wildlife appreciation

Blue-banded Pitta (Erythropitta arquata), family Pittidae, order Passeriformes, endemic to Borneo

A rock hyrax pup (Procavia capensis) pokes its head out of a rock formation in Maasai Mara National Preserve, Kenya

Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi), family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes, Costa Rica

Our fucked up dolphins

Our fucked up porcupines

Our fucked up snakes

This

 Andaman Day Gecko (Phelsuma andamanensis), male, family Gekkonidae, Andaman Islands, India

Surprise! Scientifically described in 1898—and last spotted in 1913—the red-crested tree rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) was thought to be extinct for more than a century. That changed in 2011, when two observers in a Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta nature reserve in Colombia stumbled upon this critter. This long-whiskered rodent can grow up to 17 in (45.7 cm) long. It’s nocturnal and arboreal, though little is known about this species’ behavior. The red-crested tree rat is listed as Critically Endangered, due to loss of habitat. 

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) male. Family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes.

Skipping ahead from Texas cause i'm tired of editing those photos for now LOL. I took a weekend trip to Arkansas for Memorial day weekend and saw lots of beautiful birds - and got one lifer!

Azure Tit (Cyanistes cyanus), family Paridae, order Passeriformes, Russia

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), chick (fledgling), family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes, Arizona, USA

Cloven-feathered Dove (Drepanoptila holosericea), family Columbidae, endemic to New Caledonia