattles and orbital skin are both yellow in colour, and the ruff or cape is light orange. The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump are golden-yellow in colour. The tertiaries are blue whereas the scapulars are dark red. Another characteristic of the male plumage is the central tail feathers which are black spotted with cinnamon as well as the tip of the tail being a cinnamon buff. The upper tail coverts are the same colour as the central tail feathers. Males also have a scarlet breast, and scarlet and light chestnut flanks and underparts. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow."