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Meadowlark
Meadowlarks are New World grassland birds belonging to genera ''Sturnella'' and ''Leistes''. This group includes seven species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensively red or yellow underparts. List of species There is disagreement among authorities as to whether Lilian's meadowlark should be ranked as a full species or a subspecies. Red-breasted species, predominantly South American * Red-breasted meadowlark (formerly red-breasted blackbird), ''Leistes militaris'' * White-browed meadowlark (formerly white-browed blackbird), ''Leistes superciliaris'' * Peruvian meadowlark, ''Leistes bellicosa'' * Pampas meadowlark, ''Leistes defillippi'' * Long-tailed meadowlark, ''Leistes loyca'' Yellow-breasted species, predominantly North American * Eastern meadowlark, ''Sturnella magna'' ** Lilian's meadowlark, ''S. m. lilianae'' * Western meadowlark, ''Sturnella neglecta'' Taxonomy As a group, the meadowlarks hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Meadowlark
The western meadowlark (''Sturnella neglecta'') is a medium-sized icterid bird, about in length. It nests on the ground in open grasslands across western and central North America. It feeds mostly on bugs, but will also feed on seeds and berries. The western meadowlark has distinctive calls described as watery or flute-like, which distinguish it from the closely related eastern meadowlark. The western meadowlark is the state bird of six states: Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. Taxonomy The western meadowlark was formally described in 1844 by the American ornithologist John James Audubon under its current binomial name ''Sturnella neglecta''. The specific epithet is from the Latin ''neglectus'' meaning "ignored", "overlooked", "neglected" or "disregarded". Audubon explained that although the account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803–1806 mentioned yellow larks, these had never been formally described. The type locality is Old Fort Un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Meadowlark
The eastern meadowlark (''Sturnella magna'') is a medium-sized blackbird (family: Icteridae), very similar in appearance to sister species western meadowlark. It occurs from eastern North America to northern South America, where it is also most widespread in the east. The Chihuahuan meadowlark was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern meadowlark. Taxonomy The eastern meadowlark was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the larks and pipits in the genus '' Alauda'' and adopted the binomial name ''Alauda magna''. Linnaeus based his description on the "large lark" that had been described and illustrated in 1729–1732 by the English naturalist Mark Catesby. Catesby also used the Latin ''Alauda magna'' but as his book predates the introduction of the binomial system, he is not acknowledged as the authority. Catesby reported that "they inhabit Carolina, Virginia and most o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leistes
The genus ''Leistes'' are predominantly South American grassland birds called meadowlarks. The genus was previously lumped with the North American meadowlarks in the genus '' Sturnella''. It includes five species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensively red underparts. List of species There are five widely accepted members of the genus. Taxonomy By the early 20th century, the meadowlarks were split. Only the "yellow-breasted" meadowlarks (eastern and western meadowlarks, including Lilian's) remained in the genus ''Sturnella''. The red-breasted and white-browed meadowlarks were moved to the genus ''Leistes'', while the pampas meadowlark, Peruvian meadowlark and long-tailed meadowlark made up the genus ''Pezites'', which was established by Cabanis Cabanis is the surname of: *George Cabanis (1815-1892), American politician *Jean Cabanis (1816–1906), German ornithologist *José Cabanis José Cabanis (2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long-tailed Meadowlark
The long-tailed meadowlark (''Leistes loyca'') is a passerine bird of southern South America and the Falkland Islands, belonging to the meadowlark genus ''Leistes'' in the icterid family that looks very similar to the related endangered species, the Pampas meadowlark. It is 25 to 28 cm long with a fairly long tail and a long, pointed bill. The male is mostly dark brown with blackish streaking. The breast and throat are bright red and there is a white spot on the face near the base of the bill. The bold supercilium is white behind the eye and red in front of it. Females are paler than the males with the red markings restricted to a wash on the belly and the supercilium and throat are buff. It breeds in southern Chile and southern and western parts of Argentina. Some birds migrate northwards in winter. An endemic subspecies, ''L. loyca falklandica'', occurs in the Falkland Islands, where it is known as the military starling. Long-tailed meadowlarks are found in open habitats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lilian's Meadowlark
Chihuahuan meadowlark (''Sturnella lilianae''), also known as Lilian's meadowlark, is a bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in northern Mexico and the southwestern portion of the United States. It was formerly usually treated as a subspecies of the eastern meadowlark (''Sturnella magna''). Taxonomy The Chihuahuan meadowlark was formally described in 1930 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser as a subspecies of the eastern meadowlark based on a holotype that had been collected in the Huachuca Mountains of Arizona. Oberholser proposed the trinomial name ''Sturnella magna lilianae''. The epithet ''lilianae'' was chosen to honor Lilian Hanna Baldwin (wife of Senator Samuel Prentiss Baldwin). It is now treated as a separate species based on the significant morphological, vocal and genomic differences between the Chihuahuan meadowlark and the other subspecies of the eastern meadowlark. Two subspecies are recognised: * ''Sturnella lilianae lilianae'' Oberholser, 1930 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peruvian Meadowlark
