Dipper — Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Usually they inhabit the banks of fast-moving hillside rivers, though some nest near shallow lakes. They have dense feathers with a down undercoat, providing them excellent insulation qualities. Dippers submerge and walk on the bottom to feed on insect larvae. …

Dickcissel — The Dickcissel, Spiza americana, is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It possibly is the only member of the genus Spiza (Bonaparte, 1824). These birds have a large pale bill, a yellow line over the eye, brownish upperparts with black streaks on the back, dark wings, a rust patch on the shoulder and light underparts. Adult …

Curlew — The curlews genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills. In Europe “curlew” usually refers to one species, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata. Curlews …

Cuckoo — The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos (family Musophagidae, sometimes treated as a separate order, Musophagiformes). Some zoologists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute. The cuckoo family, in addition to those species named as …

Crow — The crow is a large, mostly black bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Corvus common name for about 27 large passerine birds of the genus which also includes the ravens and jackdaws. Their family also includes the jays, magpies, choughs, and nutcrackers. Crows are found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. They are among …

Crossbills — The crossbills are birds in the finch family Fringillidae. The three to five (or possibly many more) species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterized by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name. These are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation …

Creeper — Creeper the name given to the small family of inconspicuous little birds related to wrens and nuthatches. The best known of this new world species is the brown creeper, where it nests in wooded temperate regions of Canada and the United States. It naturally spirals are a tree trunk, using the tell as a proper, and swoops to …

Cranes — Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or “dances”. While folklore often states that cranes mate for life, recent scientific research indicates that these birds do change mates over the …

Cowbird — Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family Icteridae. They are brood parasitic New World birds which are unrelated to the Old World cuckoos, one of which, the Common Cuckoo is the best-known brood parasitic bird. This family includes five species of cowbirds that form the natural genus Molothrus. This has been determined by phylogenetic …

Cormorant — The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed. Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large seabirds. They range in size from the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus), at as little as 45 cm (18 in) and 340 g …