The Bird House team at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has many beaks to feed, including 23 species of migratory songbirds and shorebirds.
get into the ins-and-outs of our birds’ diets, let’s look at how they eat in the wild
Channel catfish live in freshwater rivers, lakes, streams and ponds throughout North America. They are bottom-dwelling, opportunistic carnivores.
Though rare in the wild, a channel catfish can carry the recessive alleles resulting
The Andean bear, or spectacled bear, is the only bear native to South America. It is a clever, arboreal animal that builds platforms and nests in trees for eating and sleeping.
South America’s only bears and live in the Andes and outlying mountain ranges, from western
Pallas’ cats live in dry, rocky areas throughout Central Asia. They rely on camouflage and their low-slung bodies to hunt and to hide from predators.
Social Structure Pallas’s cats are typically solitary in the wild.
The arapaima is a massive yet sleek, streamlined freshwater fish native to the streams of the Amazon River basin. It can breathe air, allowing it to survive in pools with low water levels or decaying vegetation.
Food/Eating Habits In the wild, the arapaima eats mostly fish but is also known
La Plata three-banded armadillos, also known as southern three-banded armadillos, are the only armadillo that can curl up into a complete ball. Native to South America, they are also one of the only armadillos that are not good diggers.
In the wild they feed primarily on ants and termites, which they obtain using their
Grand Cayman blue iguanas are large, ground-dwelling lizards found only on Grand Cayman Island. Their color ranges from gray to bright blue, and they start their days by warming up basking in the sun.
appear to be a long-lived species, generally surviving for 25 to 40 years in the wild
Corn snakes are slender, orange or brownish-yellow snakes with a pattern of large, red blotches down their backs. They are most abundant in Florida and throughout the southeastern U.S.
snakes live up to 23 years in human care, but their lifespan is shorter in the wild
Buffleheads are small diving ducks that have large, rounded heads. They are often found in ponds and small lakes, but also use salt water in coastal areas during the winter.
Their breeding grounds are primarily in western and central Canada.
The alpaca is a small relative of the camel domesticated by Andean people for its wool. They are slender-bodied animals with long legs and necks, small heads and large, pointed ears. Alpacas are covered in a soft fleece and have soft, padded feet.
Two wild species, vicunas and guanacos, still live in the Andes today.
