"Northern pygmy owl The northern pygmy owl (""Glaucidium californicum"") is a small owl native to western North America. Some taxonomic authorities, including the International Ornithologists' Union separates this species from the mountain pygmy owl, the Baja pygmy owl, and the Guatemalan pygmy owl, while others, such as the American Ornithological Society, does not recognize the split and considers this bird conspecific with the group, with the northern pygmy owl taking the English name for them all. Furthermore, if the group is considered conspecific, ""G. gnoma"" becomes the scientific name because it is older. Clear differences in the territorial calls by"
"snowy owl. It appears to have separated from other ""Bubo"" at least 4 million years ago. The fourth and most famous derivation of the evolutionary line that includes the Eurasian eagle-owl is the great horned owl, which appears to have been the result of primitive eagle-owls spreading into North America. It has been stated that the great horned owls and Eurasian eagle-owls are barely distinct as species, with a similar level of divergence in their plumages as the Eurasian and North American representations of the great grey owl or the long-eared owl. There are more outward physical differences between the"
"pygmy gerbil, the ammodile, and the Speke's pectinator. The Grevy's zebra is the unique wild equid of the region. There are predators such as spotted hyena, striped hyena and African leopard. The endangered painted hunting dog had populations in the Horn of Africa, but pressures from human exploitation of habitat along with warfare have reduced or extirpated this canid in this region. Some important bird species of the Horn are the black boubou, the golden-winged grosbeak, the Warsangli linnet, and the Djibouti francolin. The Horn of Africa holds more endemic reptiles than any other region in Africa, with over 285"
"Horned grebe The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe (""Podiceps auritus"") is a relatively small waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two known subspecies: ""P. a. auritus"", which breeds in Eurasia, and ""P. a. cornutus"", which breeds in North America. The Eurasian subspecies is distributed over most of northern Europe and Asia, breeding from Greenland to western China. The North American subspecies spans most of Canada and some of the United States. The species got its name from large patches of yellowish feathers located behind the eyes, called ""horns"", that the birds can raise and lower at will. Horned grebe"
"Pygmy short-horned lizard The pygmy short-horned lizard (""Phrynosoma douglasii"") is a species of small horned lizard that occurs in the northwestern United States. In the past it also occurred in adjacent Canada. Like other horned lizards, it is often called a ""horned toad"" or ""horny toad,"" but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian. The specific name, ""douglasii"", is in honor of Scottish botanist David Douglas. The pygmy short-horned lizard is often mistaken for its close relative the greater short-horned lizard (""P. hernandesi"" ) which has the same basic body type consisting of"
"Horned screamer The horned screamer (""Anhima cornuta"") is a member of a small family of birds, the Anhimidae, which occurs in wetlands of tropical South America. There are three screamer species, the other two being the southern screamer and the northern screamer in the genus ""Chauna"". They are related to the ducks, geese and swans, which are in the family Anatidae, but have bills looking more like those of game birds. The horned screamer is a massive long, bird, with a small chicken-like bill. The upperparts, head, and breast are black, with white speckles on the crown, throat and wing"
"Pygmy nuthatch The pygmy nuthatch (""Sitta pygmaea"") is a tiny songbird, about 10 cm (4 inches) long and about 10 grams in weight. It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pines), Douglas-firs, and other conifers. Pygmy nuthatches clamber acrobatically in the foliage of these trees, feeding on insects and seeds; less often they creep along limbs or the trunk like bigger nuthatches. Pygmy nuthatches nest in cavities in dead stubs of conifers, lining"
"Greater prairie chicken The greater prairie chicken or pinnated grouse (""Tympanuchus cupido""), sometimes called a boomer, is a large bird in the grouse family. This North American species was once abundant, but has become extremely rare and extirpated over much of its range due to habitat loss. Conservation measures are underway to ensure the sustainability of existing small populations. One of the most famous aspects of these creatures is the mating ritual called booming. Adults of both sexes are medium to large chicken-like birds, stocky with round-wings. They have short tails which are typically rounded and blue in color. Adult"
