A common sight in coastal regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere

Amazing flyers — they can even drink water while they’re flying!

Can dive down to the bottom of a lake and rest there, safe from predators!

They might not look like much, but they have an incredible talent: singing!

Can be quite friendly and will often come close to humans, especially if they’re offered food

Its imperial imagery and fierce demeanor have made it a symbol of power and nobility throughout history

A tiny bird, one of the smallest in fact!

Very loyal partners! Once they find a mate, they usually stay together for life

Most common and widely distributed swallow globally

The smallest of all the crane species and is known for its elegance and grace

Very active and noisy, with a loud, piercing call that sounds like “pee-wit”

Often called the “singer of the night,” it produces a complex and beautiful melody that has captivated people for centuries

Have been observed remembering the locations of their impaled prey and even using tools to help them catch food

Quite noisy creatures which is a common sight in wetland areas

Underneath this colorful beak, there’s a hidden surprise – a built-in net for scooping up a delicious lunch!

Known for their graceful movements and the distinctive “S” shape of their neck

Arguably among the most beautiful songbirds in the world — they enjoy singing after a rain shower

The direct ancestor of the domestic cat—no wonder why they look so alike!

Their stiff, upright tail feathers aid them in swimming and diving

The treasured bird of Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt

They consistently display a restless demeanor and exhibit a distinctive, tail-trembling behavior

Exhibit powerful flight, with distinctive slow wing beats and an extended neck, defining features during their aerial movements

Holds cultural symbolism in some societies, representing good luck

Adaptable raptor known for its hovering hunting technique and striking appearance

These owls have specialized feathers that make their flight nearly silent

Their keen vision enables them to scan vast landscapes, identifying small movements or potential prey items even from high altitudes

A big, harmless snake that likes to live near freshwater

This charismatic creature is not just a quilled beauty but also a skilled architect

Known for their impressive stamina and can travel long distances in search of food and water

A sly, sandy-furred survivor of Central Asian grasslands, threatened by human activity but fiercely protected by conservationists

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the world’s most widely distributed carnivore!

Possessed with special visual adaptations to catch fish

Fiercely territorial, marking their territory with scent to communicate with other otters

The second largest bear, right after the polar bear. Sadly, it well might top the list soon

The vanishing big cat of the cold, rugged Himalaya mountains is being executed by the humans

These elegant acrobats perform a perfectly timed and skilled somersault as they approach their chosen resting site

Their muzzle has wrinkled lips, which makes them look like a dog’s face, and is commonly called a bulldog bat

The smallest carnivorous predator in the world and so have limited fat stores and need to eat more than 50% of the body weight

Widely distributed in Europe and Asia and tolerant to habitat modification

A small, fierce predator known for its agility, hunting skills, and color-changing fur

Due to their adaptability and willingness to migrate to more favorable habitats, great cormorants are found worldwide

There is more to this species than its majestic coat of thick white feathers and piercing yellow eyes

Aptly named after the goddesses of wisdom and war, little owls have lived alongside human civilizations since 500 BC

This bird looks like a modern mosaic art-piece

This cute and small bird is one of the most elite hunters below the water’s surface

The iconic and elegant bird with a curved pink bill is known for turning heads

This bird is unmistakable for its namesake, spoon-shaped bill

These birds seem to have lost their way to the beauty pageant

The songbird that occasionally eats bats

The master aerial diver and swooper

The most widely dispersed wild bird

Like those bulging red eyes weren’t scary enough, they eat their innocent chicks when hungry

Living around smelly brackish marshes is unthinkable, but these birds love their isolated habitat or don’t have a sense of smell

The flocks of this social and gregarious bird are fond of migration, flying over the horizon and creating a V-shaped formation

The most numerous wild bird species in the world

One of the most hunted, widespread, ancient, and well-known game birds

The national bird of Pakistan and Iraq is known to improve degraded ecosystems by aiding in the dispersal and germination of seeds

Largest of falcons: can grow up to 60cm (2 ft) in height

At the speed of over 321 km/h (200 mph), this bird outraces a Formula1 car

Loves trees! Only member of its family breeding in Europe

The stork with the widest geographic range

The folktale bird that brings the babies!

This bird taps its feet to imitate rain to make the prey reach the surface

The masters of catching oysters, clams, and cockles

One of the very few birds with an upturned bill

Elegant long-legged wader, common almost worldwide

Owner of one of the most peculiar-looking beak shapes in all of the bird kingdom

One of the bigger waders with a reptilian eye

This bird holds the record of the longest distance flown by any bird in recorded history

The most elegant of all godwit species

These enthusiastic travelers can be seen almost worldwide in different seasons

Dependable wings and a muscular build. Nope, we aren’t talking about the next Redbull ad campaign

These hardy birds are capable of flying at dizzying heights, where even helicopters can’t fly

This invasive species is the ancestor to most of the modern ducks

A highly intelligent species that is the world’s only tool-using vulture with a long migratory range

Extinct and reintroduced – What’s the story behind these so-called ‘flying barn doors’?

This majestic brown raptor is most widely distributed eagle species

The yellow-eyed devil

Better call the ambulance before the Sparrowhawk comes to devour all those who are injured

A magnificent migratory bird with long, broad wings and a short tail that sings in the form of musical whistles

The only living creature that feeds on bone marrow from carcasses in high and inaccessible mountain areas

Largest soaring vulture in the sky with extremely broad wings that assists an important role in nature as “clean-up” team

One of only six land-birds with a cosmopolitan distribution habituating all continents except Antarctica

Unlike most vultures with bald heads, it has a unique feature – a ruff of white feathers around its neck

Most social vultures with 12 distinct types of vocalization

Two out of six subspecies were hunted to extinction: the European & Syrian wild ass

Also known as the “musk shrew” due to the strong scent they secrete to mark their territories

One of the cats that were mummified and put into tombs in ancient Egypt as Egyptians worshipped a cat goddess

‘Grumpiest cat on earth’ is well camouflaged, widespread, and adapted to cold climate

One of the only predators of hedgehogs, thanks to their thick skin and long claws to get past the vicious spines

Once widespread throughout most of Europe, by now extinct in most of Western and Central Europe

Extinct in Europe and North America, probably due to landscape changes during the ice age, and currently can only be found in Asia

The howl of each wolf is different

Clashing with their antlers, the winner takes it all!

They have an elongated and elastic snout that can be used to dig out roots and bulbs