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Gruiformes
The Gruiformes ( ) are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like". Traditionally, a number of wading and terrestrial bird families that did not seem to belong to any other order were classified together as Gruiformes. These include 15 species of large cranes, about 145 species of smaller crakes and rails, as well as a variety of families comprising one to three species, such as the Heliornithidae, the limpkin, or the Psophiidae. Other birds have been placed in this order more out of necessity to place them ''somewhere''; this has caused the expanded Gruiformes to lack distinctive apomorphies. Recent studies indicate that these "odd Gruiformes" are if at all only loosely related to the cranes, rails, and relatives ("core Gruiformes"). Systematics There are only two suprafamilial clades (natural groups) among the birds traditionally classified as Gruiformes. Rails ( Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunbittern
The sunbittern (''Eurypyga helias'') is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas, and the sole member of the family Eurypygidae (sometimes spelled Eurypigidae) and genus ''Eurypyga''. It is found in Central and South America, and has three subspecies. The sunbittern shows both morphological and molecular similarities with the kagu (''Rhynochetos jubatus'') of New Caledonia, indicating a Gondwanan origin, both species being placed in the clade Eurypygiformes.del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks''. Lynx Edicions. Taxonomy The sunbittern was traditionally placed in the Gruiformes, but this was always considered preliminary. Altogether, the bird is most similar to another bird that was provisionally placed in the Gruiformes, the kagu (''Rhynochetos jubatus''). Molecular studies seem to confirm that the kagu and sunbittern are each other's closest living relatives and have a simil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a type of large bird with long legs and necks in the Family (biology), biological family Gruidae of the Order (biology), order Gruiformes. The family has 15 species placed in four genera which are ''Antigone (genus), Antigone'', ''Balearica'', ''Siberian crane, Leucogeranus'', and ''Grus (genus), Grus''. They are large birds with long necks and legs, a tapering form, and long secondary feathers on the wing that project over the tail. Most species have muted gray or white plumages, marked with black, and red bare patches on the face, but the crowned cranes of the genus ''Balearica'' have vibrantly-coloured wings and golden "crowns" of feathers. Cranes fly with their necks extended outwards instead of bent into an S-shape and their long legs outstretched. Cranes live on most continents, with the exception of Antarctica and South America. Some species and populations of cranes bird migration, migrate over long distances; others do not migrate at all. Cranes are solitary du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kagu
The kagu or cagou (''Rhynochetos jubatus'') is a crested, long-legged, and bluish-grey bird endemism, endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. It is the only surviving member of the genus ''Rhynochetos'' and the family Rhynochetidae, although a second species has been described from the fossil record. Measuring in length, it has pale grey plumage and bright red legs. Its 'nasal corns' are a unique feature not shared with any other bird. Almost flightless, it spends its time on or near the ground, where it hunts its invertebrate prey and builds a nest of sticks on the forest floor. Both parents share incubation of a single egg (biology), egg, as well as rearing the chick. It has proven vulnerable to introduced predators and is threatened with extinction. Etymology The name kagu is derived from the Melanesian languages, Melanesian names for the species. The species is variously known as the ''kavu'' or ''kagou'' in the New Caledonian languages, Kanak language ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limpkin
The limpkin (''Aramus guarauna''), also called carrao, courlan, and crying bird, is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes, and the only extant species in the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina, but has been spotted as far north as Wisconsin and Southern Ontario. It feeds on molluscs, with the diet dominated by apple snails of the genus '' Pomacea''. Its name derives from its seeming limp when it walks. Taxonomy and systematics The limpkin is placed in the family Aramidae, which is in turn placed within the crane and rail order Gruiformes. The limpkin had been suggested to be close to the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, based upon shared bird lice. The Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds, based upon DNA–DNA hybridization, suggested that the limpkin's closest relatives were the Heliornithidae finfoots, and Sibley and Monroe even placed the species in that family in 1990. More ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rallidae
Rails (avian family Rallidae) are a large, Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of small- to medium-sized terrestrial and/or semi-amphibious birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity in its forms, and includes such ubiquitous species as the crakes, coots, and gallinule; other rail species are extremely rare or endangered. Many are associated with wetland habitats, some being semi-aquatic like waterfowl (such as the coot), but many more are wading birds or shorebirds. The ideal rail habitats are marsh areas, including rice paddy, rice paddies, and flooded fields or open forest. They are especially fond of dense vegetation for nesting.Horsfall & Robinson (2003): pp. 206–207 The rail family is found in every Terrestrial animal, terrestrial habitat with the exception of dry desert, Polar climate, polar or freezing regions, and Alpine climate, alpine areas (above the snow line). Members of Rallidae occur on every continent except Antarctica. N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psophiidae
''Psophia'' is a genus of birds restricted to the humid forests of the Amazon and Guiana Shield in South America. It is the only genus in the family Psophiidae. Birds in the genus are commonly known as trumpeters, due to the trumpeting or cackling threat call of the males. The three species resemble slightly taller, longer-legged chickens in size and appearance; they measure long and weigh . They are rotund birds with long, flexible necks and legs, downward-curving bills and a “hunched” appearance. Their heads are small, but their eyes are relatively large, making them look inquisitive and "good-natured". The plumage is soft, resembling fur or velvet on the head and neck. It is mostly black, with purple, green, or bronze iridescence, particularly on the wing coverts and the lower neck. In the best-known taxa, the secondary and tertial flight feathers are white, grey, or greenish-black and hairlike, falling over the lower back, which is the same colour. These colours give the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aramidae
