The Accipitrinoe is a sub-family of the Falconidae family of birds, including the Goshawk and the Sparrowhawk. The beak is strong, short and curved from the base. The upper mandible bears a prominentfestoon beyond the middle. The nostrils are oval. The wings are rounded and short reaching only to the middle of the tail and the middle toe is much the longest. Research Accipitrinoe
The albatross is a long winged, powerful oceanic bird. There are some thirteen species of albatross, all related to the petrels, and constituting the family Diomedeidae. Albatross have large heads, stout bodies and extremely long narrow wings. The bill is straight and strong, the upper mandible hookedat the point and the lower mandible truncated. The bill is covered with distinctive horny plates. The feet are webbed with three toes on each foot. The upper part of the body is of a greyish brown colour, the belly white. The albatross is the largest known sea bird, with a wing span of some 533 cm. Albatross often accompany ships for days on end without ever landing, and are regarded with feelings of attachment and traditionally superstitious awe by sailors - it being considered bad luck to kill an albatross. Research Albatross
Ampelidae is the chatterers family of Passerine birds. They have a stout beak with the upper mandible somewhat broad at the base, flat with the upper edge more or less angular and ridged, and the tip distinctly notched. The feet are usually stout, with the outer toe united to the middle one as far as, or beyond the first joint. They feed principally on berries and other soft fruits, and occasionally also on insects. Research Ampelidae
Charadrius is a genus of birds which includes the lapwing, pratincole and oyster-catcher.
The genus is characterised by a long, slender, straight, or slightly recurvate bill, which is higher than broad at the base, and extremely compressed toward the end; an upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and slightly sloping at the base, somewhat convex beyond the nostrils, then straight and sloping to the point, the ridge broad and flattened as far as the prominence, afterwards extremely narrow, the sides sloping at the base, perpendicular towards the end, the edges rather sharp, the tip abrupt and wedge-shaped; the nasal groove is long and bare; a lower mandible with the angle of moderate length, the dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, the sides erect, the edges thin, the tip abrupt and wedged.
The nostrils are sub-basal, linear and near the margin. The head is of a moderate size, ovate with a rounded forehead; the neck is of moderate length; the body compact. The feet are of moderate length, rather stout; the tibia are bare for about a quarter of their length; the tarsus is slightly compressed and covered all round with hexagonal scales; the toes are of moderate length, stout, marginate, flat beneath, webbed at the base, the outer considerably longer than the inner, the first wanting. The claws rather small, arched, moderately compressed and obtuse. The plumage is generally blended and compact on the back. The wings are long and pointed, the first quill being the longest. The tail is short, nearly even, and comprised of twelve feathers. The tongue is short, triangular and fleshy; The Oesophagus is dilated into a fairly large crop; the stomach rectangular, muscular, with the epithelium dense and longitudinally rugous; the intestine is long and rather slender; the coeca is long and nearly cylindrical; the cloaca globular. Research Charadrius
Columbidae is the pigeon family of birds of the order Gallinae. They are characterized by the hind toe being nearly on the same plane as the others. The bill is moderate and deflected at the tip, the upper mandible covered at the base with a soft membrane. The tarsi are devoid of spurs and the tail is comprised of twelve feathers. They have considerable powers of flight, and perch freely on trees and rocks. They feed principally on grain, seeds and the leaves of herbaceous plants. The young are fed on a milky fluid secreted in the crop of the older birds. Research Columbidae
The Corvidae is the crow family of Conirostral birds and includes rooks, crows, ravens, magpies, jays and choughs. The members are characterized by a powerful beak, more or less compressed at the sides, with the upper mandible more or less arched to the point and the gape nearly straight. The nostrils are concealed by stiff bristles. They are birds of firm and compact structure, with long, powerful, pointed wings. Their feet and claws are robust. They are bold and daring birds with a propensity for stealing bright gaudy objects which they hide away. Research Corvidae
The Dentirostres are a tribe of birds of the order Insessores or Perchers, including Shrikes, Butcher-birds, etc. They are characterized by having a notch and tooth-like process on each side of the margin of the upper mandible. They are rapacious and prey on weaker birds. Research Dentirostres
The Dodo (Didus ineptus) was a huge, flightless bird of the pigeon order, Columbidae, formerly found in abundance only on the island of Mauritius. The Dodo had rudimentary wings, short, stout legs and a tail of soft plumage. The beak was strongly arched towards the end, and the upper mandible had a hooked point like that of a bird of prey. In 1644 when the island was first colonised by the Dutch the dodo was present in great numbers, but within forty years a combination of the loss of natural habitat to cyltivation and hunting for food led to the Dodo's extinction in the first and most famous ecological tragedy committed by Man.
In 2002 scientists at Oxford university, England extracted DNA from the only remaining Dodo tissue in existence and claimed to have discovered that the Dodo was a pigeon. However, this had already been known for at least 100 years, as evidenced by Lloyd'sEncyclopaediaDictionary, published in 1895 by Edward Lloyd Limited of London describes the dodo as 'A large bird, belonging to the order Columbidae, or Pigeons'. Research Dodo
The Falconinae are the Merlin, Hobby and Kestril sub-family of the Falconidae family of birds. They are characterised by a short, strong beak curved from the base. The upper mandible is strongly toothed, the lower notched. The nostrils are round. The tarsi is short and strong. The wings are long and pointed, with the second primary longest, the first and third equal in length and having the inner web notched near the extremity. Research Falconinae
The Fissirostres are the wide-gaped tribe of passerine birds. They are characterized by a broad bill, more or less flattened horizontally, and often hooked at the tip, with the mouth very deeply cleft. The upper mandible is not notched. The feet are small and feeble. Most of the species feed on insects, which they catch on the wing, but at least one genus eats fish. The species are mostly natives of tropical regions, visiting temperate regions as migratory visitors. Research Fissirostres
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Accipitrinoe
