"those birds whose sustenance comes from flesh and their methods of hunting. In New Zealand, Attenborough observes keas, parrots that do not eat meat exclusively, raiding a shearwater's burrow for a chick. However, it is the dedicated birds of prey, such as owls, buzzards, eagles, falcons and vultures, to which much of the programme is devoted. In order to spot and pursue their victims, senses of sight and hearing are very acute. Vultures are the exception, in that they eat what others have left, and once a carcass is found, so many birds descend on it that the carrion seems"
"Caprimulgiformes The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution (except Antarctica). They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal. The order gets its name from the Latin for ""goat-milker"", an old name based on an erroneous view of the European nightjar's feeding habits. The classification of the various birds that make up the order has long been controversial and difficult, particularly in the case of the nightjars. Most taxonomists consider the following families, but some may be polyphenetic in their own distinct orders: Traditionally, they were regarded, on morphological grounds, as being midway between"
"Guillemot Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family (part of the order Charadriiformes). In British use, the term comprises two genera: ""Uria"" and ""Cepphus"". In North America the ""Uria"" species are called ""murres"" and only the ""Cepphus"" species are called ""guillemots"". This word of French origin apparently derives from a form of the name William, cf. . The two living species of ""Uria"", together with the razorbill, dovekie and the extinct great auk, make up the tribe Alcini. They have distinctly white bellies, thicker and longer bills than ""Cepphus"", and form"
"work, ""Systema Naturae"" under its current binomial name. Its scientific name is derived from Latin, ""struthio"" meaning ""ostrich"" and ""camelus"" meaning ""camel"", alluding to its dry habitat. The common ostrich belongs to the ratite order Struthioniformes. Other members include rheas, emus, cassowaries, moa, kiwi and the largest known bird ever, the now-extinct elephant bird (""Aepyornis""). However, the classification of the ratites as a single order has always been questioned, with the alternative classification restricting the Struthioniformes to the ostrich lineage and elevating the other groups. Four living subspecies are recognised: Some analyses indicate that the Somali ostrich is now considered"
"Bandicoot Bandicoot are a group of about 20 species of small to large-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivore in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region. The bandicoot is a member of the order Peramelemorphia, and the word ""bandicoot"" is often used informally to refer to any peramelemorph, such as the bilby. The term originally referred to the unrelated Indian bandicoot rat from Telugu language word Pandikokku (పందికొక్కు). Most marsupials, including bandicoots, have a bifurcated penis. The embryos of bandicoots have a chorioallantoic placenta that connects them to the uterine wall, in addition to the choriovitelline placenta that"
"Aegialornithidae is not quite clear. Various analyses place them sufficiently close to the Apodiformes to be included here, or into the unique owlet-nightjar lineage in the Cypselomorphae. ORDER APODIFORMES Apodiformes Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts (Apodidae), the treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae), and the hummingbirds (Trochilidae). In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes. With nearly 450 species identified to date, they are the most diverse order of birds after the passerines. As their name (""footless"" in Greek) suggests, their legs are small"
"traditionally comprise the following orders (with common names of some families in the orders): Of these, the Pterocliformes (sandgrouse), Columbiformes (pigeons), Cuculiformes (cuckoos), Caprimulgiformes (nightjars), and Apodiformes (swifts, hummingbirds) are no longer recognized as near-passerines. The true near-passerine families are, in fact, the Psittaciformes (parrots), the Falconiformes (falcons), and the Cariamiformes (seriemas). These three orders, together with the Passeriformes make up the Australaves. Sister to the Australaves are the Afroaves (see Telluraves). Near passerine Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms of traditional, pre-cladistic taxonomy that have often been given to tree-dwelling birds or those most often believed to"
"travelled further, the familiar names were applied to new birds with similar characteristics. Names that have generalised this way include: kite (""Milvus milvus""), sparrow-hawk or sparhawk (""Accipiter nisus""), goshawk (""Accipiter gentilis""), kestrel (""Falco tinninculus""), hobby (""Falco subbuteo""), harrier (simplified from ""hen-harrier"", ""Circus cyaneus""), buzzard (""Buteo buteo""). Some names have not generalised, and refer to single species (or groups of closely related (sub)species): merlin (""Falco columbarius""), osprey (""Pandion haliaetus""). The taxonomy of Carl Linnaeus grouped birds (class Aves) into orders, genera, and species, with no formal ranks between genus and order. He placed all birds of prey into a single order,"
