on the attending parent s to brood them with body heat for a short period of time. Precocial birds find their own food, sometimes with help or instruction from the parents. Examples of precocial ... day after hatching. Precociality is found in many other animal groups. Familiar examples of precocial ... sense, since the closely related rabbit is highly altricial . Precocial species typically have a longer ... is characteristic of precocial birds. Etymology The word precocial is derived from the same root as precocious .... E. Patterns of Development The Altricial Precocial Spectrum. In Avian Growth and Development. Oxford ... Precocial uk ... more details
The term superprecocial refers to a level of physical maturity and capability in young animals that is most extreme. Examples are the Megapode birds, which have full flight feathers and which, in some species, can fly on the same day they hatch from their eggs. Another example is the young of Blue Wildebeest which are capable of standing in seven minutes and run with the adults in under two hours. Superprecocial animals are even more capable than precocial animals. The opposite pattern of growth and development is called altricial , and is typified by birds that hatch blind, uncoordinated, featherless, and tiny. ref name Starck&Ricklefs98 Starck, J.M. Ricklefs, R.E. Avian Growth and Development. Evolution within the altricial precocial spectrum. Oxford University Press, New York, 1998. ref See also precocial altricial References reflist Category Developmental biology Category Bird terminology ... more details
Nidifugous organism s are those that leave the nest shortly after hatching or birth. It is derived from Latin nidus for nest and fugere meaning to flee . ref http www.merriam webster.com dictionary nidifugous Merriam Webster Online Dictionary ref The terminology is most often used to describe birds and was introduced by Lorenz Oken in 1916. ref name starck cite book last Starck first J. title Avian Growth and Development publisher Oxford University Press location Oxford Oxfordshire year 1998 isbn 0 19 510608 3 ref The chicks of birds in many families such as the wader s, waterfowl and gamebird s are usually nidifugous. The term nidifugous is sometimes used synonymously with precocial , as all nifidugous species are precocial that is, born with open eyes and capable of independent locomotion. However, not all precocial birds leave the nest some may stay at the nest, and are thus nidicolous instead. ref Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye 1988 http www.stanford.edu group stanfordbirds text essays Precocial and Altricial.html Precocial and Altricial Young . ref References reflist animal stub Category Developmental biology eo Nidifuga es Nid fuga nl nestvlieder ... more details
Pr coce is a French language French term meaning precocial but which when used in viticulture is a term for early ripening wine early ripening . This term is used in the names or synonyms of a number of more or less early ripening grape varieties . Grape varieties with Pr coce as part of their name include Malingre Pr coce Muscat Pr coce de Saumur Pinot Noir Pr coce disambig ... more details
, most ungulates are precocial, being able to walk almost immediately after birth. Basis Different animals employ different precocial and altricial strategies there is no clear distinction between .... Precocial birds are able to provide protein rich eggs and thus their young hatch in the fledgling ... in early times, but the meanings are slightly different, in that altricial and precocial refer to developmental ... starck The two strategies result in different brain sizes of the newborns compared to adults. Precocial ... to grow. As adults, altricial animals end up with comparatively larger brains than their precocial ... reflist External links http www.stanford.edu group stanfordbirds text essays Precocial and Altricial.html The altricial precocial spectrum in birds Category Developmental biology Category Bird terminology ... more details
speciesbox name Greater guinea pig image Cavia magna Wroclaw zoo .JPG status LC status system iucn3.1 status ref ref name iucn IUCN2008 assessors Gonzalez, E. & Lessa, E. year 2008 id 13400180 title Cavia magna downloaded 5 January 2009 ref taxon Cavia magna authority Jim nez surname Ximenez et al., 1980 The Greater Guinea Pig , Cavia magna , is a guinea pig species from South America . ref name MSW3 MSW3 Hystricognathi id 13400180 page 1553 ref It is found in Brazil and Uruguay . This small precocial mammal produces few juveniles with high survival when they are expected to produce large litters of altricial juveniles. ref Kraus, C. et al. 2005. Living slow and dying young? Life history strategy and age specific survival rates in a precocial small mammal. In Journal of Animal Ecology 74 171 180 ref References reflist http www.natureserve.org infonatura Infonatura Caviidae nav Category Guinea pigs rodent stub ar bg es Cavia magna eu Cavia magna fr Cavia magna nl Cavia magna pt Cavia magna sr uk Cavia magna ... more details
