A Museum of Natural History paleontologist lectures a mix of 3-year-olds and grandparents an amazing evolutionary story. This is a tale of dinosaurs evolving into feathers, then wings—then flight. It took several years. It was, after all, evolutionary. DNA evidence has come to surface that even the mighty T-Rex evolved and took flight!
This image collection of feathers—and wings is an homage to those vertebrates and invertebrates evolving and taking to the air. Lifting off, landing, foraging, roosting and even in portraiture. Feathers and wings are tools of the elegance and majesty in the dynamics called flight. Given a few more millennia maybe man gets there too. Certainly, man has always been envious. And hopeful–if the T-Rex can fly…why not?
Flight, expressed by author Marjory Stoneman Douglas who wrote, “they would move in their white thousands and tens of thousands, with the sounds of great stiff silk banners, birds in flock, birds in wedges, birds in wavering ribbons, blue and white crowds, rivers of birds pouring against the sunset back to their rookeries.”
Elegance of cranes soaring, touching down, and skills of graceful dancing, courting, wing stretches inspires cultures worldwide.
Ardea herodias are carnivores though daily dieting on fish and aquatic invertebrates; but also eat snakes, lizards, frogs andsmall animals.
Julia Longwing Butterfly is a member of the diverse Brush-footed butterfly family, related to the Monarch, Viceroy.
Egret thula, a diminutive heron, once hunted for its plumage. The Snowy egret is migratory & common in wetlands & estuarial regions in the Southern US,
Ardea alba are members of the heron family with all-white plumage, Ardeidae. In
search of prey it can walk, swim, hover, and even dive under water.
Aramus guaraunaa known as carpal, courlan, and crying bird derives its name for seemingly limping as it walks. A down curved bill gives aid in removing snails from shells.
Bosque del Apache is named for the Apache tribes that once roamed the area-a favorite migration habitat for 374 bird species.
The Osprey or Fish Hawks build large treetop nests in open surroundings. The male assists in the incubation. A pair will rotate in the hunting for food and nest protection.
Pandion haliaetus or western osprey is called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk. While tolerating a wide habitat range its exclusive fish diet keeps it close to water.