"Passerine A passerine is any bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or – less accurately – as songbirds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching. With more than 110 families and some 6,409 identified species, Passeriformes is the largest order of birds and among the most diverse orders of terrestrial vertebrates. The passerines contain several groups of brood parasites such as the viduas, cuckoo-finches, and the cowbirds. Most passerines are omnivorous,"
"Apodiformes Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts (Apodidae), the treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae), and the hummingbirds (Trochilidae). In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes. With nearly 450 species identified to date, they are the most diverse order of birds after the passerines. As their name (""footless"" in Greek) suggests, their legs are small and have limited function aside from perching. The feet are covered with bare skin rather than the scales (scutes) that other birds have. Another shared characteristic is long wings"
"Odonata Odonata is an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing the dragonflies (Anisoptera) and the damselflies (Zygoptera). The Odonata form a clade, which has existed since the Permian. Dragonflies are generally larger, and perch with their wings held out to the sides; damselflies have slender bodies, and hold their wings over the body at rest. Fabricius coined the term ""Odonata"" from the Greek (), (tooth) apparently because they have teeth on their mandibles, even though most insects also have toothed mandibles. The word ""dragonfly"" is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata, but ""odonate"" is a more correct English name"
"Cariamiformes Cariamiformes (or Cariamae) is an order of primarily flightless birds that has existed for over 60 million years. The group includes the family Cariamidae (seriemas) and the extinct families Phorusrhacidae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae and Ameghinornithidae. Though traditionally considered as a suborder of Gruiformes, both morphological and genetic studies show that they belong to a separate group of birds, Australaves, whose other living members are Falconidae, Psittaciformes and Passeriformes. This proposal has been confirmed by a 2014 study of whole genomes of 48 representative bird species. This analysis shows that the Cariamiformes are basal among extant Australaves, while falcons are next"
"Galliformes Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkey, grouse, chicken, New World quail and Old World quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, francolin, junglefowl and the Cracidae. The name derives from ""gallus"", Latin for ""cock"" or ""rooster"". Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds, or galliforms. ""Wildfowl"" or just ""fowl"" are also often used for the Galliformes, but usually these terms also refer to waterfowl (Anseriformes), and occasionally to other commonly hunted birds. This group has about 290 species, one or more of which are found in essentially every part of the world's continents (except for"
"semialtricial chicks, covered with down at hatching but immobile, are often coloured white like the eggs. Little is known of the life history of many members of the order especially of maximum lifespans and age at first breeding. Most caprimulgiforms are monogamous, with the same pair breeding for many years, though only the eared nightjars typically produce more than a single brood per year. Caprimulgiformes The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution (except Antarctica). They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal. The order gets its name from the Latin for ""goat-milker"", an"
"time spent in and around water. Lists of Odonata species of Australia - Britain - India - Ireland - South Africa - Sri Lanka - Taiwan Odonata Odonata is an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing the dragonflies (Anisoptera) and the damselflies (Zygoptera). The Odonata form a clade, which has existed since the Permian. Dragonflies are generally larger, and perch with their wings held out to the sides; damselflies have slender bodies, and hold their wings over the body at rest. Fabricius coined the term ""Odonata"" from the Greek (), (tooth) apparently because they have teeth on their mandibles, even though"
"while the shrikes are carnivorous. The terms ""passerine"" and ""Passeriformes"" are derived from the scientific name of the house sparrow, ""Passer domesticus"", and ultimately from the Latin term ""passer"", which refers to sparrows and similar small birds. The order is divided into three suborders, Tyranni (suboscines), Passeri (oscines), and the basal Acanthisitti. Oscines have the best control of their syrinx muscles among birds, producing a wide range of songs and other vocalizations (though some of them, such as the crows, do not sound musical to human beings); some such as the lyrebird are accomplished imitators. The acanthisittids or New Zealand"
