"fact that skuas are swift and agile fliers—and that they sometimes gang up on a single victim—aid in their success rate. During seabird nesting seasons, frigatebirds will soar above seabird colonies, waiting for parent birds to return to their nests with food for their young. As the returning birds approach the colony, the frigatebirds (which are fast and agile) drop down and pursue them vigorously; they have been known to seize tropicbirds by their long tail plumes. Many of the frigatebirds' colloquial names, including ""man-o'-war bird"" and ""pirate of the sea"", are a clear reference to this kleptoparasitic behaviour. A"
"In his journal entry for 29 September he used the word ""rabiforçado"", modern Spanish ""rabihorcado"" or forktail. In the Caribbean frigatebirds were called Man-of-War birds by English mariners. This name was used by the English explorer William Dampier in his book ""An Account of a New Voyage Around the World"" published in 1697: The Man-of-War (as it is called by the English) is about the bigness of a Kite, and in shape like it, but black; and the neck is red. It lives on Fish yet never lights on the water, but soars aloft like a Kite, and when it"
"Greater yellowlegs The greater yellowlegs (""Tringa melanoleuca"") is a large North American shorebird. 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 "" melanoleuca"" is from Ancient Greek ""melas"", ""black"", and ""leukos"", ""white"". The greater yellowlegs is similar in appearance to the smaller lesser yellowlegs. Its closest relative, however, is the greenshank, which together with the spotted redshank form a close-knit group. Among them, these three species show all the basic leg and foot colors"
"refers to a seabird mentioned by Aristotle and others and is thought to refer to a duck, auklet or other seabird. The species name ""marila"" is from the Greek word for charcoal embers or coal dust. The greater scaup was first studied by Linnaeus in 1761. Male greater scaup from America are distinguishable from those in Europe and Asia by the stronger vermiculations, worm-like carvings or marks on the mantle and scapulars, and are considered a separate subspecies, ""A. m. nearctica"". Females of the two subspecies are indistinguishable. Based on size differences, a Pleistocene paleosubspecies, ""Aythya marila asphaltica"", has also"
"Willet The willet (""Tringa semipalmata""), formerly in the monotypic genus Catoptrophorus as ""Catoptrophorus semipalmatus"", is a large shorebird in the Scolopacidae family. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper, and is the largest of the species called ""shanks"" in the genus ""Tringa"". Its closest relative is the lesser yellowlegs, a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the fine, clear, and dense pattern of the neck, which both species show in breeding plumage. It breeds in North America and the West Indies and winters in southern North America, Central America, the West Indies and South America."
"Portuguese man o' war The Atlantic Portuguese man o' war (""Physalia physalis""), also known as the man-of-war, is a marine hydrozoan of the family Physaliidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its long tentacles deliver a painful sting, which is venomous and powerful enough to kill fish or, rarely, humans. Despite its appearance, the Portuguese man o' war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is not actually a single multicellular organism (true jellyfish are single organisms), but a colonial organism made up of specialized individual animals (of the same species) called zooids or polyps. These"
"Man-of-war fish Nomeus gronovii, the man-of-war fish, or bluebottle fish, is a species of fish in the family Nomeidae, the driftfish. It is native to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, where adults are generally found at depths from . It is notable for its ability to live within the deadly tentacles of a siphonophore, the Portuguese man o' war, upon whose tentacles and gonads it feeds. The fish is striped with blackish-blue blemishes covering its body, and the caudal fin is extremely forked. It can reach a length of . It is of minor importance to commercial fisheries. This"
"probably extinct. The word ""frigatebird"" derives from the French mariners' name for the bird ""La Frégate"" - a frigate or fast warship. The etymology of the name was given by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste du Tertre when describing the magnificent frigatebird in 1667. English mariners referred to frigatebirds as Man-of-War birds. This name was used by the English explorer William Dampier in his book ""An Account of a New Voyage Around the World"" published in 1697: The Man-of-War (as it is called by the English) is about the bigness of a Kite, and in shape like it, but black; and the"
