Birds

A.k.a. secret Soviet subversion!

It has a pretty awkward code name, though.

Surprisingly not a translation error.

Well, who wouldn’t?

It does have a Santa beard though.

…and some awkward 19th century stories, too.

It survived another kind of deforestation…

Or are we just rubbish at spotting innovation?

No, not because it begins with “x”.

Note to self: only research with the Latin name.

The kittiwake is the seagull that was brought up properly.

Like the king cheetah, the Icelandic gyrfalcon is another regal predator that wasn’t to be.

Estate agent: Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Cuban Sparrow! Female: Er, Zapata Sparrow? Estate agent: Yes yes of course! Do come …

Its name sounds like a double sneeze, but there are far stranger things about this dinky South American bird. It …

The name for this little crow likely comes from “jack”, meaning “thief”, and “daw”, after its clipped, jagged call. Here’s …

Name: “Pteroglossus frantzii”, but everyone calls me “fiery-billed araçari”. Spell it with the accent if you want to impress me. …

During a recent stay at London Zoo’s (awesome) Gir Lion Lodge, I asked the tour guides what their weirdest animal …

Just to get this out of the way: yes, it’s actually called that, and yes, it lives near Cape “Horn” …

Someone has to do the dirty work. But you’re drinking coffee, so I’ll try to keep it clean. Fortunately, Africa’s …

The first time I saw a hummingbird, the impossible flitting of its wings sucked the breath from my chest. These …