Yellow-crowned Night Heron in meditation?

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

There are times as a wildlife photographer when you fear that you may disturb something beautiful. This juvenile night heron stood motionless facing the setting sun as if in meditation, standing straight with the under parts of it's wings turned upwards to the last rays of the day.
He is not alone in this practice, I have noticed many species with the same aim, and first understood the practice observing hummingbirds. During late afternoon birds position themselves to expose hard to reach areas to direct sunlight to remove parasites. The heat soon has parasites moving for cooler areas. This makes them easier for the bird to scratch or peck off. For most it is an active practice, but this guy remained motionless, and I left him quietly to his contemplations.

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All photos by +Robert Brent  

Smooth-billed Ani juvenile guarded by female adults

Smooth-billed Ani juvenile guarded by female adults

A young smooth-billed Ani is guarded by two female adults as other members of the group search for food. The Smooth-billed Ani build a communal nest where females lay eggs on top of each other in one large nest. Obviously only a few eggs at the top of the nest hatch into young birds. Nesting duties and parental duties are undertaken by all members of the group which usually number around 12 birds. Smooth-billed Anis are members of the Cuckoo family (Cuculidae), and are restricted to the tropical Americas.

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Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)

Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus)

Tropical Mockingbird head shot added to the Tropical Mockingbird description page. I have noticed that unlike most species where bird plumage is near identical, the Tropical Mockingbirds here can very colouration from quite pale to strongly contrasting such as this bird shown. 

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