"considered critically endangered. Great frigatebird The great frigatebird (""Fregata minor"") is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a tiny population in the South Atlantic. The great frigatebird is a lightly built, large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. In the breeding season, the male is able to"
"Southern giant petrel The southern giant petrel (""Macronectes giganteus""), also known as the Antarctic giant petrel, giant fulmar, stinker, and stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar northern giant petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south. Adults of the two species can be distinguished by the colour of their bill-tip: greenish in the southern and reddish in the northern. The southern giant petrel is one of two members of the genus Macronectes, which in turn, along with 14 other genera, comprise the Procellariidae family. Macronectes, also referred to as"
"as ""manutara"". The ""manutara"" played an important role in the ""tangata manu"" (""birdman"") ritual: whichever ""hopu"" (champion) could retrieve the first ""manutara"" egg from Motu Nui islet would become that year's ""tangata manu""; his clan would receive prime access to resources, especially seabird eggs. Sooty tern The sooty tern (""Onychoprion fuscatus"") is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. The sooty tern was described by Linnaeus in 1766 as ""Sterna fuscata"", bearing this name for many years until the genus ""Sterna"" was split up. It is"
"Western grebe The western grebe (""Aechmophorus occidentalis"") is a species in the grebe family of water birds. Folk names include ""dabchick"", ""swan grebe"" and ""swan-necked grebe"". Western grebe fossils from the Late Pleistocene of SW North America were described as a distinct species, but later ranked as a paleosubspecies ""Aechmophorus occidentalis lucasi"". More recent study found them to fall within the variation now known to exist in today's birds. The western grebe is the largest North American grebe. It is long, weighs and measures across the wings. It is black-and-white, with a long, slender, swan-like neck and red eyes. It"
"times more resistant to the toxin than other fish, it can be stung by the dactylozooides (large tentacles), which it actively avoids. The smaller gonozooids do not seem to sting the fish and the fish is reported to frequently ""nibble"" on these tentacles. The specific name honours the Dutch zoologist Laurentius Theodorus Gronovius (1730-1777). Man-of-war fish Nomeus gronovii, the man-of-war fish, or bluebottle fish, is a species of fish in the family Nomeidae, the driftfish. It is native to the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, where adults are generally found at depths from . It is notable for its ability"
"Long-billed curlew The long-billed curlew (""Numenius americanus"") is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called ""sicklebird"" and the ""candlestick bird"". The species breeds in central and western North America, migrating southward and coastward for the winter. The long-billed curlew is the largest sandpiper of regular occurrence in North America. It is long, across the wing and weighs . Its disproportionally long bill curves downward and measures , and rivals the bill of the larger-bodied Far Eastern curlew as the longest bill of any shorebird. Individuals have a long neck and a small head."
"Great frigatebird The great frigatebird (""Fregata minor"") is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a tiny population in the South Atlantic. The great frigatebird is a lightly built, large seabird up to 105 cm long with predominantly black plumage. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is larger than the adult male and has a white throat and breast, and the male's scapular feathers have a purple-green sheen. In the breeding season, the male is able to distend its striking"
"fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. Bridled tern The bridled tern (""Onychoprion anaethetus"") is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus is ""onux"", ""claw"", and ""prion"", ""nail"". The specific ""anaethetus"" means ""senseless, stupid"". This is a medium-sized tern, at 30–32 cm in length and with a 77–81 cm wingspan similar to the common tern in size, but more heavily built. The wings and deeply forked tail are long, and it has dark grey upperparts and white underparts."
