Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week #52

Posted by Steve Boyes of National Geographic Expeditions in Explorers Journal on November 10, 2013

Red-billed streamertails are found in Jamaica where they are the most abundant and widespread hummingbird on the island. (Owen Deutsch / owendeutsch.com)

Red-billed streamertails are found in Jamaica where they are the most abundant and widespread hummingbird on the island. (Owen Deutsch / owendeutsch.com)

African finfoots are found in the forest, wooded savannah, flooded forest, and even mangrove swamps across Africa as long as rivers are nearby... (Edward Peach)

African finfoots are found in the forest, wooded savannah, flooded forest, and even mangrove swamps across Africa as long as rivers are nearby… (Edward Peach)

The Blue-footed booby was first studied by Charles Darwin, and is distributed on the continental coastline of E Pacific Ocean from California through the Galápagos Islands all thew way down S to Peru. Photographed here on Floreana Island (Galápagos Islands). (Antero Topp)

The Blue-footed booby was first studied by Charles Darwin, and is distributed on the continental coastline of E Pacific Ocean from California through the Galápagos Islands all thew way down S to Peru. Photographed here on Floreana Island (Galápagos Islands). (Antero Topp)

The broad-billed tody is endemic to lower altitudes of the island of Hispaniola. (Matthew Matthiessen / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

The broad-billed tody is endemic to lower altitudes of the island of Hispaniola. (Matthew Matthiessen / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

Indian peacocks are resident breeders on the Indian Subcontinent (including Sri Lanka) and prefer the drier lowland areas with open forest or cultivated lands. (Chaitanya Solanki)

Indian peacocks are resident breeders on the Indian Subcontinent (including Sri Lanka) and prefer the drier lowland areas with open forest or cultivated lands. (Chaitanya Solanki)

Horned guans are Endangered by habitat loss and hunting in the humid mountain forests of SE Mexico and Guatemala in Central America (up to 3,350m asl). (J.Bernardo Sánchez)

Horned guans are Endangered by habitat loss and hunting in the humid mountain forests of SE Mexico and Guatemala in Central America (up to 3,350m asl). (J.Bernardo Sánchez)

Fisher's turacos prefer the tropical moist lowland and montane forests of  Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. (J.Bernardo Sánchez)

Fisher’s turacos prefer the tropical moist lowland and montane forests of Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. (J.Bernardo Sánchez)

Eurasian coots breed in freshwater lakes and ponds in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. (Geir Jensen)

Eurasian coots breed in freshwater lakes and ponds in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. (Geir Jensen)

Common kingfishers are estimated to have a global distribution covering over 10 million square kilometres and are abundant throughout their range with an estimated 160,000–320,000 individuals in Europe. (Gurum Ekalavya)

Common kingfishers are estimated to have a global distribution covering over 10 million square kilometres and are abundant throughout their range with an estimated 160,000–320,000 individuals in Europe. (Gurum Ekalavya)

Cape shovelers are near-endemic to open wetlands (e.g. wet grasslands or marshes with some emergent vegetation) of South Africa. (Richard & Eileen Flack / www.theflacks.co.za)

Cape shovelers are near-endemic to open wetlands (e.g. wet grasslands or marshes with some emergent vegetation) of South Africa. (Richard & Eileen Flack / www.theflacks.co.za)

Rainbow lorikeets have a wide distributional range in Australasia, including Australia, E Indonesia, W New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. (Vijay Chelsea)

Rainbow lorikeets have a wide distributional range in Australasia, including Australia, E Indonesia, W New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. (Vijay Chelsea)

Pied kingfishers are one of the most widely distributed and abundant kingfshers on earth, and are common sightings along waterways throughout sub-Saharan Africa and S Asia from Turkey to India and China. (Udi Dror)

Pied kingfishers are one of the most widely distributed and abundant kingfshers on earth, and are common sightings along waterways throughout sub-Saharan Africa and S Asia from Turkey to India and China. (Udi Dror)

Red-and-yellow barbets are distributed in broken terrain like dry or seeasonal riverbeds, clay cliffs and landscapes with termite mounds, in central Kenya to NE Tanzania. (Markus Lilje / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

