Diversity (11/5- Lecture only)

(correction- Phasianidae- ‘inflatable sacs absent from neck’ should be crossed off- for
instance, sage grous has inflatable sacs in neck)

Galliformes (continued from previous lecture)

-184 species, including
-Red Junglefowl
-Thought to be the ancestor of domestic chickens
-Gray Junglefowl
-May also be an ancestor of domestic chickens
-Chicken- Gallus gallus domesticus
-Mountain Bamboo-Partridge
-Chukar
-Wild Turkey
-N. America
-Ocellated Turkey
-S. America
-Greater Sage-Grous
-Silver Pheasant
-Elliot’s Pheasant
-Ring-necked Pheasant

Phoenicopteriformes
-Phoenicopteridae- Flamingos
-large birds with pinkish plumage
-coloration comes from their diet of shrimp
-young flamingos are gray, and acquire pink color as they mature
-unique bill with serrated edge used to filter feed
-has crook in it, because they turn head upside down to feed
-have long legs with elongated tibia/fibula and tarsus
-toes joined by webs
-found in S. America, the Caribbean, Eurasia and Africa
-6 species, including:
-American Flamingo
-Chilean Flamingo
-Greater Flamingo

Columbiformes
-Columbidae- pigeons and doves, plus the extinct Dodo
-small to large land birds with rather plump/stout body, small head and
loosely attached feathers
-bill possessing a fleshy cere in most species, and usually slightly enlarged at
distal/rostral tip
-cere- bare area of skin, usually between eyes and nostrils
-parents produce “pigeons milk” from their crop to feed their young
 -found nearly worldwide except in high latitudes in the Northern and
Southern hemispheres
-332 species, including:
-Luzon’s Bleeding Heart
-Victoria’s Crowned-Pigeon
-Mourning Dove
-White-winged Dove
-Rock Dove
-What people generally refer to as a “pigeon”
-Superb Fruit Dove
-Lilac-crowned Fruit Dove
-Pied Imperial Pigeon
-Nicobar Pigeon

Podargiformes
-Podargidae- Frogmouths
-medium to large birds with large, broad, flat, hooked bill
-middle toe is elongated
-found in eastern Asia and from Australia to the Solomon Islands
-16 species, including:
-Tawny Frogmouth

Caprimulgiformes
-Caprimulgidae- nightjars and nighthawks
-nocturnal birds with very short legs
-very small feet with a pectinated middle toenail
-pectinated- has spurs off of it
-head large with small bill
-rictal bristles present- feathers protruding outwards around mouth, like
whiskers
-plumage is cryptic
-cryptic- serves to camouflage the animal in its natural environment
-wings are moderaly long and pointed
-found in temperate parts of N. and S. America, Africa and Eurasia, except in
northern latitudes
-94 species, including:
-Eastern Whipoorwill
-Common Poorwill
-Common Nighthawk
-white bar on wing, known as ‘window’ is fairly distinctive of
Nighthawks
-Lesser Nighthawk

Apodiformes- swifts and hummingbirds

 -extremely small to medium-small birds with long, pointed wings and capable of
very rapid flight
-humeri are proportionately very short and thick
-because they beat their wings very rapidly
-legs are very short
-incorrect though that these birds had no legs gave the order its name (“a-
podi”)
-found nearly worldwide except extreme northern and southern latitudes and many
oceanic islands
-4 total families

-Apodidae- Swifts
-small to medium-small birds with small bill and a wide gape
-feet are very small
-reversible hallux (first digit on hind foot)- they can point their hallux either
forward or backwards
-their distribution is the same as the order’s
-105 species, including:
-Chimney Swift
-Trochilidae- hummingbirds
-very small to medium-small birds with long, slender, tubular bill
-use bill with elongated tongue to feed on nectar; also catch insects
-tongue is forked, with many lamellae (fringes) that unfurl when it
inserts the tongue into liquid, then curl back up when it pulls its
tongue back into its beak
-wings are long and slender, with a very rapid winbeat
-can hover and move backwards
-hold body vertically and flap wings in a figure-eight motion
-legs are very short with small, weak feet
-found in temperate and tropical parts of N. and S. America
-341 species, including:
-Costa’s Hummingbird
-Anna’s Hummingbird
-Red Tailed Comet

Gruiformes- cranes, rails and their allies

-very small to very large, mainly aquatic birds
-neck is relatively long
-wings are rounded and tail is short
-legs ranging from medium length to long
-often have very elaborate courtship dances
-found worldwide except for Antarctica
-6 families
-Gruidae- Cranes
-head possesses bare patches or ornamental plumes
-wings are large and tail is short
 -hind toe is small and elevated
-found worldwide except for S. America
-15 species, including:
-Common Crane
-Red-crowned Crane
-Sarus Crane
-Sandhill Crane
-Wattled Crane
-Blue Crane
-Demoiselle Crane
-Black Crowned-Crane

