"Squab pie Squab pie is a traditional dish from South West England, with early records showing it was associated with Cornwall, Devon and Gloucestershire. Although the name suggests it contains squab (young domestic pigeon), in fact it contains mutton and apples. The pie was eaten around the world in the 1900s, though outside South West England it generally did contain pigeon. It is no longer a popular dish, with less than 3% of British teenagers surveyed having eaten it. Although it is not known exactly where squab pie was first made, it is clear that it was somewhere in South"
"ready for the table at the age of about four months. A squab is the name given to the young of domestic pigeons that are destined for the table. Like other domesticated pigeons, birds used for this purpose are descended from the rock pigeon (""Columba livia""). Special utility breeds with desirable characteristics are used. Two eggs are laid and incubated for about 17 days. When they hatch, the squabs are fed by both parents on ""pigeon's milk"", a thick secretion high in protein produced by the crop. Squabs grow rapidly, but are slow to fledge and are ready to leave"
"The nest is a heap of droppings, usually above water—either a stream or the sea—on which 2–4 glossy white eggs are laid which soon become stained brown. These are rounded but with a distinctly pointed smaller end and average by . The squabs become very fat before fledging, weighing around a third more than the adult birds. The Guácharo Cave was Venezuela's first national monument, and is the centerpiece of a national park; according to some estimates there may be 15,000 or more birds living there. Colombia also has a national park named after its ""Cueva de los Guácharos"", near"
"may perform a nest-distraction display, or a broken-wing display, fluttering on the ground as if injured, then flying away when the predator approaches it. Incubation takes two weeks. The hatched young, called squabs, are strongly altricial, being helpless at hatching and covered with down. Both parents feed the squabs pigeon's milk (dove's milk) for the first 3–4 days of life. Thereafter, the crop milk is gradually augmented by seeds. Fledging takes place in about 11–15 days, before the squabs are fully grown but after they are capable of digesting adult food. They stay nearby to be fed by their father"
"eggs are laid; incubation, shared by both parents, lasts 17 to 19 days. The newly hatched squab (nestling) has pale yellow down and a flesh-coloured bill with a dark band. For the first few days, the baby squabs are tended and fed (through regurgitation) exclusively on ""crop milk"" (also called ""pigeon milk"" or ""pigeon's milk""). The pigeon milk is produced in the crops of both parents in all species of pigeons and doves. The fledging period is about 30 days. With only their flying abilities protecting them from predation, rock pigeons are a favourite almost around the world for a"
"is relatively little meat per bird, the meat being concentrated in the breast. Squab is dark meat, and the skin is fatty, like that of duck. The meat is very lean, easily digestible, and ""rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins"". It has been described as having a ""silky"" texture, as it is very tender and fine-grained. It has a milder taste than other game, and has been described as having a mild berry flavor. Squab's flavor lends itself to complex red or white wines. The 1997 edition of ""Joy of Cooking"" cautions that if squab is cooked beyond medium-rare, its"
"supply of crop milk sufficient for two squabs and grows at a significantly faster rate. Research suggests that a pair of breeding pigeons cannot produce enough crop milk to feed three squabs adequately, which explains why clutches are limited to two. Crop milk Crop milk is a secretion from the lining of the crop of parent birds that is regurgitated to young birds. It is found among all pigeons and doves where it is referred to as pigeon milk. An analog to crop milk is also secreted from the esophagus of flamingos and some penguins. Crop milk bears little physical"
"Frill) possess less exaggerated features unlike the Oriental Frill of today. They can still feed their own young, called squabs, by regurgitation, because their beaks have not been bred down to such an extremely short and blunt shape as in the new style show birds. There is therefore no need for foster feeders, of another long-beaked breed, such as homers, to feed the Classic Oriental Frill squabs. The old style Hünkari (Oriental Frill) is still a good flyer as it is not bred in larger sizes. Today the breed has strong followers at home and abroad. A small to medium-sized"
