"coloured, with chestnut plumage except for the white head and breast and black wing tips. The juveniles are browner, but can be distinguished from both the resident and migratory races of black kites in Asia by the paler appearance, shorter wings, and rounded tail. The pale patch on the underwing carpal region is of a squarish shape and separated from ""Buteo"" buzzards. The brahminy kite is about the same size as the black kite (""Milvus migrans"") and has a typical kite flight, with wings angled, but its tail is rounded unlike the ""Milvus"" species, red kite, and black kite, which"
"bat. About 420 species of birds have been found in Wales. Red kites and ospreys are a ""signature species"" of Wales. Dippers, choughs, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, short-eared owls, Manx shearwaters, whimbrel and plovers are also common. Montagu's harrier (""Circus pygargus""), a rare species in Britain, has several nesting places in Wales. Red grouse (""Lagopus lagopus scotica""), once a common species, has reduced population dramatically due to human hunting. Red grouse can be found at the extreme north part of Wales. King eider (""Somateria spectabilis"") is also heavily hunted for its feathers. Adders, common lizards (try Oxwich bay) and grass snakes"
"is on the ground. Four to six whitish eggs are laid. Pallid harrier The pale or pallid harrier (""Circus macrourus"") is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ""Circus"" is from ""kirkos"", referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (""kirkos"", ""circle""), probably the hen harrier and ""macrourus"" is ""long-tailed"", from ""makros"", ""long"" and ""-ouros"" ""-tailed"". It breeds in southern parts of eastern Europe and central Asia (such as Iran) and winters mainly in India and southeast Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to Great"
"Western marsh harrier The western marsh harrier (""Circus aeruginosus"") is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. The genus name ""Circus"" is derived from the Ancient Greek ""kirkos"", referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (""kirkos"", ""circle""), probably the hen harrier. The specific ""aeruginosus"" is Latin for ""rusty"". Formerly, a number of relatives were included in ""C. aeruginosus"", which was then known as ""marsh harrier"". The related taxa are now generally considered to be separate species: the eastern"
"are found in central and northern Wales. Fallow deer are found in rural and semiurban areas of Wales. The European polecat (""Mustela putorius"") can be found in both urban and country environments. Found in the same area is the red fox, one of the most common mammals in Wales. The red deer, one of five native deer species, is the biggest non-marine mammal in Wales. Fallow, muntjac roe and sika deer can also be found. Polecats and pine martens are very rarely seen. Other mammals include badgers, foxes, hares, hedgehogs, otters, rabbits, stoats, weasels, red squirrels, and 13 species of"
"to the north of the plateau at Rhandirmwyn which was one of the largest in the world in the 1750s. There is also some evidence of earlier mining on a smaller scale at the head of the mine, at the outcrop of Pencerrig mwyn which may also be of Roman origin. There are numerous bird species present in the area, including large birds of preys like the red kite, common buzzard, raven, kestrel and carrion crow, as well as songbirds such as the skylark, among many others. The red kite retreated to this area after intense persecution by gamekeepers in"
"Poland: red-backed shrike, corncrake, golden oriole, hawfinch, white stork, aquatic warbler, white-winged black terns, great snipe, flycatchers (pied, spotted, collared and red-breasted). Species seen in Wales: red kite, dipper, nuthatch, redstart, pied flycatcher, wood warbler, little tern, seabird colony, chough, gull colony, house martin, fulmar, Manx shearwater. Species seen: black skimmer, 'peeps' (small wader), peregrine falcon, sharp-tailed sparrow, ruby-throated hummingbird, kestrel. Oddie: ""There are just a few places in the world where the very name means birds and birding. Cape May, New Jersey, is one of them."" Birding with Bill Oddie Birding with Bill Oddie was a British TV programme,"
"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;"
"number (77.6%) and biomass (72%). Also, in Luxembourg, eagle-owls hunted birds in general were more regularly than mammals, as nearly 70% of prey remains there were avian. At least six other species of pigeon and dove have also been recorded as prey. However, perhaps the most significant contributor of prey at the family level is the corvids and all available species have been targeted. The carrion crow (""Corvus corone"") is the second most widely recorded avian prey species in Europe and, locally, good numbers are also taken of hooded crow (""Corvus cornix""), western jackdaws (""Corvus monedula""), Eurasian jays (""Garrulus glandarius""),"
"but is relatively uncommon around the coast. Average annual rainfall in those areas can be less than . Wales' wildlife is typical of Britain with several distinctions. Because of its long coastline, Wales hosts a variety of seabirds. The coasts and surrounding islands are home to colonies of gannets, Manx shearwater, puffins, kittiwakes, shags and razorbills. In comparison, with 60% of Wales above the 150m contour, the country also supports a variety of upland habitat birds, including raven and ring ouzel. Birds of prey include the merlin, hen harrier and the red kite, a national symbol of Welsh wildlife. In"
"and also liable to lead shot poisoning. Still, the threats to this bird have been largely averted and it is today classified as Species of Least Concern by the IUCN. Western marsh harrier The western marsh harrier (""Circus aeruginosus"") is a large harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. The genus name ""Circus"" is derived from the Ancient Greek ""kirkos"", referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (""kirkos"", ""circle""), probably the hen harrier. The specific ""aeruginosus"" is Latin for ""rusty""."
