m̌ ḫ's photos with the keyword: birds

There are many swans in Windsor. Swan Upping is an annual census of this bird's population of the River Thames. The ceremony takes place during the third week of July every year. The historic ceremony dates back to the 12th C a.d. when the Crown claimed ownership of all the mute swans. Today the Crown retains the right of ownership of all unmarked mute swans on certain stretches of the River Thames and its surrounding tributaries. While rowing by Windsor Castle, it’s tradition for the Uppers to toast to “Her Majesty the Queen, Seigneur of the Swans.” The Queen isn’t usually home to appreciate the gesture—she’s only attended one Swan Upping throughout her entire reign.

The snow pigeon (Columba leuconota) is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the family Columbidae from hilly regions of central Asia. They are grey, black, pale brown and white birds, and two races are recognised; C. l. leuconota occurs in Afghanistan and the western Himalayas; C. l. gradaria occurs in the mountains of East Tibet and from East Nan Shan (Qinghai) to Yunnan. The birds forage in open country in pairs or small groups, feeding on grain, buds, shoots, berries and seeds. They roost at night on cliffs, breeding in crevices where they build untidy stick nests and lay a clutch of usually two white eggs. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the bird's conservation status as being of "least concern".