Diversity- 11/12 (Lecture only)

Charadriiformes- shorebirds, gulls, auks

-small to fairly large birds primarily of seacoast, lake and marsh habitats
-bill can be short to long; straight, decurved or recurved
-decurved- downward curving
-recurved- upward curving
-show little sexual dimorphism
-long wings
-found worldwide
-22 families, including

-Charadriidae- Plovers
-small to medium sized stocky shorebirds with relatively short bill that is
slightly enlarged near the tip
-head and eyes proportionately large
-neck short
-hind toe rudimentary or lacking
-found worldwide
-63 species, including:
-Blacksmith Lapwing
-White-crowned Lapwing
-Crowned Plover
-Spur-winged Lapwing
-Killdeer
-Known for display in which females will try to lead predators
away from nest by feigning injury and distress
-Alcidae- Auks and their allies
-small to large diving birds, somewhat resembling penguins
-ecological counterpart to penguins
-legs situated posteriorly on body
-found on coasts of northern Pacific, northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans
-24 species, including:
-Great Auk
-was a flightless underwater pursuit swimmer like penguins;
all other alcids are flighted
-exploited to the point of extinction in 1800s, being hunted for
feathers
-Tufted Puffin
-Atlantic Puffin
-Common Murre

-Laridae- Gulls, terns, skimmers

-moderately small to medium-sized waterbirds with webbed feet
-adult plumage is a combination of black or gray and white or all white
-bill and feet are usually brightly colored
 -gregarious (highly social) and colonial nesters
-found worldwide
-gulls are mostly scavengers and show the opposite migration pattern from
most birds
-follow storms to find dead animals in tide pools- go north in winter
and south in summer
-terns are gull like but better fliers, and do not scavenge as much
-105 species, including:
-Black Skimmer
-only bird with lower mandible longer than upper mandible
-fly along surface with lower mandible skimming water
-Inca Tern
-Forster’s Tern
-Western Gull
-Great Black-back Gull
-Ring-billed Gull

Cathartiformes
-Cathartidae- new world vultures
-moderately large to very large carrion eaters with a bare head that is colored black,
yellow or red
-bill is relatively weak compared to old world vultures
-claws are weakly hooked
-lack a syrinx
-syrinx- voice box in birds
-found in N. and S. America
-7 species, including:
-Andean Condor
-Californian Condor
-Turkey Vulture
-Black Vulture
-King Vulture

Accipitriformes
-diurnal birds of prey (raptors)
-small to very large flesh-eating birds
-strong, hooked bill for tearing flesh
-base of bill possessing a fleshy cere
-feet powerful, with an opposable hind toe and long, sharp talons
-found worldwide except Antarctica

-Sagittariidae-
-very large, terrestrial bird of prey
-possess a long crest of feathers on nape (back of neck)
-legs are very long and slender
-toes are short and partly webbed
 -stomp on prey with feet
-eat reptiles, insects, small mammals and birds
-found in Africa
-Single species: Secretarybird
-Pandionidae
-fish-eating hawk
-outer toe is reversible
-found worldwide (though they are a non-breeding migrant in S America)
-Single species: Osprey
-Accipitridae- old world vultures, hawks, buteos, eatles, kites, harriers
-moderately small to large birds of prey
-bill strongly hooked
-wings generally broad and rounded
-legs of medium length
-toes possessing strongly hooked nails
-found worldwide except Antarctica
-old world vultures are much more diverse and specialized than new world
vultures
-250 species, including:
-White-tailed Kite
-unusual for BOPs in that they are colonial breeders
-Egyptian Vulture
-Griffon Vulture
-Lappet-faced Vulture
-White-headed Vulture
-Cinereous Vulture
-Philippine Eagle (Monkey-eating Eagle)
-Bateleur Eagle
-Harpy Eagle
-Martial Eagle
-Tawny Eagle
-Golden Eagle
-Have been known to take young deer
-Bald Eagle
-White-tailed Eagle
-Steller’s Sea-Eagle
-Savannah Hawk
-Red-tailed Hawk
-Red-shouldered Hawk
-Harris’ Hawk
-Augur Buzzard
-Ferruginous Hawk
-Cooper’s Hawk

Strigiformes- Owls
-small to fairly large nocturnal birds of prey
-head large
-bill hooked and possessing a fleshy cere at base
-bare area of skin between eye and beak
-eyes directed forward
-plumage soft and cryptic (camouflaged), mostly various shades of brown and gray
with varying amounts of white
-feet taloned with the outer toe reversible
-feathers soft for silent flight
-usually swallow prey whole
-found essentially worldwide
-2 families

