encyclopedia of birds split 1

8/13/2019 Encyclopedia of Birds Split 1

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T HE E NCYC LO PE D I A O F


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LIFECYCLE

HABITAT


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The entrance is located at thebottom of the nest colony;thefalcon hangs upside down inorder to enter the nest chamber.

2Flying...A female pygmy falcon fliestoward a large nest colony ofsociable weavers that the falconexploits for its own use.

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Unlike other falcons,the

eggs of the pygmy falcon

are pure white,consistent

with many birds that lay

eggs in concealed nests.

The pygmy falconsrange is dictated by that of

the sociable weaver; it even

avoids otherwise suitable

savannah habitat that is

devoid of weaver nests.

In the K alahari region ofAfrica,pygmy falcons occupy

about one out of every four

sociable weaver colonies.

TREETOPA female falcon perches

at the top of a tall tree.

The African pygmy falcon livesin two distinct and widelyseparated populations in Africa:one in the southwestern part ofthe continent and the other inthe northeast. In either part of

the continent, the pygmy falconinhabits the arid and semiaridsavannah and scrubland, whichfeatures sparse groundcoverand scattered large treesdotting the landscape. TheAfrican pygmy falcon typicallyavoids open forests and forestedges.This falcon also freq uentsthe huge nests of weavers,especially the sociable weaver,P hiletairus socius, sharing itsroosting and nesting site.The pygmy falcon occasionallyshares the nests of the white-headed buffalo weaver andthose of the sparrow weaver.

TASTY MEALA male African pygmy

falcon feasts upon a large

lizard in the savannah.


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BREEDING


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BEHAVIOR

HABITAT

?

BREEDING


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Setophaga. The

painted redstar t,

M yioborus pictu s, is a

close relat ive. Redstar ts

j oin ot her Amer ican wood

war bl ers, as well as t he

ovenbir d, water th rushesand yel lowthroat s, in the

f amily Parulidae. The

f amil y cont ain s abou t 109

species,includi ng th e

yell ow-breasted chat ,

Icteria virens, t he lar gest

Amer ican wood war bl er.

I N FL I GHT

In f l ight , the male redstar t

reveals dist inct ive large

orange patches on t he

win gs and t ail .

Amer ic an

redstar t

Golden- f ront ed

redstar t

PLUM AGE

The mal e i s glossy b la ck wit h a

whi te bel ly and p atches of orange

on i ts wings, sides and t ai l .


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ANDEAN CONDOR

The Andean condors huge wing area allows it to soar on air currents,

and its dense plum age keeps it warm at high altitudes.


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p g p g


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KEY


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FEATURES

Feetareequippedwithspinyscaleson

thesolesofthetoes

andsharptalonsfor

grippingslipperyfish

HasbeenthenationalbirdoftheU.S.since1782

symbolizingfreedom,

powerandmajesty

Baldrefersnottothewhitehead,butto

the piebald (black-and-white)adultplumage

WHERE IN THE

WORLD?

Widelybutthinly

distributedoverthecoastlinesandinland

waterwaysofCanada,

theU.S.andnorthwest

Mexico;rangeextends

fromtheArctictundra

tothesubtropic

mangroves


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LINE -UPChickshatchatintervals

andsovaryinsize.

B UILDINGAFUTUREAnoldruinisanidealsite

forrearingtheyoung.

IDEALSURROUNDINGSGrassyfieldsattractthe

barnowl;theyreagood

sourceofrodentprey.


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SUGARYDRINKAhummingbirdtakes

nectarfromflameofthe

woods,afavoredplant.


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ANTARCTIC NOMADAn albatross wandersgreat distances formonths.

BEAK TO BEAKA chick, almost ready to fledge and begin its long

aerial journeys, receives food from one of its parents.

SAME TIME, NEXTYEAR

Stable pairs return to the

same nest site each year.


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?


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FOOD & FEEDING

A cut aboveWhen feeding, the skimmerflies low over the still surface,ploughing its long lowermandible through the water.

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TOP OF THE BILL

Carried awayIf the prey is small enough, theskimmer can jostle it length-wise in its bill and toss it downits throat while still in flight.

4Uplifting experienceWhen the bill hits a fish, the headreflexively doubles under and the billsnaps shut.The tail dips to stop thebird from crashing into thewater.

3Caught in the middleThe skimmer chooses its line ofattack at random, relying on thechance that its path will happen tointercept that of a fish.

2


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B LACKBI RD

Of t en seen f lying f ast and l ow between shr ubs, wit h f requent changes in

d i rect ion, the blackb i rd is a lso capable of h igh, power fu l , d i rect f l igh t .