Taxobox name Caddisflies regnum Animalia phylum Arthropoda classis Insecta ordo Trichoptera subordo Spicipalpia subdivision ranks Superfamilies subdivision Glossosomatoidea br Rhyacophiloidea br Hydroptiloidea Spicipalpia is a suborder of Trichoptera , the caddisflies. The four families included in this suborder all have the character of pointed maxillary palps in the adults. The larvae of the different families have varying lifestyles, from free living to case making, but all four families construct cases in their final larval instar for pupation or at an earlier instar as a precocial pupation behavior. Although recognized under some phylogenies, molecular analysis has shown that this group is likely not monophyletic. External links http tolweb.org tree?group Trichoptera&contgroup Endopterygota Tree Of Life Trichoptera Page Category Trichoptera Trichoptera stub ru Spicipalpia ... more details
Multiple issues refimprove February 2010 expert Animal date March 2011 Nidicolous animals are those that stay at their nest or birthplace for a long time after birth, due to their dependence on the parents for feeding, protection and learning survival skills. It is the opposite of nidifugous where the animal is able to leave the nest very quickly. The great majority of nidicolous animals are altricial , in that an animal born helpless, blind, without feathers, etc. simply is unable to fend for itself. Examples of nidicolous animals are most mammals , marsupials and many species of birds . However, the concepts of altricial and nidicolous are not identical. All altricial animals are nidicolous by necessity, however, an animal may be nidicolous, i.e. staying at the nest, even if they are precocial and fully capable of leaving if needed. ref name starck cite book last Starck first J. title Avian Growth and Development publisher Oxford University Press location Oxford Oxfordshire year 1998 isbn 0 19 510608 3 ref References reflist Category Developmental biology animal stub es Nid cola eo Nestolo anta fr Nidicole ... more details
two other uses the stage before birth humans in particular Fetus other uses Fetus disambiguation Image Elefetusus.jpg thumb right 300px Fourteen phases of elephant development before birth A fetus sometimes spelled foetus or f tus is a stage in the development of viviparous organisms. This stage lies between the embryo nic stage and childbirth birth . The fetuses of most mammals are situated similarly to the homo sapiens fetus within their mothers. ref ZFIN, http zfin.org zf info zfbook stages phar.html Pharyngula Period 24 48 h . Modified from Kimmel et al., 1995. Developmental Dynamics 203 253 310. Downloaded 5 March 2007. ref However, the anatomy of the area surrounding a fetus is different in Litter animal litter bearing animals compared to humans each fetus of a litter bearing animal is surrounded by placental Biological tissue tissue and is lodged along one of two long uteri instead of the single uterus found in a human female. Development at birth varies considerably among animals, and even among mammals. Altricial species are relatively helpless at birth and require considerable parental care and protection. In contrast, precocial animals are born with open eyes, have hair or down, have large brains, and are immediately mobile and somewhat able to flee from, or defend themselves against, predation predators . Primate s are precocial at birth, with the exception of humans. ref Lewin, Roger. http books.google.com books?id SopsLRo1QyUC&pg PA78&dq altricial precocial humans&num 100&ei IGGSf mMJGeyASMod1A Human Evolution , page 78 Blackwell 2004 . ref The duration of gestation in placental mammals i.e. mammals other than monotreme s and marsupial s varies from 18 days in jumping mice to 23 months in elephant s. ref name Sumich Sumich, James and Dudley, Gordon. http books.google.com books?id TW2SAkgJOdMC&pg PA320&dq 22elephant 22 and fetus&as brr 3&ei xXGGSZrrDpGeyASMod1A PPA320,M1 Laboratory and Field Investigations in Marine Life , page 320 Jones & Bartlett 2008 ... more details
