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Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve
Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve ( pt, Reserva Natural do Estuário do Tejo) is a natural reserve in Portugal. It is one of the 30 areas which are officially under protection in the country. The estuary of the Tagus River is the largest wetland in the country and one of the most important in Europe, a sanctuary for fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and especially to birds that stop-over on their migration between northern Europe and Africa. It is the largest estuary in western Europe, with about , and regularly hosts 50,000 wintering waterfowl. Characterization The Nature Reserve was established in 1976, covering an area of , characterized by an extensive surface of estuarine waters, vast fields intersected by creeks, marshes, salt flats and alluvial agricultural land (marshlands). Not exceeding above sea level and a depth of , distributed over the counties of Alcochete, Benavente and Vila Franca de Xira, the reserve falls mostly in the upstream area of the estuary of the Tagus which, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alcochete
Alcochete () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,569, in an area of 128.36 km². The municipality is composed of three parishes and is located in Setúbal District. Alcochete is known for its bullfighting tradition and its proximity to the second-longest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama Bridge. The actual site of present-day Alcochete was already occupied during Roman times with a clay production facility. Its name is thought to derive from the Arabic word for oven for reasons not yet understood. It became a vacation site preferred by the Portuguese royalty and the future king D. Manuel I was born in the village. It has experienced major development due to the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge. On January 10, 2008, Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates announced that Alcochete had been selected as the site of the new airport serving Lisbon, Portugal's capital. The existing Portela Airport, which is located within the city of Lisbo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black-tailed Godwit
The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, ''Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest in breeding plumage and dull grey-brown winter coloration, and distinctive black and white wingbar at all times. Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits spend (the northern hemisphere) winter in areas as diverse as the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe and west Africa. The species breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs and uses estuaries, swamps and floods in (the northern hemisphere) winter; it is more likely to be found inland and on freshwater than the similar bar-tailed godwit. The world population is estimated to be 634,000 to 805,000 birds and is classified as Near Threatened. The black-tailed godwit is the national b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black-winged Stilt
The black-winged stilt (''Himantopus himantopus'') is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family ( Recurvirostridae). The scientific name ''H. himantopus'' is sometimes applied to a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of ''Himantopus himantopus'' '' sensu lato'' (whereas the black-necked, ''H. mexicanus'', and white-backed stilt, ''H. melanurus'', both inhabit the Americas, and the pied stilt, ''H. leucocephalus'', inhabit southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand). Most sources today accept 1–4 species. The scientific name ''Himantopus'' comes from the Greek meaning "strap foot" or "thong foot". Description Adults are long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's harrier (''Circus pygargus'') is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Taxonomy The first formal description of Montagu's harrier was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Falco pygargus''. The genus ''Circus'' was introduced by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek. ''Circus'' is from ''kirkos'', referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight (''kirkos'', "circle"), probably the hen harrier, and ''pygargus'' is Modern Latin derived from Greek ''pugargos'', from ''puge'',"rump" and ''argos'', "shining white". The species name was formerly used for the hen harrier before Montagu's was identified as a different species. Identification Plumage Sexual dimorphism is particularly apparent in the plumage of this species. Adul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marsh Harrier
The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. They are found almost worldwide, excluding only the Americas. Until recently two species were generally recognized: the marsh harrier (''Circus aeruginosus'') and the African marsh harrier (''C. ranivorus''). The marsh harrier is now usually split into several species, sometimes as many as six. These are the western marsh harrier (''C. aeruginosus''), eastern marsh harrier (''C. spilonotus''), Papuan harrier (''C. spilonotus spilothorax'' or ''C. spilothorax''), swamp harrier (''C. approximans''), Réunion harrier (''C. maillardi maillardi'' or ''C. maillardi'') and Madagascar marsh harrier (''C. maillardi macrosceles'' or ''C. macrosceles''). At the beginning of the 20th century, the marsh harrier was hunted to extinction in the United Kingdom. After being reintroduced from ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Bittern