PLUMAGE

The males al l- black plumage

is at i ts peak in early

au tumn, a f te r h is summer

molt .T he glossiness of

f resh f eathers is

gradual ly lost

t hr ough wear.

EYE- RI NG

Th e eye- ri ngs are yello w in

both sexes, but are moreobvious in t he male than

B I LL

Bri ght or ange- yellow in

t he male, t he b il l i s

st rong and point ed for

probi ng in the soi l and

pul l ing worm s

f rom thei r burrows.

TAI L

The ta i l is

of ten lowered

and fanned

dur ing


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Turdus, wh ich inc ludesth e American robin ,

Turdus migra tor ius.

Anot her relat ive is th e

o l i ve th r ush ,T. oli vaceus

( be low) , which is a

commo n sight in

subur ban areas of

sout hern Af r ica.

A whit e br east crescent distin guishes t he r ing ouzel (Turdus tor quat us) f rom t he blackbird. Alt hough

th e two species look simi l ar, th ey dif f er in habitat pref erence and character.The rin g

ouzel is usual ly found on high, wi ld moor land, in contrast t o the blackb i rd , which

pref ers suburban gardens and woodland. Unl ike its of ten t ame relat ive,

the r ing ouzel is shy and r est less. Slight ly smal ler an d slim mer t hanthe b lackbi rd , the r ing ouzel ha s longer

wings to suit i t s migrat or y habit s.

Wher eas mo st b lackb ir ds in Br it ain r eside

year- r ound, the r ing ouzel is a summ er vi si-

to r or passage migrant .

FEMAL E

The f emale is dark brown

wit h a pale throat and

mot t l ed breast. Her bi l l is

yellowish- bro wn.T he

j uveni l e i s mor e reddish-brown, wi th heavier mot t l ing.

the female.

FEET

The strong f eet

have shar p

claws th at t he

blackbird uses

to rake the

grou nd whensearching f or prey.

g

courtsh ip .The bi rd

cocks it s t ail a s it

lands on a perch

or i n war nin g

when ala rm ed.


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A tiny ball of energy, the blue tit forages restlessly for insects and nuts.

Its size enables it to exploit food sources hidden from larger species.

WEIGHT

LENGTH

WINGSPAN

SEXUAL

MATURITY

BREEDING

SEASON

NUMBER

OF EGGS

INCUBATION

PERIOD

FLEDGINGPERIOD

BREEDING

0.350.45oz.

4.5"

78"

1year

AprilJune

616

1216days

1622days

1or 2broods


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INTERVAL

TYPICAL

DIET

LIFESPAN

a year

Insects,spiders, seeds,nuts and fruit

Up to 12

years;usually46


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Q UICKGETAWAYAswiftexitavoids

revealingthenestsite.


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C HEEPANDCHEERFULNoisyflocksofbudgerigars

sweepoverdry,open

areasoftheOutback.


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ORDER Psittaciformes

GENUS & SPECIES Nymphicus hollandicus

FAMILYCacatuidae


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BREEDING

CONSERVATION


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Birds eye view

About 15days after hatching,thechick leaps off the edge of thecliff,gliding unsteadily into theocean to join its waiting parents.

4Feeding time

The parents feed their hungryyoung chick upto eight mealsper day,including fish,such assand eels,that are high in fat.

3Tight quarters

Guillemot eggs are pear-shapedto prevent rolling.A parentprepares to incubate its egg;itwill huddle against the cliff wall.

2Room for one more

A common guillemot colonynests on the narrow ledges of asteepcliff face,where the birdswill remain close to their eggs.

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SPECTACULAR SIGHT


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The large eyes give

superb vision when

the bird is hunting in

the twilight.

B ILL

The bill is tiny,but has a

wide gape for catching flying

insects.The wide gape is also

used in a threat display.

T HRO AT

As it patrols the skies,the

nighthawk scoops up insects.

When an adult has fledglings

to feed, it stores a mass of

insects in its throat to take

back to the nest.

P LUMAGE

Both sexes have white wing

patches,but only the male

(left)has a white band on

the tail.The crescent on

his throat is also white,whereas the female has a

smaller,buff-colored throat.

L EGS AN D F EET

These are short and weak.

The nighthawk,in common


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g ,

with all nightjars,has a

comblike central claw with

which it combs and cleans

its bill area after hunting.

Pennant-winged nightjar

European nightjar

Common nighthawk


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HABITAT

BEHAVIOR

FOOD & FEEDING


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BREEDING

CONSERVATION

Numbersofthe once-

plentifulCoopershawk

have dwindled asaresult of

habitat lossand pesticides,

particularlyin the eastern

deciduousforests.Hawks

are protected byfederal

law in the U.S.

BEHAVIOR?

