natural world

Green woodpecker Picus viridis anting for parasite removal

Greater Spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major seeking food.  Using its beak to pry under areas of bark, the woodpecker looks for small insects.

Digestive system of bird using domestic chicken, in diagram format, with close up of gizzard

Bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis fighting, using his horns to charge at a mating rival.

Comparison of Beak use in Darwin’s Finches.  Stippled illustration showing singing, feeding, and preening.

Beak comparison in Darwin’s finches showing use feeding, singing, and preening.  Line drawing.

Singing Darwin’s Finch Geospiza fulginosa showing beak in use.  

Singing Darwins Finch Geospiza fuliginosa.  Line drawing showing Galapagos finch and beak use.

Bird preening Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris line drawing showing the beak in use in parasite removal

Preening Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris line drawing showing the beak in use in parasite removal

Darwins Finch Geospiza magnirostris with Tribulus seed.  Stippled illustration showing beak adaptability.

Darwin’s Finch Geospiza magnirostris with Tribulus seed (line drawing)

Common or Black Knapweed Centaura nigra, showing diverse leaf shape and typical spherical, purple flowering heads.

White Admiral butterfly Limenitis camilla with outstretched wings.  This butterfly is a velvety brown with distinctive white markings, crossed with deep brown-black veins.

Breast feather of Cockerel, showing orange colour and area of green glittering iridescence.

British earthstar Geastrum britannicum showing the rare fungus at different stages in it’s life cycle

Holly Parachute fungus Marasmius hudsonii.  Illustration shows this tiny delicate fungus growing on dead and damp Holly leaves.

Rocky shore community Annotated rough.  From “The Hidden Universe” by Alexandre Antonelli