Bird envy – I was struck with a severe case of it when I went to the Atlanta Zoo last week. I saw so many beautiful birds that I wish were in my own backyard! Here are some photos of a few.

First is the Taveta Golden Weaver, which is only found in an itsy bitsy portion of the East Coast of Africa. This fellow was slightly shy, and tended to stay in the cover of the bushes.

Taveta Golden Weaver

The Racket-tailed Roller (don’t you love that name!) sat, sang, and leisurely sunned himself on a branch. What a stunning African bird. His breast feathers are such a lovely shade of blue.

Racket-tailed Roller

The Guira Cuckoo, which is found in South America, was the most entertaining bird of the day. Quite the ham, he practically followed me around, posing for the camera. Here he is drying his feathers after a rather exuberant bath. I wish I could have brought him home with me!

Guira Cuckoo

Getting a picture of the Golden Pheasant proved to be a challenge. These birds stayed on the lower level (which was locked off…by a big lock…that wouldn’t budge…) and rarely came out in the open. I guess their bright colors make them easy prey in the wild. Isn’t he breathtaking!

Golden Pheasant

This Blue-breasted Kingfisher (another spectacular bird) is found in Central Africa. The direct sunlight sapped his colors of some of their vibrancy, but trust me, he is a beauty. I could have stood and watched him all afternoon; in fact, I practically did.

Blue-breasted Kingfisher

And last, but not least, every country has its pigeons. This Speckled Pigeon is found in Middle Africa.

Speckled Pigeon

If you want to see some beautiful bird pictures actually taken in Africa, check out this post by my blogging buddy Sue, over at Backyard Biology.  And yes, she too is causing me bird envy!

http://bybio.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/beautiful-birds-of-botswana/

Let’s close with one more picture of the Racket-tailed Roller. Seems to be copping a bit of an attitude, doesn’t he!