Taxobox name Bolivian Chinchilla Rat status CR status system iucn3.1 status ref ref name IUCN IUCN2008 assessors Dunnum, J., Vargas, J. & Bernal, N. year 2008 id 18 title Abrocoma boliviensis downloaded 5 January 2009 ref regnum Animalia phylum Chordata classis Mammalia ordo Rodent ia familia Abrocomidae genus Abrocoma species A. boliviensis binomial Abrocoma boliviensis binomial authority Glanz & Anderson, 1990 The Bolivian Chinchilla Rat Abrocoma boliviensis is a species of chinchilla rat in the Abrocomidae family ref cite book author Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.M., eds. title Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd ed year 2005 publisher Smithsonian Institution Press location Washington, D.C. pages 1538 1600 ref . It is found only in Manuel Mar a Caballero Province , Bolivia . Its natural habitat is the rocky areas of cloud forest s in Bolivia s interior. Habitat and ecology The Bolivian chinchilla rat lives in the cloud forest s of Bolivia, and may specialize in the rocky areas within the cloud forest. It is a vegetarian , and lives in burrows. Young are born precocial after a relatively long gestation period ref name IUCN . Threats Quotation Listed as Critically Endangered because its extent of occurrence is less than 100 km , all individuals are in a single location, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its cloud forest habitat. IUCN 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Major threats to the Bolivian chinchilla rat include the clearing of its cloud forest habitat for cattle pasture and habitat fragmentation . It was historically trapped for its fur ref name IUCN References reflist 30em Abrocomidae nav rodent stub Category Abrocoma Category Mammals of Bolivia es Abrocoma boliviensis eu Abrocoma boliviensis fr Abrocoma boliviensis nl Boliviaanse chinchillarat pl Abrocoma boliviensis pt Abrocoma boliviensis sr uk ... more details
image Riparia riparia Brutfleck.jpg thumb 250px Brood patch of Sand Martin A brood patch is a patch of featherless skin that is visible on the underside of bird s during the nesting season . This patch of skin is well supplied with blood vessels at the surface making it possible for the birds to transfer heat to their eggs when incubating. In most species the feathers in the region are shed automatically but ducks and geese may pluck the feathers and use them to line the nest. The feathers of the region regrow soon after the eggs hatch in the case of precocial birds but may be delayed in those birds having altricial young. The positions of brood patches can vary with many having a single brood patch in the middle of the belly while some shorebirds have one patch on each side of the belly. Gulls and galliformes may have three brood patches. Pelicans, boobies and gannets do not develop brood patches, but instead cradle the eggs on their feet when incubating. Brood parasitism Brood parasitic cuckoo s do not develop brood patches. ref Payne, R. B. 2005. The Cuckoos. Oxford University Press. ref In species where both parents incubate, brood patches may develop in both sexes. Notes reflist External links http www.stanford.edu group stanfordbirds text essays Brood Patches.html Brood patches http www.esf.edu efb turner incubation 20energetics.html Incubation energetics bird stub Animal anatomy stub Category Bird anatomy ca Placa d incubaci de Brutfleck es Placa de incubaci n eo Kovareo fr Plaque incubatrice pl Plama l gowa fi Hautomalaikku sv Ruvfl ck uk zh ... more details
Infobox grape variety name Malingre Pr coce image caption species Vitis vinifera also called Fr her Malingre, Malingre de Pr coce and Synonyms other synonyms origin France hazards Viticultural hazards regions notable wines Malingre Pr coce is a white variety botany variety of grape wine grape of France French origin used primarily as table grape and to some extent for wine . It was first cultivated by a French gardener named Malingre in the vicinity of Paris around 1840, who created it from seedling s of unknown origin. ref name VIVC http www.vivc.de datasheet dataResult.php?data 7249 Vitis International Variety Catalogue Malingre Precoce , accessed on December 27, 2009 ref The term Precocial pr coce indicates early ripening wine early ripening , and because of this property Malingre Pr coce finds some use in cold climate viticulture . Malingre Pr coce has been used as a crossing plant crossing partner for many other grape varieties , including Madeleine Angevine ref Vines Encyclopedia http www.vines.org servlet VinesRender?search Madeleine 2BAngevine Madeleine Angevine Vines.org Accessed December 30th, 2009 ref and Zarya Severa . Synonyms Malingre Pr coce is also known under the following synonyms ref name VIVC Blanc Pr coce de Malingre, Chasselas de Tramontaner, Dr. Schmidtmanns, Early Malingre, Fr her Gelber Malingre, Fr her Malingre, Fr hreifender Malingre, Hodvabne, Hodvapne, Korai Malingre, Madeleine Blanche de Malingre, Malengr Precos, Malengr Prekos, Malengr Ranii, Malinger Fr her Gelber, Malinger Skory, Malingre, Malingre Koraija, Malingre Precose, Malingrovo Rane, Malingrovo Skore, Malmgra Pracosa, Pr coce Blanc, Pr coce de Malingre, Precos Blan, Precose de Malingre, Preko, Prekos de Malengr. References reflist Category Grape varieties de Fr her Malingre fr Pr coce de Malingre ... more details