"the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Beach stone-curlew The beach stone-curlew (""Esacus magnirostris"") also known as beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia. At and , it is one of the world's largest shorebirds. At a mean of in males and in females, it the heaviest living member of the Charadriiformes outside of the gull and skua families. It is less strictly nocturnal than most stone-curlews, and can sometimes be seen foraging by daylight, moving slowly and deliberately, with occasional short runs. It tends to be wary and fly off"
"Caspian tern The Caspian tern (""Hydroprogne caspia"") is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ""hudros"", ""water"", and Latin ""progne"", ""swallow"". The specific ""caspia"" is from Latin and, like the English name, refers to the Caspian Sea. It is the world's largest tern with a length of , a wingspan of and a weight of . Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. They have a"
"Ornithoptera priamus Ornithoptera priamus, the common green birdwing, Cape York birdwing, Priam's birdwing or northern birdwing, is a widespread species of birdwing butterfly found in the central and south Moluccas, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, and north-east Australia. The specific name of ""Ornithoptera priamus"", is named after Priam (/ˈpraɪ.əm/, Greek Πρίαμος Priamos), the king of Troy during the Trojan War. ""Ornithoptera priamus"" is sexually dimorphic. Male: The upperside forewings are velvety black. There is a green (most races) subcostal stripe and a green (most subspecies) marginal stripe bordering the termen, tormen and dorsum of the wing. The sex brand"
"Giant cowbird The giant cowbird (""Molothrus oryzivorus"") is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It may have relatively recently colonised the latter island. It is associated with open woodland and cultivation with large trees, but is also the only cowbird that is found in deep forest. It is a quiet bird, particularly for an icterid, but the male has an unpleasant screeched whistle, ""shweeaa-tpic-tpic"". The call is a sharp ""chek-chik"". They are also very adept mimics. Like other cowbirds, it is a"
"Giant cowbird The giant cowbird (""Molothrus oryzivorus"") is a large passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago. It may have relatively recently colonised the latter island. It is associated with open woodland and cultivation with large trees, but is also the only cowbird that is found in deep forest. It is a quiet bird, particularly for an icterid, but the male has an unpleasant screeched whistle, ""shweeaa-tpic-tpic"". The call is a sharp ""chek-chik"". They are also very adept mimics. Like other cowbirds, it is a"
"Northern royal albatross The northern royal albatross or toroa, ""Diomedea sanfordi"", is a large seabird from the albatross family. It was split from the closely related southern royal albatross as recently as 1998, though not all scientists support that conclusion and consider both of them to be subspecies of the royal albatross. ""Diomedea sanfordi"" breaks into ""Diomedea"" referring to Diomedes, whose companions turned to birds, and ""sanfordi"""" in honor of Leonard Cutler Sanford (1868-1950), ornithologist, and trustee of the American Museum of Natural History. Albatrosses belong to Diomedeidae family and come from the Procellariiformes order, along with shearwaters, fulmars, storm"
"Trumpeter swan The trumpeter swan (""Cygnus buccinator"") is a species of swan found in North America. The heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest extant species of waterfowl with a wingspan that may exceed . It is the American counterpart and a close relative of the whooper swan (""Cygnus cygnus"") of Eurasia, and even has been considered the same species by some authorities. By 1933, fewer than 70 wild trumpeters were known to exist, and extinction seemed imminent, until aerial surveys discovered a Pacific population of several thousand trumpeters around Alaska's Copper River. Careful reintroductions"
"Troides magellanus Troides magellanus, the Magellan birdwing, is a large and striking birdwing butterfly found in the Philippines and on Taiwan's Orchid Island. This butterfly is named for the explorer Ferdinand Magellan who was killed in the Philippines in 1521. Male: The forewings are ground colour black. The veins are bordered by white. The underside of the forewings is very similar to the upperside, but some veins are bordered by yellow. The hindwings are golden yellow. The veins and the marginal edge of the hindwing are black. The golden area has an opal, green or blue colour at a certain"
"Far Eastern curlew The Far Eastern curlew (""Numenius madagascariensis"") is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing. It is not only the largest curlew but probably the world's largest sandpiper, at in length and across the wings. The body is reportedly , which may be equaled by the Eurasian curlew. The extremely long bill, at in length, rivals the bill size of the closely related long-billed curlew as the longest bill for a sandpiper. The Far Eastern"
