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Melampitta
The melampittas are a family, Melampittidae, of New Guinean birds containing two enigmatic species. The two species are found in two genera, the greater melampitta in the genus ''Megalampitta'' and the lesser melampitta in the genus ''Melampitta''. They are little studied and before being established as a family in 2014 their taxonomic relationships with other birds were uncertain, being considered at one time related variously to the pittas, Old World babblers and birds-of-paradise. These are small to medium-sized birds with black plumage, strong legs and short, rounded wings. Mostly terrestrial, they live in montane forest. The greater melampitta has more specific habitat needs, roosting and nesting in limestone sinkholes. Insects and small vertebrates are taken from the forest leaf litter. Little is known about their breeding behaviour, with only the nests of the lesser melampitta having been seen by scientists. Both species are considered to be safe from extinction. Taxonomy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesser Melampitta
The lesser melampitta (''Melampitta lugubris'') is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus ''Melampitta''. It is now classified (with the greater melampitta) in the family Melampittidae, but in some other sources it is variously considered close to or in the Orthonychidae (logrunners), Paradisaeidae (birds of paradise), Corcoracidae (Australian mud-nesters), Cnemophilidae (satinbirds) or Monarchidae (monarch flycatchers). A local name, used by the Ketengban people of the Jayawijaya Mountains, is ''golík''. It is approximately 18 cm long and has an all-black plumage with long legs and short tail. Both sexes are almost similar, distinguished by the color of the iris. The male has crimson red iris while the female's are dark brown. The lesser melampitta builds dome-like nest in the forests. The diet consists mainly of insects. Widespread and a common species throughout its habitat range, the lesser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lesser Melampitta
The lesser melampitta (''Melampitta lugubris'') is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus ''Melampitta''. It is now classified (with the greater melampitta) in the family Melampittidae, but in some other sources it is variously considered close to or in the Orthonychidae (logrunners), Paradisaeidae (birds of paradise), Corcoracidae (Australian mud-nesters), Cnemophilidae (satinbirds) or Monarchidae (monarch flycatchers). A local name, used by the Ketengban people of the Jayawijaya Mountains, is ''golík''. It is approximately 18 cm long and has an all-black plumage with long legs and short tail. Both sexes are almost similar, distinguished by the color of the iris. The male has crimson red iris while the female's are dark brown. The lesser melampitta builds dome-like nest in the forests. The diet consists mainly of insects. Widespread and a common species throughout its habitat range, the lesser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greater Melampitta
The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the lesser melampitta. Formerly classified as a bird-of-paradise, the little-known greater melampitta has an uncertain taxonomy and is sometimes believed to be affiliated to pitohuis, as it appears to be poisonous to eat (Frith and Beehler 1998). It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. References greater melampitta Birds of New Guinea greater melampitta The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the lesser melampitta. Former ... Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{passeri-st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greater Melampitta
The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the lesser melampitta. Formerly classified as a bird-of-paradise, the little-known greater melampitta has an uncertain taxonomy and is sometimes believed to be affiliated to pitohuis, as it appears to be poisonous to eat (Frith and Beehler 1998). It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. References greater melampitta Birds of New Guinea greater melampitta The greater melampitta (''Megalampitta gigantea'') is a species of bird in the family Melampittidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Megalampitta'', although it was once placed in the genus ''Melampitta'' with the lesser melampitta. Former ... Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{passeri-st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paradisaeidae
The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the species, the majority of which are sexually dimorphic. The males of these species tend to have very long, elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail or head. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat. The diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy. A number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. Taxonomy The family Paradisaeidae was introduced (as Paradiseidae) in 1825 with ''Paradisaea'' as the type genus by the English naturalist William John Swainson. For many years the birds-of-paradise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird-of-paradise
The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of the species, the majority of which are sexually dimorphic. The males of these species tend to have very long, elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings, tail or head. For the most part they are confined to dense rainforest habitat. The diet of all species is dominated by fruit and to a lesser extent arthropods. The birds-of-paradise have a variety of breeding systems, ranging from monogamy to lek-type polygamy. A number of species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. Taxonomy The family Paradisaeidae was introduced (as Paradiseidae) in 1825 with ''Paradisaea'' as the type genus by the English naturalist William John Swainson. For many years the birds-of-pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitta
Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds found in Asia, Australasia and Africa. There are thought to be 40 to 42 species of pittas, all similar in general appearance and habits. The pittas are Old World suboscines, and their closest relatives among other birds are in the genera ''Smithornis '' and ''Calyptomena''. Initially placed in a single genus, as of 2009 they have been split into three genera: ''Pitta'', ''Erythropitta'' and ''Hydrornis''. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, at in length, and stocky, with strong, longish legs and long feet. They have very short tails and stout, slightly decurved bills. Many have brightly coloured plumage. Most pitta species are tropical; a few species can be found in temperate climates. They are mostly found in forests, but some live in scrub and mangroves. They are highly terrestrial and mostly solitary, and usually forage on wet forest floors in areas with good ground cover. They eat earthworms, snails, insects a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitta (bird)
Pittas are a family, Pittidae, of passerine birds found in Asia, Australasia and Africa. There are thought to be 40 to 42 species of pittas, all similar in general appearance and habits. The pittas are Old World suboscines, and their closest relatives among other birds are in the genera ''Smithornis '' and ''Calyptomena''. Initially placed in a single genus, as of 2009 they have been split into three genera: ''Pitta'', ''Erythropitta'' and ''Hydrornis''. Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, at in length, and stocky, with strong, longish legs and long feet. They have very short tails and stout, slightly decurved bills. Many have brightly coloured plumage. Most pitta species are tropical; a few species can be found in temperate climates. They are mostly found in forests, but some live in scrub and mangroves. They are highly terrestrial and mostly solitary, and usually forage on wet forest floors in areas with good ground cover. They eat earthworms, snails, insects a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whipbird
Psophodidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. In the strictest sense, it includes only the 5 or 6 species of whipbirds and wedgebills (''Psophodes'' and '' Androphobus''), but some authors also include the quail-thrushes (''Cinclosoma''), 8 species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New Guinea, and the jewel-babblers (''Ptilorrhoa''), 3 or 4 species found in rainforest in New Guinea. Others place them in their own family, the Cinclosomatidae. The Malaysian rail-babbler (''Eupetes macrocerus'') was formerly sometimes placed in this family, which would then be called Eupetidae. Taxonomy The quail-thrushes, jewel-babblers, whipbirds and wedgebills were traditionally included with the logrunners (''Orthonyx'') in the family Orthonychidae.Roberson, Don (2004Quail-thrushes Cinclosomatidae Bird Families of the World. Accessed 4 Jan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Handbook Of The Birds Of The World
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. The series was edited by Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal and David A. Christie. All 16 volumes have been published. For the first time an animal class will have all the species illustrated and treated in detail in a single work. This has not been done before for any other group in the animal kingdom. Material in each volume is grouped first by family, with an introductory article on each family; this is followed by individual species accounts (taxonomy, subspecies and distribution, descriptive notes, habitat, food and feeding, breeding, movements, status and conservation, bibliography). In addition, all volumes except the first and second contain an essay on a particular ornithological theme. More than 200 renowned speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DNA–DNA Hybridization
In genomics, DNA–DNA hybridization is a molecular biology technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between pools of DNA sequences. It is usually used to determine the genetic distance between two organisms and has been used extensively in phylogeny and taxonomy. Method The DNA of one organism is labelled, then mixed with the unlabelled DNA to be compared against. The mixture is incubated to allow DNA strands to dissociate and then cooled to form renewed hybrid double-stranded DNA. Hybridized sequences with a high degree of similarity will bind more firmly, and require more energy to separate them: i.e. they separate when heated at a higher temperature than dissimilar sequences, a process known as "DNA melting". To assess the melting profile of the hybridized DNA, the double-stranded DNA is bound to a column and the mixture is heated in small steps. At each step, the column is washed; sequences that melt become single-stranded and wash off the column. The te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drongo
The drongos are a family, Dicruridae, of passerine birds of the Old World tropics. The 30 species in the family are placed in a single genus, ''Dicrurus''. Drongos are mostly black or dark grey, short-legged birds, with an upright stance when perched. They have forked tails and some have elaborate tail decorations. They feed on insects and small birds, which they catch in flight or on the ground. Some species are accomplished mimics and have a variety of alarm calls, to which other birds and animals often respond. They are known to utter hoax alarm calls that scare other animals off food, which the drongo then claims. Taxonomy The genus ''Dicrurus'' was introduced by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot for the drongos in 1816. The type species was subsequently designated as the balicassiao (''Dicrurus balicassius'') by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841. The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek words ''dikros'' "forked" and ''oura'' "tail". "Drongo" i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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