Animals

Bug Out!

Scouts and Venturers encounter interesting creatures of all sizes during the 2013 National Scout Jamboree hosted at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Mt. Hope, W. Va. Photo by Daniel M. Reck for Jamboree Today, the news service of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

Sunset on the Beach

The sun sets with a pink glow over the beaches of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Fire in the Sky

A fire hydrant, lit by a nearby street lamp, is framed by a firey sunset over Iowa City, Iowa. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Fine Feathered Friend

The budgerigar, or parakeet, is found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia where the species has survived harsh inland conditions for the last five million years. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Widdle Waddle

A duck enjoys a leisurely stroll near the banks of Salt Creek in DuPage County, Illinois. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

A spider crawls along the ceiling of a small cave at Wapsipinicon State Park near Anamosa, Iowa. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

All Eyes

A peacock preens at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo by Daiel M. Reck.

A Fishy Mirror

Fish swim in a shaded pond at Marseilles State Fish and Wildlife Area in Illinois. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Look Into My Eyes

Watch out, this feline is keeping a close eye on you. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Breakfast Time

This juvenile budgerigar (parakeet), is an albino naturally lacking all pigmentation. Like all albino animals, her eyes appear red when the light strikes them from certain angles. Albinism is a recessive genetic trait in budgies, who are native to Australia but are commonly kept as pets in many regions of the world. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Peacock Incognito

Peacock at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Something to Say

A peacock at

Maniacal Cackle

This Laughing Kookaburra is not to be crossed at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. The carnivorous birds are native to the eucalyptus forests and woodlands of eastern Australia. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

It's Big Bird!

Meet Big Bird, a 38-year-old double yellow-headed amazon parrot. (That's "double yellow," not "double headed," indicating both the head and nape are yellow.) Sharing the name of the famous Sesame Street character, but not named for it, Big Bird's cousins in the wild are an endangered species native to Mexico and Central America. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

You're Cute!

This albino budgerigar (parakeet), named Diode, naturally lacks all pigmentation. Albinism is a recessive genetic trait in budgies, who are native to Australia but are commonly kept as pets in many regions of the world. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

iBird

This albino budgerigar (parakeet), named Diode, naturally lacks all pigmentation. Albinism is a recessive genetic trait in budgies, who are native to Australia but are commonly kept as pets in many regions of the world. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Bird's Eye View

A view of a bird's eye, particularly the right eye of Irving, a 37-year old blue and gold macaw. These macaws are native to tropical South America, where they are among the largest of parrots. They are long-lived and mate for life. Although they are threatened in some regions, the species is not endangered. Daniel M. Reck.

Not a Turkey

"I'm a turkey, gobble, gobble, gobble," is the favorite phrase of this 37-year-old blue-and-gold macaw named Irving. These macaws are native to tropical South America, where they are among the largest of parrots. They are long-lived and mate for life. Although they are threatened in some regions, the species is not presently endangered. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Tweet This

The budgerigar, or parakeet, is found wild throughout the drier parts of Australia where the species has survived harsh inland conditions for the last five million years. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Eyes on You

Peacock at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Albino Budgie

Diode, a juvenile budgerigar (parakeet), is an albino naturally lacking all pigmentation. Like all albino animals, her eyes appear red when the light strikes them from certain angles. Albinism is a recessive genetic trait in budgies, who are native to Australia but are commonly kept as pets in many regions of the world.

American Toad

The American Toad lives as far southwest as Oklahoma and northeast as Newfoundland and Labrador. This one was found in Monmouth, Illinois. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

Coming Out of His Shell

A cicada sheds his shell after emerging from a 17-year slumber in the Midwestern United States. The insects broadcast a loud chorus by vibrating a drum-like organ. After mating, newly hatched nymphys burrow several feet into the ground. Photo by Daniel M. Reck.

It's a Turkey of a Day

The wild turkey is native to the forests of North America. The birds are thought to have been named by European merchants, perhaps for their similarity to another imported fowl originating from the vicinity of the nation of Turkey. Photo by Mikkel Bergmann.