The great blue heron is a large wading bird, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is occasionally found in the Azores and is a rare vagrant to Europe. An all-white population found in south Florida and the Florida Keys is known as the great white egret. Debate exists about whether these white birds are simply a colour morph (i.e. differing only in appearance, but belonging to the same species) of the great blue heron, a subspecies of it, or an entirely separate species.



The great blue herons shown here are from the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, in Delray Beach, Florida.

Weaver birds, so named for their elaborately woven nests, from Uganda and India. Weaver birds are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills.

Beech trees and wild anemones blooms heralding the arrival of spring, in Jutland, Denmark (© Nick Brundle).

Polar bear cubs at play, or with their mama, from Manitoba, Canada.

Wisteria blossoms from Japan.

Kingfishers in Croatia catch little fish during the harsh winter, when the lake is almost completely frozen and covered with ice © Petar Sabol.

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The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) is a penguin species native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.



A study published in 2009 showed that the population of the northern rockhopper had declined by 90% since the 1950s. For this reason, the northern rockhopper penguin is classified as endangered.

Barn owls have characteristic heart-shaped faces. Their name has arisen from its tendency to nest and roost in barns and other human- made structures. They are capable birds of prey, hunting and catching small mammals, particularly field voles. They have some extraordinary adaptations to help them hunt at night, such as incredibly sensitive hearing and the ability to spot movement in very low light. They make eerie screeching and hissing noises, but do not hoot.

Burchell's zebras (named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell), at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, in South Africa.