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Long-billed Thrasher
The long-billed thrasher (''Toxostoma longirostre'') is a medium-sized resident songbird of South Texas and eastern Mexico. It bears a strong resemblance to its close relative the brown thrasher in appearance, calls, and various other behaviors; however, the two species do not overlap in range except in the winter when the brown thrasher will temporarily reside in the northern range of the long-billed. The bird is a large sized mimid that is not especially wary, but it will take precautionary measures to prevent itself from being potential prey. Like other thrashers, it is named after its sweeping methods when searching for food, not for thrashing predators, although they are aggressive defenders of their territories. Taxonomy The specific name ''longirostre'' is derived from the Latin words ''longus'' long and ''rostrum'' bill. There are two subspecies of the long-billed thrasher. ''T. longirostre'' ssp. ''longirostre'' was first described in scientific literature by Frédà ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas (near Harlingen), although a very small part of its northernmost point extends into southern Willacy County. Fauna The Peregrine Fund began reintroducing captive-bred northern aplomado falcons (''Falco femoralis septentrionalis'') to the refuge in 1985, which had been nearly extirpated from the Southwestern United States; today, it is home to 26 pairs. Nine other endangered or threatened species inhabit the refuge, such as the Texas ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis albescens'') and (formerly) the Gulf Coast jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''), rare wild cats. Programs at the refuge include vegetation and wetland restoration. See also *Hilary Swarts Hilary Swarts is a wildlife biologist who works for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. Tamaulipas is bordered by the states of Nuevo León to the west, San Luis Potosà to the southwest, and Veracruz to the southeast. To the north, it has a stretch of the U.S.–Mexico border with the state of Texas, and to the east it is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the capital city, Ciudad Victoria, the state's largest cities include Reynosa, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Tampico, and Mante. Etymology The name Tamaulipas is derived from ''Tamaholipa'', a Huastec term in which the ''tam-'' prefix signifies "place (where)". No scholarly agreement exists on the meaning of ''holipa'', but "high hills" is a common interpretation. Another explanation of the state name is tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hildalgo
Hidalgo (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Hidalgo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Hidalgo) is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Hidalgo, 84 municipalities and its capital city is Pachuca, Pachuca de Soto. Located in the eastern part of the country, Hidalgo is bordered by San Luis Potosà and Veracruz on the north, Puebla on the east, Tlaxcala and State of Mexico on the south and Querétaro on the west. In 1869, Benito Juárez created the State of Hidalgo and made Pachuca its capital city; Juárez would add the name ''"de Soto"'' in recognition of Manuel Fernando Soto, who is considered the most important driving force in creating the state. The state was named after Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the initiator of the Mexican War of Independence. The indigenous peoples of the state, such as the Otomi people, Otomi, retain much of their Pre- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coahuila
Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of Nuevo LeĂłn to the east, Zacatecas to the south, and Durango and Chihuahua to the west. To the north, Coahuila accounts for a stretch of the Mexico–United States border, adjacent to the U.S. state of Texas along the course of the Rio Grande (RĂo Bravo del Norte). With an area of , it is the nation's third-largest state. It comprises 38 municipalities ''(municipios)''. In 2020, Coahuila's population is 3,146,771 inhabitants. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is TorreĂłn (largest metropolitan area in Coahuila and 9th largest in Mexico); the third largest is Monclova (a former state capital); the fourth largest is Ciudad Acuña; and the fifth largest is Piedras Negras. History The name Coahui ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aranas
Earnanæs (Old English), Aranæs (Old Swedish) and Årnäs (Modern Swedish) is the name of at least two locations, in what is today southern Sweden, which are known from history and legend. The names are variations of the same name, and this has aroused the interest of scholars since the 19th century. Beowulf In ''Beowulf'', Earnanæs is the location in Götaland (today southern Sweden) where the hero of the epic, assisted by Wiglaf, kills a dragon, but at the cost of his own life. The ancient stronghold The ancient stronghold of Aranæs () was located near Skara on the shore of lake Vänern, in Västergötland. In the early 14th century, it was the property of the marshal and Swedish regent Torkel Knutsson. In this castle, King Birger Magnusson signed a reconciliation treaty with his brothers, the dukes Eric and Valdemar Magnusson. After the two dukes had poisoned the king's mind against his faithful marshal, Torkel was captured and taken to Stockholm, where he was beheaded. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_type2 = County (United States), Counties , subdivision_name2 = Bexar County, Texas, Bexar, Comal County, Texas, Comal, Medina County, Texas, Medina , established_title = Foundation , established_date = May 1, 1718 , established_title1 = Incorporated , established_date1 = June 5, 1837 , named_for = Saint Anthony of Padua , government_type = Council-manager government, Council-Manager , governing_body = San Antonio City Council , leader_title = Mayor of San Antonio, Mayor , leader_name = Ron Nirenberg (Independent politician, I) , leader_title2 = City Manager , leader_name2 = Erik Walsh , leader_title3 = San Antonio City Council, City Council , leader_name3 = , unit_pref = Imperial , area_total_sq_m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rectrice
Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail are called rectrices (), singular rectrix (). The primary function of the flight feathers is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby enabling flight. The flight feathers of some birds have evolved to perform additional functions, generally associated with territorial displays, courtship rituals or feeding methods. In some species, these feathers have developed into long showy plumes used in visual courtship displays, while in others they create a sound during display flights. Tiny serrations on the leading edge of their remiges help owls to fly silently (and therefore hunt more successfully), while the extra-stiff rectrices of woodpeckers help them to brace against tree trunks as they hammer on them. Even flightless birds ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sage Thrasher
The sage thrasher (''Oreoscoptes montanus'') is a medium-sized passerine bird from the family Mimidae, which also includes mockingbirds, tremblers, and New World catbirds. It is the only member of the genus ''Oreoscoptes''. This seems less close to the Caribbean thrashers, but rather to the mockingbirds instead (Hunt ''et al.'' 2001, Barber ''et al.'' 2004). Description ''Oreoscoptes montanus'' are pale grey-brown on the upperparts and white with dark streaks on the underparts. They have a slim straight relatively short bill, yellow eyes and a long tail, although not as long as that of other thrashers. Measurements: * Length: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm) * Weight: 1.4-1.8 oz (40-50 g) * Wingspan: 12.6 in (32 cm) Breeding As its name suggests, this bird breeds in western North America, from southern Canada to northern Arizona and New Mexico. Its breeding habitat is in areas with dense stands of sagebrush and rarely in other shrubby areas. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iris (anatomy)
In humans and most mammals and birds, the iris (plural: ''irides'' or ''irises'') is a thin, annular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil, and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. Eye color is defined by the iris. In optical terms, the pupil is the eye's aperture, while the iris is the diaphragm. Structure The iris consists of two layers: the front pigmented fibrovascular layer known as a stroma and, beneath the stroma, pigmented epithelial cells. The stroma is connected to a sphincter muscle (sphincter pupillae), which contracts the pupil in a circular motion, and a set of dilator muscles ( dilator pupillae), which pull the iris radially to enlarge the pupil, pulling it in folds. The sphincter pupillae is the opposing muscle of the dilator pupillae. The pupil's diameter, and thus the inner border of the iris, changes size when constricting or dilating. The outer border of the iris does not change size. The constricti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Covert Feather
A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind the bird's eye which cover the ear opening (the ear of a bird has no external features) Tail coverts The uppertail and undertail coverts cover the base of the tail feathers above and below. Sometimes these coverts are more specialised. The "tail" of a peacock is made of very elongated uppertail coverts. Wing coverts The upperwing coverts fall into two groups: those on the inner wing, which overlay the secondary flight feathers, known as the secondary coverts, and those on the outerwing, which overlay the primary flight feathers, the primary coverts. Within each group, the feathers form a number of rows. The feathers of the outermost, largest, row are termed greater (primary-/secondary-) coverts; those in the next row ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Robin
The American robin (''Turdus migratorius'') is a migratory bird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the Old World flycatcher family. The American robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering from southern Canada to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. According to the Partners in Flight database (2019), the American robin is the most abundant bird in North America (with 370,000,000 individuals), ahead of red-winged blackbirds, introduced European starlings, mourning doves and house finches. It has seven subspecies, but only one of them, the San Lucas robin (''T. m. confinis'') of Baja California Sur, is particularly distinctive, with pale gray-brown underparts. The American robin is active mostly duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, the equivalent Latin term ''cladus'' (plural ''cladi'') is often used in taxonomical literature. The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or extant). Clades are nested, one in another, as each branch in turn splits into smaller branches. These splits reflect evolutionary history as populations diverged and evolved independently. Clades are termed monophyletic (Greek: "one clan") groups. Over the last few decades, the cladistic approach has revolutionized biological classification and revealed surprising evolutionary relationships among organisms. Increasingly, taxonomists try to avoid naming taxa that are not clades; that is, taxa that are not monophyletic. Some of the relationships between organisms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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