I officially started birding in late January, 2021. One of my first ventures up City Creek Canyon, the canyon immediately behind my neighborhood in the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah, was in mid-March of that year. As I was walking up the canyon, two birders were coming down the canyon and asked me, ‘have you seen it?’ Now, for those of you that are not birders, when you are in the field and a fellow birder asks ‘if you’ve seen it’, the ‘it’ is usually something rare that’s been reported in the area, and it’s assumed that if you are birding in that spot, you are there to see ‘it’.
Classification: Woodpeckers & Toucans
Keel-billed Toucan (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The toucans of Central and South America are some of the most unmistakable birds in the world thanks to their enormous bills and vivid colours. The beautiful keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as the rainbow-billed or sulphur-breasted toucan, is perhaps the most iconic member of this family.
Backyard Birds TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (5 votes)
Birds are without question the most prevalent tetrapod vertebrates in today’s world and for many people, especially in urban settings, birds are the most intimate link to the natural world available. Step outside, no matter where you are, you’re likely to see or hear a bird. Even as a write, I can see about a dozen birds at my bird feeder.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Wildlife by CollectA)
5 (3 votes)
Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world and certainly the largest to inhabit North America. Tragically, after relentless decades of hunting, pollution, and deforestation, this magnificent bird is largely believed to have gone the way of the thylacine and the quagga.
Toco Toucan (Wild Life by Schleich)
5 (3 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The giant toucan or toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) is one of those unmistakable birds almost anyone recognizes even with no ornithological background at all. There are a number of models to choose from generally, although quite a number are hard to come by and the quality is mixed.