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Åmål Municipality
Åmål Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the stad (Sweden), city of Åmål. The present municipality was created in 1971 through the amalgamation (politics), amalgamation of the former ''City of Åmål'' and the former rural municipality of Tössbo (the latter created in 1952). Geography and natural resources The stad (Sweden), city of Åmål is located in a scenic bay of Vänern, Lake Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden. The municipality has a small archipelago with some 30 islands, called ''Tösse skärgård'', to the south of the city. The islands are protected as a nature preserve; many of the islands are wooded, but a few are used for farming. They provide habitat for a number of bird species, including grey heron, osprey, mallard, goldeneye (duck), goldeneye, goosander, the black-throated diver and Eurasian hobby, hobby in the bays; on the cobs are colonies of European herring gul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Municipalities Of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden () are its generally smaller but co-equal local government Legal entity, entities. There are 290 municipalities which are responsible for a large proportion of local services, including schools, emergency services and physical planning. Foundation The Local Government Act of 1991 specifies several responsibilities for the municipalities, and provides outlines for local government, such as the process for electing the Municipal assembly (Sweden), municipal assembly. It also regulates a process (''laglighetsprövning'', "legality trial") through which any citizen can appeal the decisions of a local government to a county court. Municipality, Municipal government in Sweden is similar to city commission government and cabinet-style council, cabinet-style council government. A legislative municipal assembly ''(kommunfullmäktige)'' of between 31 and 101 members (always an odd number) is elected from party-list proportional representation at municipal ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from the ocean, although they may be connected with the ocean by rivers. Lakes, as with other bodies of water, are part of the water cycle, the processes by which water moves around the Earth. Most lakes are fresh water and account for almost all the world's surface freshwater, but some are salt lakes with salinities even higher than that of seawater. Lakes vary significantly in surface area and volume of water. Lakes are typically larger and deeper than ponds, which are also water-filled basins on land, although there are no official definitions or scientific criteria distinguishing the two. Lakes are also distinct from lagoons, which are generally shallow tidal pools dammed by sandbars or other material at coastal regions of ocean ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Tern
The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in Temperateness, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly bird migration, migratory, wintering in coastal Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly Sympatry, sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or Bird vocalization, vocalisations. Breeding in a wider range of habitats than any of its relatives, the common tern nests on any flat, poorly vegetated surface close to water, including beaches and islands, and it readily adapts to artificial substrates such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Herring Gull
The European herring gull (''Larus argentatus'') is a large gull, up to long. It breeds throughout the northern and western coasts of Europe. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, bird migration, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Great Britain, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans. Taxonomy Their scientific name is from Latin. ''Larus'' appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird and ''argentatus'' means decorated with silver. The taxonomy of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull is contentious, with different authorities recognising between two and eight species. This group has a ring species, ring distribution around the Northern Hemisphere. Most adjacent populations interbreed; however, adjacent terminal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurasian Hobby
The Eurasian hobby (''Falco subbuteo'') or just hobby, is a small, slim falcon. It belongs to a group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus '' Hypotriorchis''. Taxonomy and systematics The first formal description of the Eurasian hobby was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under the present binomial name ''Falco subbuteo''. The genus name ''falco'' derives from Late Latin ''falx'', ''falcis'', a sickle, referring to the wing profile of the bird. The species name ''subbuteo'' is from Latin ''sub'', "below, less than, under" and ''buteo'', "buzzard". The species' English name comes from Old French ''hobé'' or ''hobet''. It became the trademark for the Subbuteo games company after its creator, who was an ornithologist, was refused permission to register "Hobby". Two subspecies are recognized: * ''F. s. subbuteo'': the nominate race is resident in Africa, Europe and Central and East Asia, winters in Central an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black-throated Diver
The black-throated loon (''Gavia arctica''), also known as the Arctic loon and the black-throated diver, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere, primarily breeding in freshwater lakes in northern Europe and Asia. It winters along sheltered, ice-free coasts of the north-east Atlantic Ocean and the eastern and western Pacific Ocean. This loon was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and has two subspecies. It was previously considered to be the same species as the Pacific loon, of which it is traditionally considered to be a sister species, although this is debated. In a study that used mitochondrial and nuclear intron DNA, the black-throated loon was found to be sister to a clade consisting of the Pacific loon and two sister species, the common loon and the yellow-billed loon. The black-throated loon measures about in length and can weigh anywhere from . In breeding plumage, the adult of the nominate subspecies has mostly black upperparts, with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goosander
The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large sea duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. Taxonomy The first formal description of the common merganser was written by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He introduced the current binomial name ''Mergus merganser''. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and ''merganser'' is derived from ''mergus'' and ''anser'', Latin for "goose". In 1843 John James Audubon used the name "Buff-breasted Merganser" in addition to "goosander" in his book '' The Birds of America''. The three subspecies differ in only minor detail: Description It is long with a wingspan and a weight of ; males are on average slightly larger than females, but with some overlap. Like other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goldeneye (duck)
''Bucephala'' is a genus of diving ducks found in the Northern Hemisphere. Taxonomy The genus ''Bucephala'' was introduced in 1858 by American naturalist Spencer Baird with the bufflehead as the type species. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek , meaning , from , and , , a reference to the crest of the bufflehead making its head look large. The bufflehead was formerly treated as the only member of the genus (sometimes unnecessarily changed to ''Charitonetta'') while the goldeneyes were incorrectly placed in '' Clangula'' (as ''Clangula americana''), the genus of the long-tailed duck, which at that time was placed in '' Harelda''. It may yet be correct to recognise two genera, as the bufflehead and the two goldeneyes are well diverged. In this case, ''Bucephala'' would be restricted to ''B. albeola'' and the name ''Glaucionetta'' (Stejneger, 1885) resurrected for the goldeneyes. Species The three living species are: Known fossil taxa are: * ''Bucephala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Falkland Islands, and South Africa. Belonging to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae, mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. Males (drakes) have green heads, while the females (hens) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is long, of which the body makes up around two-thirds the length. The wingspan is and the bill is long. It is often slightly heavier than most other dabbling ducks, weighing . T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Osprey
The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts. The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant. As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and unique behaviour in hunting its prey. Because of its unique characteristics it is classified in its own taxonomic genus, ''Pandion'', and family, Pandionidae. Taxonomy The osprey was described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus under the name ''Falco haliaetus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grey Heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water, or stalking its prey through the shallows. Standing up to tall, adults weigh from . They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown. The birds breed colonially in spring in heronries, usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight Bird skeleton, skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the common ostrich. There are over 11,000 living species and they are split into 44 Order (biology), orders. More than half are passerine or "perching" birds. Birds have Bird wing, wings whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the Flightless bird, loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemism, endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
