Archive for the 'Bird Word' Category

Duetting: a male and a female of the same species singing together, usually in response to each other, and with different song patterns. The Magpie Lark and the Pied Butcherbird are good examples of this song pattern.

The duet song of several Australian species is something one cannot really do justice to in words. One has [...]

Courting display: a display by either a male or female bird, or both, used to attract a mate with the aim of breeding.

Different species have different ways of attracting a mate. Some take on very attractive plumage, as in the male of the blue wrens of Australia. Others have elaborate [...]

Diurnal: a bird species that is active by day, the opposite of nocturnal.

Most birds are diurnal. Which is just as well because I like my sleep. That’s probably why I don’t see many owls or nightjars and other nocturnal birds. Most birds are very active during the day and I [...]

Distribution: a description of where a bird can normally be found, also called its range. This is sometimes accompanied or replaced by a map with shading or colour indicating where it is found.

The normal distribution of a species as shown in the field guides and bird atlases can be useful in identifying some species. For [...]

Cryptic: something that is hidden. A bird may have cryptic colours or markings that help it to hide from predators in its preferred habitat. A bird’s behaviour may also be cryptic, meaning it acts in ways to prevent it being seen by other species.

Some birds are incredibly hard to see. Their cryptic markings or colour [...]