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Sandpipers
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but otherwise the form and length are quite variable. They are small to medium-sized birds, measuring in length. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. They generally have dull plumage, with cryptic brown, grey, or streaked patterns, although some display brighter colours during the breeding season. Most species nest in open areas, and defend their territories with aerial displays. The nest itself is a simple scrape in the ground, in which the bird typic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandpiper Nest With Four Eggs
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Sandpipers have long bodies and legs, and narrow wings. Most species have a narrow bill, but otherwise the form and length are quite variable. They are small to medium-sized birds, measuring in length. The bills are sensitive, allowing the birds to feel the mud and sand as they probe for food. They generally have dull plumage, with cryptic brown, grey, or streaked patterns, although some display brighter colours during the breeding season. Most species nest in open areas, and defend their territories with aerial displays. The nest itself is a simple scrape in the ground, in which the bird typic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terek Sandpiper
The Terek sandpiper (''Xenus cinereus'') is a small migratory Palearctic wader species and is the only member of the genus ''Xenus''. It is named after the Terek River which flows into the west of the Caspian Sea, as it was first observed around this area. Taxonomy The Terek sandpiper was formally described and illustrated in 1775 by the German naturalist Johann Anton Güldenstädt under the binomial name ''Scolopax cinerea''. He reported that he had seen pairs breeding at the mouth of the Terek River where it flows into the Caspian Sea. It is now the only species placed in the genus ''Xenus'' that was introduced in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. The genus name ''Xenus'' is from Ancient Greek ''xenos'' meaning "stranger"; the specific epithet ''cinereus'' is Latin for "ash-grey" from ''cinis, cineris'', "ashes". The species is considered to be monotypic, no subspecies are recognised. Among the Scolopacidae, ''Xenus'' is part of the shank- tattler-phalarope c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calidris
''Calidris'' is a genus of Arctic-breeding, strongly migratory wading birds in the family Scolopacidae. These birds form huge mixed flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter. They are the typical "sandpipers", small to medium-sized, long-winged and relatively short-billed. Their bills have sensitive tips which contain numerous corpuscles of Herbst. This enables the birds to locate buried prey items, which they typically seek with restless running and probing. Taxonomy The genus ''Calidris'' was introduced in 1804 by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem with the red knot as the type species. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-coloured waterside birds. The genus contain 24 species: * Great knot, ''Calidris tenuirostris'' * Red knot, ''Calidris canutus'' * Surfbird, ''Calidris virgata'' * Ruff, ''Calidris pugnax'' * Broad-billed sandpiper, ''Calidris falcinellus'' * Sharp-tailed sandpiper, ''Calidris acumi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Actitis
''Actitis'' is a small genus of waders, comprising just two very similar bird species. Taxonomy The genus ''Actitis'' was introduced in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Illiger. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''aktites'', "coast-dweller" from ''akte'', "coast". The type species is the common sandpiper. The genus is sister to the genus ''Tringa'' that contains the shanks and the tattlers. The genus contains two species: * Common sandpiper, ''Actitis hypoleucos'', of Eurasia * Spotted sandpiper, ''Actitis macularia'' of North America Description These are both small migratory waders, greyish brown on top and white underneath, with a distinctive stiff-winged flight low over the water. The plumages are very similar, apart from spotted sandpipers' distinctive breeding plumage, and suspected out-of-range vagrants must be carefully observed for identification to species. Both species have short yellow or yellowish legs and a medium bill. These are not gregarious birds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lymnocryptes
The jack snipe or jacksnipe (''Lymnocryptes minimus'') is a small stocky wader. It is the smallest snipe, and the only member of the genus ''Lymnocryptes''. Features such as its sternum make it quite distinct from other snipes or woodcocks. Etymology The common name has been said to come from the Welsh word for a snipe, ''giach'' (pronounced with a hard ''g''), but modern dictionaries say it comes from the masculine name Jack. Alfred Newton hypothesized that, "It may be, as in Jackass, an indication of sex, for it is a popular belief that the Jack-Snipe is the male of the common species; or, again, it may refer to the comparatively small size of the bird, as the 'jack' in the game of bowls is the smallest of the balls used, and as fishermen call the smaller Pikes Jacks." The genus name ''Lymnocryptes'' is from Ancient Greek ''limne'', "marsh" and ''kruptos'', "hidden". The species name '' minimus '' is from Latin and means "smallest". Description Adults are smaller than co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the ''Lymnocryptes'' snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the ''Coenocorypha'' snipes are found only in the outlying islands of New Zealand. The four species of painted snipe are not closely related to the typical snipes, and are placed in their own family, the Rostratulidae. Behaviour Snipes search for invertebrates in the mud with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills. The sensitivity of the bill is caused by filaments belonging to the fifth pair of nerves, which run almost to the tip and open immediately under the soft cuticle in a series of cells; a similar adaptation is found in sandpipers; this adaptation give this portion of the surface of the premaxillaries a honeycomb-like appearance: w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curlew