"growth, health when kept in large numbers, and health of their infants. For a greater yield, commercially raised squab may be produced in a two-nest system, where the mother lays two new eggs in a second nest while her offspring are still growing in the first nest, fed crop milk by both parents. Establishing two breeding lines has been suggested as another strategy for greater yield, where one breeding line is selected for prolificacy and the other for ""parental performance"", which, according to Aggrey and Cheng, is ""vital"" for squab growth after the age of two weeks. Meleg estimates that"
"pigeons in general. The male displays by flying up steeply, pausing, tipping forward and then gliding downwards. The female builds an untidy stick nest in a tree, usually a coconut palm and lays a single white egg, which hatches within 26 to 28 days. The squab fledges after another three weeks. In Australia they breed between August and January in mangroves, vines, palm fronds on off-shore islands, such as the Brook Islands. In north-east Queensland, they migrate daily as flocks from the islands to the mainland rainforests to eat fruit, returning to the islands at dusk. This is an arboreal"
"Ten pairs of pigeons can produce eight squabs each month without being fed especially by the pigeon keepers. For a greater yield, commercially raised squab may be produced in a two-nest system, where the mother lays two new eggs in a second nest while the squabs are still growing in the first nest, fed by their father. Establishing two breeding lines has also been suggested as a strategy, where one breeding line is selected for prolificacy and the other is selected for ""parental performance"". Keeping pigeons has been found to lead to a condition called pigeon fancier's lung in some"
"comparison of available cues Other potential cues used include: Pigeons are also bred for meat, generally called squab and harvested from young birds. Pigeons grow to a very large size in the nest before they are fledged and able to fly, and in this stage of their development (when they are called squabs) they are prized as food. For commercial meat production a breed of large white pigeon, named ""King pigeon,"" has been developed by selective breeding. Breeds of pigeons developed for their meat are collectively known as utility pigeons. Pigeon fanciers developed many exotic forms of pigeon. These are"
"doves) with milk uncontaminated by seeds, which the very young squabs would be unable to digest. The baby squabs are fed on pure crop milk for the first week or so of life. After this the parents begin to introduce a proportion of adult food, softened by spending time in the moist conditions of the adult crop, into the mix fed to the squabs, until by the end of the second week they are being fed entirely on softened adult food. Pigeons normally lay two eggs. If one egg fails to hatch, the surviving squab gets the advantage of a"
"Streaked scrub warbler The streaked scrub warbler (""Scotocerca inquieta"") is the only bird in the family Scotocercidae. It is found in Africa and south-western Asia. It is a bird of desert fringes, frequenting scrubby areas, ravines and gorges, and is mainly resident, although local movements can occur outside the breeding season. The streaked scrub warbler is a small, skulking desert warbler which cocks its tail over its back. The adults are grey brown above, finely streaked with dark brown. They have a broad pale supercilium and a thin black eyestripe. The underparts are whitish with reddish flanks and vent, the"
"""pettychaps"". These names were often shared with other warblers including the blackcap, common whitethroat and common chiffchaff. Garden warbler The garden warbler (""Sylvia borin"") is a common and widespread small bird that breeds in most of Europe and in western Asia. It is a plain, long-winged and long-tailed typical warbler with brown upperparts and dull white underparts; the sexes are similar and juveniles resemble the adults. Its two subspecies differ only slightly and interbreed where their ranges overlap. Due to its lack of distinguishing features, this species can be confused with a number of other unstreaked warblers. The garden warbler's"
"to rapidly fledge and leave the nest, reducing their period of vulnerability. The breeding cycle is short, allowing several broods to be reared in succession over an extended summer breeding season. Crop milk is a thick cheesy substance, derived from squamous cells sloughed off from the crop of both male and female pigeons which promotes a high growth rate in squabs. There are no studies of the composition of crop milk specific to ""Ducula"". However, in domestic pigeons (""Columba livia""), the crop milk is found to contain lipids, proteins and enzymes, and also facilitates the transfer of maternal antibodies to"
