Birds Encyclopedia

Parakeet — Parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers. Older spellings still sometimes encountered are paroquet or paraquet. The term Grass Parakeet (or Grasskeet) refers to a large number of small Australian parakeets native to grasslands such as Neophema and Princess …

Oystercatcher — The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The exception to this is the Eurasian Oystercatcher and the South Island Oystercatcher, both of which breed inland, far …

Owl — Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 extant bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e.g. the Northern Hawk Owl). Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth …

Ostrich — The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member(s) of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, …

Oriole — Orioles are colourful Old World passerine birds in the family Oriolidae and genus Oriolus. They are not related to the New World orioles, which are Icterids, family Icteridae.Two families of perching birds of the order Passeriformes are known as orioles: 28 to 30 species of the Old World family Oriolidae and about 25 species of the New World …

Nutcracker — The nutcrackers (Nucifraga) are a genus of two species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. One, the Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), occurs in Europe and Asia, the other, Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), in western North America. The most important food resources for both these species are the seeds (pine nuts) of …

Mynah — The myna is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which occur naturally only in southern and eastern Asia. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, especially the Common Myna which is often regarded as an invasive species. Mynas are not a …

Mockingbird — Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. Mockingbirds also have a reputation of being fierce defenders of their nests. Both male and female …

Meadowlark — Meadowlarks are birds belonging to the genus Sturnella in the New World family Icteridae. This genus includes seven species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensively red or yellow underparts. The genus Sturnella comprises: Red-breasted Blackbird, Sturnella militaris White-browed Blackbird, Sturnella superciliaris Peruvian Meadowlark, Sturnella …

Magpie — Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae. In Europe, “magpie” is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia. That bird was referred to as a “pie” until the late 16th century when the feminine name “mag” was added to the beginning. …