Taxobox name Protocetids fossil range Fossil range Early Eocene Middle Eocene image Maiacetus.jpg image width 250px image caption Maiacetus . regnum Animalia phylum Chordata classis Mammal ia ordo Cetacea subordo Archaeoceti familia Protocetidae subdivision ranks subfamilies and genera subdivision Georgiacetinae br Babiacetus Carolinacetus Eocetus Georgiacetus Natchitochia Pappocetus Makaracetinae br Makaracetus Protocetinae br Artiocetus Crenatocetus Gaviacetus Indocetus Maiacetus Protocetus Qaisracetus Rodhocetus Takracetus The protocetids form a diverse and heterogeneous group of cetacea ns known from Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. There were many genera, and some of these are very well known e.g., Rodhocetus . Known protocetids had large fore and hindlimbs that could support the body on land, and it is likely that they lived amphibiously in the sea and on land. It is unclear at present whether protocetids had flukes the horizontal tail fin of modern cetaceans . However, what is clear is that they are adapted even further to an aquatic life style. In Rodhocetus , for example, the sacrum a bone that in land mammals is a fusion of five vertebrae that connects the pelvis with the rest of the vertebral column was divided into loose vertebrae. However, the pelvis was still connected to one of the sacral vertebrae. Furthermore, the nasal openings are now halfway up the snout a first step towards the telescoped condition in modern whales. Their supposed amphibious nature is supported by the discovery of a pregnant Maiacetus ref name plos one 1 cite web url http www.plosone.org article info 3Adoi 2F10.1371 2Fjournal.pone.0004366 title New Protocetid Whale from the Middle Eocene of Pakistan Birth on Land, Precocial Development, and Sexual Dimorphism accessdate 2009 02 04 author Gingerich PD, ul Haq M, von Koenigswald W, Sanders WJ, Smith BH, et al. publisher PLoS one ref , in which the fossilised fetus was positioned for a head first delivery, suggesting that Ma ... more details
Taxobox name Least Auklet status LC status system IUCN3.1 status ref ref IUCN2008 assessors BirdLife International year 2008 title Aethia pusilla id 144296 downloaded 24 February 2009 ref image Leastauklet6.jpg image width 200px regnum Animal ia phylum Chordate Chordata classis Bird Aves ordo Charadriiformes familia Alcidae genus Aethia species A. pusilla binomial Aethia pusilla binomial authority Peter Simon Pallas Pallas , 1811 The Least Auklet , Aethia pusilla , is a seabird and the smallest species of auk . It is the most abundant seabird in North America , and one of the most abundant in the world, with a population of around nine million birds. They breed on the islands of Alaska and Siberia , and spend the winter close to the edge of the ice sheet . Their largest colonies are on the Aleutian Islands , St. Lawrence Island and Little Diomede Island . Least Auklets feed predominantly on Calanoida calanoid copepod s, particularly those of the genus Neocalanus . They also eat euphausiid s, pteropod s and other zooplankton species. They hunt for these in stratified waters caused where upwelling and thermocline s cause these prey items to be tightly clumped together. Like all auks they are pursuit divers, using their wings to provide thrust and fly under the water. They are voracious predators, consuming 86 of their body weight each day. Least Auklets are highly seabird colony colonial , nesting in rocky crevices in colonies of up to a million birds. These colonies are often mixed, with other species of auklet nesting with, and competing with the Least Auklets. While this coexistence with other species may bring the benefits of protection from predators, Least Auklets are vulnerable to being displaced from their nesting sites by the larger Crested Auklet s. A single egg is laid in the crevice and incubated for a month, after which a semi precocial black downy chick is hatched. Both parents share incubation duties, as well as brooding and feeding duties. Unlike many ... more details