The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been influenced by the Old French ''corliu'', "messenger", from ''courir '', "to run". It was first recorded in 1377 in Langland's Piers Plowman "''Fissch to lyue in þe flode..Þe corlue by kynde of þe eyre''". In Europe "curlew" usually refers to one species, the Eurasian curlew (''Numenius arquata''). Description They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills. Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items. Distribution Curlews enjoy a worldwide distribution. Most species show strong migratory habits and consequently one or more species can be en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tringa
''Tringa'' is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. The genus name ''Tringa'' is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi in 1599. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the green sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern hemisphere temperate regions for breeding. Some of this group—notably the green sandpiper—nest in trees, using the old nests of other birds, usually thrushes. The willet and the tattlers have been found to belong in ''Tringa''; these genus changes were formally adopted by the American Ornithologists' Union in 2006. The present genus in the old, more limited sense was even further subdivided into ''Tringa'' proper and ''Totanus'', either as subgenera or as full genera. The available DNA sequence data suggests however that neither of these is monophyl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dunlin
The dunlin (''Calidris alpina'') is a small wader, formerly sometimes separated with the other "stints" in the genus ''Erolia''. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from ''dun'', "dull brown", with the suffix ''-ling'', meaning a person or thing with the given quality. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East. Birds that breed in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic migrate short distances to the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, although those nesting in northern Alaska overwinter in Asia. Many dunlins winter along the Iberian south coast. Taxonomy The dunlin was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Tringa alpina''. Linnaeus specified the location as Lapland. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gallinago
''Gallinago'' is a genus of birds in the wader family Scolopacidae, containing 18 species. Taxonomy The name ''Gallinago'' was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 as a subdivision of the genus ''Scolopax''. Brisson did not use Carl Linnaeus's binomial system of nomenclature and although many of Brisson's genera had been adopted by ornithologists, his subdivision of genera were generally ignored. Instead, the erection of the genus ''Gallinago'' for the snipes was credited to the German zoologist Carl Ludwig Koch in a book published in 1816. But in 1920 it was discovered that the German naturalist Johann Samuel Traugott Frenzel had erected the genus ''Capella'' for the snipes in 1801. As his publication predated Koch's use of ''Gallinago'' it took precedence. The American Ornithologists' Union switched to ''Capella'' in 1921 and in 1934 the American ornithologist James L. Peters used ''Capella'' for the woodcocks in his influential ''Check-list of B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coenocorypha
The austral snipes, also known as the New Zealand snipes or tutukiwi, are a genus, ''Coenocorypha'', of tiny birds in the sandpiper family (biology), family, which are now only found on New Zealand outlying islands, New Zealand's outlying islands. There are currently three living species and six known extinct species, with the Subantarctic snipe having three subspecies, including the Campbell Island snipe discovered as recently as 1997. The genus was once distributed from Fiji, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island, across New Zealand and southwards into New Zealand's subantarctic islands, but predation by introduced species, especially rats, has drastically reduced their range. Taxonomy and range The relationship between ''Coenocorypha'' snipe and the snipes of the genus ''Gallinago'' is uncertain. ''Coenocorypha'' is sometimes thought to be a relict taxon of an ancient lineage;Tennyson, A., & Martinson, P. (2006). ''Extinct Birds of New Zealand''. Te Papa Press, Wellington . however ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limnodromus
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds in the genus ''Limnodromus''. The English name "dowitchers" is from Iroquois, recorded in English by the 1830s. The OED's earliest example is from 1841, but full-text searching gives results that suggest it was already in common use by the mid-1830s. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat more closely related. All three are strongly migratory. The two North American species are difficult to separate in most plumages, and were considered a single species for many years. The Asian bird is rare and not well known. Taxonomy The genus ''Limnodromus'' was introduced in 1833 by the German naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied to accommodate a single species, the short-billed dowitcher. The name combines the Ancient Greek ''limnē'' meaning "marsh" with ''-dromos'' meaning "-racer" or "-runner" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
