Little Crow

Overall the Cape Griffon is creamy-white, much paler and larger than the White-backed Vulture. At close range, the adult’s eyes are honey-colored, and there is a speckled stripe along the middle of the wing. They nest in small to large colonies in hills and mountains but will fly hundreds of kilometers to forage. The similar White-backed Vulture is smaller and darker with a wing that is more contrasting between flight feathers and the remainder of the underwing; at close range its dark eyes are visible.

Handsome lark with flashing white wing patches. Note streaky gray-brown back, white underparts, and warm rufous shoulder; male also has distinct red cap and ear coverts. Forages in large flocks outside of the breeding season. Favors wide expansive dry steppelands and fields; occasionally encountered in agricultural areas. Song is a jumble of trills, chirps, harsh rasps, and twittering notes.

Large, spectacular, and basically unmistakable penguin that is rarely seen away from well-known colony sites. The long and stout bill distinguishes King from the even larger but shorter-billed Emperor Penguin, which is a true Antarctic species, rarely seen far from ice. Also note the golden neck patches (can fade to whitish on immatures) and pink bill base (bill starts out black on immature). Breeding season requires more than a year, so birds can be seen year-round at colonies.