Taxobox name South American Snipe image Gallinago paraguaiae.jpg status LC status system IUCN3.1 status ref ref IUCN2006 assessors BirdLife International year 2004 id 49039 title Gallinago paraguaiae downloaded 11 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern ref regnum Animal ia phylum Chordate Chordata classis Aves ordo wader Charadriiformes familia Scolopacidae genus Gallinago species G. paraguaiae binomial Gallinago paraguaiae binomial authority Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot Vieillot , 1816 The South American Snipe or Magellan Snipe , Gallinago paraguaiae , is a small, stocky wader . Its taxonomic position is complicated, sometimes treated as a race of Common Snipe . The Andes Andean population is now usually considered a distinct species, known as the Puna Snipe . This small snipe breeds in most of South America away from the Pacific coast and eastern Brazil , and also the Falkland Islands , Trinidad and possibly Tobago The nominate lowland race G. p. paraguaiae is resident, but southern G. p. magellanicae bird migration migrates north in winter, abandoning Tierra del Fuego altogether. The breeding habitat is wet grassy savannah for the northern form, peat bogs for magellanicae , and boggy rivers for andina . The nest is a well hidden depression on the ground. Both parents incubate the two buff eggs for about 19 days to hatching, the precoces precocial young leaving the nest soon after hatching. The adult South American Snipe is 27 29 cm in length and weighs 110 g. It has short greenish grey legs and a very long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top and pale underneath. There is a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. The wings are pointed. In northern South America, it is difficult to distinguish in the field from wintering Common Snipe, although they can be separated in the hand. G. p. magellanicae , which breeds southwards from central Argentina and central Chile is long ... more details
Taxobox name Melanocorypha image Bere e.jpg image caption Calandra Lark regnum Animal ia phylum Chordate Chordata classis bird Aves ordo Passeriformes familia Alaudidae genus Melanocorypha genus authority Friedrich Boie F. Boie , 1828 subdivision ranks Species subdivision M. calandra br M. bimaculata br M. maxima br M. mongolica br M. leucoptera br M. yeltoniensis Melanocorypha is a small genus of bird s in the lark family. Its members mainly occur in temperate Asia from Turkey through Central Asia to China , but the Calandra Lark also has an extensive Europe an distribution around the Mediterranean These larks are mostly partially bird migration migratory , moving relatively short distances from the coldest parts of their ranges. Several species are very rare vagrants to western Europe. These are birds of open cultivation, steppe or semi desert. They nest on the ground and the young are precocial. The food is seeds supplemented with insect s especially in the breeding season. They are gregarious outside the breeding season. Melanocorypha larks are large, robust birds, 16.5 20 cm long with strong thick bills. Some have the typically undistinguished lark plumage, mainly streaked greyish brown above and white below, but the, Black Lark Black and White winged Lark s have distinctive male plumages. Several species have large black patches on the breast sides. In flight they show broad wings and a shortish tail. The songs of most species are like that of the Skylark . Species in taxonomic order Calandra Lark , Melanocorypha calandra Bimaculated Lark , Melanocorypha bimaculata Tibetan Lark , Melanocorypha maxima Mongolian Lark , Melanocorypha mongolica White winged Lark , Melanocorypha leucoptera Black Lark , Melanocorypha yeltoniensis References Simms , Eric author , Arlott , Norman illustrator Larks, Pipits and Wagtails Collins New Naturalist, 1992 ISBN 0002198711 Category Melanocorypha Category Genera of birds Category Article Feedback 5 br Melanocorypha ca Melano ... more details
italictitle speciesbox name Dysalotosaurus fossil range Late Jurassic , fossilrange 152 151 image D. lettowvorbecki.jpg image width 250px image caption D. lettowvorbecki skeleton in Berlin genus Dysalotosaurus parent authority Virchow, 1919 in paleontology 1919 species lettowvorbecki authority Virchow, 1919 File Dryosaurus lettowvorbecki skeleton.jpg thumb left Side view of skeleton Dysalotosaurus meaning uncatchable lizard is a genus of herbivorous iguanodont ian dinosaur . It was a Dryosauridae dryosaurid iguanodontian, and its fossils have been found in late Kimmeridgian age rocks Late Jurassic of the Tendaguru Formation , Tanzania . The type species of Dysalotosaurus is D. lettowvorbecki . Dysalotosaurus was named by Virchow in 1919 in paleontology 1919 . It has long been referred to approximate contemporary Dryosaurus but