Here are two new Birdorable coloring pages for some cute coloring fun: the Willow Ptarmigan (or Willow Grouse) and Chestnut-sided Warbler. Go to Coloring Pages to download these two new PDFs and check the Meet the Birds page to check the colors.

These downloads will be available until 31 December 2009. Check here for more coloring pages. Subscribe to the Birdorable Blog by RSS feed or by email to get notified when new downloads like this are added.

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is native to New Zealand, where it is also called Hoiho. There are only about 4,000 of these cute penguins left and it is considered one of the world's rarest penguins. Threats include habitat degradation and the introducion of predators, like wild cats and ferrets. In spring 2004, a disease killed off 60% of yellow-eyed Penguins on the Otago peninsula and in North Otago. The disease was described as diphtheritic stomatitis, but that is just a secondary infection while the primary pathegen remains unknown. A similar problem has affected another population on Stewart Island, where in six years about 70% of the penguin chicks died from a mystery illness. A reserve protecting more than 10% of the mainland population was established in 2007 in the Catlins by the Department of Conservation and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. A 12km coastal reserve in the Catlins in the south of New Zealand's South Island was established in 2007 for the protection of the Yellow-eyed Penguin by the Department of Conservation.

In this week's featured Birdorable t-shirt design a group of Birdorable Canada Geese form a large Peace Symbol, also known as a Geese Symbol. Support peace on earth in style, with this cute Birdorable peace design. For more funny Birdorables see our funny designs section.

Two days ago we blogged about our new Birdorable Kiwi and today it's the turn of another flightless bird in the ratites family: the Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and it lays the largest egg of any living bird. Five different subspecies are recognized: Southern, North African (most common), Masai, Arabian (extinct) and Somali. Ostriches used to live in most of Africa and much of Asia Minor. Today they are native to the open savannas and Sahel of Africa. The Arabian subspecies used to be very common in the Arabian Peninsula, Syria and Iraq, but became extinct around 1966. They have excellent vision and hearing that helps them sense lions and other predators from far away. When being chased by a predator, Ostriches are known to reach speeds in excess of 45mph (70km/h) and they can maintain a steady speed of 30mph (50km/h), making them the world's fastest two-legged animal.

Photo by Eric Thomson (from Flickr)

Today we've added the Brown Kiwi to Birdorable. Don't you just love this cutiepie? Here are some facts about this amazing bird:

1. Kiwi are flightless birds. After New Zealand split off from Pangaea the Kiwi birds were isolated and no longer had any land predators. As a result they began to evolve smaller and smaller wings because they didn't need to fly.
2. They are the world's only wingless birds
3. The Kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the end of its bill
4. Kiwi have an excellent sense of smell but weak eyesight
5. It can smell insects underground without seeing or feeling them
6. Kiwi have no tail
7. They are a member of the Ratite family, together with Cassowary, Emu and Ostrich
8. The beak of the Kiwi is one-third the length of its body
9. The genus name of the bird, Apteryx, is Greek for 'without wing'
10. Kiwi are about the size of a domestic chicken (18 to 22 inches or 45 to 55 cm in length)
11. They have very strong legs for ripping apart rotten logs
12. Kiwi have been around for about 8 million years and haven't evolved much in this time
13. There are five different species of Kiwi, all are endangered: Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi, Okarito Brown Kiwi, Tokoea and North Island Brown Kiwi
14. The Kiwi is the national symbol of New Zealand
15. Kiwi can outrun humans
16. They are shy and nocturnal
17. Male and female Kiwi mate for life; some are known to have been together for 30 years
18. Kiwi lay the largest egg in relation to their body size; up to one quarter the weight of the female
19. Baby Kiwi look just like a mini version of the adults
20. The name either comes from its distinct cry: "kee-wee kee-wee" or from the Polynesian name for the Bristled-Thighed Curlew, the Kivi, which feeds in the same way as the Kiwi
21. The New Zealand dollar is often called the 'kiwi dollar'
22. Kiwifruit comes from China and was originally called Chinese gooseberries. In the 1960s, kiwifruit farmers in New Zealand decided to market their fruit overseas and called them "kiwifruit", after their national symbol

Back in June we introduced the Birdorable Tree Sparrow. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is a small passerine bird related the the House Sparrow. Tree Sparrows live across much of Europe and Asia, although numbers are declining in some parts of western Europe.

Tree Sparrows are unfortunately on the decline in the United Kingdom - up to 50% in some areas. Research is being done to determine the cause of the decline as well as track current successful sparrow habitat and breeding grounds. Sightings of Tree Sparrows can be submitted to researchers online at TreeSparrows.com. The website's newsletter provides updated information on the research project and national sightings. Swag to show your support is also available.

This week's featured t-shirt is our brand-new embroidered Birdorable Cardinal on this Ladies Polo Shirt. We're proud to announce our first Birdorable bird presented in beautiful embroidery! The stitched Northern Cardinal is also available on jackets & hats. You can even customize the design and add your own embroidered text! How cool is that?

Here are two new Birdorable coloring pages for some cute coloring fun. This time it's the turn of our Birdorable Rock Pigeon and American Robin. Go to Coloring Pages to download these two new PDFs and check the Meet the Birds page to check the colors.

These downloads will be available until 15 December 2009. Check here for more coloring pages. Subscribe to the Birdorable Blog by RSS feed or by email to get notified when new downloads like this are added.

This week's featured t-shirt is this New Zealand Save the Kakapo design. Birdorable is proud to support Kakapo conservation: 30% of the retail price of every Birdorable Kakapo product sale will be donated to the Kakapo Recovery Programme in New Zealand. For more information see our Save the Kakapo page.

Do you think this parrot looks cute? Don't let the cute big eyes fool you. This parrot is a killer! The Kea is native to the South Island of New Zealand and is one of only a few parrots in the world that lives in alpine regions. They to used to be killed by farmers for they preyed on livestock, especially sheep. Can you believe this cute parrot would attack a sheep?

The above drawing from 1882 shows a Kea on the back of a sheep. The birds have the reputation for pecking through the skin of a sheep to take fat from around the kidneys. This usually does not immediately kill the animal, but often a fatal blood infection follows. A bounty was placed on the birds that caused a heavy reduction in their numbers, but now they are a protected species. Here is a shocking clip from Animal Planet narrated by David Attenborough. Warning: this video is not for the faint of heart

The kea is the 213th bird species we've cutified as a Birdorable. It's available on customizable t-shirts and gifts. For more cute parrots and parakeets see Meet the Birds.