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@ Lovebirds
EbonyB begins his journey to encounter Avian pets!
Lovebirds
Found on the African continent, wild lovebirds are mostly green, and get their name from their strong, monogamous pair-bonding amount of time they spend sitting together.

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@ Hummingbird, Green

White Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Hummingbird, Green
'There are hundreds of different types of hummingbird, ranging in size from 5 inches down to the smallest at just 2 inches long! (13 cm - 5 cm). Hummingbirds have a very high metabolic rate. To conserve energy at night when not foraging, they can enter a state of torpor, similar to hibernation, and slow their metabolic rate to one-fifteenth of its normal rate.

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@ Java Sparrow
“I'm starving!” exclaimed EbonyB. "What's Chef making us tonight?"
Billy glanced up from his tour guide, in which he had been looking up where they were going the next day. “How come you're so hungry, EbonyB?”
EbonyB pouted. "I was just unwrapping my lunch pack when a creature ran down the tree behind me, grabbed the lot and shot back up the tree!"
"Bad luck!" sympathised Billy. "Here, have a banana to keep you going."

Java Sparrow
aka the Java Finch! It is found in Java, Bali and Bawean in Indonesia. Males and females are the same in appearance, being grey and pink and a black head with white cheeks, and a black tail. Its call is chip-chip-chip.

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@ Green-crested Turaco
Choose a name groaned, clutching her stomach. "Oh, my poor tum. Why are so many of these places only accessible by boat? I've never been a good sailor, you know."
"Never mind, Choose a name," sympathised EbonyB. "It's ages till we set off back, and with lots of walking around visiting the different creatures, you'll feel as right as rain in no time!"
Green-crested Turaco
A native to the forests of tropical West Africa, this distinctive green and purple bird generally prefers mature rainforest edge habitats, bordered by rivers. These are easily recognisable birds, due to their colouring, but are well camouflaged when in the treetops.

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@ Red-crested Turaco
EbonyB was very happy to meet Flaxen here! They both swapped tales of their experiences of their travels so far!
Red-crested Turaco
The red-crested turaco Tauraco erythrolophus is the national bird of Angola, Central Africa. It eats mainly fruit. The birds are usually to be seen in trees rather than on the ground. Its outer feathers are a bright, almost metallic green, with grey and softer green down its front, a white face, yellow beak, and a pronounced crest of the red that gives it its name.

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@ Ibis, Scarlet
“Shall we take a selfie?” EbonyB asked Riverrun as they drank in the scenery and admired their new friend standing between them.
Ibis, Scarlet
This striking bird, found in South America and the Caribbean, is very similar to the American white ibis, the principal difference of course being the colour! The scarlet ibis is the only shorebird of this colour in the world. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad & Tobago.

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@ Nicobar Dove
EbonyB and Mercedes had shaken paws and were now introducing themselves to the next critter who had come to meet them on this leg of the quest, who was eager to make friends and to show off a carefully tidied natural habitat!
Nicobar Dove
This strikingly beautiful creature (Caloenas nicobarica) is found in India and the regions of Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Borneo. Incredibly, its nearest relative is the extinct dodo! It is a large bird, measuring 16 inches in length (40cm) and has metallic green feathers for the main part, with grey plumage on the head and neck, and a short, pure white tail.

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@ Australian King Parrot
Esmerelda groaned, clutching her stomach. "Oh, my poor tum. Why are so many of these places only accessible by boat? I've never been a good sailor, you know."
"Never mind, Esmerelda," sympathised EbonyB. "It's ages till we set off back, and with lots of walking around visiting the different creatures, you'll feel as right as rain in no time!"
Australian King Parrot
This handsome scarlet and green bird is found only in eastern Australia.

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@ Scarlet Macaw
“Shall we take a selfie?” EbonyB asked Po as they drank in the scenery and admired their new friend standing between them.
Scarlet Macaw
This very colourful bird is found in Mexico to Colombia and the Amazon Basin. It is 81–96 cm (32–36 in) long, and is mostly bright red, with red, yellow and blue on the wings.

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@ Salmon-crested Cockatoo
“If there's time at the end of the day when we get back to our accommodation, I might do some initial sketches for a charcoal picture of one of our new friends," Choco said, offering EbonyB a toffee from the bag and then unwrapping one for himself.
“That sounds like a good plan, Choco!" said EbonyB. "Very relaxing, and your portrait will be a great souvenir of our visit to all these interesting creatures!"
Salmon-crested Cockatoo
This bird is found in Indonesia, but it has also been introduced into Hawaii with modest breeding success. It eats nuts, seeds , fruit and coconut.

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@ Magpie in Flight
“Shall we take a selfie?” EbonyB asked FLAPPY as they drank in the scenery and admired their new friend standing between them.
Magpie in Flight
With a wingspan of up to two feet (60 cm) with not just black and white but shiny iridescent bluey-green feathers, the flying magpie makes a stunning sight. Its scientific name is Pica pica and its acquisitive nature towards shiny objects is famous! There is even an opera by Rossini called La Gazza Ladra—The Thieving Magpie. Most of us will be familiar with the "Magpie" nursery rhyme. In its earliest recorded version in 1780 it went: One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a funeral,
And four for birth.
but it became extended over subsequent years, with regional variations, into the best recognised rendering: "One for sorrow, two for joy" et cetera.