-Tytonidae- barn owls

-medium-sized owls with a long heart-shaped facial disc
-facial disc shape helps channel sound
-eyes relatively small
-bill proportionately long
-found worldwide except New Zealand and some islands
-18 species
-Strigidae- typical owls
-small to fairly large owls with round head
-eyes very large
-bill relatively short and stout
-worldwide except for some islands
-201 species, including:
-Morepork
-Northern Saw-whet Owl
-Burrowing Owl
-different from other owls not only in that they burrow, but
they are also diurnal
-Northern White-faced Scops Owl
-“transformer owl”- will puff up or flatten down plumage to
intimidate potential threats
-Long-eared Owl
-Short-eared Owl
-Eastern Screech Owl
-Spectacled Owl
-Barred Owl
-Spotted Owl
-Mottled Owl
-Great Horned Owl
-Snowy Owl
-Eurasian Eagle-Owl
-Spotted Eagle-Owl
-Brown Fish-Owl
Bucerotiformes- Hornbills and Hoopoes
-4 families

-Bucorvidae- Ground-hornbills
-large terrestrial birds with a casque on the culmen
-culmen- upper part of the bill
-found in Africa
-2 species, including:
-Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
-Southern Ground-Hornbill
-Bucerotidae- Hornbills
-medium to large birds with very large curved bill that usually posses a
casque on the culmen
-eyelashes are conspicuous
-feathers are rather coarse and loosely webbed
-wings are strong and tail is long
-eat mainly insects, plus fruit and small animals
-female sits on nest in tree; male walls her in with mud and brings her food
until chicks are old enough for her to start leaving
-found in Africa, Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines and east to the Solomon
Islands
-59 species, including:
-Great Hornbill
-Rufous Hornbill
-Northern Red-billed Horbill
-Von der Decken’s Hornbill
-Trumpeter Hornbill
-Writhed Hornbill
-Blyth’s Hornbill

Coraciiformes- Kingfishers and their allies

-small to large tropical and subtropical birds with three front toes that are
syndactylous in all but one family
-syndactylous- fused
-bill is usually large proportionate to their body size
-plumage is generally brightly colored
-found worldwide except in northern parts of the northern hemisphere, but most
abundant in the tropics
-6 families

-Alcedinidae- Kingfishers
-small to medium sized birds with large head and long, strong bill
-compact body, short neck and very short legs
-mainly dive into water after fish
-found essentially worldwide
-93 species, including
 -Belted Kingfisher
-Pied Kingfisher
-Laughing Kookaburra
-Blue-winged Kookaburra
-White-throated Kingfisher
-Sacred Kingfisher
-Common Paradise-Kingfisher

Piciformes- Woodpeckers, toucans, barbets

-Ramphastidae- toucans
-very large bill which is important in heat regulation
-eat fruit, insects, birds eggs
-zygodactylous feet
-found in New World Tropics
-44 species, including:
-Toco Toucan
-White-throated Toucan
-Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
-Channel-billed Toucan
-Emerald Toucanet
-Pale-mandibled Aricari
-Green Aracari
-Picidae- woodpeckers
-small to medium sized (90 to 560 mm) birds with straight, pointed bill used
to probe for insects under tree bark
-drill holes in wood to get at insects within, or in case of acorn
woodpecker, holes in which they can store acorns
-have long tongue to fish for insects in hole; tongue muscle exits back
of throat and wraps around head, anchoring on back upper part of
skull
-head proportionately large and neck slender
-retrices stiff and pointed
-retrices- tail feathers
-hangs onto wood with feet and braces self with tough tail feathers
-legs short with strong feet
-found worldwide except in Madagascar, New Zealand, Australian region and
oceanic islands
-225 species, including:
-Common Goldenback
-Pileated Woodpecker
-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
-Acorn Woodpecker
-Red-headed Woodpecker
-Hairy Woodpecker

Falconiformes
 -Falconidae- falcons and caracaras
-small to medium sized birds of prey with long, pointed wings and long tail
-bill usually possessing a tooth or notch (probably used to break prey’s neck)
-toes possessing powerful, hooked claws
-falcons eat mainly other birds
-caracaras eat mainly carrion
-66 species, including:
-Southern Caracara
-Yellow-headed Caracara
-Pygmy Falcon
-American Kestrel
-Prairie Falcon
-Peregrine Falcon

Psittaciformes- parrots and allies

-very small to fairly large birds, possessing a short, deep, hooked bill and a cere
-eat mainly fruit, grains, and nuts
-plumage is usually brightly colored with various shades of green, yellow, red, or
blue
-feet are strong with zygodactylous toes
-found in tropical parts of the world and much of the Southern Hemisphere
-3 families (with 375 species)

-Strigopidae- New Zealand parrots

-4 species, including:
-Kakapo
-Kea
-Cacatuidae- cockatoos and cockatiels
-possess a crest of feathers on head
-short tail
-21 species, including:
-Cockatiel
-Palm Cockatoo
-Galah (Rose-breasted Cockatoo)
-Sulfur-crested Cockatoo
-Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo
-Salmon-crested Cockatoo
-Psittacidae- parrots, macaws, lorikeets
-350 species:
-Gray Parrot
-Monk Parakeet
-Yellow-headed Parrot
-Blue-fronted Parrot
-Red-crowned Parrot
-Blue-and-yellow Macaw
-Scarlet Macaw
 -Red-and-green Macaw
-Hyacinth Macaw
-Patagonian Conure
-Eastern Rosella

(Passeriformes and its families will not be on the test)