"Great grey owl The great grey owl or great gray owl (""Strix nebulosa"") is a very large owl, documented as the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus ""Strix"" found in both Eastern and Western Hemispheres. In some areas it is also called Phantom of the North, cinereous owl, spectral owl, Lapland owl, spruce owl, bearded owl, and sooty owl. Adults have a large rounded head with a grey face and yellow eyes with darker circles around them. The underparts are light with dark"
"White-tailed ptarmigan The white-tailed ptarmigan (""Lagopus leucura""), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it"
"plumage. Even more, the challenge of identification becomes harder when this two species hybridize in the boundaries of their territories. Another similar species is the horned lark, although it has a larger black tail and it has a smaller white patch on the wings. The snow bunting was formerly part of the Emberizidae family that includes American sparrows, buntings, towhees and finches. This family was formed after a broad geologically recent radiation of passerine birds. However, it is now part of the family Calcariidae which contains the longspurs. Despite the wide distribution of this species there is no a significant"
"Great-billed heron The great-billed heron (""Ardea sumatrana"") is a wading bird of the heron family, resident from southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Australia. The great-billed heron is a large bird, typically standing tall and weighing up to . It is larger than the purple heron, which it resembles in appearance, although it is larger and darker. The plumage is largely dark grey above. In flight, it has a uniform dark grey upperwing. The flight is slow, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their"
"trauma to his right wrist, leaving him flightless. The Eurasian subspecies of the grey owl is very commonly kept in European zoos. Great grey owl The great grey owl or great gray owl (""Strix nebulosa"") is a very large owl, documented as the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus ""Strix"" found in both Eastern and Western Hemispheres. In some areas it is also called Phantom of the North, cinereous owl, spectral owl, Lapland owl, spruce owl, bearded owl, and sooty owl. Adults have"
"Spotted towhee The spotted towhee (""Pipilo maculatus"") is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and until 1995 this bird and the eastern towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. An archaic name for the spotted towhee is the Oregon towhee (""Pipilo maculatus oregonus""). The form that breeds on Socorro Island is much smaller than other rufous-sided towhees, and has gray upperparts. It is sometimes split as the Socorro towhee (""Pipilo socorroensis""). Adults have rufous sides, a white belly and a long dark tail with white edges. The eyes"
"a Pennsylvania study site, only 2 of 36 nests were parasitized and both produced eastern towhee fledglings. In a study of nest parasitism on Sanibel Island, none of 5 eastern towhee nests found were parasitized. Eastern towhee The eastern towhee (""Pipilo erythrophthalmus"") is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the spotted towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across eastern North America. They nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs. Northern birds"
"Horned owl The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name ""Bubo"" is Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl. This genus, depending on definition, contains about one or two dozen species of typical owls (family Strigidae) and is found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes are in ""Bubo"". Traditionally, only owls with ear-tufts were included in this genus, but that is no longer the case. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome ""b"" sequence data supports the decision to consider the"
"of 11 species have been recorded mobbing one owl). The ferruginous pygmy owl is small, typically , and stocky with disproportionately large talons. The crown has elongated white/buff spots or streaks, the wing coverts have white spots, and the underparts are heavily streaked white. There are prominent white supercilia above the facial disc. There are two eye spots on the nape. Otherwise, its overall color is highly variable, ranging from grey-brown with a black-and-white barred tail to rich rufous with a uniform rufous tail. Sexes are similar with females slightly larger and often more reddish. The call is a whistled"