"Wales. Within the British Isles, the Snowdon lily (""Gagea serotina"") is found only on the slopes of Snowdon. Important Plant Areas (IPAs) in Wales are areas of ""the highest botanical importance"" as determined by Plantlife. Around Cadigan Bay and Pembrokeshire coast, minke and pilot whales are common in the summer while fin and killer whales are rare. Bottlenose dolphins are common and Risso’s dolphin and Atlantic white-sided dolphin are rare. Whales, grey seals, basking sharks and sunfish can also be seen. Roe deer (""Capreolus capreolus"") and fallow deer (""Dama dama"") are the two largest mammal species in Wales. Roe deer"
"supports substantial populations of upland birds including raptors, such as the hen harrier (""Circus cyaneus""), merlin (""Falco columbarius""), and peregrine (""Falco peregrinus"") (about 14–18 breeding pairs of each species, 1%–2% of the total British population), and for this reason it is a Special Protection Area classified in accordance with the European Union's Birds Directive. Much of the area is also designated a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation. Other wildlife include short-eared owl, raven, buzzard, polecat and golden plover. The scholar T."
"pinetorum"") and one introduced pest, the brown rat. Small rodents form the great majority of great horned owl prey by number. Weighing a mere and on average, the nine species of New World mice in ""Peromyscus"" and eight species voles in ""Microtus"" recorded in the diet would appear to be overly small to be as important as they are to a predatory bird of this size. The prominence of these genera is undoubtedly due to the abundance of both genera in the wooded edge habitats frequented by great horned owls. It is estimated that a family of owls with two"
"Pallid harrier The pale or pallid harrier (""Circus macrourus"") is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ""Circus"" is from ""kirkos"", referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (""kirkos"", ""circle""), probably the hen harrier and ""macrourus"" is ""long-tailed"", from ""makros"", ""long"" and ""-ouros"" ""-tailed"". It breeds in southern parts of eastern Europe and central Asia (such as Iran) and winters mainly in India and southeast Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to Great Britain and western Europe, although remarkably a juvenile wintered in Norfolk"
"chicks. In most years the pair will raise two broods. The nests may be raided by woodpeckers, squirrels and weasels and infested with fleas, and adults may be hunted by sparrowhawks. The great tit has adapted well to human changes in the environment and is a common and familiar bird in urban parks and gardens. The great tit is also an important study species in ornithology. The great tit was described under its current binomial name by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, ""Systema Naturae"". Its scientific name is derived from the Latin ""parus"" ""tit"" and ""maior"" ""larger"". Francis Willughby"
"numerous different species of bird in the area, and they include the red kite, common buzzard, kestrel, carrion crow, common raven and skylark to name a few of the most obvious residents. The red kite was previously restricted to this and adjoining areas in South Wales such as Mynydd Mallaen, but has since been introduced widely in southern Britain, such as the Chilterns. The kestrel and buzzard are widely distributed, but the raven is restricted to the higher mountains. The birds of prey can often be seen riding thermals or updraughts at the edges of the hill. Bruce Chatwin used"
"Willow tit The willow tit (""Poecile montanus"") is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and northern Asia. It is more of a conifer specialist than the closely related marsh tit, which explains it breeding much further north. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate. In the east of its range it is much paler than marsh tit, but as one goes west the various races become increasingly similar, so much so that it was not recognised as a breeding bird in Great Britain"
"one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work ""Systema Naturae"". He recognised its affinity with other corvids, naming it ""Corvus glandarius"". The current scientific name is from Latin; ""Garrulus"" means noisy or chattering, and ""glandarius"" is ""of acorns"", a favoured food. Eight racial groups (33 subspecies in total) are recognised by Madge & Burn (1994): A member of the widespread jay group, and about the size of the jackdaw, it inhabits mixed woodland, particularly with oaks, and is a habitual acorn hoarder. In recent years, the bird has begun to migrate into urban areas,"
