This is an ostrich; and wow talk about a bird's eye view. Ostiches are the largest birds in the world that do not fly; but can run very fast achieving speeds as high as 50 miles per hour; in order to escape any predators that are large enough to hunt them. An ostrich egg can weigh up to 3 lbs and make enough omelet to feed 14 people. WOW!! The feathers on an Ostrich's body are black but it's tail feathers are white. The Ostrich plumes have been prized for many centuries and even worn by Kings and Knights.

Here are a male and female mallard. The male is the most colorful one of the two as you can see; this trait is quite common within the bird species unlike other species where the female may have the more glamorous traits. These type of birds are free to come and go from the zoo as they please.

The Mallard is a common American wild duck which is related to the geese family. They like to nest along the shores of rivers and bays. In the summer they go far north and in the winter they travel as far south as possible.

This is an egret at close view. The egret is a beautiful white bird with a long neck. It is related to the heron family. At one point they were endangered; because during breeding season they would grow a beautiful white plumage from their backs. These plumes were admired and each plume was sold for about 25 dollars each to dress up women's hats. They were almost killed into extinction because of this; but now they thrive quite well as women grew ashame to wear their plumes.

Here is another picture of an ostrich and although not so close an interesting side view of just how long their necks really are.

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