"pygmy short-horned lizard ranges in size from in snout-to-vent length (SVL) and is a flat-bodied, squat lizard with short spines crowning the head. They have a snub-nosed profile and short legs. The trunk is fringed by one row of pointed scales, while the belly scales are smooth. The color is gray, yellowish, or reddish-brown, and there are two rows of large dark spots on the back. When threatened or aggressive, their colors become more intense. Diet varies from different habitats, but mostly among age and sex classes; neonates feed among almost exclusively on ants (89%) while adults consume fewer ants"
"measures about 1 cm long, with hairy legs, and, due to its nonfunctional wings and tiny eyes, looks more like a spider than a fly. Specimens have been collected only three times, in 1933, 1948, and 2010. Tested members of the population showed higher levels of genetic variation than would be expected for such a restricted range, suggesting additional undiscovered populations exist and gene flow occurs between them and the known population in Ukasi Hill. Mormotomyiidae The family Mormotomyiidae (Diptera: Ephydroidea) contains only one known species, Mormotomyia hirsuta, commonly known as the frightful hairy fly or terrible hairy fly, which"
"to species and the ones that were shown a tremendously diverse assemblage of birds with no obvious dietary preference. Although not usually numerically significant, 86 species of passerine have been taken by great horned owls. Members from most North American families are known as prey, although among smaller types such as chickadees, warblers, sparrows, cardinals, wrens and most tyrant flycatchers only a few species from each have been recorded. Nonetheless, an occasionally unlucky migrant or local breeder is sometimes snatched. Fledgling songbirds are regularly taken in spring and summer. The smallest avian prey known for great horned owls are the"
"coverts. There is a long spiny structure projecting forward from the crown. This structure is unique among birds and is not derived from a feather but is a cornified structure that is loosely attached to the skull and grows continuously while often breaking at its tip. This gives this species its name. It has very long and lanky legs and three large toes in each. The belly and under wing coverts are white. It has two sharp spurs on its wings and feet which are only partially webbed. The horned screamer's call, as its name suggests, is a very loud"
"the pygmy nuthatch, which she says only live in Carmel, California—though the bird shown is not a pygmy nuthatch, which in any case is found in a much wider range. (The Hollywood impostor is a Venezuelan troupial, ""Icterus icterus"".) Pygmy nuthatch The pygmy nuthatch (""Sitta pygmaea"") is a tiny songbird, about 10 cm (4 inches) long and about 10 grams in weight. It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pines), Douglas-firs, and other"
"a large kill over several days. Despite the great diversity of prey taken by these predators, in most of the Continental United States from the East to the Midwest as well as Canada and Alaska, great horned owls largely live off just a handful of prey species: three species of lagomorph: the eastern cottontail (""Sylvilagus floridanus""), the snowshoe hare (""Lepus americanus"") and the black-tailed jackrabbit (""Lepus californicus""); two species of New World mice: the white-footed mouse and the North American deermouse (""Peromyscus leucopus & maniculatus""), approximately three species of vole: the meadow, prairie and woodland voles (""Microtus pennsylvanicus, ochrogaster &"
"deposits in Poland (Mlíkovský 2002). Pygmy owl Pygmy owls are members of the genus Glaucidium. They belong to the typical owl family, Strigidae. The genus consists of about 26 to 35 species distributed worldwide. The exact number of species is somewhat disputed. These are mostly small owls, and some of the species are called ""owlets"". Most pygmy owl species are nocturnal and hunt mainly large insects and other small prey. ""Glaucidium"" forms a paraphyletic group with ""Surnia"". The supposed prehistoric species """"Glaucidium"" dickinsoni"" is now recognized as a burrowing owl, probably a paleosubspecies ""providentiae"". Bones of an indeterminate ""Glaucidium"" have"
"Pygmy eagle The pygmy eagle or New Guinea hawk-eagle (""Hieraaetus weiskei"") is a bird of prey found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are primarily subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is the smallest species of eagle. The pygmy eagle was described by German naturalist Anton Reichenow as ""Eutolmaetus weiskei"" in 1900. It was subsequently considered a subspecies of the little eagle or a distinct species. Gjershaug and colleagues analysed it genetically and found it distinct enough to warrant species status. The International Ornithologists' Union (IOC) subsequently recognised it as a distinct"
