Known to “ride out” massive tropical storms by flying into the calm eye of the hurricane

Remains as one of the most resilient residents of the tropics

Despite their elegant looks, they are fierce parents

Rugged enough to survive Arctic blizzards and mid-ocean gales that would ground much larger birds

Despite traveling across entire hemispheres, they often return to the exact same marsh or mudflat

Often called the “shorebird that forgot the shore”

Famous for nesting in the most inconvenient places possible

Thriving in the alkaline lakes, salt ponds, and marshes of the American West and beyond

A bird that looks like a cross between a sleek chicken and a neon-painted waterfowl

Possesses a unique physical defense mechanism: the “laterally compressed” body

Doesn’t perch across a branch like most birds; it perches lengthwise along the limb

Notoriously high-strung and are often the first ducks to take flight at the slightest hint of danger

Despite being tiny fluff-balls, they are so light that they almost always bounce and walk away unharmed

Famous (and sometimes infamous) for their love of rice.

Forest’s most dedicated hoarder and resident “clown”

One of the few nonhuman primates observed practicing self-medication

One of Central America’s famous monkeys can easily live up to 50 years

Colorful, fast, forest-loving reptile with a look that feels almost mythical

To this day, no one knows exactly how this warm-weather bird ended up with a freezing Russian namesake

Despite being a formidable bird of prey, they are highly secretive and surprisingly quiet

Do not let their relatively compact, crow-like size fool you— they have a fiery temperament and are fiercely territorial

The very tip of the bill has special “pits” that can detect the vibrations of a moving fish in murky water

One of the few shorebirds that can handle small fish and even lizards

People expect rails to be chunky marsh birds—this one is tiny, almost pocket-sized

Besides using their lungs, they can take in some oxygen through tissues near the rear end while resting underwater

Tiny enough to treat vine tangles like highways—moving through “forest clutter” that would stop bigger mammals

Often uses its nose like a detector, “painting” the air with quick sniffs to track food it can’t see

Its fur is dense and water-resistant, which helps it stay warm and buoyant during night swims

50 teeth? That’s a serious set of chompers for crunching insects, fruit, or even bones!

Despite its name, its calls are often described as musical or trilling rather than screeching

Males usually have a red crown patch, while females usually don’t—so the “red hat” can be a quick clue

Compared with the greater roadrunner, it’s slightly smaller with a smaller bill and generally less heavy streaking

Once believed that their frequent calling was a sure sign that a thunderstorm was on its way

Have specialized glands that help them manage the high-salinity environment of the coast

One of the rarest motmots

Its sound is one of the most iconic sounds of the American summer

The “wild turkey of the rainforest canopy”

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

These birds perform a massive, circular migration that covers nearly 32,000 km (20,000 miles) annually

These gulls aren’t scavengers; they are specialized insect eaters.

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

While that eight-inch bill looks like a solid piece of bone, the very tip of it is actually flexible

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

One of the smallest stiff-tailed ducks in the Americas

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

When the crest is up, it looks like it’s wearing a dramatic feather crown or mohawk

Looks like other hawks in disguise

Have a specialized reflective layer behind the retina to help them see in near-total darkness.

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

Under certain angles, the feathers can look almost black

Spend so much time sitting still that birdwatchers sometimes double-check to see if they’re statues

Watch them forage and you’ll see a funny, deliberate shuffle-strut walk

A heavyweight champ — elegant, yes, but you don’t want to mess with that beak

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

Among the most athletic dolphins, known for their spectacular leaps and spins that can reach several meters high

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

Known for their bossy behavior—often chase away birds much larger than themselves

The most widespread species of snakes on earth are found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans and from Africa to Central America

One of the most admired warblers across the continent

Its fur is so soft and dense that early naturalists compared it to fine velvet or mink

Can detect fruit ripeness from several meters away—a skill that rivals that of many birds

Earns its name from the thick “hood” of fur that extends from its head down its back

Found all over the Americas, it is the most widespread species of all armadillos

The only iguana species that lives exclusively in mangrove forests

When threatened, they sprint across rocks and tree trunks with surprising speed—often too fast for predators to catch

Blink and you’ll miss it — this iguana can out-sprint a chasing dog

Their “lemon” color actually changes slightly depending on light and habitat

When sunlight filters through the sea, their backs almost disappear against the golden hues of sand below

Though they possess venomous spines near the base of their tail, they rarely use them except in self-defense

Often bathe in rainwater pools or birdbaths

Lighter than a AAA battery!

Its tongue is so long that when retracted, it coils up inside the bat’s rib cage

Their guano deposits have historically been harvested as fertilizer

One of the most mysterious and hardest to spot armadillo in the wild

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

Has a particular fondness for wood-boring beetle larvae

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

The spotted rabbit of the jungle—though they are rodents, not rabbits!

One of the lesser-known members of the dolphin family, despite its dramatic name

They produce two types of droppings and re-eat the softer kind to get extra nutrients (a clever “second-pass” digestion trick)

Those “plain” feathers? They’re perfect camouflage for a bird that does most of its business in the shade

The only sawfish known to spend long stretches of its life in freshwater lakes, not just rivers or coasts

One of the tiniest doves in the Americas

Stands out for both its vibrant beauty and its extreme rarity

Sometimes called the “Whispering Ibis”—not because it whispers, but because it’s so quiet and elusive compared to other ibises

Doesn’t put its nest near the water’s edge like many of its relatives

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

Can move startlingly fast, often vanishing in a blur of motion when startled

Most famous — and misunderstood — of all vampire bats

Surprisingly aggressive for a bird with a sunny name

A scented, singing, socially savvy insect hunter

A bird that quietly keeps the environment clean

Despite its name, it is not limited to the Amazon Basin