newer studies reject this synonymy. ref name H bner&Rauhut Cite journal author Tom R. H bner and Oliver W. M. Rauhut year 2010 title A juvenile skull of Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki Ornithischia Iguanodontia , and implications for cranial ontogeny, phylogeny, and taxonomy in ornithopod dinosaurs journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society volume 160 issue 2 pages 366 396 doi 10.1111 j.1096 3642.2010.00620.x ref ref name McDonald Cite journal author McDonald AT, Kirkland JI, DeBlieux DD, Madsen SK, Cavin J, et al. year 2010 title New Basal Iguanodonts from the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah and the Evolution of Thumb Spiked Dinosaurs url http www.plosone.org article info 3Adoi 2F10.1371 2Fjournal.pone.0014075 journal PLoS ONE volume 5 issue 11 pages e14075 doi 10.1371 journal.pone.0014075 pmid 21124919 pmc 2989904 ref Palebiology Dysalotosaurus was a precocial dinosaur, which experienced sexual maturity at ten years, had an indeterminate growth pattern, and maximum growth rates comparable to a large kangaroo. ref Cite doi 10.1371 journal.pone.0029958 ref Oldest proof of viral disease In 2011 paleontologists Florian Witzmann and Oliver ... more details
Refimprove date July 2011 Infobox scientist name Eleanor J. Gibson image birth date birth date mf y 1910 12 7 birth place Peoria, Illinois death date death date and age mf y 2002 12 30 1910 12 7 death place Columbia, South Carolina nationality ethnicity field psychology work institutions Cornell alma mater Smith College, Yale University doctoral advisor Clark Hull doctoral students known for Visual Cliff, Differentiation and Enrichment of Embedded Structures influences influenced awards National Medal of Science 1992 Eleanor J. Gibson December 7, 1910 December 30, 2002 was an United States American psychologist . Among her contributions to psychology, the most important are the study of perception in infants and toddlers. She is popularly known for the visual cliff experiment in which precocial animals, and crawling human infants, showed their ability to perceive depth by avoiding the deep side of a virtual cliff. Along with her husband James J. Gibson , she forwarded the concept that perceptual learning takes place by differentiation. Gibson is credited with creating the Gibsonian or ecological theory of development, which centers on the concept of Affordance affordances and how children learn to perceive them. The Visual Cliff was a wooden table from the edge of which strong plate glass extended, Life magazine reported in 1959. Children were put on the table top and coaxed to crawl out over the glass, the magazine said. But when they got to the edge of the cliff and looked down almost all of them quickly withdrew. Even their mothers most persuasive urgings could not get them out. Similar studies were done with animals, including rats and kittens. The findings indicated that perception is an essentially adaptive process, or as Dr. Gibson put it, We perceive to learn, as well as learn to perceive. In 1982, she was invited to Beijing to teach Chinese psychologists about recent theories and techniques of research. In 1992, Eleanor Gibson was awarded the National Medal ... more details
Taxobox name Synthliboramphus image Ancient Murrelet.gif image width 250px image caption Ancient Murrelet regnum Animal ia phylum Chordata classis Bird Aves ordo Charadriiformes familia Alcidae genus Synthliboramphus genus authority Johann Friedrich von Brandt Brandt , 1837 subdivision ranks Species subdivision S. hypoleucus br S. craveri br S.antiquus br S. wumizusume synonyms Endomychura Synthliboramphus is a small genus of seabird s in the auk family from the North Pacific . It consists of four species Xantus s Murrelet , Synthliboramphus hypoleucus Craveri s Murrelet , Synthliboramphus craveri Ancient Murrelet , Synthliboramphus antiquus Japanese Murrelet , Synthliboramphus wumizusume The first two species were formally considered conspecific , and are sometimes separated in the genus Endomychura . Fossil remains of two prehistoric species are known an undescribed Synthliboramphus sp. from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene c. 5 mya unit mya of Cedros Island , Mexico , and Synthliboramphus rineyi from the Late Pliocene around 3.5 2 mya San Diego Formation of the southwestern USA. These birds breed in colonies, their eggs being laid directly amongst tree roots or in rock crevices. They are nocturnal on the breeding grounds, presumably to reduce predation, and for the same reason the precocial young are never fed at the nest, being taken to sea a couple of days after hatching. The parents call to the young from out at sea, and the chicks swim towards the adults who keep moving further out throughout the night. Synthliboramphus species disperse out to sea after breeding, with northern species bird migration migrating further south. Synthliboramphus auks are small, with mainly black upper parts and white the short wings. These birds forage for food like other auks, by swimming underwater. They mainly eat fish , also some crustacean s and other small invertebrate s. References National Geographic Society 2002 Field Guide to the Birds of North America . National Geogr ... more details
