Meet The Only Land Bird Native To Antarctica
By: EjazUlHaqBhat
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The snowy sheathbill, a white, stocky, pigeon-like bird, is the only land bird native to Antarctica
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The snowy sheathbill is about 15 inches long, with white plumage, a pale pink face, and a dark beak
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It is covered in dense, white plumage with a thick gray underdown, and has a naked, pale pinkish face with thick, fleshy eye-rings
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The snowy sheathbill is an opportunistic scavenger that eats almost anything it can find, including penguin eggs
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It is often found on the ground, and is commonly spotted at penguin nesting sites
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The snowy sheathbill is also known as the greater sheathbill, pale-faced sheathbill, and paddy
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Although considered a land bird, the snowy sheathbill is ancestrally related to seabirds, similar to gulls
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It spends 86% of its day hunting for food and the other 14% resting
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ndtv.com