The Peruvian meadowlark (''Leistes bellicosus'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in western Peru, Ecuador and far northern Chile. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrublands, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrublands, intertidal marshes, and pasturelands all around 1,000 metres above sea level. The males are streaky brown with a bright red throat and chest. The females are duller in colour and are more streaked than the males. They grow to be 20 cm long and are characterised by their bobbing flight which is similar to that of a woodpecker. They eat mostly insects, but sometimes eat seeds. References External linksRange of the Peruvian meadowlark- Oiseaux.net Peruvian meadowlark Birds of Ecuador Birds of Peru Peruvian meadowlark Peruvian meadowlark The Peruvian meadowlark (''Leistes bellicosus'') is a species of bird in the family Icteridae. It is found in western Peru, Ecuador and far northern Chile. Its natu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occurs in Australia. Habitats vary widely, but many species live in dry regions. When the word "lark" is used without specification, it often refers to the Eurasian skylark ''(Alauda arvensis)''. Taxonomy and systematics The family Alaudidae was introduced in 1825 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors as a subfamily Alaudina of the finch family Fringillidae. Larks are a well-defined family, partly because of the shape of their . They have multiple scutes on the hind side of their tarsi, rather than the single plate found in most songbirds. They also lack a pessulus, the bony central structure in the syrinx of songbirds. They were long placed at or near the beginning of the songbirds or oscines (now often called Passeri), just afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Pierre Vieillot (10 May 1748, Yvetot – 24 August 1830, Sotteville-lès-Rouen) was a French ornithologist. Vieillot is the author of the first scientific descriptions and Linnaean names of a number of birds, including species he collected himself in the West Indies and North America and South American species discovered but not formally named by Félix de Azara and his translator Sonnini de Manoncourt. He was among the first ornithologists to study changes in plumage and one of the first to study live birds. At least 77 of the genera erected by Vieillot are still in use. Biography Vieillot was born in Yvetot. He represented his family's business interests in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) on Hispaniola, but fled to the United States during the Haitian rebellions that followed the French Revolution. On Buffon's advice, he collected material for the ''Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale,'' the first two volumes of which were published in France beginning i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxonomist
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given a taxonomic rank; groups of a given rank can be aggregated to form a more inclusive group of higher rank, thus creating a taxonomic hierarchy. The principal ranks in modern use are domain, kingdom, phylum (''division'' is sometimes used in botany in place of ''phylum''), class, order, family, genus, and species. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is regarded as the founder of the current system of taxonomy, as he developed a ranked system known as Linnaean taxonomy for categorizing organisms and binomial nomenclature for naming organisms. With advances in the theory, data and analytical technology of biological systematics, the Linnaean system has transformed into a system of modern biological classification intended to reflect the evolu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juan Ignacio Molina
Fr. Juan Ignacio Molina (; (June 24, 1740 – September 12, 1829) was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, translator, geographer, botanist, ornithologist, and linguist. He is usually referred to as Abate Molina (a form of Abbot Molina), and is also sometimes known by the Italian form of his name, Giovanni Ignazio Molina. He was one of the precursors of the theory of the gradual evolution of species, 44 years before Darwin, who repeatedly quoted him in "The Origin of Species". Biography Early years Molina was born at Guaraculén, a big farm located near Villa Alegre (General Captaincy of Chile), where he lived until he was 5 years old. In the current province of Linares, in the Maule Region of Chile. His parents were Agustín Molina and Francisca González Bruna. From an early age he was attracted to the nature of his environment, and in addition to his school work, he enjoyed observing nature on the family farm, which he visited periodically, alternating with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sturnus
''Sturnus'' is a genus of starlings. As discussed below, the taxonomy of this group is complex, and other authorities differ considerably in which species they place in this genus, and in the species boundaries within ''Sturnus''. The genus name ''Sturnus'' is Latin for "starling". This genus has representatives across most of Eurasia and one species, the common or European starling, has been introduced to South Africa, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The more northerly breeding species are completely or partially migratory, wintering in warmer regions. The ''Sturnus'' starlings are terrestrial species; they walk rather than hop, and have modifications to the skull and its muscles for open-bill probing. The latter adaptation has facilitated the spread of this genus from humid tropical southern Asia to cooler regions of Europe and Asia. Starlings nest in holes in trees or buildings. They are omnivorous and mostly feed on the ground; they specialise in taking inverteb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas, as well as North America, Hawaii, and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common. Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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