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@ Black Crowned Crane
“Have you seen those fabulous pink and white flamingo suncatchers in the giftshop, EbonyB?” asked Muschi. “I'm going to buy one as a souvenir of our time here!”
“Sounds great!” responded EbonyB.

Black Crowned Crane
The black crowned crane is found in a great swathe across Africa, from Mauritania on the west, to Ethiopia and Kenya on the east. This bird is very distinctive. Its body is black with white/gold wings, it has red/white cheek patches and its head bears a crown of gold feathers.

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@ Pink & Grey Cockatoo
EbonyB and Majestic got so engrossed in the conversation they were having with their fascinating new friend that they had to hurry along so as not to be left behind! They regretfully bade farewell to their new chum and promised to visit again!
Pink & Grey Cockatoo
This chap looks like an English barrister off to court in his white wig and grey gown! It is also known as the galah, and is found throughout Australia.

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@ Hummingbird in Flight
“If there's time at the end of the day when we get back to our accommodation, I might do some initial sketches for a charcoal picture of one of our new friends," Reign said, offering EbonyB a toffee from the bag and then unwrapping one for herself.
“That sounds like a good plan, Reign!" said EbonyB. "Very relaxing, and your portrait will be a great souvenir of our visit to all these interesting creatures!"
Hummingbird in Flight
Why are they called "hummingbirds"? This is because of the humming sound created by their rapidly beating wings, which creates a sound frequency audible to humans. The birds can hover in mid-air flapping their wings at rates which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to around 80 per second in the smallest!

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@ Golden Conure, 1
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Golden Conure, 1
This bird, with its bright yellow feathers with green on the outer wings, is also known as the Golden Parakeet. It grows up to 13 inches long (33 cm). It is found in the Amazon Basin, south of the Amazon River in the state of Pará, northern Brazil.

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@ Golden Conure, 2
“How do you do?” said EbonyB to their amazing and friendly new acquaintance on their mini-safari, shaking paws.
Viola chipped in. “It’s so kind of you to allow us to visit you in your habitat. EbonyB and I—and all the rest of us, of course!—are enjoying our mini-safari very much indeed!”
Golden Conure, 2
This beautiful bird is found in Brazil. It feeds on fruits such as mango, muruci and açai, and also flowers, buds, seeds and crop plants, particularly maize.

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@ Hummingbird with Honeysuckle
“Do you remember our last safari, Wawatay?” exclaimed EbonyB. "I remember being really quite scared, trying to find the way out of that labyrinth in the dark!"
Wawatay agreed. “D'you remember that scorpion? It was quite a shock coming across him in the light of the dim and flaring lamps, although he turned out to be very nice in the end.”
"It's hard to believe that was two years ago, Wawatay," remarked EbonyB.
Hummingbird with Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle—nature's own hummingbird feeder! Hummingbirds are attracted to its orange-red flowers and sweet nectar.

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@ Hyacinth Macaw
“Ooh, it's just starting to get a bit cool, EbonyB!” said jonny. “Can you hold my map and itinerary while I dig out my scarf?"
EbonyB good-naturedly took charge of jonny's possessions while he emptied his rucksack of a pack of sandwiches wrapped in greaseproof paper, a Thermos flask, a pair of galoshes, a bag of chocolate peanuts, a paperback thriller, a bottle of orange squash, an address book, some postage stamps, an assortment of different coloured biros, a bottle opener, a couple of old bus tickets, a handful of golden and silver moles, a door key, some very old receipts, a screwdriver, a bottle of multivitamins, a lottery ticket and a selection of rather battered sachets of salt, sugar and salad cream before locating the scarf right at the bottom. This he donned and then EbonyB helped him put everything back in his rucksack.
Hyacinth Macaw
This is the largest parrot in the world, going by length! It is 1 metre (3 ft 3") from its beak to the tip of its tail. It is native to central and eastern South America.

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@ Black-grey Toucan
"Wasn’t it worth coming all this way, EbonyB," said LILJE, "for this experience alone?" EbonyB, admiring the creature at the centre of the scene they were now in, heartily agreed!
Black-grey Toucan
The toucan's beak is made of keratin, the same substance as hair and fingernails. Toucans look very similar to hornbills but there is a huge geographical divide between them. Toucans live in Central and South America, while hornbills are found only in Africa and Asia.

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@ Contemplative Toucan
“How do you do?” said EbonyB to their amazing and friendly new acquaintance on their mini-safari, shaking paws.
Lucky chipped in. “It’s so kind of you to allow us to visit you in your habitat. EbonyB and I—and all the rest of us, of course!—are enjoying our mini-safari very much indeed!”
Contemplative Toucan
Toucans, some of the most easily recognisable birds in the world, spend their lives high in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America. A toucan spends its nights in a nest in a hollow tree cavity, and curls up by turning its head and laying its beak along its back, tucking the beak under a wing, and then curving its tail over its head.

