"an island and first constructed by the monk Elisarius in the 6th Century. The lyrics of the song were taken from William Butler Yeats controversial poem ""Leda and the Swan"" from his collection ""The Tower"" - which explores the myth of Leda and the swan in explicit terms. Unkindness Of Ravens style has been described as a ""dark form of independently minded, slightly gothic-rock"". The band have cited Jim Morrison and The Doors, Fields of the Nephilim, Thin Lizzy, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sopor Æternus & the Ensemble of Shadows as major influences. Unkindness Of Ravens Unkindness Of Ravens"
"believed to ward off the icy power of Sawiskera, also referred to as Flint, the spirit of the winter. Its call caused Sawiskera to flee in fear and the ice to recede. Songwriters have portrayed the bluebird as a muse, as in the song ""Voices in the Sky"" by the British rock group The Moody Blues, from their 1968 album ""In Search of the Lost Chord"". Bluebird The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous bird in the order of Passerines in the genus Sialia of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush"
"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"
"Icterid Icterids make up a family (Icteridae) of small- to medium-sized, often colorful, New-World passerine birds. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The species in the family vary widely in size, shape, behavior and coloration. The name, meaning ""jaundiced ones"" (from the prominent yellow feathers of many species) comes from the Ancient Greek ""ikteros"" via the Latin ""ictericus"". This group includes the New World blackbirds, New World orioles, the bobolink, meadowlarks, grackles, cowbirds, oropendolas and caciques. Despite the similar names, the first groups are only distantly related to the Old"
"Bittern Bittern is a common name given to birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ""hæferblæte"" in Old English; the word ""bittern"" came to English from Old French ""butor"", itself from Gallo-Roman ""butitaurus"", a compound of Latin ""būtiō"" and ""taurus"".. Bitterns usually frequent reed beds and similar marshy areas, and feed on amphibians, reptiles, insects, and fish. Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched. The genus"
"forest clearing. The four species of riflebird are classified as being of “Least Concern” according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The population trends for ""P. paradiseus"" and ""P. victoriae"" are reported as declining but not approaching the threshold for vulnerable status. 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"
"Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: ""Mimus"" and ""Nesomimus"" are quite closely related; their closest living relatives appear to be thrashers, such as the sage thrasher. ""Melanotis"" is more distinct; it seems to represent a very ancient basal lineage of Mimidae. The only mockingbird commonly found"
"""Zapornia"" group, ""Limnocorax"" subgroup – black crakes ""Zapornia"" group, unknown subgroup Amaurornis Amaurornis is a genus of birds in the family Rallidae. The name comes from the Greek ""amauros"", meaning ""dusky"" or ""brown"" and ""ornis"", meaning ""bird"". The White-browed crake, type species of the defunct genus ""Poliolimnas"", is now provisionally placed here. The species in this genus are typically called bush-hens. A monotypic subtribe, Amaurornithina, was proposed for this genus. The New Guinea flightless rail was sometimes included in this genus, but more often held to constitute a distinct monotypic genus ""Megacrex"". The first cladistic studies of rails, based on"
"occasionally six. In England, the government's environmental organisation Natural England offers grants towards implementing measures to conserve this species, under the environmental stewardship scheme. Corn bunting The corn bunting (""Emberiza calandra"") is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. It is usually placed in the genus ""Emberiza"", but some taxonomists place it in the monotypic genus ""Miliaria"". The genus name ""Emberiza"" is from Old German ""Embritz"", a bunting. The specific ""calandra"" is from Ancient Greek ""kalandros"", the calandra lark. This is an unusual bunting because the plumages"
"(used in the design of the films), and to call Legolas to (and across) the sea. Other species have also made an impact; pelicans have long been associated with mercy and altruism because of an early Western Christian myth that they split open their breast to feed their starving chicks. The following are the groups of birds normally classed as seabirds. Sphenisciformes (Antarctic and southern waters; 16 species) Procellariiformes (Tubenoses: pan-oceanic and pelagic; 93 species) Pelecaniformes (Worldwide; 8 species) Suliformes (Worldwide; about 56 species) Phaethontiformes (Worldwide tropical seas; 3 species) Charadriiformes (Worldwide; 305 species, but only the families listed are"
"Ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. ""Ibis"" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word for this group of birds. It also occurs in the scientific name of the cattle egret, (""Bubulcus ibis""), mistakenly identified in 1757 as being the sacred ibis. Ibises all have long, down-curved bills, and usually feed as a group, probing mud for food items, usually crustaceans. They are monogamous and highly territorial while nesting and feeding. Most nest in trees, often with"
"stability of species. This was his first recorded expression of his doubts about species being immutable, which led to his being convinced about the transmutation of species and hence evolution. Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera. These do not appear to form a monophyletic lineage: ""Mimus"" and ""Nesomimus"" are quite closely related; their closest living"
"Auk An auk or alcid is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the murres, guillemots, auklets, puffins, and murrelets. Apart from the extinct great auk, all auks are notable for their ability to ""fly"" under water as well as in the air. Although they are excellent swimmers and divers, their walking appears clumsy. Several species have different common names in Europe and North America. The guillemots of Europe are referred to as murres in North America, if they occur in both continents, and the little auk is referred to as the dovekie."
