"and the British flute player Alexander Murray. Messiaen had a consuming, lifelong interest in ornithology and particularly bird songs. While not his first work to incorporate stylised birdsong, ""Le Merle noir"" was the earliest of his pieces to be based mainly on birdsong, and it foreshadows Messiaen's later, more extended birdsong-inspired pieces. Le Merle noir Le Merle noir (""The Blackbird"") is a chamber work by the French composer Olivier Messiaen for flute and piano. It was written and first performed in 1952 and is the composer's shortest independently published work, lasting just over five minutes. This work has become a"
"feet she becomes a merlette""). In French ""un merle"", from Latin ""merula"", is a male blackbird, a member of the thrush family. A ""merlette"" in common parlance is a female blackbird, but in heraldic terminology is defined as ""une figure représentant une canette mornée"" (""a figure representing a little female duck 'blunted'""). ""Une cane"" is a female duck (male ""canard"", ""drake"") and ""une canette"", the diminutive form, is "" a little female duck"". The verb ""morner"" in ancient French means ""to blunt"", in heraldic terminology the verbal adjective ""morné(e)"" means: ""sans langue, sans dents, sans ongles et des oiseaux sans"
"birds, along with the related thick-billed murre, are referred to as 'turrs' or 'tuirs', and are consumed. The meat is dark and quite oily, due to the birds' diet of fish. Eggs have also been harvested. Eggers from San Francisco took almost half a million eggs a year from the Farallon Islands in the mid-19th century to feed the growing city. Common murre The common murre or common guillemot (""Uria aalge"") is a large auk. It is also known as the thin-billed murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North"
"Merlin (bird) The merlin (""Falco columbarius"") is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of , with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters who specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to quail. The merlin has for centuries been well regarded as a falconry bird."
"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,"
"meriana"" and a split-banded owlet butterfly ""Opsiphanes cassina merianae"". The Cuban sphinx moth has been named ""Erinnyis merianae"". A bug with no common name has been named ""Plisthenes merianae"". A genus of mantises has been named ""Sibylla"". The bird-eating spider ""Avicularia merianae"" was named in her honour, referencing her research on spiders. The spider ""Metellina merianae"" was named after her in 2017. The Argentine black-and-white tegu lizard has been named ""Salvator merianae"". The cane toad was named ""Rhinella merianae"". A snail with no common name was named ""Coquandiella meriana"". The Madagascan African stonechat bird was given the name ""Saxicola torquatus"
"the possessive adjectival form of Serbian ""kos"" (""blackbird"") as in Kosovo Polje (""Blackbird Field""). Common blackbird The common blackbird (""Turdus merula"") is a species of true thrush. It is also called Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a local species. It breeds in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few of the Asian subspecies are sometimes considered to be full species."
"a sickle, referring to the claws of the bird. The species name ""columbarius"" is Latin for ""of doves"" from ""columba"", ""dove"". Thirteen years after Linnaeus's description Marmaduke Tunstall recognized the Eurasian birds as a distinct taxon ""Falco aesalon"" in his ""Ornithologica Britannica"". If two species of merlins are recognized, the Old World birds would thus bear the scientific name ""F. aesalon"". The name ""merlin"" is derived from Old French ""esmerillon"" via Anglo-Norman ""merilun"" or ""meriliun"". There are related Germanic words derived through older forms such as Middle Dutch ""smeerle"", Old High German ""smerle"" and Old Icelandic ""smyrill"". Wycliffe's Bible, around"
"Common moorhen The common moorhen (""Gallinula chloropus"") (also known as the waterhen and as the swamp chicken) is a bird species in the family Rallidae. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World. The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some regions. The closely related common gallinule of the New World has been recognized as a separate species by most authorities, starting with the American"
"Ornithologists' Union and the International Ornithological Committee in 2011. The name ""mor-hen"" has been recorded in English since the 13th century. The word ""moor"" here is an old sense meaning ""marsh""; the species is not usually found in moorland. An older name, common waterhen, is more descriptive of the bird's habitat. A ""watercock"" is not a male ""waterhen"" but the rail species ""Gallicrex cinerea"", not closely related to the common moorhen. ""Water rail"" usually refers to ""Rallus aquaticus"", again not closely related. The scientific name ""Gallinula chloropus"" comes from the Latin ""Gallinula"" (a small hen or chicken) and the Greek"
"Common murre The common murre or common guillemot (""Uria aalge"") is a large auk. It is also known as the thin-billed murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands. Common murres have fast direct flight but are not very agile. They are more manoeuvrable underwater, typically diving to depths of . Depths of up to have been recorded. Common murres breed in colonies at high densities."