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@ Garden Greenfinch
“Ooh, that’s a scary looking creature!” whispered Fyzbana. “It’s bigger than me! I’ll stay here and wait for you to come back.”
“C’mon, Fyzbana, it’ll be fine—it’s not so very big; it's a trick of perspective, and anyway, it’s looking forward to meeting us!” said EbonyB.
Garden Greenfinch
An all-year-round visitor to rural and urban birdtables, the pretty greenfinch is a delight to spot squabbling over the black sunflower seeds!

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@ Laughing Kookaburra
“Have you seen those fabulous pink and white flamingo suncatchers in the giftshop, EbonyB?” asked Kaplan. “I'm going to buy one as a souvenir of our time here!”
“Sounds great!” responded EbonyB.

Laughing Kookaburra
The kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae is a well-known symbol of Australia’s birdlife. Most of us will have first met the kookaburra when growing up as the “merry, merry king of the bush” in the children's song. It has dark brown wing plumage and a white head and underside. Dark brown eye stripes run across its face. Its reddish-coloured tail is patterned with distinctive black bars which makes the bird easily recognisable from a distance.

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@ Long-tailed Tit Songbird
"Hey, you should have joined Foxy and me for lunch at that café, EbonyB!" said Visor.
"Oh, I couldn't resist going to that street exhibition of art by local pets. I grabbed a cheese and onion pasty from a street vendor. Anyway, what did you both have to eat?"
"We had celery soup and a sandwich each. It was great!" responded Visor.
Long-tailed Tit Songbird
The long-tailed tit is a tiny but noisy and sociable bird of hedgerows, woodland, parks and gardens, recognisable by its subtle and pretty colours of pink, light brown, black and white. It builds a domed nest out of moss in a bush or the fork of a tree, and camouflages it with cobwebs and lichen. It lines the nest with many hundreds of feathers to make it soft for the eight to twelve eggs it lays.

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@ Blue & Red Parrot
“Have you seen those fabulous pink and white flamingo suncatchers in the giftshop, EbonyB?” asked Choose a name. “I'm going to buy one as a souvenir of our time here!”
“Sounds great!” responded EbonyB.

Blue & Red Parrot
Unusually for parrots, the male and female Eclectus roratus look totally different, so much so that it was once thought that they were different species. Moreover, unusually for birds, the female is more colourful than the male, in her bright red and purple plumage with orange tail compared to his equally intense green (with red and blue under-wing patches).

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@ Eurasian Pygmy Owl
Night Wing was distracted by the sounds of loud rustling as EbonyB unfolded a very large tourist map, in the course of which he succeeded in knocking Night Wing’s sunhat off.
“Put that away, do!” said Night Wing, in some irritation. “We’re about to pose with this amazing creature—the picture will be of your map if you don’t fold it up pronto!”
Eurasian Pygmy Owl
Found principally in Siberia, where it stays all year round, this is Europe's smallest owl, with a wingspan of just over 1 ft (32 cm). Its Latin name is Glaucidium passerinum.

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@ Pair of Green-Winged Macaws
EbonyB and Drozan were entranced at reaching this stopping place and eagerly posed for a picture standing on either side of the attractive creature they had just met!
Pair of Green-Winged Macaws
These birds aren't green-winged, so how do they get this name? It's because they have a green band between the red and blue colours of its wings. The beaks of large macaws are strong enough to break walnuts.

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@ Rainy Day Jay
“What an amazing creature!” exclaimed EbonyB. Azure Beauty agreed with EbonyB. “I’m seeing so many animals, birds and insects that I’ve never seen before!”
Rainy Day Jay
Here's a colourful but shy bird that, in common with the squirrel, likes to put food by for a rainy day! Each autumn this member of the crow family can often be observed flying back and forth finding and storing acorns to help see them through the winter. The acorns are hidden in the cracks and crevices of trees, but also in leaf litter on the ground. An individual jay can each year store around 8000 acorns and many remain buried to grow into oak trees.

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@ Long-tailed Tit
EbonyB was excited to meet up again with Whoover. They both took a moment to admire the amazing scene around them.
Long-tailed Tit
Or to use its Sunday-best name: Aegithalos caudatus! It is recognisable by its beautiful colouring of buff, pink, white and black, its short black beak and, of course, a very long tail! This little bird is a favourite in all British gardens, but it can also be seen in woodland, farmland hedgerows, scrubland and parkland.

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@ Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree
EbonyB has now met enough "Avian" pets to last a lifetime. As he exits the experience, he receives a wonderful gift!
Flock of Herons
Sitting high on a cliff on your blanket to watch the sunrise over the ocean, you notice movement below. You watch in amazement as a flock of herons take to flight, adding wonder to an already stunning event.

Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree
Native to the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia, the kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher family, weighing up to one pound and growing to 18 inches (46 cm) in length. Its beak can reach 4 inches (10 cm) long
EbonyB has enjoyed meeting "Avian" pets, but it is time to go home now! All Creatures Great and Small is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!