Aramidae is a bird family in the order Gruiformes. The limpkin (''Aramus guarauna'') is the only living member of this family, although other species are known from the fossil record, such as '' Papulavis annae'' from the Eocene of France, '' Aramus paludigrus'' from the Middle Miocene of Colombia and '' Badistornis aramus'' from the Oligocene of South Dakota, USA. Another Oligocene fossil from Europe, '' Parvigrus pohli'', has been described as a mosaic of the features shared by the limpkins and the cranes. It shares many morphological features with the cranes and limpkins, but also was much smaller than either group, and was more rail-like in its proportions. In the paper describing the fossil, Gerald Mayr suggested that it was similar to the stem species of the Grues (the cranes and limpkins), and that the limpkins evolved massively long bills as a result of the specialisation to feeding on snails. In contrast, the cranes evolved into long-legged forms to walk and probe on open ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otididae
Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and in steppe regions. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards are omnivorous and opportunistic, eating leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, small vertebrates, and invertebrates.del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks''. Lynx Edicions. There are 26 species currently recognised. Etymology The word ''bustard'' comes from the Old French ''bistarda'' and some other languages: ''abetarda'' ( pt), ''abetarda'' ( gl), ''avutarda'' ( es) used for the great bustard. The naturalist William Turner listed the English spelling "bustard" and "bistard" in 1544. All of the common names above are derived from Latin ''avis tarda'' or ''aves tardas'' given by Pliny the Elder, these names were mentioned by the Pierre Belon in 1555 and Ulisse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pedionomidae
The plains-wanderer (''Pedionomus torquatus'') is an atypical species of wading bird, the only representative of family Pedionomidae and genus ''Pedionomus''. It is endemic to Australia. Its historic range included much of eastern Australia, including Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory, but in recent years, it has become endangered with remaining known populations concentrated in the Riverina region of New South Wales and western Queensland. Description The plains-wanderer is a quail-like ground bird, measuring 15–19 cm. It is such an atypical bird that it is placed in an entire family of its own, Pedionomidae. The adult male is light brown above, with fawn-white underparts with black crescents. The adult female is substantially larger than the male, and has a distinctive, white-spotted black collar. They have excellent camouflage and will first hide at any disturbance. If approached too closely, they will run rather than fly, at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turnicidae
Buttonquail or hemipodes are members of a small family of birds, Turnicidae, which resemble, but are not closely related to, the quails of Phasianidae. They inhabit warm grasslands in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia. There are 18 species in two genera, with most species placed in the genus '' Turnix'' and a single species in the genus '' Ortyxelos''. Buttonquails are small, drab, running birds, which avoid flying. The female is the more richly colored of the sexes. While the quail-plover is thought to be monogamous, ''Turnix'' buttonquails are sequentially polyandrous: both sexes cooperate in building a nest in the earth, but normally only the male incubates the eggs and tends the young, while the female may go on to mate with other males. Taxonomy The genus ''Turnix'' was introduced in 1791 by French naturalist in Pierre Bonnaterre. The genus name is an abbreviation of the genus ''Coturnix''. The type species was subsequently designated as the common buttonquail. The bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesitornithidae
The mesites (Mesitornithidae) are a family (biology), family of birds that are part of a clade (Columbimorphae) that include Columbiformes and Pterocliformes. They are somewhat small-bodied, Flightless bird, flightless or near flightless birds endemic to Madagascar. All the species of this clade are listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable. Description The mesites are forest and scrubland birds that Insectivore, feed on insects and Seed predation, seeds; brown and white-breasted mesites Foraging, forage on the ground, gleaning insects from underneath leaf litter, leaves as well as low vegetation. The subdesert mesite uses its long bill to probe in the soil. Other birds, such as drongos and Old World flycatcher, flycatchers, will follow mesites to catch any insects they flush out or miss. Mesites are vocal birds, with Bird vocalization, calls similar to that of a passerine's song, which are used for Territory (animal), territorial defence. Two or three white eggs are laid in a st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gallirallus Philippensis Lord Howe Island 1
''Gallirallus'' is a genus of rails that live in the Australasian-Pacific region. The genus is characterised by an ability to colonise relatively small and isolated islands and thereafter to evolve flightless forms, many of which became extinct following Polynesian settlement. Taxonomy Following recent taxonomic revisions, there is only one known extant species in this genus along with several extinct species of dubious classification, with all other species being moved to ''Hypotaenidia'', '' Cabalus'', ''Lewinia'', or '' Aptenorallus''. Description Many of the rails, including the well-known weka of New Zealand, are flightless or nearly so. Many of the resultant flightless island endemics became extinct after the arrival of humans, which hunted these birds for food, introduced novel predators like rats, dogs or pigs, and upset the local ecosystems. A common Polynesian name of these rails, mainly relatives of ''G. philippensis'', is ''veka''/''weka'' (in English, this name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