Around the bend

The hawkdashesaround thetreesat high speeds,twistingand

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gp gturningalongthe forestsedge

untilit spotsacrested flycatcher.

Nowhere to hide

On the ground with itsvictim,the Coopershawkholdsitspreywith itsfeet before tearingmeatoffthe bird with itsstrongbill.

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VITAL

STATISTICSCRABPLOVER

Theuniquecrabploverisastandoutontheshore;itslarge,powerful

billandlonglegsmakeitanaccomplishedshellfishhunter.

WEIGHT

LENGTH

SEXUAL

MATURITY

BREEDING

SEASON

NUMBER OFEGGS

INCUBATION

PERIOD

FLEDGING

PERIOD

BREEDING

INTERVAL

TYPICAL

DIET

LIFESPAN

11.5oz.1516"Unknown

MayandJune

1

Unknown

Unknown

1 year

Mainlycrabs,butalsoothercrustaceans,mollusks,marinewormsandotherinvertebratesUnknown

RELATED SPECIES

Thecrabploveristheonlymemberofthefamily

Dromadidae. Itsunique

physicalappearanceand

breedingbehaviorexclude

BILL

Theheavy,compressedbill

resemblesablackdagger.The

crabplovernotonlycrushes

crabswithitspowerfulbill,

butalsodemolishesmollusks

byefficientlybreakingopen

theirshells.

FEET

Thepartiallywebbedtoes

andlonglegshelpthecrab

ploverwalkinsandorwade

inwaterinsearchofcrabs.

W INGS

Theblackflightfeathersonthe

short,whitewingsareevenmore

strikinginflight.Thecrabploverflieslowandfastoverthecoastline.

JUVENILE

Thejuvenilelooksmuchlike

anadult,althoughitsmarkings

aremoregraythanblack.


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itfromtheploverfam-ily, Charadriidae . The

approximately60species

ofploverinthisfamily

haveshortlegsandbills.

Thethickknees,inthe

family Burhinidae ,include

thewaterdikkop, Burhinus

vermiculatus , whichmorecloselyresemblesthe

crabplover.

Measuring1819.5",theAustralian

piedoystercatcher (Haematopus

longirostris) isslightlylargerthanthe

crabplover.Theoystercatchersblackheadand

neckcontrastsharplywiththecrabploverswhite

neckandhead.Easilyrecognizablewithitsorangebill

andlegs,theoystercatcherpokesandpriesopenoysters

andothershellfishwithitslong,knifelikebill.Bothbirdsflockto

sandybeaches,butthecrabploverbuildsanelaborate

nest,whilethepiedoystercatchermakesnonestatall.

CREATURECOMPARISONS

Crabplover Australianpiedoystercatcher


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RELATED SPECIES

Thefamily Strigidaecontainsnearlyallthe

owls.The14 speciesof

eagleowlarethelargest;

pygmyowlsarethe

smallest.Thespectacledowl (below)livesin

SouthAmericanforests.

CREATURE COMPARISONS

Thegreatgrayowl( Strixnebulosa)vieswiththeeagle

EAGLE OWL

Withexceptionalhearingandspecialfeathersforsilentflight,theeagle

owlswoopsinsurpriseattacks,killingpreywithitslethaltalons.

VITAL

STATISTICS

WEIGHT

LENGTH

WINGSPAN

SEXUAL

MATURITY

BREEDING

SEASON

NUMBER

OFEGGS

INCUBATION

PERIOD

FLEDGING

PERIOD

BREEDING

INTERVAL

TYPICAL

DIET

LIFESPAN

49lbs.22.5'57'23 years

FebruaryAugust

16,butusually2 or33436days

5060days

1 year

Mammalsfromsmallrodentstoadulthares;birdsuptothesizeofducks20years

CHICKS

Chicksareborncoveredwithsoft,

densedownofauniformwhite

orcreamy-whitecolor.Thedown

insulatesyoungchicksagainst

thecoldofearlyspring.

FEET

Powerfulfeetareequipped

withlong,curvedtalons,which

pierceprey.Togripstruggling

preytightly,theowlswivelsthe

outerfronttoeofeachfoot

aroundtoassistthereartoe.

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owlforthetitleoftheworldslargestowl.

Buttheirsimilarityinsizeisdeceptivethe

greatgrayislighterandnotaspowerful.Its

denseplumage,neededforharshwintersof

northernforests,accountsformuchofitsbulk.

Thegreatgr ayshugeheadisevenlarger

viewedhead-on;itsyelloweyesaresetclosetogetherinaroundfacialdisc.Theeagleowls

orangeeyesaresetinaflatter-shapedfacialdisc.Greatgrayowl

encyclopedia of birds split 1

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