Get your binoculars and field guide and head to a local park to see what birds you can spot! There are approximately 18,000 known species of birds around the world. Birds come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, colours and behaviours, making them one of the most diverse groups of animals on Earth—from imposing eagles to today"s tiny snowy-winged star, a leucistic Anna"s Hummingbird. These hummingbirds are typically vibrant in colour, but leucism means that they have decreased pigmentation, resulting in a paler appearance. Unlike albino birds, these hummingbirds retain some colour in their eyes. Their lighter plumage reduces protective camouflage, making them more vulnerable to predators such as hawks and feral cats.
Leucistic Annas hummingbird, UCSC Arboretum, California, USA
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Night outside the museum
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Butterfly, fly away
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Is it art?
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Ahead of the curve
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Where history comes alive
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Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
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Aýna, Albacete, Spain
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Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
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Llyn Padarn, Snowdonia, Wales
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Protecting the gentle giants
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Gateway to Iberia
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Elephant Rock, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia
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Call of the wilderness
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A different kind of toucan
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Guild houses of Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
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An explosive history
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A world within a world
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December solstice
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Diamond Beach, Iceland
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Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
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Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
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Masterpiece of acoustic engineering
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Look up, incoming…
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Lake Tahoe, USA
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Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
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Have a merry little Christmas
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A rock giant
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We’ve identified these ‘flying objects’
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Museum Night in Berlin
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Something to ‘bee’ thankful for