We at Birdorable are proud to have provided use of our cute Andean Cock-of-the-rock image to The Field Museum's 24th rapid inventory team that traveled to the Kampankis mountains of Peru this summer. A few months ago, we were kindly contacted by one of the conservation biologists working on the survey. We were asked if our Andean Cock-of-the-rock could be used for the team's t-shirt, and we were happy to comply! The survey was done in northern Peru, in an area where Andean Cocks-of-the-rock are abundant. Below is a photo of some of the team members when they recently arrived in Tarapoto after the survey. If you look closely, you'll find at least five Birdorables in the photo!

These surveys are huge team efforts and entail adventure and discovery. For example, the above photograph was taken during an earthquake after a multi-day weather delay. If you'd like to learn more about the high adventure and about the fascinating work done during the rapid survey of the Kampankis mountains, check out the rapid inventories of remote regions blog.

Get ready to dress up your pumpkins this Halloween with some cute Birdorable birds! Below you can download four different cute bird pumpkin carving patterns of varying skill levels as free downloads. Two of our patterns are simple bird cut-outs, and two are inverted designs where the area around the bird must be carved away. Just click on a pattern thumbnail to download the PDF and get carving!

• Our first free pumpkin carving pattern is a cut-out Birdorable chickadee. Chickadees love Halloween, you know! After all, they are always singing, "Trick or treat-treat-treat-treat," aren't they?!
• Next, our free spoonbill pumpkin pattern is another cut-out, though a bit more involved. You know, I bet that spoon-shaped bill would be very handy at cleaning out pumpkin guts this time of year!
• Our cute owl pumpkin cut-away pattern has the owl looking out from inside the pumpkin, how adorable! Owls own the night - even on Halloween - and this little cutie is no exception.
• Finally, we have our cute Birdorable Tufted Titmouse pumpkin pattern. This is another cute-away job, and requires a steady hand to leave enough pumpkin to keep the bird afloat. Be careful carving that wing, too!

Have you used any of our free printable downloads at home, in your classroom, or at an event? We’d love to hear about it! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!

The Roseate Spoonbill is one of the newest birds to join the Birdorable family. Here are some fun facts about this unique species.

1. Did you know the term for a group of spoonbills is called a bowl? Imagine spotting a bowl of Roseate Spoonbills in the wild – what a breathtaking view that would be!

2. The stunning pink hue of the Roseate Spoonbills isn't just for show. It comes from their diet, which mainly consists of crustaceans that have been dining on algae. This diet directly influences their vivid coloring.

3. In areas like Florida, it's common for people to mix up Roseate Spoonbills with flamingos, given their similar pink shades. Despite this, they are very different species with their own unique characteristics.

4. Among the six species of spoonbills that roam our planet, the Roseate Spoonbill is the only one boasting pink feathers, setting it apart from its relatives.

5. The Roseate Spoonbill also has the distinction of being the sole spoonbill species found throughout the Americas. This fact makes it a special sight for birdwatchers in the region.

6. A fascinating aspect of Roseate Spoonbill biology is that chicks are born with straight beaks. As they grow, the beaks gradually morph into the distinctive spoon shape, a key adaptation for their feeding habits.

7. Speaking of feeding, Roseate Spoonbills have a unique method of eating. They sweep their spoon-shaped bills through water to catch prey like fish or insects, closing their bills quickly when they touch something edible.

8. The resilience of the Roseate Spoonbill is remarkable. The oldest known individual in the wild was found in the Florida Keys in 2006. The bird had been banded in 1990, and was an amazing 16 years old. This was quite the jump from the previously recorded lifespan of seven years for the species.

9. Social butterflies, or rather, social birds of the wetlands, Roseate Spoonbills enjoy the company of their kind. They feed, nest, and fly together, forming a tight-knit community with other wading birds.

10. And, don't forget, the Roseate Spoonbill made its Birdorable debut on September 6th, 2011. Be sure to check out our array of Roseate Spoonbill t-shirts and gifts, a must-have for enthusiasts of this splendid species.

International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) may be tomorrow, but we here at Birdorable love vultures all year, and we can't wait to introduce our newest Birdorable bird: the Lammergeier, or Bearded Vulture.

Lammergeiers like to eat dead things (just like people, if you think about it!), but they are a bit picky when it comes to their favorite treat: bone marrow! While they can easily swallow some bones, very large bones require a bit more work. Lammergeiers are so smart, they have a great trick to get at the bone marrow inside the bones of very large carcasses: they drop them on rocks! The bird will hold the bone and fly up high above a rocky area. At just the right moment, it will drop the bone so that it is broken or shattered by the rocks below. The Lammergeier then proceeds to chow down on the bone fragments along with the nutritious marrow inside. To help you celebrate IVAD, please have a look at our free fun vulture downloads, including an all-new Lammergeier coloring page. And check out our cute Lammergeier gifts.