Darkzonebirds

The  Vulturine guineafowl  ( acryllium vulturinum ) is the largest extant species  of guinaefowl . Systematically, it is only distantly related to other guineafowl genera. Its closest living relative, the White breasted ginaefowl ,  Agelastes meleagrides  inhabit primary forests in Central Africa. It is a member of the bird  family Numididae , and is the only member of the genus  Acryllium . It is a resident breeder in northeast Africa , from southern Ehiopia  through Kenya  and just into northern Tanzania . Description: The vulturine guineafowl is a large (61–71 cm) bird with a round body and small head. It has a longer wings, neck, legs and tail than other guineafowl. The adult has a bare blue face and black neck, and although all other guineafowl have unfeathered heads, this species looks particularly like a vulture because of the long bare neck and head. The slim neck projects from a cape o...

The Spectacled Eider ( Somateria fischeri ) is a large sea duck that breeds on the coasts of Alaska and Northern Siberia. The spectacled eider is slightly smaller than the common eider at 52–57 cm (20–22 inches) in length. The male is unmistakable with its black body, white back, and yellow-green head with the large circular white eye patches which give the species its name. The drake's call is a weak crooning, and the female's a harsh croak. The female is a rich brown bird, but can still be readily distinguished from all ducks except other eider species on size and structure. The paler goggles are visible with a reasonable view and clinch identification. Immature birds and eclipse adult drakes are similar to the female. The binomial commemorates the German scientist  Johann Fischer von waldheim . Distribution: Currently, spectacled eiders occur along the coast of Alaska and easternmost Rus...

The Golden Pheasant, also known as the Chinese Pheasant, and Rainbow Pheasant, is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (galliformes bird) and the family Phasianidae (pheasants). The genus name is from Ancient Greek"Khrusolophus", with golden crest, and "pictus" is Latin for painted from "pingere", to paint. Description: It is native to forests in mountainous ares of western China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Australlia, and New Zealand. In England they may be found in East Anglia in the dense forests landscape of the Breckland as well as Teresco on the Isles of Scilly.                              The adult male is 90–105 cm (35–41 in) in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. ...

Strelitzia reginae, commonly known as the crane flower or bird of paradise, is a species of flowering plant indigenous of South Africa. An evergreen perennial, it is widely cultivated fir its dramatic flowers. In temperate areas it is a popular houseplant. Description: The plant grows to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, with large, strong leaves 25 - 70 cm (9.8 - 27.6 in) long and 10 - 30 (3.9 - 11.8 in) broad, produced on petioles up to 1 m (39 in) long. The leaves are evergreen and arranged in two ranks, making a fan-shaped crown. The flowers stand above the foliage at the tips of long stalks. The hard, beak -like sheath from which the flower emerges is termed the spathe. This is placed perpendicular to the stem, which gives it the appearance of a bird's head and beak; it makes a durable perch for holding the sunbirds which pollinate the flowers. The flowers, which emerge one at a time from the spathe, consist of three brilliant orange sepals and three purplish-blue or white petals...