Eurasian Hoopoe
To defend themselves, hoopoe chicks squirt foul-smelling droppings at intruders, and nesting females produce a smelly secretion containing bacteria that help protect the eggs.
Bird
European Bee-eater
Bee-eaters catch bees and wasps in flight, then beat them against a branch and rub off the stinger before swallowing them.
European Robin
European robins were among the first animals shown to use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate, possibly through a quantum effect in their eyes.
Galápagos Penguin
The Galápagos penguin is the only penguin that lives on the equator, and a few even cross into the Northern Hemisphere.
Gentoo Penguin
The gentoo is the fastest-swimming penguin, reaching speeds of about 36 km/h underwater.
Golden Eagle
In the mountains of Mongolia and Kazakhstan, eagle hunters have trained golden eagles for centuries to hunt foxes and even wolves.
Great Bustard
The male great bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, and in spring he puffs up into a white ‘foam bath’ display that makes him look like a giant feather ball.
Great Egret
In the late 1800s, great egrets were hunted almost to extinction for their breeding plumes, and outrage over the trade helped launch the modern bird conservation movement.
Great Hornbill
The female seals herself into a tree-hole nest with mud and droppings, leaving only a slit through which the male feeds her and the chick for months.