"only sing when perched, and Thomas Hardy referenced the eerie silence of a hunting bird in ""Afterwards"": ""If it be in the dusk when, like an eyelid's soundless blink/The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight/Upon the wind-warped upland thorn"". ""Caprimulgus"" and the old name ""goatsucker"" both refer to the myth, old even in the time of Aristotle, that nightjars suckled from nanny goats, which subsequently ceased to give milk or went blind. This ancient belief is reflected in nightjar names in other European languages, such as German ""Ziegenmelker"", Polish ""kozodój"" and Italian ""succiacapre"", which also mean goatsucker, but despite"
"Nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the subfamily Caprimulginae and in the family Caprimulgidae, characterised by long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tale that they sucked the milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is ""Caprimulgus""), or bugeaters, due to their insectivore diet. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word 'nightjar' originally referred to the European nightjar. Nightjars are found around the world except in New Zealand and some islands of Oceania. They are mostly active in the late evening and in"
"Nightjars are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats (the Latin for goatsucker is ""Caprimulgus""). In October 2018, the University of Alberta published research on the common nighthawk revealing that it travels 20,000 kilometres every year during migration between the rainforests and savannas of Brazil and its breeding grounds in northern Alberta. Nighthawks have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically coloured to resemble bark or leaves. Some species perch facing along a branch, rather than across it as birds usually do. This"
"a goose. It has blue feathers, long legs and a large beak, similar to that of a hornbill. As an example of sexual dimorphism, the male Mockery Birds have a large hump on their beak, while the females have only a small, bony shield. The bird was named after its call, that sounds like laughter (much like the kookaburra's). The Mockery Bird was worshipped by the native Fangoua people, but was believed to be hunt to extinction. Mysteriously, when the bird was lost, a tree species, the Ombu tree also disappeared. This shows that there was a strong ecological link"
"goshawk genus ""Accipiter"". This bird was named after the naturalist William Cooper, one of the founders of the New York Lyceum of Natural History (later the New York Academy of Sciences) in New York. Other common names; big blue darter, chicken hawk, hen hawk, Mexican hawk, quail hawk, striker and swift hawk. The average mass of an adult male ranges from with a length between . The adult male is significantly smaller than the average female, which weighs and measures long. Its wingspan ranges from . Individuals living in the eastern regions, where the sexes average and , tend to"
"spiders and seeds. Outside of the nesting season, these birds forage in mixed flocks. In winter, they also eat berries and plant nectar. The song of the male bird is a buzzed ""zee-zee-zee-bzz-zee"", somewhat similar to that of its eastern relative, the black-throated green warbler. The call is a sharp ""tup"". This bird was named after the American ornithologist, John Kirk Townsend. Although Townsend is also credited with first describing this bird, he used a name chosen by Thomas Nuttall, who was travelling with him, and so sidestepped the convention against naming a species after oneself. Townsend's warbler Townsend's warbler"
"in 1929, a specimen that was held in the hand. Surveys in the 1970s and 1990s failed to find it. It is perfectly possible that it has evolved as a species that can really be identified in the wild only by other Vaurie's nightjars, rather than by humans. As a result, scientists do not know whether it is extinct, endangered, or even locally common. Nightjar Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the subfamily Caprimulginae and in the family Caprimulgidae, characterised by long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient"
"Grass warbler The grass warblers are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Locustella. Formerly placed in the paraphyletic ""Old World warbler"" assemblage, they are now considered the northernmost representatives of a largely Gondwanan family, the Locustellidae. The genus name ""Locustella"" is from Latin and is a diminutive of ""locusta"", ""grasshopper"". Like the English name, this refers to the insect-like song of some species. These are rather drab brownish ""warblers"" usually associated with fairly open grassland, shrubs or marshes. Some are streaked, others plain, all are difficult to view. They are insectivorous. The most characteristic feature of this group is"
"from the Mascarenes, described by Henry Ogg Forbes under the name ""Necropsar leguati"" and sketched by bird illustrator John Gerrard Keulemans. It was supposed to be a close relative of the Rodrigues starling. A vernacular name for this supposed species was ""white Mascarene starling"". However, in April 2000 ancient DNA analysis of that skin in the Smithsonian Institution led by Storrs Olson had shown that the Liverpool specimen was nothing more than a misidentified and mislabeled albinistic specimen of ""C. g. gutturalis"". Grey trembler The grey trembler (""Cinclocerthia gutturalis"") is a songbird species in the family Mimidae. It is found"
"activity. Much of the forest has been cleared for agricultural purposes. Logging also occurs, especially to obtain timber from the forest tree ""Faurea wentzeliana""; this reduces the density of the forest, reducing habitat quality for the bird. Some populations are in protected areas, but the species is thought to be in general decline. Dapple-throat The dapple-throat (""Arcanator orostruthus"") is a species of bird in the small African family Modulatricidae. Other common names include dappled mountain robin and dappled mountain greenbul. It is native to Mozambique and Tanzania. This is the only species in the monotypic genus Arcanator. This species has"
"Guaiabero The guaiabero (""Bolbopsittacus lunulatus"") is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae, belonging to the monotypic genus Bolbopsittacus and closely related to the lovebirds (""Agapornis"") and hanging parrots (""Loriculus""). It is endemic to the Philippines and locally known as ""bubutok"". Its common name is derived from its reputation for eating guavas. Measuring around in length, it is a smallish, stout parrot with a large bill and stubby tail. The sexes differ in plumage. The adult male is green overall, with more yellowish underparts and a pale blue face and collar and wing primaries. The rump is yellow-green. The"
"Accipiter Accipiter is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although almost all New World species (excepting the northern goshawk) are simply known as hawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large procoracoid foramen and are also distinct as regards DNA sequence. They may warrant separation in the old genus ""Hieraspiza"". Extant accipiters range in size from the little sparrowhawk (""A. minullus""), in which the smallest males measure long, span"
"names for the same species. Southern Yellow Grosbeak is used in The Birds of Ecuador and Golden-bellied Grosbeak is used by the American Ornithologist Union’s (AOU) checklist and The Birds of Northern South America to name Pheucticus chysogaster. Three currently recognized species Golden/Southern Yellow Grosbeak (P. chrysogaster), Black-thighed Grosbeak (P. tibialis) and Yellow Grosbeak (P. chrysopeplus) used to be considered the same species and went under the name Yellow Grosbeak. Southern Yellow Grosbeak was the common name given to the subspecies of the Yellow Grosbeaks found in the South American Andes of Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Columbia that is now"
"some quarters; Richard Banks of the AOU urges caution before any of Hanson's proposals are accepted. Cackling goose The cackling goose (""Branta hutchinsii"") is a North American bird of the genus ""Branta"" of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey ""Anser"" species. The black head and neck with white ""chinstrap"" distinguish this goose from all other geese except the larger Canada goose (""Branta canadensis"") and the similarly sized barnacle goose (""B. leucopsis""). There are up to 5 subspecies of cackling goose, of varying sizes and plumage details. The female looks virtually identical but"
"Jacobin cuckoo The Jacobin cuckoo, pied cuckoo, or pied crested cuckoo (""Clamator jacobinus"") is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the ""chataka"" (Sanskrit: चातक) represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst. The Jacobin cuckoo was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc,"
"Nutcracker (bird) The nutcrackers (Nucifraga) are a genus of three species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. The genus name is a New Latin translation of German ""Nussbrecher"", ""nut-breaker"". The most important food resources for both these species are the seeds (pine nuts) of various pines (""Pinus"" sp.), principally the cold-climate (far northern or high altitude) species of white pine (""Pinus"" subgenus ""Strobus"") with large seeds: ""P. albicaulis, P. armandii, P. cembra, P. flexilis, P. koraiensis, P. parviflora, P. peuce, P. pumila, P. sibirica"" and ""P. wallichiana"", and also the pinyon and lacebark"
"the only known locustellid warblers from Europe, it is still fairly likely that the bone piece belongs to a basal ""Locustella"". Grass warbler The grass warblers are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Locustella. Formerly placed in the paraphyletic ""Old World warbler"" assemblage, they are now considered the northernmost representatives of a largely Gondwanan family, the Locustellidae. The genus name ""Locustella"" is from Latin and is a diminutive of ""locusta"", ""grasshopper"". Like the English name, this refers to the insect-like song of some species. These are rather drab brownish ""warblers"" usually associated with fairly open grassland, shrubs or marshes."
"Grey-tailed tattler The grey-tailed tattler or Polynesian tattler, ""Tringa brevipes"" (formerly ""Heteroscelus brevipes"") is a small, foraging shorebird in the genus ""Tringa"". The English name for the tattlers refers to their noisy call. The genus name ""Tringa"" is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek ""trungas"", a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific ""brevipes"" is from Latin ""brevis"", ""short"", and ""pes"", ""foot"". This tattler breeds in northeast Siberia. After breeding, they migrate to an area from southeast Asia to Australia. The grey-tailed tattler is closely related"
"approached by humans or other potential threats, males at bowers and females at nests often mimic the calls of predatory birds such as the wedge-tailed eagle (""Aquila audax""), blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii), grey-crowned babbler (""Pomatostomus temporalis""), grey butcherbird (""Cracticus torquatus""), pied butcherbird (""Cracticus nigrogulari""s), australian magpie (""Gymnorhina tibicen""), australian raven (""Corvus coronoides""), apostlebird (""Struthidea cinerea"") and honeyeaters (Meliphagidae spp.) among others. Other sounds mimicked include large herbivores moving through scrub or over fallen branches, the twang of fence wire, wood chopping, the crack of stock whip and the whistling flight of crested pigeons. First described by John Gould as ""Ptilonorynchus"
"Hoatzin The hoatzin (""Opisthocomus hoazin""), also known as the reptile bird, skunk bird, stinkbird, or Canje pheasant, is a species of tropical bird found in swamps, riparian forests, and mangroves of the Amazon and the Orinoco basins in South America. It is notable for having chicks that have claws on two of their wing digits. It is the only member of the genus Opisthocomus (Ancient Greek: ""wearing long hair behind"", referring to its large crest), which in turn is the only extant genus in the family Opisthocomidae. The taxonomic position of this family has been greatly debated, and is still"
"Northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ""Accipiter gentilis"") is a medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the genus ""Accipiter"", the goshawk is often considered a ""true hawk"". The scientific name is Latin; ""Accipiter"" is ""hawk"", from ""accipere"", ""to grasp"", and ""gentilis"" is ""noble"" or ""gentle"" because in the Middle Ages only the nobility were permitted to fly goshawks for falconry. This species was first described under its current scientific name by Linnaeus in his ""Systema naturae"" in 1758. It is a widespread species"
"rufous-breasted sparrowhawk (""A. rufiventris""), sharp-shinned hawk (""A. striatus""), white-breasted hawk (""A. chionogaster""), plain-breasted hawk (""A. ventralis""), rufous-thighed hawk (""A. erythronemius""). Accipiter Accipiter is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although almost all New World species (excepting the northern goshawk) are simply known as hawks. They can be anatomically distinguished from their relatives by the lack of a procoracoid foramen. Two small and aberrant species usually placed here do possess a large procoracoid foramen and are also distinct as regards DNA sequence. They may warrant separation in the old genus"
"the species are migratory, but they will leave their usual ranges if a cone crop failure causes a food shortage. Nutcracker (bird) The nutcrackers (Nucifraga) are a genus of three species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. The genus name is a New Latin translation of German ""Nussbrecher"", ""nut-breaker"". The most important food resources for both these species are the seeds (pine nuts) of various pines (""Pinus"" sp.), principally the cold-climate (far northern or high altitude) species of white pine (""Pinus"" subgenus ""Strobus"") with large seeds: ""P. albicaulis, P. armandii, P. cembra, P."