Musophagiformes
-Musophagidae- Turacos
-Medium sized birds with a long tail
-bill is short, stout, with a serrated edge
-wings are short, and in most species, possess a patch of red
-found in Africa
-Possess zygodactylous feet- two toes in front, two toes in back
-23 species, including:
-Red-crested Turaco
-Hartlaub’s Turaco
-Schalow’s Turaco
-White-cheeked Turaco

Sphenisciformes
-Spheniscidae- Penguins
-Flightless underwater pursuit swimmers that feed on fish and krill
-solid bones for less buoyancy
-feathers are scale-like
-wings are flipper-shaped
-still possess keeled sternum because they use their wings to propel
them through water
-found in the Southern Hemisphere only
-19 species, including
-King Penguin
-Emperor Penguin
-atypical of penguins in that they reproduce in the middle of
winter
-females lay egg, pass it off to male; females return to sea to eat
while male stands with egg on his feet for two months without
eating
-when chick hatches, the male regurgitates oil from his
stomach to feed the chick until the female returns
-males typically lose half of their bodyweight over this
time
 -males and females will alternate returning to the sea to
at and returning to feed the chick
-Gentoo Penguin
-Chinstrap Penguin
-Humboldt Penguin
-from S. America
-African Penguin
-from S. Africa
-Southern Rockhopper

Procellariiformes- albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels

-very small to large marine birds possessing nostrils consisting of raised tubes
-bill hooked
-wings mostly long and narrow
-front toes fully webbed
-hind toe rudimentary or lacking
-surface feeders
-found across oceans of the world
-5 families

-Diomedeidae- Albatrosses
-large procellariiforms with a wingspread of up to 3.5 meters
-wings are very long and narrow
-can lock wings and soar for hours at a time
-found in sourthern oceans and the north Pacific ocean
-21 species, including:
-Wandering Albatross- largest wingspan
-Waved Albatross
-Black-footed Albatross
-Laysan Albatross

Ciconiiformes
-Ciconiidae- storks
-medium to large birds with long legs and long necks
-bill large and long
-diurnal- active during the day
-eat mainly fish plus amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, insects and carrion
-have courtship dances
-found in N. and S. America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia
-19 species, including:
-Abdim’s Stork
-Black-necked Stork
-Marabou
-scavengers, and will steal food from other scavengers
-White Stork
-Painted Stork
 -Saddle-billed Stork
-Yellow-billed Stork

Suliformes- gannets, boobies, frigatebirds and cormorants

-aquatic birds with totipalmate feet and a gular pouch
-totipalmate- all four toes connected by webbing
-4 families

-Fregatidae- Frigatebirds
-medium-large marine birds with somewhat webbed feet
-but are incapable of swimming
-bill is long, cylindrical and hooked
-nostrils are small
-gular pouch capable of great distension in males
-used for attracting females
-tail is deeply forked
-engage in piracy
-will harass other birds in midair until other birds regurgitate their
food; the frigatebirds then catch the food from the air
-part of the courtship ritual involves frigatebirds passing food
between one another in midair
-found in tropical and subtropical seas
-5 species, including:
-Magnificent Frigatebird

-Sulidae- boobies and gannets

-medium-large marine birds
-plunge divers
-have conical bill lacking external nostrils
-fly over water looking for fish near the surface
-dive and plunge into the water, going underwater so they can grab
the fish
-gular pouch is small
-found in tropical and temperate seas except for the north Pacific Ocean
-10 species, including:
-Northern Gannet
-Masked Booby
-Blue-footed Booby
-Brown Booby

Pelecaniformes- Pelicans, Hamerkop, Shoebill

-Pelecanidae- Pelicans
-large aquatic birds
-totipalmate feet; webbing extends to all four toes
-very long bill with hook at end
-large gular pouch
 -external nostrils are absent
-short tail
-found nearly worldwide, near temperate and tropical coasts, and inland
lakes
-most pelicans are surface feeders
-will swim on surface, then dunk head underwater to grab fish
-Brown Pelican is a plunge diver
-8 species, including:
-Brown Pelican
-White Pelican

Ardeiformes- herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills

-usually gregarious wading birds with long legs, neck and bill
-gregarious- live in large groups
-legs extended behind body when in flight
-2 families

-Ardeidae- herons, egrets

-small to large birds with long, straight, pointed bill
-crepuscular or nocturnal
-crepuscular- active at dawn and dusk
-feed on aquatic animals, mainly by wading, stalking, or waiting, usually in
shallows
-found worldwide
-67 species, including:
-Cattle Egret
-follow cattle to catch insects/small animals that the cows
disturb
-Snowy Egret
-Great Egret
-Great Blue Heron
-Goliath Heron
-Black-crowned Night-heron

-Threskiornithidae- ibises and spoonbills

-medium to large birds
-long decurved bill or spatulate bill
-decurved- curved downwards
-spatulate- long and flattened, growing wider at the tip than it is at the
base
-found in subtropical and tropical parts of N. and S. America, Eurasia, Africa
and Australia
-35 species, including:
-Puna Ibis
-Scarlet Ibis
-African Sacred-Ibis
-Northern Bald-Ibis
-Roseate Spoonbill
-Eurasian Spoonbill