Photos

A male common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) must pay close attention to the condition of his multicolored plumage. These birds dive into the water to catch prey, but they need to make sure their feathers stay clean and waterproof so they can fly.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE PETERSBURGER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A single coiled tail feather of a king bird of paradise (Cicinnurus regius)—they come in pairs on live birds—hints at the extravagant displays males put on to attract females. The species is native to the rain forests of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) displays both stripes and dots in a fashion-forward mix of feathers. The captive animal in Lincoln, Nebraska, posed for National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore for his Photo Ark project.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A sulfur-crested cockatoo unfurls its Mohawk to reveal delicate yellow feathers underneath. The species garnered internet fame when a video of Snowball the cockatoo rocking out to a pop song went viral.

That video caught the attention of researchers in 2009. After some testing, it turned out that the sulfur-crested cockatoo was truly able to keep a beat and "dance." The species was the first aside from humans noted by the research community that could follow a melody.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Colours shimmer on a single feather from the shoulder of a scarlet macaw (Ara macao).
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A male red bird of paradise poses in an upside-down display on Batanta Island, Indonesia.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM LAMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Showing off what looks like the ultimate bad hair day, these domestic silkie showgirl chickens strike a pose for National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

Sartore, who was at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas to photograph wild species, couldn't turn down these domestic beauties when keepers offered them up. "They looked so good, I just couldn't say no to photographing them," he wrote in a 2012 post.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

In life, a male red bird of paradise (Paradisaea rubra) would display his tail feathers (pictured) in a brilliant upside-down display. All that effort is for the chance to mate with a female and pass on his genes to the next generation.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A male magnificent bird of paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus) poses for the ladies on his perch in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Females of the species are a comparatively drab olive brown.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM LAMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The mounted feathers from the left side of a young male wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) are part of the collection at the Zoological Museum Hamburg in Germany. Wallcreepers are found throughout Europe and southwest Asia; this particular bird came from the Swiss Alps.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) hunches on a semi-submerged rock on the Occoquan river in Northern Virginia. The birds are the largest of North America's herons and are expert fishers.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KENT KOBERSTEEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

An adult male Wilson's bird of paradise (Cicinnurus respublica) shows off modified, wirelike tail feathers shaped like sickles. It's because of this distinctive feature that this species, along with two related species, are called "sickletails."
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A male greater bird of paradise (Paradisaea apoda) poses in the hope of attracting a female in the Aru Islands of Indonesia. This courtship display happens on treetop branches the birds have stripped of their leaves, leaving a clear space in which to put on displays in the early morning light.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM LAMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The Jacobin pigeon is one of approximately 350 breeds of domesticated pigeon around the world. Most such breeds descend from the wild rock pigeon (Columba livia).
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC