"weather, earning the bird the old name of stormcock. Found in open woods, parks, hedges and cultivated land, the mistle thrush feeds on a wide variety of invertebrates, seeds and berries. Its preferred fruits include those of the mistletoe, holly and yew. Mistletoe is favoured where it is available, and this is reflected in the thrush's English and scientific names; the plant, a parasitic species, benefits from its seeds being excreted by the thrush onto branches where they can germinate. In winter, a mistle thrush will vigorously defend mistletoe clumps or a holly tree as a food reserve for when"
"Woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name was first recorded in about 1050. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into the Greater Sundas, Wallacea and New Guinea. Their closest relatives are the typical snipes of the genus ""Gallinago"". As with many other sandpiper genera,"
"Woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name was first recorded in about 1050. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into the Greater Sundas, Wallacea and New Guinea. Their closest relatives are the typical snipes of the genus ""Gallinago"". As with many other sandpiper genera,"
"Watercock The watercock (""Gallicrex cinerea"") is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae. It is the only member of the genus Gallicrex. Traditionally held to be closely related to moorhens (which the adult male visually closely resembles), it is actually member of a mostly tropical Asian clade containing also ""Aenigmatolimnas, Amaurornis, Himantornis"" and ""Megacrex"". Their breeding habitat is swamps across south Asia from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to south China, Korea, Japan, Philippines and Indonesia. They nest in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation, laying 3-6 eggs. These large rails are mainly permanent residents"
"and its tendency to sing after, and sometimes during, wet and windy weather led to the old name ""stormcock"". The song may be heard in any month, although it is uncommon from July to August while the thrush is moulting. The main call, given by both sexes, is a dry chattering ""krrrr"", louder when it is alarmed or excited. It is often likened to the sound of a football rattle, a form of musical ratchet. There is also a squeaky ""tuk"" contact call. The mistle thrush breeds in much of Europe and temperate Asia, although it is absent from the"
"American woodcock The American woodcock (""Scolopax minor""), sometimes colloquially referred to as the timberdoodle, is a small chunky shorebird species found primarily in the eastern half of North America. Woodcocks spend most of their time on the ground in brushy, young-forest habitats, where the birds' brown, black, and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage. Because of the male woodcock's unique, beautiful courtship flights, the bird is welcomed as a harbinger of spring in northern areas. It is also a popular game bird, with about 540,000 killed annually by some 133,000 hunters in the U.S. The American woodcock is the only species"
"of woodcock inhabiting North America. Although classified with the sandpipers and shorebirds in Family Scolopacidae, the American woodcock lives mainly in upland settings. Its many folk names include timberdoodle, bogsucker, night partridge, brush snipe, hokumpoke, becasse, twitterpate, little gomer, fiddle squeak, worm sabre, wafflebird, whipperwon't, bumblebee chicken, billdad, mud needle, prairie turtle, and crazy straw. The population of the American woodcock has fallen by an average of slightly more than 1% annually since the 1960s. Most authorities attribute this decline to a loss of habitat caused by forest maturation and urban development. In 2008 wildlife biologists and conservationists released an"
"Snowcock The snowcocks are a group of bird species in the genus Tetraogallus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and western China. Some of the species have been introduced into the United States. Snowcocks feed mainly on plant material. Snowcocks are bulky, long-necked, long-bodied partridge-like birds. Males and females are generally similar in appearance but females tend to be slightly smaller and rather duller in colouration than males. They are generally grey with varying amounts of white, black and brown according to"
"to many old or local names, including ""screech"", ""shrite"" and ""gawthrush"". Other names, including ""stormcock"" referred to its willingness to sing in wind and rain. ""Holm thrush"", ""hollin cock"" and ""holm cock"" are based on obsolete names for the holly tree, which may be defended by the thrush in winter for its berries. In Frances Hodgson Burnett's ""The Secret Garden"", Dickon reassures Mary Lennox that he will keep his knowledge of the garden secret by comparing her to a mistle thrush in defence of its nest, recognising his privilege in sharing her secret: ""If tha' was a missel thrush an'"
"postage stamps from several countries. Eurasian woodcock The Eurasian woodcock (""Scolopax rusticola"") is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes are set far back on its head to give it 360-degree vision and it probes in the ground for food with its long, sensitive bill, making it vulnerable to cold weather when the ground remains frozen. The male performs a courtship flight known as 'roding' at dusk in spring. When threatened, the female can carry chicks between her legs, in"
"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"
"of the Central Australian Museum, believe that ""Bullockornis"" was related to geese and ducks. This, in addition to the bird's tremendous size and outdated carnivorous habits, gave rise to its colourful nickname. It may be somewhat inaccurate, however, as other studies have recovered dromornithids as more closely related to Galliformes. The bird's generic name is improperly translated as ""ox-bird"", and was named instead for the type locality for the genus at Bullock Creek, Australia. Bullockornis Bullockornis planei, nicknamed the ""Demon-Duck of Doom"" or ""Thunderduck"", is an extinct flightless bird that lived in the Middle Miocene, approximately 15 million years ago,"
"hobby (""Falco subbuteo""), lapwing (""Vanellus vanellus""), curlew (""Numenius arquata""), green sandpiper (""Tringa ochropus""), Eurasian woodcock (""Scolopax rusticola""), common snipe (""Gallinago gallinago""), collared dove (""Streptopelia decaocto""), cuckoo (""Cuculus canorus""), long-eared owl (""Asio otus""), tawny owl (""Strix aluco""), common swift (""Apus apus""), hoopoe (""Upupa epops""), grey-headed woodpecker (""Picus canus""), European green woodpecker (""Picus viridis""), barn swallow (""Hirundo rustica""), house martin (""Delichon urbica""), tree pipit (""Anthus trivialis""), dunnock (""Prunella modularis""), redstart (""Phoenicurus phoenicurus""), wheatear (""Oenanthe oenanthe""), redwing (""Turdus iliacus""), mistle thrush (""Turdus viscivorus""), sedge warbler (""Acrocephalus schoenobaenus""), aquatic warbler (""Acrocephalus paludicola""), reed warbler (""Acrocephalus scirpaceus""), icterine warbler (""Hippolais icterina""), lesser whitethroat (""Sylvia curruca""),"
"that Eurasian woodcock flew to the moon during the months when they were not seen and the first full moon in November, when large numbers arrive on the British coast, is sometimes described as the 'woodcock moon'. Reaney and Wilson wrote that the English surname ""Woodcock"" developed as a nickname from the bird, meaning 'a fool, simpleton or dupe'. In William Shakespeare's play ""Love's Labours Lost"", Berowne describes himself and his friends as 'four woodcocks in a dish', after discovering they have all fallen in love when they have sworn not to. An old folk name for the goldcrest was"
"Pacific koel The Pacific koel (""Eudynamys orientalis""), also known as the eastern koel, is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. In Australia, it is colloquially known as the ""rainbird"" or ""stormbird"", as its call is usually more prevalent before or during stormy weather. It has often been considered conspecific with the Asian and black-billed koels, but they are increasingly treated as a separate species. Alternatively, the population breeding in Australia has been considered a separate species, the Australian Koel (""Eudynamys cyanocephalus""), with the remaining taxa then considered subspecies of the Asian koel. The Pacific koel is found in"
"Laughing falcon The laughing falcon (""Herpetotheres cachinnans""), also called the snake hawk (erroneously, since it is not a hawk), is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family (Falconidae), the only member of the genus Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist snake-eater. Its common and scientific names both refer to its distinctive voice. Its English name comes from its loud voice, as does the specific name ""cachinnans"", Latin for ""laughing aloud"" or ""laughing immoderately"". The generic name ""Herpetotheres"" refers to its preferred food; it is Latinized Ancient Greek, derived from ""[h]erpeton"" (ἑρπετόν, ""reptile"") + ""therizein"" (θερίζειν, ""to mow"
"a later invention. ""Storm"" arises from seamen's association of this bird with bad weather. In English, the name of the species was written as ""stormy petrel"" by some 19th-century authors. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek; ""Hydrobates"" is from ""hudro"", water, and ""bates"", walker, and ""pelagicus"" is from ""pelagikos"", of the sea. There are two recognised subspecies, the North Atlantic nominate subspecies, ""H. p. pelagicus"" (Linnaeus, 1758), and the Mediterranean ""H. p. melitensis"" (Schembri, 1843). Although there is some genetic support for classifying the southern form as a separate species, the morphology is not considered sufficiently different from that"
"Dictionary"" notes that the word alcatraz was originally applied to the frigatebird; the modification to albatross was perhaps influenced by Latin ""albus"", meaning ""white"", in contrast to frigatebirds, which are black. In modern Portuguese, the word used for the bird, ""albatroz"", is in turn derived from the English ""albatross"". They were once commonly known as goonie birds' or gooney birds, particularly those of the North Pacific. In the Southern Hemisphere, the name mollymawk is still well established in some areas, which is a corrupted form of ""malle-mugge"", an old Dutch name for the northern fulmar. The name ""Diomedea"", assigned to"
"Dunnock The dunnock (""Prunella modularis"") is a small passerine, or perching bird, found throughout temperate Europe and into Asia. Dunnocks have also been successfully introduced into New Zealand. It is by far the most widespread member of the accentor family, which otherwise consists of mountain species. Other common names of the dunnock include the hedge accentor, hedge sparrow, or hedge warbler. The name ""dunnock"" comes English ""dun"" (dingy brown, dark-coloured) and the diminutive ""ock"", and ""accentor"" is from post-classical Latin and means a person who sings with another. The genus name ""Prunella"" is from the German ""Braunelle"", ""dunnock"", a diminutive"
"Altai snowcock The Altai snowcock (""Tetraogallus altaicus"") is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in western Mongolia and adjacent areas of China, Kazakhstan and Russia. Its natural habitat is boreal forests. The Altai snowcock was first described by Frederic Gebler in 1836. He was a doctor and naturalist who lived in the Altai region for forty years and named many previously unknown species. There are two subspecies, ""Tetraogallus altaicus altaicus"" and ""Tetraogallus altaicus orientalis"". The Altai snowcock is a plump, partridge-like bird about long. The head and neck are slatey-grey and there is a partial"
"as adults. A study of vocalization noted that the duetting behaviour may indicate the possibility of short-term pair-bonding in its otherwise polygynous mating system. Pacific koel The Pacific koel (""Eudynamys orientalis""), also known as the eastern koel, is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. In Australia, it is colloquially known as the ""rainbird"" or ""stormbird"", as its call is usually more prevalent before or during stormy weather. It has often been considered conspecific with the Asian and black-billed koels, but they are increasingly treated as a separate species. Alternatively, the population breeding in Australia has been considered a"
"lay eggs in the nests of other birds (most often the closely related black-billed cuckoo), but they are not obligate brood parasites of other birds as is the common cuckoo of Eurasia. Yellow-billed cuckoo The yellow-billed cuckoo (""Coccyzus americanus"") is a cuckoo. Common folk-names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain or thunderstorms. The genus name is from Ancient Greek , which means to call like a common cuckoo, and ""americana"" means ""of America"". Adults have a long"
"or hide between stones. Broods of more than one female have been found to form a single foraging group. Tibetan snowcock The Tibetan snowcock (""Tetraogallus tibetanus"") is a bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. This species is found in high-altitude regions of the Western Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, where it overlaps in part with the larger Himalayan snowcock. The head is greyish and there is a white crescent patch behind the eye and underside is white with black stripes. In flight the secondaries show a broad white trailing edge. Smaller than Himalayan snowcock,"
"Australian shelduck The Australian shelduck (""Tadorna tadornoides""), also known as the chestnut-breasted shelduck or mountain duck, is a shelduck part of the bird family Anatidae. The genus name ""Tadorna"" comes from Celtic roots and means ""pied waterfowl"". They are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. Kukabrak (Ngarrindjeri) Yaraldi clan Mulbarapa would have known the Australian shelduck as their ngatji (totem) ""Nongkalalwori"" for millennia. William Jardine and Prideaux John Selby described the Australian shelduck in 1828. The males are mostly dark, with a chestnut breast. They have white neck collars and dark green heads. The females are similar,"
"Eurasian woodcock The Eurasian woodcock (""Scolopax rusticola"") is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes are set far back on its head to give it 360-degree vision and it probes in the ground for food with its long, sensitive bill, making it vulnerable to cold weather when the ground remains frozen. The male performs a courtship flight known as 'roding' at dusk in spring. When threatened, the female can carry chicks between her legs, in her claws or on her"
"of the name. Common snipe The common snipe (""Gallinago gallinago"") is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The scientific name ""gallinago"" is New Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin ""gallina"", ""hen"" and the suffix ""-ago"", ""resembling"". The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia. It is migratory, with European birds wintering in southern and western Europe and Africa (south to the Equator), and Asian migrants moving to tropical southern Asia. The North American Wilson's snipe was previously considered the same species, and is listed as such in"
"of the Anarchist Federation (Britain and Ireland). To honor Gorky and his work, the name ""Burevestnik"" was bestowed on a variety of institutions, locations, and products in the USSR. European storm petrel The European storm petrel, British storm petrel or just storm petrel (""Hydrobates pelagicus"") is a seabird in the northern storm petrel family, Hydrobatidae. It is the only member of the genus ""Hydrobates"". The small, square-tailed bird is entirely black except for a broad white rump and a white band on the underwings, and it has a fluttering, bat-like flight. The large majority of the population breeds on islands"
"Temminck in 1822 was used, making the name ""Hemipus hirundinaceus"". The IOC World Bird List transferred the genus ""Hemipus"" from Campephagidae, the cuckooshrikes, to Tephrodornithidae, the woodshrikes, because it was found to be closely related to ""Tephrodornis"" in 2006. The ""Handbook of the Birds of the World"" places both genera in Vangidae. The black-winged flycatcher-shrike is about long. The male's head and upperparts are black, having a green sheen. The rump has black and white bars, and the tail is black. The chin and upper throat are white, the lower throat and breast are gull grey, and the belly is"
"Papilio palinurus Papilio palinurus, the emerald swallowtail, emerald peacock or green-banded peacock, is a butterfly of the genus ""Papilio"" belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is native to Southeast Asia, but is regularly kept in butterfly houses around the world. There are several subspecies (from Burma, Borneo, Indonesia, Nias and the Philippines). The genus name ""Papilio"" comes from the Latin word ""papilio"" meaning butterfly. The species name ""palinurus"" derives from Palinurus, the name of the pilot of Aeneas's boat in Virgil's ""Aeneid"". ""Papilio palinurus"" has a wingspan reaching about . The dorsal sides of the wings are covered by a"
"showed me where thy nest was, does tha' think I'd tell any one? Not me,"" he said. ""Tha' art as safe as a missel thrush."" ""Stormcock"", released in 1971, is the fifth album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. The final verse of the Jethro Tull song ""Jack-in-the-Green"" from their album ""Songs from the Wood"" mentions the bird in the lines ""Oh, the mistlethrush is coming. Jack, put out the light."" The bird also features in the lyrics of The Decemberists' song ""Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)"" from their 2009 album ""The Hazards of Love"":"
"name is derived from the demarcated brown plumage on its back which resembles a saddle. The Maori name of ""tieke"" is from the particular sound of one of this species' common calls: ""ti-e-ke-ke-ke-ke"". There are two species: The saddlebacks appear to be a remnant of an early expansion of passerines in New Zealand and are two of five New Zealand wattlebirds of the family Callaeidae, the others being the extinct huia, the endangered North Island kōkako, and the probably extinct South Island kōkako. New Zealand wattlebirds have no close relatives apart from the stitchbird, and their taxonomic relationships to other"
"bite. Laughing falcon The laughing falcon (""Herpetotheres cachinnans""), also called the snake hawk (erroneously, since it is not a hawk), is a medium-sized bird of prey in the falcon family (Falconidae), the only member of the genus Herpetotheres. This Neotropical species is a specialist snake-eater. Its common and scientific names both refer to its distinctive voice. Its English name comes from its loud voice, as does the specific name ""cachinnans"", Latin for ""laughing aloud"" or ""laughing immoderately"". The generic name ""Herpetotheres"" refers to its preferred food; it is Latinized Ancient Greek, derived from ""[h]erpeton"" (ἑρπετόν, ""reptile"") + ""therizein"" (θερίζειν, ""to"
"water only from dew and spray picked up from plant leaves suggesting that it may have been the basis for the idea that the ""chatak"" only drank raindrops. To compound the issues with matching vernacular names, it has been pointed out that in Bengal ""chātak"" also refers to skylarks (which are also crested). 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"