A List of Forest Birds

Australia

• The cassowary is a 72 inches tall flightless bird that lives in the rain forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. It has a casque, or blunt horn, on top of its head, a blue neck with a red wattle and scaly skin on its legs. The wings are tiny and useless. The cassowary has a variety of calls, including booms, roars, hisses and rumbles. They're usually solitary and the female is larger than the male. She will sometimes mate with more than one male during the breeding season. The large blade-like claw on the cassowary's outer toe can eviscerate a human being.

New Zealand

• The flightless kiwi lives in the forest or at the edge of the forest in New Zealand. It's a 28 inches long, round bird whose plumage is more like hair than feathers. Its nostrils are at the very tip of its bill. The female lays an egg one-fifth of her body weight, which the male incubates. The New Zealand pigeon is about 20 inches long Sparkling blue and purple sheets break u its dull plumage. The New Zealand pigeon eats fruit, berries, buds, flowers and leaves.

North America

• The gray catbird is named for its mewing call. It's about 8.5 inches long, and is gray all over, with a black cap. It lives in deciduous forests as well as gardens and parks. It's usually appears on the ground, and it feeds on berries, seeds, insects and other invertebrates. The American robin ranges from Canada down to Guatemala. The robin used to live exclusively in the forest but now appears everywhere in its range. It's a ground feeder, about 10 inches long. Birdwatchers can see it when it's pulling up worms and scratching for insects.

Europe

• The western honey buzzard is a bird of prey that attacks wasp and wild bee colonies. It watches the nest, then digs it out and eats whatever honey there is, the larvae, and the adult insects. It's protected from stings by feathers on its legs and scaly skin. It will also eat mice and frogs. It lives in much of Europe down to Africa and west to Siberia. The wood warbler is a songbird, about 4 and one quarter inches long. It roosts at the top of the forest canopy, but nests on the ground. It has a trilling song and feeds on insects. Though it breeds in Europe, it winters in Africa.