"(""Milvus"" and ""Haliastur"") with the sea-eagles in tribe Milvini within Buteoninae. This results in the following arrangement (genera in parentheses are not generally called kites): As early as 1882, Anton Reichenow had also placed Section Milvinæ alongside Section Buteoninæ in Subfamily Buteoninæ. Isis is said in ancient Egyptian mythology to have taken the form of a kite in various situations in order to resurrect the dead. It also figures in several fables by Aesop which underline its character as a predator: The Sick Kite, The Kite and the Doves and a variant of The Crow and the Snake. Kite (bird)"
"which has one species, the black-breasted fruithunter, was often placed in this family but has now been shown to be a thrush (Turdidae). Cuckooshrikes are not closely related to either the cuckoos or to the shrikes; the name probably comes from the grey colour of many of the cuckooshrikes. Some of the species also bear a superficial resemblance to cuckoos, and have a similar undulating flight. The grey colouration has led to one of their other names, the greybird. In some parts of the world they have also been known as caterpillar-birds, a name derived from their diet. Although unsuspected"
"Kite (bird) Kite is a common name for certain birds of prey in the family Accipitridae, particularly in subfamilies Milvinae, Elaninae, and Perninae. Some authors use the terms ""hovering kite"" and ""soaring kite"" to distinguish between ""Elanus"" and the milvine kites, respectively. The groups may also be differentiated by size, referring to milvine kites as ""large kites"", and elanine kites as ""small kites"". A few of the traditional Perninae"" ""are also called kites. In 1824, Vigors proposed five divisions or ""stirpes"" of the family Falconidae: Aquilina (eagles), Accipitrina (hawks), Falconina (falcons), Buteonina (buzzards) and Milvina (kites, containing two genera ""Elanus"""
"Luscinia Luscinia is a genus of smallish passerine birds, containing the nightingales and relatives. Formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, they are now considered to be Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae) of the chat subfamily (Saxicolinae). The chats are a lineage of Old World flycatchers that has evolved convergently to thrushes. The word ""Luscinia"" was used for nightingales and similar birds in Classical Latin (e.g. in the AD 70s ""Naturalis Historia"" by Pliny the Elder), if not earlier. Etymologically, it might be derived from ""luscus"" (Latin for ""half-blind"", ""half-understood"" etc.) or ""clueō"" (Latin for ""to be well-known"") +"
"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"
"Curlew The curlews (), genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French ""corliu"", ""messenger"", from ""courir "", ""to run"". It was first recorded in 1377 in Langland's Piers Plowman """"Fissch to lyue in þe flode..Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre"""". In Europe ""curlew"" usually refers to one species, the Eurasian curlew ""Numenius arquata"". They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits"
"Malaconotoidea Malaconotoidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. They contain a vast diversity of omnivorous and carnivorous songbirds widespread in Africa and Australia, many of which superficially resemble shrikes. It was defined and named by Cacraft and colleagues in 2004 and contains the bushshrikes (Malaconotidae), helmetshrikes (Prionopidae), ioras (Aegithinidae), vangas (Vangidae) and the Australian butcherbirds, magpies, currawongs and woodswallows (Artamidae). Molecular analysis in 2006 added the Bornean bristlehead to the group, though its position in the Malconotoidea is unclear. It was initially thought related to the butcherbirds and woodswallows but now is thought to be an early offshoot. In 2012,"
"as the mud-nest builders or Corcoracidae, written as Grallinidae in older books before the removal of the genus ""Grallina"" to the wagtail family. It is one of two remaining species, with the white-winged chough (""Corcorax melanorhamphos""), which differs in appearance but exhibits many behavioural similarities. The mudnest builder family Corcoracidae itself is now placed in a narrower ""core corvine"" group, which contains the crows and ravens, shrikes, birds of paradise, fantails, monarch flycatchers, and drongos. The apostlebird was named after the Biblical apostles, the twelve followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, the species travel in family groups of between 6"
"Shrike Shrikes () are carnivorous passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 31 species in four genera. They are fairly closely related to the bush-shrike family Malaconotidae. The family name, and that of the largest genus, ""Lanius"", is derived from the Latin word for ""butcher"", and some shrikes are also known as butcherbirds because of their feeding habits. The common English name shrike is from Old English , alluding to the shrike's shriek-like call. Most shrike species have a Eurasian and African distribution, with just two breeding in North America (the loggerhead and great grey shrikes)."