"squabs, as in mammals. The hypertrophy of crop tissue and production of crop milk is determined by the hormone prolactin, as in mammals. An abundance of fruit is important to the breeding success of frugivorous birds. Large breeding colonies require unexploited forest to provide fruit bearing trees for daily feeding. Variable between species, but ranging from typical 'coo' and 'coo-woo' of other pigeon families, to resonant 'whoops', abrupt booming calls or barking notes, to disyllabic deep booming calls. Columbidae are generally strong fliers and effective colonisers, being able to make across ocean flights to access seasonal fruit supplies. ""D. bicolor"""
"The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. They generally have dull plumage, with cryptic brown, grey, or streaked patterns, although some display brighter colours during the breeding season. Most species nest in open areas, and defend their territories with aerial displays. The nest itself is a simple scrape in the ground, in which the bird typically lays three or four eggs. The young of most species are precocial. The family Scolopacidae was introduced (as Scolopacea) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. This large family is often"
"is a hard ""chee-chee"", and the song is high pitched jumble of tinkling notes, rising and falling in pitch and tempo for 3–5 seconds or more. Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, ""SASOL Birds of Southern Africa"", Southern double-collared sunbird The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird (""Cinnyris chalybeus"") (formerly placed in the genus ""Nectarinia""), is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range. This sunbird is common in gardens, fynbos, forests and coastal scrub. The southern double-collared sunbird breeds from April to December, depending on region."
"when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings. The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects. The English common name ""squacco"" comes via Francis Willughby (c. 1672) quoting a local Italian name ""sguacco"". The current spelling comes from John Hill in 1752. The scientific name comes from Latin ""ardeola"", a small heron (""ardea""), and ""ralloides"", Latin ""rallus"", a rail and"
"due to its prolific breeding; in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year. The wings make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, a form of sonation. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to .It is the national bird of the British Virgin Islands. Mourning doves are light grey and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning doves"
"Garden warbler The garden warbler (""Sylvia borin"") is a common and widespread small bird that breeds in most of Europe and in western Asia. It is a plain, long-winged and long-tailed typical warbler with brown upperparts and dull white underparts; the sexes are similar and juveniles resemble the adults. Its two subspecies differ only slightly and interbreed where their ranges overlap. Due to its lack of distinguishing features, this species can be confused with a number of other unstreaked warblers. The garden warbler's rich melodic song is similar to that of the blackcap, its closest relative, which competes with it"
"Shaft-tailed whydah The shaft-tailed whydah or queen whydah (""Vidua regia"") is a small, sparrow-like bird in the genus ""Vidua"". During the breeding season the male has black crown and upper body plumage, golden breast and four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips. After the breeding season is over, the male sheds its long tail and grows olive brown female-like plumage. The shaft-tailed whydah is distributed in open habitats and grasslands of Southern Africa, from south Angola to south Mozambique. It is a brood parasite to the violet-eared waxbill. The diet consists mainly of seeds. Widespread and a common"
"Black sicklebill The black sicklebill (""Epimachus fastosus"") is a large bird-of-paradise of midmountain forests of New Guinea. The sicklebill's diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods. The male of the species is polygamous and performs a horizontal courtship display with the pectoral plumes raised around its head. In the wild, the bird has hybridised with the Arfak astrapia to create offspring that were once considered two distinct species, the Elliot's sicklebill (""Epimachus ellioti"") and the astrapian sicklebill (""Astrapimachus astrapioides""). Both species are generally viewed by most mainstream ornithologists as hybrids, but a minority of ornithologists believe ""ellioti"" may be a"
"Coscoroba swans live to an age of approximately twenty years. Coscoroba swan The coscoroba swan (""Coscoroba coscoroba"") is a species of waterfowl endemic to southern South America. It is the smallest of the birds called “swans”, but still a large species of waterfowl. It belongs to the subfamily Anserinae in the family of ducks, swans, and geese, Anatidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ""Coscoroba"". The coscoroba swan is traditionally considered as an early branch from the common ancestor leading to true geese and swans, and recent genetic studies have associated a phylogenetic relationship between this species and the"