"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; in the whole of Micronesia for example, the species"
"the wren (βασιλεύς ""basileus"", ""king"") and the crests (βασιλισκος ""basiliskos"", ""kinglet""). In English, the association between the firecrest and Eurasian wren was reinforced by the kinglet's old name of ""fire-crested wren"". Common firecrest The common firecrest (""Regulus ignicapilla"") also known as the firecrest, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. It breeds in most of temperate Europe and northwestern Africa, and is partially migratory, with birds from central Europe wintering to the south and west of their breeding range. Firecrests in the Balearic Islands and north Africa are widely recognised as a separate subspecies, but the population"
"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;"
"Common blackbird The common blackbird (""Turdus merula"") is a species of true thrush. It is also called Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply blackbird where this does not lead to confusion with a local species. It breeds in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. It has a number of subspecies across its large range; a few of the Asian subspecies are sometimes considered to be full species. Depending on latitude, the common blackbird may be resident, partially migratory, or fully migratory."
"Common tern The common tern (""Sterna hirundo"") is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are a number of similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can"
"this phenomenon is due to the fluctuations of supplementary food stocks discussed above. Merlin (bird) The merlin (""Falco columbarius"") is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of , with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters who specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to"
"Common starling The common starling (""Sturnus vulgaris""), also known as the European starling, or in the British Isles just the starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry"
"Common merganser The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (""Mergus merganser"") is a large duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats fish and nests in holes in trees. The first formal description of the common merganser was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ""Systema Naturae"". He introduced the current binomial name ""Mergus merganser"". The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and ""merganser"" is derived"
"birds"" because of their feeding habits. The specific ""collurio"" is from Ancient Greek ""kollurion"", a bird mentioned by Aristotle. The common English name ""shrike"" is from Old English ""scríc"", ""shriek"", referring to the shrill call. This 16–18 cm (approx. 6.3–7.1 inches) long migratory bird eats large insects, small birds, frogs, rodents and lizards. Like other shrikes it hunts from prominent perches, and impales corpses on thorns or barbed wire as a ""larder."" This practice has earned it the nickname of ""butcher bird."" The general colour of the male’s upper parts is reddish. It has a grey head and a typical"
"Common nightingale The common nightingale or simply nightingale (""Luscinia megarhynchos""), also known as rufous nightingale, is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It belongs to a group of more terrestrial species, often called chats. ""Nightingale"" is derived from ""night"", and the Old English ""galan"", ""to sing"". The genus name ""Luscinia"" is Latin for ""nightingale"" and ""megarhynchos"" is from Ancient Greek ""megas"", ""great"" and ""rhunkhos"" ""bill"". The common nightingale is"
"(AEWA) applies. Whimbrel The whimbrel (""Numenius phaeopus"") is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland. The whimbrel is a migratory bird wintering on coasts in Africa, southern North America, South America, and South Asia into Australasia. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season. This is a fairly large wader though mid-sized as a member of the curlew genus. The English name is imitative of the bird's"
"Common house martin The common house martin (""Delichon urbicum""), sometimes called the northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia. It feeds on insects which are caught in flight, and it migrates to climates where flying insects are plentiful. It has a blue head and upperparts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is similar in appearance to the two other"
"the world. In Europe, kinglets are commonly known as ""wrens"", the common firecrest and goldcrest as ""fire-crested wren"" and ""golden-crested wren"", respectively. The 27 Australasian ""wren"" species in the family Maluridae are unrelated, as are the New Zealand wrens in the family Acanthisittidae, the antbirds in the family Thamnophilidae, and the Old World babbler of the family Timaliidae. Wrens are medium-small to very small birds. The Eurasian wren is among the smallest birds in its range, while the smaller species from the Americas are among the smallest passerines in that part of the world. They range in size from the"