Taxobox name African Rail image African Rail Rallus caerulescens .jpg image caption Cedara Farm, Pietermaritzburg , KwaZulu Natal, South Africa status LC status system IUCN3.1 regnum Animal ia phylum Chordate Chordata classis Bird Aves ordo Gruiformes familia Rallidae genus Rallus species R. caerulescens binomial Rallus caerulescens binomial authority Johann Friedrich Gmelin Gmelin , 1789 The African Rail Rallus caerulescens is a small wetland bird of the Rallidae rail family . Its breeding habitat is marsh es and reedbeds across eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa . Many birds are permanent residents, but some undertake bird migration seasonal movements in response to the availability of wetland. Adults are 28 30 cm long, and have mainly brown upperparts and blue grey underparts, with black and white barring on the flanks and undertail. This is the only Rallus species with a plain back. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds. They have long toes, a short tail and a long slim dull red bill. The legs are red. The African Rail nests in a dry location in marsh vegetation, both sexes building the cup nest. The typical clutch is 2 6 heavily spotted creamy white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 20 days to hatching Immature birds are similar to the adults, but the blue grey is replaced by buff. The precocial downy chicks are black, as with all rails. Image Rallus caerulescens00.jpg thumb left center Rallus caerulescens center These birds probe with their bill in mud or shallow water, also picking up food by sight. They mainly eat insect s, crabs and other small aquatic animals. African Rails are secretive in the breeding season, but are easier to see than many other rail species, especially in the morning. They are noisy bird s, with a trilled whistled treee tee tee tee tee call . References IUCN2006 assessors BirdLife International year 2004 id 48955 title Rallus aquaticus downloaded 11 May 2006 Dat ... more details
Taxobox name Inland Dotterel image Charadrius australis Inland Dotterel .jpg image caption Charadrius australis status LC status system IUCN3.1 regnum Animal ia phylum Chordate Chordata classis Bird Aves ordo Charadriiformes familia Charadriidae genus Charadrius genus authority Carolus Linnaeus Linnaeus , 1758 species C. australis binomial Charadrius australis binomial authority John Gould Gould , 1841 The Inland Dotterel Charadrius australis also known as the Australian Dotterel and sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Peltohyas , is a medium sized Charadriine plover. Description Unmistakable. Upperparts generally buff mottled with dark brown. Face pale but marked by vertical black band crossing eye and fore crown. Underparts generally buff and white, marked with distinctice black Y on breast, forming collar on hind neck, and joined to black band on belly separating white lower belly from rich buff lower breast and flanks. Measurements length 19 23 cm wingspan 43 47 cm weight 80 g. Distribution Endemic to southern and central arid zone of mainland Australia . Habitat Open, arid country distribution bounded by 100 mm summer isohyet . Food Seeds and invertebrates. Breeding Nests on bare ground in shallow depression clutch of 3 brown eggs, marked with irregular black spots incubation period c.28 days young precocial and nidifugous . Conservation With a large range and no evidence of significant population decline, this species conservation status is of Least Concern . References BirdLife International. 2006 . Species factsheet Charadrius australis . Downloaded from http www.birdlife.org on 13 February 2007 Marchant, S. Higgins, P.J. & Davies, J.N. eds . 1994 . Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2 Raptors to Lapwings . Oxford University Press Melbourne. ISBN 0 19 553069 1 National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife . 1987 . The Shorebirds of Australia . Angus & Robertson Sydney. ISBN 0 207 15348 5 wikispecies Peltoh ... more details
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