Waxwings are a family (Bombycillidae) of passerine birds characterized by their soft, silky plummage. Some of the wing feathers have unique red tips where the shafts extend beyond the barbs; in the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its common name. There are three species of…
At the end of every quarter the Sifter will highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘, culminating in an epic Top 100 at the end of the year (check out the ‘Top 100 POTDs for 2012‘). It’s hard to believe we’re already a 1/4 of the way through 2013. Below you will find…
ORCAS IN ALASKA Photograph by Rennett Stowe In this beautiful capture by Rennett Stowe we see two Orcas surfacing as they make their way through a fjord in Alaska. In the distance a massive glacier can be seen. The killer whale (Orcinus orca), also referred to as the orca whale or orca,…
COOLEST. DUCK. EVER. Photograph via ubomw on Reddit Why fly when you can surf? This is without doubt, the coolest duck in the history of our planet. It was uploaded to Reddit earlier this week by ubomw and has since spawned an epic photoshop battle. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to verify…
Photograph by Bob Henricks Caddisflies are an order (Trichoptera) of insects with approximately 12,000 described species. They can be described as small moth-like insects with two pairs of hairs membranous wings. One of the most interesting characteristics of the caddisfly is the ornate and highly intricate protective cases they build as larvae. The caddisfly…
We’ve already featured the incredible macro photography of Suren Manvelyan before, showcasing his series on human eyes. This time we check out Suren’s masterful collection of animal eye close-ups. While this post and the one prior focus on Suren’s macro work, his talent spans to portraits, landscapes and other creative photo projects which you…
MOON JELLY Photograph by Alexander Semenov | Prints Available In this beautiful photograph by Alexander Semenov (underwater photographer extraordinaire), we see Aurelia aurita, commonly known as the moon jelly. It is translucent and typically ranges between 5-40 cm in diameter. They are carnivorous and primarily feed on small plankton organisms such as…
By Internet standards, a perfectly timed photo occurs when two of the following three conditions are met: 1. Perfect Place 2. Perfect Time 3. Perfect Angle Sometimes the holy trinity of perfectness is achieved and you get an Internet classic like so many of the photographs below. There are countless galleries of these images…
Sociable Weavers (Philetairus socius) are a species of bird endemic to Southern Africa. They are best known for their gigantic communal nests, which are not only a rarity, but also the largest built by any bird. The nests, designed for year-round usage, can house up to 100 families, totaling 300-400 birds. Some nests have…
Smithsonian Magazine’s 10th Annual Photo Contest has just announced the 50 finalists for this year’s competition. The contest received over 37,600 photo submissions from photographers in 112 countries around the world. The Smithsonian will be awarding eight prizes: Grand Prize: $2,500 Category Winners: The winners of each of the five categories will receive $500…
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