"Phlegopsis Phlegopsis is a genus of insectivorous passerine birds in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. They are known as ""bare-eyes"", which is a reference to a colourful bare patch of skin around their eyes. They are restricted to humid forest in the Amazon of South America. They are among the largest ant-followers in the family and are only rarely seen away from ant swarms. The pale-faced bare-eye, sometimes known as the pale-faced antbird, has often been placed in the monotypic genus ""Skutchia"", but based on genetic evidence it should be placed in ""Phlegopsis"", and this treatment was adopted by the SACC"
"for that minute a blackbird sang Close by, and round him, mistier, Farther and farther, all the birds Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. In the English Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, the line commonly sung today as ""four calling birds"" is believed to have originally been written in the 18th century as ""four colly birds"", an archaism meaning ""black as coal"" that was a popular English nickname for the common blackbird. The common blackbird, unlike many black creatures, is not normally seen as a symbol of bad luck, but R. S. Thomas wrote that there is ""a suggestion of"
"moved to a genus of its own, ""Anomalospiza"". The name of the genus means ""anomalous finch"" with ""spiza"" being a Greek word for finch. The specific name ""imberbis"" comes from Latin and means ""beardless"". Its closest relatives are thought to be the indigobirds and whydahs of the genus ""Vidua"". These birds are now usually considered to form a family, Viduidae. Previously they were treated as a subfamily, Viduinae, within either the estrildid finch family, Estrildidae, or the weaver family, Ploceidae. The cuckoo-finch is a small finch-like bird, about 11–13 cm long. It has a short tail, large legs and feet,"
"Chalcomitra Chalcomitra is a genus of African sunbirds. Its members are sometimes included in ""Nectarinia"". The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed most of the time. The genus ""Chalcomitra"" was introduced by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1853. The type species was subsequently designated as the amethyst sunbird. The name ""Chalcomitra"" is from the Ancient"
"enough to raise serious conservation concerns, and the species is therefore classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of least concern. The shrikes are a family of slender, long-tailed passerines, most of its members being in the genus ""Lanius"", the typical shrikes. They are short-necked birds with rounded wings and a hooked tip to the bill. Most occur in open habitats. The affiliations of the masked shrike with other members of the genus are uncertain; the ""brown"" shrikes (brown, red-backed and isabelline shrikes) and tropical species like the Somali fiscal have both been suggested as possible"
"species was subsequently designated as the splendid sunbird. The name ""Cinnyris"" is from the Ancient Greek ""kinnuris"", an unknown small bird mentioned by Hesychius of Alexandria. It is suspected that the genus is polyphyletic and the positions of many are unresolved: The genus contains 56 species: Cinnyris Cinnyris is a genus of sunbirds. Its members are sometimes included in ""Nectarinia"". They are generally known as double-collared sunbirds because the fringe of their bib usually includes a band of contrastingly coloured feathers. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they"
"Chickcharney The chickcharney (also known as the chickcharnie or chickcharnee) is a legendary creature in the folklore of Andros Island in the Bahama Islands. It is said to live in the forests, and furry, feathered and about tall, with an ugly appearance resembling an owl. In common legend, if a traveler meets a chickcharney and treats it well, he or she will be rewarded with good luck, while treating a chickcharney badly will result in bad luck and hard times. Sightings have continued into the present. It is said that the birds make their nest by bringing several pine trees"
"Satinbird The satinbirds or cnemophilines, are a family, Cnemophilidae of passerine birds which consists of three species found in the mountain forests of New Guinea. They were originally thought to be part of the birds-of-paradise family Paradisaeidae until genetic research suggested that the birds are not closely related to birds-of-paradise at all and are perhaps closer to berry peckers and longbills (Melanocharitidae). The current evidence suggests that their closest relatives may be the cuckoo-shrikes (Campephagidae). In each of the three species of satinbirds, the male is more brightly colored than the female, which is dull and inconspicuous. The male yellow-breasted"
"happy songs, and since then, nightingales have visited Ukraine every spring to hear Ukrainian songs. National poet Taras Shevchenko observed that ""even the memory of the nightingale's song makes man happy."" 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"
"song is a mixture of harsh and more musical ringing notes, with a bell-like ""tickita-tickita-tickita-ting"" and a rapid ""chi-chi-chi-chi"" being typical. The calls vary in dialect between islands and the bird usually fluffs up its feathers when calling. Carib grackle The Carib grackle (""Quiscalus lugubris"") is a New World tropical blackbird, a resident breeder in the Lesser Antilles and northern South America east of the Andes, from Colombia east to Venezuela and north-eastern Brazil. There are eight races, of which the most widespread is the nominate ""Q. l. lugubris"" of Trinidad and the South American mainland. This form was introduced"
"the IUCN Red List in 2018. The reasons for the species' long-term decline are unclear, but hunting, loss of foraging habitat, and pesticide poisoning have been implicated in the rapid loss of colonies in recent decades. The ibises are gregarious, long-legged wading birds with long down-curved bills. Along with the spoonbills they form one subfamily within the family Threskiornithidae. The northern bald ibis' closest relative, and the only other member of the genus, is the southern bald ibis, ""G. calvus"", of southern Africa. The two ""Geronticus"" species differ from other ibises in that they have unfeathered faces and heads, breed"