The little bittern or common little bittern (''Ixobrychus minutus'') is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. ''Ixobrychus'' is from Ancient Greek ''ixias'', a reed-like plant and ''brukhomai'', to bellow, and ''minutus'' is Latin for "small". Distribution The little bittern is native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions in Europe and western Asia are migratory, wintering in Africa and further south in Asia, while those nesting in the tropics are sedentary. It is rare north of its breeding range. In Britain there were intermittent reports of breeding in the nineteenth century, and again in 1946 and 1957, but none of these records were proven. The first proven British breeding record is from Yorkshire in 1984, and the second from the Avalon Marshes in Somerset in 2010, by 2017 this species had been present in this area for nine consecutive years. Taxonomy Carl Linn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-crested Pochard
The red-crested pochard (''Netta rufina'') is a large diving duck. The scientific name is derived from Greek language, Greek ''Netta'' "duck", and Latin ''rufina'', "golden-red" (from ''rufus'', "ruddy"). Its breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and it extends from the steppe and semi-desert areas on the Black Sea to Central Asia and Mongolia, wintering in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa. It is somewhat bird migration, migratory, and northern birds winter further south into north Africa. The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange head, red bill and black breast. The flanks are white, the back brown, and the tail black. The female is mainly a pale brown, with a darker back and crown and a whitish face. Eclipse males are like females but with red bills. They are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as common pochards. They feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reserva Natural Do Estuário Do Tejo (11160723166)
Tagus Estuary Natural Reserve ( pt, Reserva Natural do Estuário do Tejo) is a natural reserve in Portugal. It is one of the 30 areas which are officially under protection in the country. The estuary of the Tagus River is the largest wetland in the country and one of the most important in Europe, a sanctuary for fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and especially to birds that stop-over on their migration between northern Europe and Africa. It is the largest estuary in western Europe, with about , and regularly hosts 50,000 wintering waterfowl. Characterization The Nature Reserve was established in 1976, covering an area of , characterized by an extensive surface of estuarine waters, vast fields intersected by creeks, marshes, salt flats and alluvial agricultural land (marshlands). Not exceeding above sea level and a depth of , distributed over the counties of Alcochete, Benavente and Vila Franca de Xira, the reserve falls mostly in the upstream area of the estuary of the Tagus which, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurasian Penduline Tit
The Eurasian penduline tit or European penduline tit (''Remiz pendulinus'') is a passerine bird of the genus ''Remiz''. It is relatively widespread throughout the western Palearctic. It is migratory in the northern part of its range but resident in the southern part. The breeding range in Western Europe experienced an expansion during the 1980s and 1990s. This was accompanied by an expansion of the species’ winter range and reached as far south as northern Morocco. It builds an elaborate hanging nest, formerly used in Central Europe as children's slippers. Taxonomy The Eurasian penduline tit was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the binomial name ''Motacilla pedulinus''. It is now placed in the genus ''Remiz'' that was introduced in 1819 by the Polish zoologist Feliks Paweł Jarocki. The genus name ''Remiz'' is the Polish word for the Eurasian penduline tit. The specific epithet is from L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Firecrest
The common firecrest (''Regulus ignicapilla''), also known as the firecrest, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. It breeds in most of temperate Europe and northwestern Africa, and is partially migratory, with birds from central Europe wintering to the south and west of their breeding range. Firecrests in the Balearic Islands and north Africa are widely recognised as a separate subspecies, but the population on Madeira, previously also treated as a subspecies, is now treated as a distinct species, the Madeira firecrest, ''Regulus madeirensis''. A fossil ancestor of the firecrest has been identified from a single wing bone. This kinglet is greenish above and has whitish underparts. It has two white wingbars, a black eye stripe and a white supercilium. The head crest, orange in the male and yellow in the female, is displayed during breeding, and gives rise to the English and scientific names for the species. This bird superficially resembles the goldcrest, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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