"and pigs need to be removed from the Auckland Islands, the fisheries need to be worked with and the ocean temperature fluctuations need to be studied to help this species survive. Antipodean albatross The Antipodean albatross (""Diomedea antipodensis"") is a large seabird in the albatross family. Antipodean albatrosses are smaller than wandering albatrosses, and breed in predominantly brown plumage, but are otherwise difficult to distinguish from wanderers. ""Diomedea antipodensis"" breaks into ""Diomedea"" referring to ""Diomedes"", whose companions turned to birds, and ""antipodensis"", the Latin form of the Antipodes Islands, where they are found. The Antipodean albatross belongs to the order"
"includes some of the most unusual creatures to inhabit North America – animals such as:""Geochelone"", a giant bathtub-sized tortoise; ""Aiolornis incredibilis"", the largest flying bird of the Northern Hemisphere, with 17-ft (5.2-m) wing span; ""Paramylodon"", ""Megalonyx"" and ""Nothrotheriops"", giant ground sloths, some with bony armor within their skin; ""Pewelagus"", a very small rabbit (paleontologists can name with a sense of humor); ""Borophagus"", a hyena-like dog; ""Acrtodus"", a giant short-faced bear; ""Smilodon"", a saber-toothed cat; ""Miracinonyx"", the North American cheetah; ""Mammuthus imperator"", the largest known mammoth; ""Tapirus"", an extinct tapir; ""Equus enormis"" and ""Equus scotti"", two species of extinct Pleistocene horses;"
"Gannet Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. ""Gannet"" is derived from Old English ""ganot"" ""strong or masculine"", ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as ""gander"". ""Morus"" is derived from Ancient Greek ""moros"", ""foolish"", due to the lack of fear shown by breeding gannets and boobies allowing them to be easily killed. The gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to . The other two species occur in the temperate"
"size. Total length was probably up to in female and they weighed about . The largest extinct ""Titanohierax"" was a giant hawk about 8 kilograms that lived in the Antilles, where it was among the top predators. The largest-known in this group was a giant flightless ""Sylviornis"", a bird long and weighing up to about . The largest-known songbird is the extinct giant grosbeak (""Chloridops regiskongi"") at long. The largest-known cormorant was the spectacled cormorant of the North Pacific (""Phalacrocorax perspicillatus""), which became extinct around 1850, was larger still, averaging around and . The largest-known in this group—which has been"
"Magnificent frigatebird The magnificent frigatebird (""Fregata magnificens"") is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, between northern Mexico and Ecuador on the Pacific coast and between Florida and southern Brazil along the Atlantic coast. There are also populations on the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific and the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic. The magnificent frigatebird is a large, lightly built seabird with brownish-black plumage, long narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. The male has a striking red gular"
"albatross is one of the two largest members of the genus ""Diomedea"" (the great albatrosses), being similar in size to the southern royal albatross. It is one of the largest birds in the world and has the greatest known wingspan of any living bird, and one of the best known and studied species of bird in the world. This is also one of the most far ranging birds. Some individual wandering albatrosses are known to circumnavigate the Southern Ocean three times, covering more than , in one year. The wandering albatross was first described as ""Diomedea exulans"" by Carl Linnaeus,"
"Physalia utriculus Physalia utriculus, also called blue bottle or Indo-Pacific Portuguese man-of-war, is a marine hydrozoan of the order Siphonophora found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. A gas-filled bladder allows it to float on the surface, propelled by currents, tides, and by a sail at the top of the bladder. A single long tentacle of venomous cnidocytes, hanging below the float, provides the animal with a means of capturing prey. Like the Atlantic Portuguese man o' war, the Indo-Pacific Portuguese man o' war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, a colonial animal made up of tiny specialised"
"Red-billed tropicbird The red-billed tropicbird (""Phaethon aethereus"") is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wings and back, a black mask and, as its suggests, a red bill. Most adults have that are about two times their body length, with those in males being generally longer than those in females. The red-billed tropicbird itself has three subspecies recognized, including the nominate. The subspecies ""mesonauta"" is distinguished from the nominate by the rosy tinge of its fresh plumage,"