"an important feeding ground for birds including Bewick’s swan (""Cygnus columbianus bewickii""), Eurasian curlew (""Numenius arquata""), common redshank (""Tringa totanus""), skylark (""Alauda arvensis""), common snipe (""Gallinago gallinago""), common teal (""Anas crecca""), Eurasian wigeon (""Anas penelope"") and whimbrel (""Numenius phaeopus""), as well as birds of prey including the western marsh harrier (""Circus aeruginosus"") and peregrine falcon (""Falco peregrinus""). A wide range of invertebrate species is also present including rare insects, particularly the hairy click beetle (""Synaptus filiformis""), which until recently was only known in Britain from the Parrett, and other insects, including the lesser silver water beetle (""Hydrochara caraboides""), ""Bagous nodulosus"","
"Harris's hawk The Harris's hawk (""Parabuteo unicinctus"") formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity. The name is derived from the Greek ""para"", meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin ""buteo"", referring to a kind of buzzard; ""uni"" meaning once; and ""cinctus"" meaning girdled, referring to the white"
"much larger than the male. For centuries, the gyrfalcon has been valued as a hunting bird. Typical prey includes the ptarmigan and waterfowl, which it may take in flight; it also takes fish and mammals. The gyrfalcon was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ""Systema Naturae"" under its current binomial name ""Falco rusticolus"". The genus name is the Late Latin term for a falcon, ""Falco"", from ""falx"", ""falcis"", a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird. The species name is from the Latin ""rusticolus"", a countryside-dweller, from ""rus, ruris"", ""country"""
"include the European adder (""Vipera berus"") and grass snake (""Natrix natrix""). Multiple bird species include Bewick's swan (""Cygnus columbianus bewickii""), Eurasian bittern (""Botaurus stellaris""), Eurasian bullfinch (""Pyrrhula pyrrhula""), *Eurasian wigeon (""Anas penelope""), European starling (""Sturnus vulgaris""), gadwall (""Anas strepera""), grasshopper warbler (""Locustella naevia""), hen harrier (""Circus cyaneus""), house sparrow (""Passer domesticus""), linnet (""Carduelis cannabina""), marsh harrier (""Circus aeruginosus""), marsh tit (""Poecile palustris""), merlin (""Falco columbarius""), northern lapwing (""Vanellus vanellus""), peregrine (""Falco peregrinus""), reed bunting (""Emberiza schoeniclus""), short-eared owl (""Asio flammeus""), skylark (""Alauda arvensis""), song thrush (""Turdus philomelos""), teal (""Anas cracca""), willow tit (""Poecile montanus"") and yellowhammer (""Emberiza citrinella""). Mammalian species"
"There are numerous different species of bird in the area, and they include the red kite, common buzzard, kestrel, carrion crow, common raven and skylark to name a few of the most obvious residents. The former birds can often be found soaring on the updrafts near the cliffs as well as on thermals from the valley below. The red kite was previously restricted to this and adjoining areas in South Wales such as Mynydd Mallaen, mainly as a result of persecution by farmers and gamekeepers, but attitudes have now changed. It was thought that the bird preyed on game birds"
"skylark to name a few of the most obvious residents. The red kite was previously restricted to this and adjoining areas in South Wales such as Mynydd Mallaen owing to persecution by gamekeepers in the rest of the country, but has since been introduced widely in southern Britain, such as the Chilterns. The kestrel and buzzard are widely distributed, but the raven is restricted to the higher mountains. There is a wide distribution of mammals such as field voles, foxes and badgers as well as many songbirds. The skylark is plentiful due to the extensive rough pasture present below the"
"can be observed over all open areas with flat wings spread and then pouncing down with closed wings on its prey of mice or other small mammals. Other observed bird species: Mallard (""Anas platyrhynchos""), grey partridge (""Perdix perdix""), pheasant (""Phasianus colchicus""), quail (""Coturnix coturnix""), moorhen (""Gallinula chloropus""), wood pigeon (""Columba palumbus""), great spotted woodpecker (""Dendrocopos major""), skylark (""Alauda arvensis""), wren (""Troglodytes troglodytes""), robin (""Erithacus rubecula""), black redstart (""Phoenicurus ochruros""), blackbird (""Turdus merula""), song thrush (""Turdus philomelos""), garden warbler (""Sylvia borin""), blackcap (""Sylvia atricapilla""), willow warbler (""Phylloscopus trochilus""), chiffchaff (""Phylloscopus collybita""), goldcrest (""Regulus regulus""), common firecrest (""Regulus ignicapillus""), spotted flycatcher (""Muscicapa"
