They flip the script — literally!

Easily recognized by its bold facial markings that resemble a pair of white spectacles

Looks more like a living vine or a character from a fantasy novel than a typical reptile

Unlike many snakes that rely on speed or venom, this snake depends on stealth and precision

One of the most widespread and adaptable herons in the world

Crabs make up over 90% of their diet

Famous snake-fighter — with strategy

When most people say anaconda, they mean the green anaconda, the largest of all snakes!

Got trypophobia? You might want to avoid looking at this froggy!

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

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

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

A common sight in coastal regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere

Got its name from its distinctive, boat-shaped bill, which is wider than it is tall

Loud birds with a distinct three-note whistling sound

With its strong, sharp beak, it’s a master at pecking holes into trees to find tasty bugs hiding inside

The smallest of the eight pelican species

One of the most unusual-looking bats with lots of funny wrinkles and folds in its face

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

The largest and the most visually unusual of all orioles

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!”

A champion swimmer and a social butterfly of the warm seas

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

Charming little parrot with a personality as bright as its feathers

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

Often make a distinctive “cha-cha-lac” sound, which is where they get their name

Famous for its habit of standing on one leg

Often seen riding the bow waves of boats or performing acrobatic leaps out of the water

The “living tractors of the East”—vital in traditional agriculture, particularly in Asia

During breeding, they transform with elegant white plumage, adorned by decorative plumes on the head, neck, and back

Holds cultural symbolism in some societies, representing good luck

They eat almost anything that comes their way – you name it, they’ll try to snack on it!

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

Majestic giants of the sea, they peacefully glide through the ocean with mouths agape, filtering the waters for sustenance

Opportunistic predators of the open ocean, their aggressive and persistent feeding behaviour strikes fear into the hearts of their prey

Fearless and formidable, these aggressive predators command respect in the waters they roam

Majestic ocean predators, embodying power, speed, and precision in their pursuit of prey

One of the largest and strongest sea turtles in the world

Its slender frame and narrow head bear a beak curved like a hawk’s, earning this marine marvel its name

Their neck vertebrae have a hinge mechanism that allows it to dart its long neck and pierce its prey quickly

An impressively acrobatic bird that can catch flying fish mid-jump

The pale yet gorgeous face blushes when this bird is excited, revealing a sensitive and soft heart

The most cosmopolitan of owls with home ranges extending across the globe

One of the most colorful birds — effortlessly falls in love

This species is found in all world oceans except the north Pacific Ocean

These petrels stylishly ride the ocean waves like they own the winds

Impressive flights but clumsy walking on the ground are observed in these birds due to awkward legs

Professional marine forecasters to optimize breeding success and prey availability

These ocean wanderers can be spotted from a distance showing awe-inspiring aerial tricks

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

An easily recognizable bird due to its pink body and spatulate bill

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

The flocks of this striking self-descriptive bird are a sight to behold

Very good at detecting storms, often the last to leave and first to arrive before and after a hurricane

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

The loudest living bird

They don’t need salt, bamboo sticks, or forks to deshell a snail – they have a well-adapted bill to do the job

A common scavenger bird that cleans up the roads of Central and South America

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

One of the tallest flying birds of Americas

Elegant long-legged wader, common almost worldwide

Jack Sparrow of the bird kingdom

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

The most elegant of all godwit species

The most colorful vulture, with the orange cruncle

This nocturnal species lives in caves and uses echolocation to navigate, and yes, it is a bird, not a bat!

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

Also known as pygmy anteater, they are the smallest and most adorable of their insect-eating kind

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

Despite the common name, they do not feed on crabs exclusively

Widespread in tropical and subtropical forests Central and South America

They are picky eaters, often plucking off all the furs or feathers of the prey before start eating them

Suffering from poorly developed vision, they heavily rely on vocalization to communicate

Second species in this genus only identified in 2020

The mysterious diver of the ocean is the largest and only sea turtle without a hard shell and scales

From the US down to Brazil, this trans-American lizard is the most common iguana

A small genus of Large snakes, strangling their prey endemic to the Americas

You might get the worst scare of your life if you see the crimson glow in the eyes of these creatures at night

A heavily armored small crocodile native to South America

When a big one meets a smaller one, it’s lunch!