Those small tube-like structures on the bill help them deal with salt and are linked to their strong sense of smell

Standing on one leg isn’t just a pose—it helps them save body heat while they rest in cool, windy wetland weather

Its pale pink color comes from what it eats, so the shade can change a bit with season and diet

Up close, the neck feathers can look a bit tousled or scruffy, giving it a rugged, windblown style

A true high-altitude specialist, thriving in lakes so high that many visitors feel winded

Can be black, can be grey but it’s the same bird

Once a sky-filling spectacle—today, most of what we have are museum skins and stories

Their name has nothing to do with dolphins

One of the only tool-using shorebirds

One of the very few “smelly” birds (in a good way)

Its speed and size make it harder for predators (and hunters) to track

Smell? Not so much—mostly rely on eyesight and the behavior of other vultures to find food

These birds will walk right up to people, inspect backpacks, and steal anything loose—hats, gloves, even camera parts

Despite their bunny-like ears and hopping movements, they are closely related to chinchillas—not rabbits at all!

It’s the wild ancestor of every domestic guinea pig

A dust bath is their spa day

Its fur is so thick that fleas can’t survive in it

Can dive deeper than many seals

Weighs about as much as a couple of slices of bread and is barely bigger than a sparrow

The “cheetahs” of the deep ocean

Symbols of open summer fields and joyful wild song

Black feathers, white cap, sleek shape — it’s the tuxedo of the bird world

Thrive in strong winds that actually help them fly

Can fly thousands of miles without a single flap

Sometimes called the “scars in the water” thanks to their many white markings

One of the most admired warblers across the continent

A tiny, shy deer that seems almost too delicate to exist

A small mammal perfectly designed for endurance in one of the toughest environments on Earth

The highest-living armadillo on Earth

Looks like a blend between a tank and a teddy bear

Among the biggest flying birds on Earth

Its flight is nearly soundless, thanks to specially fringed wing feathers that disrupt air turbulence

Defies the usual “creature of the night” stereotype by thriving in open landscapes and often hunting boldly in daylight

Best known as the famous “parrot of Telegraph Hill” in San Francisco

Terns with longer, brighter mustaches are often stronger and more successful at breeding

Their guano deposits have historically been harvested as fertilizer

Part hunter, part opportunist, part invader

Highly site-faithful, often returning to the exact same nesting spot year after year

A master of living under the ice, and a haunting singer in one of the world’s coldest wildernesses

A bird that carries the rhythms of the seasons on its wings

Their cheerful calls, often described as sounding like they are saying “Chi-ca-go!”

In winter, they’re plain grey and white, but in the Arctic summer, they turn into a glowing rusty red

Their misleading name comes from early explorers who mistakenly thought they fed on crabs

One of the tiniest doves in the Americas

The “giant of the swamp”

Have eyesight that is exceptionally keen—so much so that they can easily spot tiny fish swimming just beneath rippling water

Most famous — and misunderstood — of all vampire bats

Surprisingly aggressive for a bird with a sunny name

A bird that quietly keeps the environment clean

Known to investigate campsites, rummage through backpacks, and even figure out how to open containers

Travels with nature’s GPS: a magnetic compass and a nose that never forgets home

They flip the script — literally!

One of the most widespread and adaptable herons in the world

Its pig-like nose is sensitive and flexible, helping it locate underground prey like grubs and worms

Though this duck can fly, it’s right on the edge of being flightless

Look a bit like a cross between a beaver and a rat

One of the few rodents known to live in social underground groups

Only later did scientists give it full species status, thanks to its different range, plumage details, and very crab-focused lifestyle

When faced with hard-shelled prey, this gull simply flies up and drops it onto rocks — no tools, no problem

A rare treasure of South America’s coast — small but fierce, quiet but clever

Not only one of the largest deer species but also among the most majestic

Once you’ve heard them laugh, it’s hard to forget!

The only albatross species that breeds in the equatorial zone

The largest herbivores of the dry areas of South America

These birds ride ocean breezes for miles without flapping much at all

The smallest of falcons in the entirety of America, but you would be mistaken to take this bird lightly

Aptly named the biggest of the Penguin species & Olympic diver of the bird world

One of the most dazzling waterbirds of the Americas, often described as a “swamp jewel”

Easily recognizable by its distinctive black hood, which it can raise or lower at will

Has one of the warmest fur of any mammal

Well-adapted to the cold Arctic climate and can withstand temperatures as low as -50°C (-58°F)

Loud birds with a distinct three-note whistling sound

With their stately waddle and regal demeanor, they are the undisputed monarchs of the Antarctic ice

Despite its large size and somewhat clumsy appearance on land, it is an exceptionally graceful flier

They’re kind of like big, furry rats but with a different shape

Got a long tail, a big head, and a curved bill with little grooves on it – that’s where its name comes from

It’s a frog, but it doesn’t look like the typical frogs we think of!

One of the least flashy—and most specialized—dolphins on Earth

Often called the “sea panda” of the southern seas

Unlike rabbits, they don’t live in burrows, instead, they make shallow nests in the grass called forms

Most common and widely distributed swallow globally

The biggest of all the hammerhead sharks, with a massive head that looks like a giant, flat hammer

Got the looks of a hawk with the scavenging habits of a vulture

Popular food fish, prized for its mild flavor and firm texture

Think of camels, but minus the hump!

Fearless defenders of their nests and chicks, often taking on much larger animals or humans if they perceive a threat

This bird is a real chatterbox, constantly announcing its presence with its loud, three-part call – “kis-ka-dee!”

They bob their heads up and down as they fly, which is actually how they earned the nickname “Noddy”

They don’t build their own nests – they cleverly take over burrows abandoned by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, or even tortoises!

Known for their acrobatic leaps, twisting and turning gracefully as they jump completely out of the water

They spread faster than any other colonizing mammal in the world

National symbol of Chile and appears on the country’s coat of arms, representing the nation’s wildlife heritage and natural beauty

Their toe pads have microscopic hair-like structures called setae, allowing them to stick using van der Waals forces

More like a sturdy mountain climber than a delicate forest deer

In the late 1800s, a single ounce of its feathers could be worth more than gold

Speed and power embodied, they rule the seas with their sleek bodies and jaw-dropping leaping prowess