There is also a wealth of birdlife under these enormous skies, such as ibises, herons, cormorants, egrets and owls.

BBC: Venezuela��s Andean playground

Established in 1929 by President Hoover to protect a breeding ground for migratory birds, the sanctuary still ranks as one of the largest nesting areas in north Florida, for birds such as ibises, pelicans, egrets and double-crested cormorants.

BBC: Mini guide to natural Florida

While few would go to the lengths of the ancient Egyptians, whose desert cemeteries include several thousand animals and at least 2m mummified birds in the catacombs of the sacred ibises, the modern burial ritual is still an elaborate affair.

ECONOMIST: The world��s way of death