"for agriculture, and many others are hunted for food and recreation. Five species have become extinct since 1600, and many more are threatened with extinction. The ducks, geese, and swans are small- to large-sized birds with a broad and elongated general body plan. Diving species vary from this in being rounder. Extant species range in size from the cotton pygmy goose, at as little as 26.5 cm (10.5 in) and 164 g (5.8 oz), to the trumpeter swan, at as much as 183 cm (6 ft) and 17.2 kg (38 lb). The wings are short and pointed, and supported by"
"Picidae, Campephagidae, Dicruridae, Corvidae, Hirundinidae, Cisticolidae, Pycnonotidae, Sylviidae, Timaliidae, Sittidae, Sturnidae, Turdidae, Nectariniidae and Muscicapidae. Each of these families have many species. The great Indian hornbill is the largest bird in Meghalaya. Other regional birds found include the grey peacock pheasant, the large Indian parakeet, the common green pigeon and the blue jay. Meghalaya is also home to over 250 species of butterflies, nearly a quarter of all butterfly species found in India. Tribal people make up the majority of Meghalaya's population. The Khasis are the largest group, followed by the Garos then the Jaintias. These were among those known"
"Eastern towhee The eastern towhee (""Pipilo erythrophthalmus"") is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been under debate in recent decades, and formerly this bird and the spotted towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across eastern North America. They nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs. Northern birds migrate to the southern United States. There has been one record of this species as a vagrant to western Europe: a single bird in Great Britain in 1966. The song is a short ""drink your"
"Pygmy owl Pygmy owls are members of the genus Glaucidium. They belong to the typical owl family, Strigidae. The genus consists of about 26 to 35 species distributed worldwide. The exact number of species is somewhat disputed. These are mostly small owls, and some of the species are called ""owlets"". Most pygmy owl species are nocturnal and hunt mainly large insects and other small prey. ""Glaucidium"" forms a paraphyletic group with ""Surnia"". The supposed prehistoric species """"Glaucidium"" dickinsoni"" is now recognized as a burrowing owl, probably a paleosubspecies ""providentiae"". Bones of an indeterminate ""Glaucidium"" have been recovered from Late Pliocene"
"Spotted harrier The spotted harrier (""Circus assimilis"") also known as the smoke hawk, is a large Australasian bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae. The spotted harrier belongs to the family Accipitridae. Accipitridae is the largest family in the order Accipitriformes and encompasses many of the diurnal birds of prey including hawks and eagles. It is one of the largest avian families with 233 species in 67 genera included in the family worldwide. The spotted harrier is a medium-sized, slender bird of prey with adult females reaching 58–61 cm. Both adults and juvenile birds have an owl-like facial ruff"
"listed as special concern and the breeding population on Magdalene Islands is listed as endangered. Due to global declines, the Horned Grebe has been unlisted from least concern to vulnerable resulting in conservation and research action plans. Horned grebe The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe (""Podiceps auritus"") is a relatively small waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two known subspecies: ""P. a. auritus"", which breeds in Eurasia, and ""P. a. cornutus"", which breeds in North America. The Eurasian subspecies is distributed over most of northern Europe and Asia, breeding from Greenland to western China. The North American subspecies spans"
"Pogonocherus hispidulus Pogonocherus hispidulus, the greater thorn-tipped longhorn beetle, is a species of flat-faced longhorns beetle in the family Cerambycidae. ""Pogonocherus hispidulus"" can reach a length of . The basic color of the body is gray-black, with a wide whitish transverse band on scutellum. It has white marked antennae and a long tooth at the apex of each elytron. Adults can be found from April until August. The larvae are polyphagous, feeding in deciduous trees on small dead branches and dead twigs. The development usually takes two years. This beetle is present in most of Europe, in Caucasus, Russia, the"
"Plectrophenax Plectrophenax is a small genus of passerine birds of the longspur family Calcariidae. The genus name ""Plectrophenax"" is from Ancient Greek ""plektron"", ""cock’s spur"", and ""phenax"" ""imposter"". It has two members, which may be conspecific. They are high Arctic breeding seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills, and much white in the plumage, especially in adult males. They nest in rock crevices. As would be expected, both species are highly migratory, wintering in more temperate areas. The plumages are similar, but McKay's has more white and less black in the plumage, especially in the wings and tail. Adult breeding males"