Budgerigar (Bird)

The budgerigar (/ˈbʌdʒərɪɡɑːr, -əriː-/ BUJ-ər-ih-gar, -⁠ə-ree-;[3] Melopsittacus undulatus), also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie  (/ˈbʌdʒi/ BUJ-ee),[3][4] is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings.[5] Budgies are bred in captivity with colouring of blues, whites, yellows, greys, and even with small crests.[5][6] Juveniles and chicks are monomorphic, while adults are told apart by their cere colouring, and their behaviour.

Wren (Bird)

Wrens are a family, Troglodytidae, of small brown passerine birds. The family includes 96 species and is divided into 19 genera. All species are restricted to the New World except for the Eurasian wren that is widely distributed in the Old World. In Anglophone regions, the Eurasian wren is commonly known simply as the "wren", as it is the originator of the name. The name wren  has been applied to other, unrelated birds, particularly the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittidae) and the Australian wrens (Maluridae).

Loon (Bird)

Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus Gavia, family Gaviidae and order Gaviiformes.

Arctic tern (Bird)

The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south as Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. Recent studies have shown average annual round-trip lengths of about 70,900 km (44,100 mi) for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland and about 48,700 km (30,300 mi) for birds nesting in the Netherlands. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom. The Arctic tern nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle).

Lovebird

Lovebird is the common name for the genus Agapornis, a small group of parrots in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. Of the nine species in the genus, all are native to the African continent, with the grey-headed lovebird being native to the African island of Madagascar.

Rallidae bird family

Rallidae, the rail family, a bird  family that includes the species known as rail, coot, crake, and gallinule (qq.v.).

Rallidae: Rails, Gallinules and Coots

The rails are a large group of chickenlike birds, most of which live in marshes or associated habitats such as meadows, swamps, and lakes.  A few family members, including the coots and some gallinules, spend much of their time swimming in open water, generally behaving like ducks, but the vast majority of rail species are habitually furtive and rarely leave the safe concealment of dense vegetation.  Consequently, most rails are little-known and the infrequency of sightings makes each one memorable.

Rail (bird)

Rails (avian family Rallidae) are a large, cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized terrestrial and/or semi-amphibious birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity in its forms, and includes such ubiquitous species as the crakes, coots, and gallinule; other rail species are extremely rare or endangered. Many are associated with wetland habitats, some being semi-aquatic like waterfowl (such as the coot), but many more are wading birds or shorebirds. The ideal rail habitats are marsh areas, including rice paddies, and flooded fields or open forest. They are especially fond of dense vegetation for nesting.[2] The rail family is found in every terrestrial habitat with the exception of dry desert, polar or freezing regions, and alpine areas (above the snow line). Members of Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica. Numerous unique island species are known.

Bee-eater Birds

The bee-eaters are a group of birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty-one species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar.

Grebe (Bird)

Grebes (/ˈɡriːbz/) are aquatic diving birds in the order Podicipediformes  (/ˌpɒdɪsɪˈpɛdɪfɔːrmiːz/).[1] Grebes are widely distributed freshwater  birds, with some species also found in marine habitats during migration and winter. Most grebes fly, although some flightless species exist, most notably in stable lakes. The order contains a single family, the Podicipedidae, which includes 22 species in six extant genera.

Passerine Birds

Clockwise from top right: Palestine sunbird  (Cinnyris osea), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), great tit (Parus major), hooded crow (Corvus cornix), southern masked weaver (Ploceus velatus)

Pelican (Bird)

Pelicans (genus Pelecanus) are a genus  of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing. They have predominantly pale plumage, except for the brown and Peruvian pelicans. The bills, pouches, and bare facial skin of all pelicans become brightly coloured before the breeding season.

Moa (Bird)

The Moa, also known as the Giant Moa, was a genus of large-size birds that were endemic to the island nation of New Zealand several centuries back. These flightless birds, which existed in nine species under six genera, lived in the country for several thousand years before the Māori colonists settled in the country in around 1300 AD. In recent years, efforts have been undertaken by scientists for the revival of this extinct creature.

Nightjar (Bird)

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae /ˌkæprɪˈmʌldʒɪdiː/ and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters,[1] their primary source of food being insects. Some New World  species are called nighthawks. The English word nightjar originally referred to the European nightjar.

Guineafowl (Bird)

Guineafowl (/ˈɡɪnifaʊl/) (or guineahen) are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched off from the core Galliformes after the Cracidae  (chachalacas, guans, and curassows) and before the Odontophoridae (New World quail). An Eocene fossil lineage Telecrex  has been associated with guineafowl; Telecrex inhabited Mongolia, and may have given rise to the oldest of the true phasianids, such as blood pheasants and eared pheasants, which evolved into high-altitude, montane-adapted species with the rise of the Tibetan Plateau. While modern guineafowl species are endemic to Africa, the helmeted guineafowl has been introduced as a domesticated bird widely elsewhere.[1]

The Helmeted guineafowl (Bird)

The helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as a domesticated species, into the West Indies, North America, Colombia, Brazil,[2] Australia and Europe.

Helmeted guineafowl

The helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) is the best known of the guineafowl bird family, Numididae, and the only member of the genus Numida. It is native to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara, and has been widely introduced, as a domesticated species, into the West Indies, North America, Colombia, Brazil,[2] Australia and Europe.

Dodo birds

Dodo skeleton cast (left) and model based on modern research (right), at Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Greater coucal bird

The greater coucal or crow pheasant  (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in a wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds. They have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in many parts of its range.

Turkey (bird)

The turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris, native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey  (Meleagris gallopavo) of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey  (Meleagris ocellata) of the Yucatán Peninsula  in Mexico. Males of both turkey species have a distinctive fleshy wattle, called a snood, that hangs from the top of the beak. They are among the largest birds in their ranges. As with many large ground-feeding birds (order Galliformes), the male is bigger and much more colorful than the female.