"Sandgrouse Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae, a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes. They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as ""Syrrhaptes"" and the other fourteen species, from Africa and Asia, are placed in the genus ""Pterocles"". They are ground dwelling birds restricted to treeless, open country, such as plains, savannahs and semi-deserts. They are distributed across northern, southern and eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East and India through to central Asia. The ranges of the black-bellied sandgrouse and the pin-tailed sandgrouse extend into the Iberian"
"Quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New World quail are placed in the family Odontophoridae. The species of buttonquail are named for their superficial resemblance to quail, and form the family Turnicidae in the order Charadriiformes. The king quail, an Old World quail, often is sold in the pet trade, and within this trade is commonly, though mistakenly, referred to as a ""button quail"". Many of the common larger species are farm-raised for table food or egg consumption,"
"Ptiloris The genus Ptiloris consists of four allopatric species of birds in the Paradisaeidae family. These birds of paradise are commonly known as riflebirds, so named for the likeness of their black velvety plumage to the uniform of the Rifle Brigade. Alternatively, the bird’s cry is similar to a rifle being fired and hitting its target but a call like this is not commonly reported (see Behaviour and Ecology). They are distributed in the rainforests of New Guinea and Eastern Australia. The four species of riflebirds are part of the bird-of-paradise family, Paradisaeidae, in the order Passeriformes (songbirds). ""Ptiloris"" [pronounced"
"name ""tinnunculus"" is Latin for ""kestrel"" from ""tinnulus"", ""shrill"". Common kestrel The common kestrel (""Falco tinnunculus"") is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In Britain, where no other kestrel species occurs, it is generally just called ""the kestrel"". This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. It has colonized a few oceanic islands, but vagrant individuals are generally rare;"
"""sweep"". Family: Hirundinidae Swallow The swallows, martins and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine birds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The term ""Swallow"" is used colloquially in Europe as a synonym for the barn swallow. There are around 90 species of Hurundinidae, divided into 19 genera, with the greatest diversity found in Africa, which is also thought to be where they evolved as hole-nesters. They also occur on a number of oceanic islands. A number of European and North American species are"
"take place during flight. Although it suffers a degree of predation and parasitism, the main threats to the species are habitat loss, disturbance and a reduction of its insect prey through pesticide use. Despite population decreases, its large numbers and huge breeding range mean that it is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of Least Concern. The nightjars, Caprimulgidae, are a large family of mostly nocturnal insect-eating birds. The largest and most widespread genus is ""Caprimulgus"", characterised by stiff bristles around the mouth, long pointed wings, a comb-like middle claw and patterned plumage. The males,"
"genus: ""Ptiloris"" genus: ""Epimachus"" genus: ""Drepanornis"" genus: ""Diphyllodes"" genus: ""Cicinnurus"" genus: ""Semioptera"" genus: ""Seleucidis"" genus: ""Paradisaea"" Hybrid birds-of-paradise may occur when individuals of different species, that look similar and have overlapping ranges, confuse each other for their own species and crossbreed. When Erwin Stresemann realised that hybridisation among birds-of-paradise might be an explanation as to why so many of the described species were so rare, he examinined many controversial specimens and, during the 1920s and 1930s, published several papers on his hypothesis. Many of the species described in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are now generally considered to"
"of uniform terminology, except where there is some special reason for the use of the more narrowly specific term ""triungulin"", it is best to use only the more general term ""planidium"". Planidia occur among subsets of the members of several orders, including Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Strepsiptera, and Diptera; examples include the neuropteran family Mantispidae, the beetle families Meloidae and Ripiphoridae, and the fly families Acroceridae, Bombyliidae, Nemestrinidae, and Tachinidae Among the Hymenoptera examples include the parasitic wasp families Eucharitidae and Perilampidae. All Strepsiptera have planidial larvae. The term ""triungulin"", originally coined in referring to the planidia of the beetle family"