Red-and-yellow barbets are distributed in broken terrain like dry or seeasonal riverbeds, clay cliffs and landscapes with termite mounds, in central Kenya to NE Tanzania. (Markus Lilje / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

Southern crowned pigeons are endemic to the S lowland forests of New Guinea, and is very similar in appearance to the Victoria crowned pigeons and and western crowned pigeon. (Markus Lilje / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

Southern crowned pigeons are endemic to the S lowland forests of New Guinea, and is very similar in appearance to the Victoria crowned pigeons and and western crowned pigeon. (Markus Lilje / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

Spotted owlets are primarily found on the Indian Subcontinent, breeding throughout tropical Asia all the way to SE Asia. (Anantha Murthy)

Spotted owlets are primarily found on the Indian Subcontinent, breeding throughout tropical Asia all the way to SE Asia. (Anantha Murthy)

Common snipes can be found in the marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in N Europe and N Asia, migrating in winter in S and W Europe, as well as S Africa and tropical Asia. (Lennart Hessel)

Common snipes can be found in the marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows in N Europe and N Asia, migrating in winter in S and W Europe, as well as S Africa and tropical Asia. (Lennart Hessel)

Madagascar scops owls are endemic to the dwindling rainforests and humid marginal woodlands of N and E Madagascar from sea-level all the way up to about 1800m asl. (Alison Buttigieg)

Madagascar scops owls are endemic to the dwindling rainforests and humid marginal woodlands of N and E Madagascar from sea-level all the way up to about 1800m asl. (Alison Buttigieg)

 Brown fish owls are resident breeders throughout most tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian Subcontinent (including Sri Lanka) all the way across to SE Asia and SE China (Bhanu Singh)

Brown fish owls are resident breeders throughout most tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian Subcontinent (including Sri Lanka) all the way across to SE Asia and SE China (Bhanu Singh)

Blue-capped rock thrushes are resident breeders in the foothills of the Himalayas, migrating to to the hill forests of S India. (Rahul Deshpande)

Blue-capped rock thrushes are resident breeders in the foothills of the Himalayas, migrating to to the hill forests of S India. (Rahul Deshpande)

Fischer's lovebirds are Near-Threatened and only found within a restricted range in east-central Africa, mainly to the S and SE of Lake Victoria in N Tanzania, extending into the Serengeti National Park. (Raj Dhage)

Fischer’s lovebirds are Near-Threatened and only found within a restricted range in east-central Africa, mainly to the S and SE of Lake Victoria in N Tanzania, extending into the Serengeti National Park. (Raj Dhage)

White-breasted kingfishers are widely distributed across Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey in the W all the way through to the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines. (Koushik Sreedhar)

White-breasted kingfishers are widely distributed across Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey in the W all the way through to the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines. (Koushik Sreedhar)

Malabar pied hornbills are a common sighting in the evergreen and moist deciduous forests of tropical and subtropical Asia from the Indian Subcontinent E to Borneo. Its habitat is , often near human settlements. (Gururaj Moorching)

Malabar pied hornbills are a common sighting in the evergreen and moist deciduous forests of tropical and subtropical Asia from the Indian Subcontinent E to Borneo. Its habitat is , often near human settlements. (Gururaj Moorching)

Vigor's sunbirds is endemic to the W Ghats, preferring the northern W Ghats, but has been sighted in the Nilgiris. (Gururaj Moorching)

Vigor’s sunbirds is endemic to the W Ghats, preferring the northern W Ghats, but has been sighted in the Nilgiris. (Gururaj Moorching)

European robin are distributed across most of Europe and all the way E to W Siberia and down south to N Africa, only migrating in the northernmost part of their distribution. (Fabio Usvardi)

European robin are distributed across most of Europe and all the way E to W Siberia and down south to N Africa, only migrating in the northernmost part of their distribution. (Fabio Usvardi)

The little-known spotted wood kingfisher is endemic to the subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests of the Philippines. (Boyet Lorenzo)

The little-known spotted wood kingfisher is endemic to the subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests of the Philippines. (Boyet Lorenzo)

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