"land for Soybean production. They are to some extent adaptable to living in secondary growth forest, but the increasing road network puts them at risk of increased hunting. The International Union for Conservation of Nature expects the population to dwindle by 25 to 30% over the next three generations of birds and has assessed their conservation status as being ""near threatened"". Marbled wood quail The marbled wood quail (""Odontophorus gujanensis"") is a species of bird in the New World quail family. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its"
"is a medium-sized warbler about long. The adult has a streaked brown back and whitish grey underparts which are unstreaked except on the undertail coverts. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are yellower below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous. Four to seven eggs are laid in a nest on or near the ground in thick vegetation or in a tussock of grass. This is a species which skulks in the undergrowth, creeping through bushes and low foliage, and which is very difficult to see except sometimes when singing from a prominent position. The song,"
"word is also used for the flesh of these birds used as food. The Encyclopædia Britannica lists the same bird groups but also includes guinea fowl and squabs (young pigeons). In R. D. Crawford's ""Poultry breeding and genetics"", squabs are omitted but Japanese quail and common pheasant are added to the list, the latter frequently being bred in captivity and released into the wild. In his 1848 classic book on poultry, ""Ornamental and Domestic Poultry: Their History, and Management"", Edmund Dixon included chapters on the peafowl, guinea fowl, mute swan, turkey, various types of geese, the muscovy duck, other ducks"
"Scaled quail The scaled quail (""Callipepla squamata""), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This species is an early offshoot of the genus ""Callipepla"", diverging in the Pliocene. This bird is named for the scaly appearance of its breast and back feathers. Along with its scaly markings, the bird is easily identified by its white crest that resembles a tuft of cotton. The nest is typically a grass-lined hollow containing 9–16 speckled"
"Savannah sparrow The Savannah sparrow (""Passerculus sandwichensis"") is a small American sparrow. It was the only member of the genus ""Passerculus"" and is typically the only widely accepted member. Comparison of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and 3 sequences indicates that the Ipswich sparrow, formerly usually considered a valid species (as Passerculus princeps), is a well-marked subspecies of the Savannah sparrow, whereas the southwestern large-billed sparrow should be recognized as a distinct species (""Passerculus rostratus""). The common name comes from Savannah, Georgia, where one of the first specimens of this bird was collected. This passerine bird breeds in Alaska, Canada,"
"Coscoroba swan The coscoroba swan (""Coscoroba coscoroba"") is a species of waterfowl endemic to southern South America. It is the smallest of the birds called “swans”, but still a large species of waterfowl. It belongs to the subfamily Anserinae in the family of ducks, swans, and geese, Anatidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ""Coscoroba"". The coscoroba swan is traditionally considered as an early branch from the common ancestor leading to true geese and swans, and recent genetic studies have associated a phylogenetic relationship between this species and the Cape Barren goose (""Cereopsis novaehollandiae"") as sister groups. Male coscoroba"
"is bright orange, fading to paler orange and yellow on the belly. The tail is long and blackish, with elongated central tail feathers, which extend beyond the other feathers. The female has olive-greenish grey upperparts and olive yellowish underparts, paler on the belly. The wings and tail are blackish. The juvenile resembles the female. The call is a twangy, weak ""ssharaynk"" or ""sskrang"", often repeated several times. Due to its restricted range within the fynbos biome of South Africa's Western Cape, this sunbird is associated with Ericas and proteas. It breeds when the heath flowers, typically in May. The male"
"Two eggs are laid, measuring 23 x 20 mm. They are pale cream or greenish in colour, and lightly speckled with rufous. Parasitism by the black cuckoo has been recorded. Moult occurs upon completion of the breeding period. There are three accepted races: Swamp boubou The swamp boubou (""Laniarius bicolor""), also known as the Gabon boubou, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae or bushshrike family. It is native to western and southern Central Africa. In the north of their range, savannah thickets constitute an important part of their habitat, while in the south they are strongly associated with"