"the same bird in each case: the chattering bee-eater (""Merops garrulus""), black-headed grakle (""Gracula melanocephala""), hooded bee-eater (""Merops cucullatus""), and white-fronted bee-eater (""Merops albifrons""). Early notes recorded its tendency to scare off prey as hunters were about to shoot. It was as the chattering bee-eater that it was painted between 1792 and 1797 by Thomas Watling, one of a group known collectively as the Port Jackson Painter. John Gould treated the name ""Merops garrulus"" as the original description, and renamed it ""Myzantha garrula"" in his 1865 work ""Handbook to the Birds of Australia"", giving it the common name of garrulous"
"Common crane The common crane (""Grus grus""), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (""Anthropoides virgo""). Along with the sandhill (""Grus canadensis"") and demoiselle cranes and the brolga (""Grus rubicunda""), it is one of only four crane species not currently classified as threatened with extinction or conservation dependent on the species level. The first formal description of the common crane was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ""Systema"
"not completely reliable. In addition to the extant subspecies listed below, an undescribed form from the Early Pleistocene is recorded from Dursunlu in Turkey. Common moorhen The common moorhen (""Gallinula chloropus"") (also known as the waterhen and as the swamp chicken) is a bird species in the family Rallidae. It is distributed across many parts of the Old World. The common moorhen lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands. The species is not found in the polar regions or many tropical rainforests. Elsewhere it is likely the most common rail species, except for the Eurasian coot in some"
"Cape petrel The Cape petrel (""Daption capense""), also called the Cape pigeon, pintado petrel, or Cape fulmar, is a common seabird of the Southern Ocean from the family Procellariidae. It is the only member of the genus ""Daption"", and is allied to the fulmarine petrels, and the giant petrels. They are extremely common seabirds with an estimated population of around 2 million. The Cape petrel is the only known member of the genus ""Daption"" and is in turn a member of the family Procellariidae and order Procellariiformes. There appears to be a subgroup within the family consisting of the giant"
"refers to a seabird mentioned by Aristotle and others and is thought to refer to a duck, auklet or other seabird. The species name ""marila"" is from the Greek word for charcoal embers or coal dust. The greater scaup was first studied by Linnaeus in 1761. Male greater scaup from America are distinguishable from those in Europe and Asia by the stronger vermiculations, worm-like carvings or marks on the mantle and scapulars, and are considered a separate subspecies, ""A. m. nearctica"". Females of the two subspecies are indistinguishable. Based on size differences, a Pleistocene paleosubspecies, ""Aythya marila asphaltica"", has also"
"Whimbrel The whimbrel (""Numenius phaeopus"") is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Asia and Europe as far south as Scotland. The whimbrel is a migratory bird wintering on coasts in Africa, southern North America, South America, and South Asia into Australasia. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season. This is a fairly large wader though mid-sized as a member of the curlew genus. The English name is imitative of the bird's call. The"
"Common firecrest The common firecrest (""Regulus ignicapilla"") also known as the firecrest, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. It breeds in most of temperate Europe and northwestern Africa, and is partially migratory, with birds from central Europe wintering to the south and west of their breeding range. Firecrests in the Balearic Islands and north Africa are widely recognised as a separate subspecies, but the population on Madeira, previously also treated as a subspecies, is now treated as a distinct species, the Madeira firecrest, ""Regulus madeirensis"". A fossil ancestor of the firecrest has been identified from a"
"Sea and sandeel numbers have declined. The common murre has a variety of calls, including a soft purring noise. The common murre nests in densely packed colonies (known as ""loomeries""), with up to twenty pairs occupying one square metre at peak season. Common murres do not make nests and lay their eggs on bare rock ledges, under rocks, or the ground. They first breed at four to nine years old, but most individuals recruit into the breeding population at ages six or seven, although birds may disperse (permanently depart their natal colony) if space is limited. Annual survival probability for"
"Merle (dog coat) Merle is a pattern in a dog's coat. Merle comes in different colors and patterns. The merle gene creates mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat, blue or odd-colored eyes, and can affect skin pigment as well. Health issues are more typical and more severe when two merles are bred together, so it is recommended that a merle be bred to a dog with a solid coat color only. Merle can affect all coat colors. The merle forms of brown and black are usually called ""red"" (though this is not correct; red and brown"