"old English name for the goldcrest is the ""woodcock pilot"", since migrating birds preceded the arrival of Eurasian woodcocks by a couple of days. There are unfounded legends that the goldcrest would hitch a ride in the feathers of the larger bird, and similar stories claimed that owls provided the transport. Suffolk fishermen called this bird ""herring spink"" or ""tot o'er seas"" because migrating goldcrests often landed on the rigging of herring boats out in the North Sea. Goldcrest The goldcrest (""Regulus regulus"") is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise"
"Crested goshawk The crested goshawk (""Accipiter trivirgatus"") is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards (or buteos) and harriers, and thus placed in the family Accipitridae. This raptor has short broad wings and a long tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees. It is 30–46 cm in length, with the female much larger than the male. The larger size and a short crest, clearly visible in profile, are the best distinctions from its relative, the besra (""A. virgatus""). The male has a dark brown crown, grey head sides and"
"Latin for ""freckled"", from ""lentigo"", ""freckle"", and refers to the speckled plumage. Many of the folk names are given for its distinctive call; In his book on the common names of American birds, Ernest Choate lists ""bog bumper"" and ""stake driver"", and other vernacular names include ""thunder pumper"" and ""bog bull"". Its range includes much of North America. It breeds in southern Canada as far north as British Columbia, the Great Slave Lake and Hudson Bay, and in much of the United States and possibly central Mexico. It migrates southward in the fall and overwinters in the southern United States"
"an alternative common name, as are Break o'day boy and organbird. Leach also called it the black-throated crow shrike, a name used by Gould for subspecies ""nigrogularis"" while calling subspecies ""picatus"" the pied crow-shrike. ‘Jackeroo’ is a colloquial name from the Musgrave Ranges in Central Australia. Gould recorded ""Ka-ra-a-ra"" as a name used by indigenous people of Darwin. The Ngarluma people of the western Pilbara knew it as ""gurrbaru"". In the Yuwaaliyaay dialect of the Gamilaraay language of southeastern Australia, it is ""buubuurrbu"". Names recorded from central Australia include ""alpirtaka"" and ""urbura"" in the Upper Arrernte language. Like other butcherbirds,"
"of its range. In Brazil, indigenous peoples sometimes collect the eggs for food, and the adults are occasionally hunted, but in general this is rare, as it is reputed to have a bad taste. While its preferred habitats, mangrove and riverine forest, are disappearing quickly in some regions, it is less threatened than the Amazon rainforest, which is a primary target for deforestation. The hoatzin therefore remains fairly common in a large part of its range. The hoatzin is the national bird of Guyana. Hoatzin The hoatzin (""Opisthocomus hoazin""), also known as the reptile bird, skunk bird, stinkbird, or Canje"
"Richardson's ground squirrel Richardson's ground squirrel (""Urocitellus richardsonii""), also known as the Dakrat, or Flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus ""Urocitellus"". Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called gophers, though this name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae. This squirrel was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson. North Dakota is nicknamed the Flickertail state after the squirrel. The nickname Dakrat, is derived from ""Dakota Rat"" . Native to the short grass prairies, Richardson's ground squirrel is found mainly in the northern states of the United States,"
"Pheuticus contains six extant species. Pheucticus in Greek means shy ""Pheucticus chrysogaster"" goes by many different English names. Southern Yellow Grosbeak, Golden-bellied Grosbeak, and Golden Grosbeak are used interchangeably because this species has a history of lumps and splits. More recently, Golden Grosbeak has been used over the other in frequently updated and popular websites like eBird.org and Neotropicalbirds.org. Golden Grosbeak is the recommended common name when referring to Pheucticus chysogaster. The taxonomy of this species can be confusing and shows the importance of scientific names. For example, a few field guides and checklist call Pheucticus chrysogaster by many different"
"Cackling goose The cackling goose (""Branta hutchinsii"") is a North American bird of the genus ""Branta"" of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey ""Anser"" species. The black head and neck with white ""chinstrap"" distinguish this goose from all other geese except the larger Canada goose (""Branta canadensis"") and the similarly sized barnacle goose (""B. leucopsis""). There are up to 5 subspecies of cackling goose, of varying sizes and plumage details. The female looks virtually identical but is slightly lighter and has a different voice. Some are hard to distinguish from the Canada"
"Common grasshopper warbler The common grasshopper warbler (""Locustella naevia"") is a species of Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus ""Locustella"". It breeds across much of temperate Europe and western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in north and west Africa. The genus name ""Locustella"" is from Latin and is a diminutive of ""locusta"", ""grasshopper"". Like the English name, this refers to the characteristic insect-like song of the common grasshopper warbler and some others in this genus. The specific ""naevia"" is Latin for ""spotted "". This small passerine bird is found in short dense vegetation, often close to water. It"
"Gray catbird The gray catbird (""Dumetella carolinensis""), also spelled grey catbird, is a medium-sized North American and Central American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the ""catbird"" genus Dumetella. Like the black catbird (""Melanoptila glabrirostris""), it is among the basal lineages of the Mimidae, probably a closer relative of the Caribbean thrasher and trembler assemblage than of the mockingbirds and ""Toxostoma"" thrashers. In some areas it is known as the slate-colored mockingbird. The name ""Dumetella"" is based upon the Latin term ""dūmus"" (""thorny thicket""; it thus means approximately ""small thornbush-dweller"" or ""small bird of"