"voles, were yellow-rumped warblers (""Setophaga coronata"") and white-throated sparrows (""Zonotrichus albicollis""). Abundant midsized avian or largish passerine prey are also not uncommon foods, such as mourning doves (""Zenaida macroura""), downy woodpeckers (""Picoides pubescens""), northern flickers, blue jays (""Cyanocitta cristata""), American robins (""Turdus migratorius""), European starling (""Sturnus vulgaris""), red-winged blackbirds (""Agelaius phoeniceus""), and common grackles (""Quiscalus quiscula""). However, larger avian prey are sometimes caught, including northern bobwhite (""Colinus virginianus"") and American woodcocks (""Scolopax minor"") and even rock pigeons and ruffed grouse (""Bonasa umbellus""), most likely young or fledgling aged birds, but all of which are likely to be heavier than the"
"introduced common peafowl (""Pavo cristatus"") are an important prey item. The wild turkey (""Meleagris gallopavo""), on average between the sexes, is probably the largest bird the great horned owl hunts in which they kill adults. Both full-grown wild turkeys and adult domestic turkeys have been hunted and killed. Under normal circumstances, domestic chicken (""Gallus gallus domesticus"") will be ignored in favor of wild prey. On occasion, individual owls, especially inexperienced juveniles, will become habitual fowl killers. These errant owls mainly hunt chickens, though will also take domestic guineafowl, turkeys and anything else available. In general, chickens kept in locked cages"
"where it remains to this day (January 2009). Harris's hawk The Harris's hawk (""Parabuteo unicinctus"") formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity. The name is derived from the Greek ""para"", meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin ""buteo"", referring to a kind of buzzard; ""uni"" meaning once;"
"in the Mendips, the peregrine falcon (""Falco peregrinus""), which has gradually recolonised the area since the 1980s, is particularly significant. It breeds on sea and inland cliffs and on the faces of active and disused quarries. The upland heaths of the west Mendips have recently increased in ornithological importance due to colonisation by the Dartford warbler (""Sylvia undata""), which can be found at Black Down and Crook Peak. In Britain, this species is usually associated with lowland heath. The woodlands at Stock Hill are a breeding site for nightjars (""Caprimulgus europaeus"") and long-eared owls (""Asio otus""). The Waldegrave Pool, part"
"temperate. This common and conspicuous species has given rise to a number of literary and cultural references, frequently related to its song. The common blackbird was described by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ""Systema Naturae"" in 1758 as ""Turdus merula"" (characterised as ""T. ater, rostro palpebrisque fulvis""). The binomial name derives from two Latin words, ""turdus"", ""thrush"", and ""merula"", ""blackbird"", the latter giving rise to its French name, ""merle"", and its Scots name, ""merl"". About 65 species of medium to large thrushes are in the genus ""Turdus"", characterised by rounded heads, longish, pointed wings, and usually melodious songs."
"aforementioned largest swan and condor. It is either the heaviest or one of the heaviest birds native to Europe, its closest rivals in mass being mute swans (""Cygnus olor"") and cinereous vultures (""Aegypius monachus""), which both weigh on average around , followed closely by great white pelicans and the whooper swans (""Cygnus cygnus""). It also appears to have one of the largest wingspans of any living bird, rivaling those of the great albatrosses (""Diomedea"" ssp., in particular the two largest species, the wandering albatross and southern royal albatross) and the great white pelican. These four species are the only modern"
"birds. Around 9,000 birds breed on Europa Island, and 9,000–12,000 breed on the Hawaiian Islands. Human presence generally affects the species adversely, by the destruction of habitat or introduction of pests. Within Australia, it is classified as ""near threatened"", due to unexpected declines in some populations, the impact of humans, and the yellow crazy ant overrunning Christmas Island. It is listed as vulnerable in New South Wales. Predators recorded in Western Australia include large raptors such as the white-bellied sea eagle (""Haliaeetus leucogaster"") and eastern osprey (""Pandion cristatus""), while silver gulls, and crows and ravens (""Corvus"" spp.) raid nests for"