"last common ancestor of all Telluraves was probably a predator. Other researchers are skeptical of this assessment, citing the herbivorous cariamiform ""Strigogyps"" as evidence to the contrary. Cladogram of Telluraves relationships based on Prum, R.O. ""et al."" (2015) with some clade names after Yury, T. ""et al."" (2013) and Kimball ""et al."" 2013. Telluraves Telluraves (also called land birds or core landbirds) is a recently defined clade of birds with controversial content. Based on most recent genetic studies, the clade unites a variety of bird groups, including the australavians (passerines, parrots, seriamas, and falcons) as well as the afroavians (including"
"Opossum The opossum () is a marsupial of the order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 103 or more species in 19 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North America in the Great American Interchange following the connection of the two continents. Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet, and reproductive habits make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions. The animal is also known as a possum, particularly in North America. The word ""opossum"" is borrowed from the Powhatan language and was first recorded between"
"have been some localised range contractions, particularly in Europe. A subspecies of the chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, ""P. e. floweri"", was last seen in the Nile Valley of Egypt in 1979. It is thought to be extinct, but the reasons for this are unknown. Sandgrouse Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae, a family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes. They are traditionally placed in two genera. The two central Asian species are classified as ""Syrrhaptes"" and the other fourteen species, from Africa and Asia, are placed in the genus ""Pterocles"". They are ground dwelling birds restricted to"
"Pelecaniformes The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes. Most have a bare throat patch (gular patch), and the nostrils have evolved into dysfunctional slits, forcing them to breathe through their mouths. They feed on fish, squid, or similar marine life. Nesting is colonial, but individual birds are monogamous. The young are altricial, hatching from the egg helpless and naked in most. They lack a brood patch. The"
"for the group as a whole. Odonata enthusiasts avoid ambiguity by using the term ""true dragonfly"", or simply ""Anisopteran"", when referring to just the Anisoptera. The term ""Warriorfly"" has also been proposed. Some 5,900 species have been described in this order. This order has traditionally been grouped together with the mayflies and several extinct orders in a group called the ""Paleoptera"", but this grouping might be paraphyletic. What they do share with mayflies is the nature of how the wings are articulated and held in rest (see insect flight for a detailed discussion). In some treatments, the Odonata are understood"
"to refer to a more restrictive node-based clade, anchored on ""Hesperornis"" and modern birds. The cladogram below is the result of a 2014 analysis by Michael Lee and colleagues that expanded on data from an earlier study by O’Connor & Zhou in 2012. The clade names are positioned based on their definitions. Ornithurae Ornithurae (meaning ""bird tails"" in Greek) is a natural group which includes the common ancestor of ""Ichthyornis"", ""Hesperornis"", and all modern birds as well as all other descendants of that common ancestor. Ernst Haeckel coined the name in 1866 and included in the group all ""true birds"""
"Bird Birds, also known as Aves, are a group of endothermic vertebrates, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ostrich. They rank as the world's most numerically-successful class of tetrapods, with approximately ten thousand living species, more than half of these being passerines, sometimes known as perching birds. Birds have which are more or less developed depending on the species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa"
"a further thirteen days. Common redpoll The common redpoll (""Acanthis flammea"") is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. The common redpoll was listed in 1758 by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ""Systema Naturae"" under the binomial name ""Fringilla flammea"". The current genus name ""Acanthis"" is from the Ancient Greek ""akanthis"", a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and ""flammea"" is the Latin for ""flame-coloured"". The common redpoll was previously placed in the genus ""Carduelis"". Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the"
"Taraxacum Taraxacum () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. They are native to Eurasia and North America, but the two commonplace species worldwide, ""T. officinale"" and ""T. erythrospermum"", were introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion ( , from French ""dent-de-lion"", meaning ""lion's tooth"") is given to members of the genus. Like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a"