ACROSS
8 Corvid that might be carrion or hooded (4)
9 Australian coastal bird in the family Psittaculidae (4,6)
9 Australian coastal bird in the family Psittaculidae (4,6)
10 Reproductive part of a flower (6)
11 Long-extinct reptile (8)
12 Larva of a geometer moth (8)
14 Middle East country, important as a migratory flyway (6)
16 ___ bunting, scarce songbird with a jangling song (4)
17 Edible sac fungus (5)
18 One of the Great Lakes, noted for its population of water snakes (4)
19 Sugary liquid that is produced by flowering plants (6
) 21 Another name for the white-eyed duck of Australia (8) 23 Gregarious songbirds that might be tree or house (8)
26 Omnivorous mustelid with a striped face, found in the UK (6)
27 Large neotropical bird of prey (5,5)
28 Genus of flowering plants, sometimes known as lilies (4)
DOWN
1 Insectivorous wading bird (10)
2 Waterbird related to the gallinules (8)
3 Tropical bird with dark plumage and a forked tail (6)
4 Small marine fish in the same family as jacks (4)
5 Stork that might be Asian or African (8)
6 ___ fir, coniferous tree of the south-east USA (6)
7 Balsam tree that originates from South America (4)
13 ___ harrier, wetland raptor (5)
15 Heathery (10)
17 Small New World monkey (8)
18 Spiny monotremes (8)
20 Tiny sap-sucking insects (6)
22 ___ flies, predatory insects in the family Asilidae (6)
24 Decayed bog matter (4)
25 Woody-stemmed shrub, used as a culinary herb (4)
April answers
Across: 8 ulna, 9 Exe estuary, 10 baobab, 11 tree frog, 12 boar, 13 roadrunner, 17 Spey, 18 shoal, 19 foil, 20 crow garlic, 22 Ural, 23 capybara, 27 gannet, 28 tomato gall, 29 slug. Down: 1 fleahopper, 2 bayberry, 3 red bartsia, 4 sett, 5 Isle, 6 puffin, 7 Arno, 14 atoll, 15 relict gull, 16 ericaceous, 19 Foulness, 21 whydah, 24 anoa, 25 aloe, 26 acai.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
The black-bellied whistling duck, found in North and South America, really does have a whistling call. It looks like this trio may be having a conspiratorial chat. Can you spot all five differences between these images? Answers in ‘Your Letters’