Related to birds range or habitat:
- accidental
- Bird found beyond their normal range. Straying, blown off course, capture and release, and other events might place individual birds in regions where they are not expected.
- extinct
- No living members of the species remains anywhere on earth.
- extirpated
- Locally extinct, usually a result of habitat change. Populations of extirpated species or breeders once found in the local region can still be found in other states or other countries.
- pelagic
- Living on the open ocean rather than coastal or inland bodies of water.
- hybridize
- When birds have parents from different species. Often occurs where range overlaps.
- irruptive
- When many birds show up in an unexpected region or off-season. Most irruptions are probably caused by a lack of food in the normal range, and happen during the winter.
Bird Behavior
- dabbling
- rather than diving for food, dabbling ducks feed by tipping forward to eat food found along the bottom of shallow lakes, rivers or ponds, leaving their back end above water with their tails pointing up in the air.
- nocturnal
- active at night.
Identification marks or anatomy (see chart):
- abdomen
- bottom part of the bird. Also: belly.
- alula
- Three feathers springing from the base of the primaries. Also: alular quills.
- breast
- Front part of the chest.
- breast band
- Stripe across the breast.
- breast spot
- Small, differently colored area on the breast.
- cap
- Top of the crown.
- cere
- Fleshy area between the beak and face.
- cheek
- Area of head below eye and above the neck.
- chest
- Front part of the body.
- chin
- Part of the face below the bill.
- collar
- Rear portion of crown. Also: nape, hindneck.
- comb
- Colored area over eye found in males.
- crest
- Tuft on the head.
- undertail coverts
- Feathers covering underside of base of tail. Also: crissum
- crown
- Top of the head.
- dihedral
- Wings of a flying bird held at an angle appearing to form a “V.”
- ear patch
- Area around ear opening.
- ears
- Rounded, earlike areas on the face. Also: facial discs.
- eye line
- Line of feathers in front of and behind the eye.
- eye ring
- Pale-colored feathers encircling the eye.
- eyebrow
- Line of feathers above the eye. Also superciliary line
- facial discs
- Rounded, earlike areas on the face.
- Terminal part of the leg.
- flank
- Area between the belly and the wings, more posterior.
- flank stripe
- Band on the flanks.
- flight feathers
- Primaries and secondaries on the wings.
- forehead
- Part of the face above the eyes
- gorget
- Iridescent throat feathers on a hummingbird.
- greater secondary coverts
- Feathers overlying bases of secondaries.
- head stripes
- Bold lines on the head.
- hindhead
- Rear portion of crown. Also: occiput.
- horns
- Paired contour feathers arising from head.
- inner primaries
- Group of primaries closest to the body.
- inner secondaries
- Group of secondaries closest to the body.
- inner wing
- Shoulder, secondaries and secondary coverts
- lore
- Area between the eye and the bill.
- lower mandible
- Lower part of the bill.
- malar stripe
- Area at the sides of the chin. Also: whisker, mustache, malar streak.
- mantle
- Upper surface of the wings and the back.
- mustache
- Area at the sides of the chin. Also: whisker, malar streak
- nape
- Back of the neck. Also: hindneck, collar.
- neck patch
- Inflatable sac on neck used by males in courtship display
- occiput
- Rear portion of crown. Also: hindhead.
- outer primaries
- Group of primaries farthest from the body.
- outer secondaries
- Group of secondaries farthest from the body.
- outer tail feathers
- Part of the tail farthest from the center.
- outer wing
- Alula and primaries.
- pinnae
- Projecting feathers.
- plumes
- Large, conspicuous, showy, feathers.
- primaries
- Flight feathers attached to the “hand.”
- primary coverts
- Feathers protecting and covering the primaries.
- rictal bristles
- Stiffened feathers near bill.
- ruffs
- Fringe of feathers growing on the neck.
- rump
- Area between the uppertail coverts and the back.
- scapulars
- Area of feathers between the back and the wings.
- secondaries
- Flight feathers attached to the “elbow.”
- secondary coverts
- Feathers protecting and covering the secondaries.
- shoulder
- Feathers overlying bases of median secondary coverts. Also: lesser secondary coverts,
marginal coverts. - side
- Area between the belly and the wing.
- spectacle
- Eye ring and supraloral line together.
- speculum
- Highly colored area on secondaries of several ducks.
- subterminal band
- Stripe before tip of tail.
- tail
- Feathers extending from the rear of the bird.
- tail coverts
- Under and uppertail coverts.
- tarsus
- Part of the leg between the knee and the foot.
- terminal band
- Stripe at tip of tail.
- tertiaries
- Feathers adjoining the secondaries.
- throat
- Front part of the neck.
- throat patch
- Front part of the neck.
- tibia
- Part of the leg above the knee.
- underparts
- Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
- undertail coverts
- Feathers covering underside of base of tail. Also: crissum.
- underwing
- Underside of wing.
- upper mandible
- Upper part of the bill.
- upperparts
- Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
- uppertail coverts
- Feathers covering upperside of base of tail.
- upperwing
- Upperside of wing.
- whisker
- Area at the sides of the chin. Also: mustache, malar streak.
- wing bars
- Pale tips of secondary coverts creating a stripe on wings.
- wing coverlets
- Primary and secondary coverts, or feathers overlaying others.
- wing lining
- Median, lesser and marginal coverts on underwing.
- wing stripe
- Paler area at base of flight feathers.
- wing pit
- between the body and the wing. Also: axillary.
- wrist
- Area at base of the primaries.