Green Shank

Scientific name
Tringa nebularia

Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Tringa
Species: T. nebularia

Physical Appearance

The Common Greenshank is a heavily built, elegant wader, 30–35 cm in length, with a
wingspan of 55–65 cm and weight up to 190 g for both males and females. The bill is long
and slightly upturned and the legs are long and yellowish-green. In flight, all plumages show
uniformly dark upper wing and contrasting white rump extending in a white wedge up the
back, whitish tail and tips of toes projecting slightly beyond the tip of the tail. The sexes are
alike. Feed on Worms, snails and fish. The species is seen singly or in small to large flocks
(sometimes hundreds) in a variety of coastal and inland wetlands. Flight is rapid and often
zigzagging.

Distribution

This is a subarctic bird, breeding from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe
and Asia. It is a migratory species, wintering in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and
Australasia, usually on fresh water. It breeds on dry ground near marshy areas, laying about
four eggs in a ground scrape.

Habitat

In its breeding grounds, the common greenshank is found in the taiga zone, in forest
clearings, woody moorland, open bogs and marshes, and eutrophic lakes with margins of
dead and decaying vegetation. However, it avoids dense, closed forest and bare, barren
expanses. On migration, this species uses inland flooded meadows, dried up lakes, sandbars
and marshes. In winter it can be found in a great variety of freshwater and marine habitats,

1|Page
including estuaries, swamps, salt marshes, mangroves, coastal flats, lakes and rivers. It will
also use artificial wetlands such as sewage farms, salt-works and inundated rice fields, and is
less often found along open coastline.

Feeding

Greenshanks eat insects, worms, mollusks, small fish and crustaceans, feeding both by day
and night. They feed by picking from the surface, probing, sweeping and lunging at the edges
of mudflats or shallows.

Reproduction

The Common Greenshank breeds in spring with the laying from late April to June. They
often return to the same breeding sites where densities are approximately 1, 5-10 birds/
kilometer.
The nest is a scrape on the ground, a shallow depression lined with grass and other plant
material. It is usually placed next to a piece of dead wood. The female lays 4 buffy-white
eggs heavily spotted dark brown. Both adults incubate during 23-24 days. However, if the
male has two mates, the female does most of the work. At hatching, the chicks are pale grey
with dark marking above and white underparts. They leave the nest very soon after hatching,
and disperse away from the nest, hiding among the vegetation. One parent may leave quickly
after the eggs hatch, and the other adult raises the young alone. But sometimes, the adults
split up the chicks between them and the young are raised separately. They fledge between 25
and 30 days after hatching.

IUCN Status

This specie is threatened by degradation and habitat loss in Chinese North Korean and South
Korean regions, due to pollution, reduced river flows and human disturbance.
But currently, the Common Greenshank is evaluated as Least Concern.

Song Thrush

Scientific name
Turdus ericetorum

2|Page
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Turdidae
Genus: Turdus
Species: T. philomelos

Physical Appearance

The song thrush is smaller than a blackbird and is distinguished from the female blackbird by
its pale cream underparts speckled with fawn-brown chevrons. The head, back and upper
wings and tail are smooth grey-brown with indistinct streaking on the head.  In flight the
upper wing is mostly uniform brown. The sexes are alike; juveniles have similar coloring but
the speckling on the breast is less distinct. No noticeable eye stripe. Body Length 20–22 cm
and weight 53–79 g.

Distribution

Song thrushes are widespread throughout New Zealand from sea level up to about 800 m
altitude, lower in the south. Song thrushes are resident on Stewart, Chatham,
Kermode, Snares and Auckland Islands, and occur as vagrants at Antipodes and Campbell
Islands. They are less common on Great Barrier Island and in parts of Stewart Island, central
Otego and coastal parts of Fiord land.

Habitat

Song thrush is found in parks, small woodlands, hedgerows, and gardens. They require trees
and bushes with areas of open grassland and moist soil with a plentiful supply of invertebrate
food.

Feeding

The Song Thrush's diet is largely earthworms and snails, with the latter broken open by the
bird smashing the shell against a hard object such a stone. Other food incudes insects and
spiders, plus fruit and berries in the colder months.

3|Page
Reproduction

Normal clutch size is 3-5, with one egg laid each day. The female starts to incubate once the
last egg is laid, and the chicks hatch 13-15 days later. Only the female broods the chicks, but
both parents feed them. The chicks are fed primarily on worms, but slugs, caterpillars, and
even fruit can feature in the diet, especially when dry weather limits access to worms. The
chicks are ready to fledge at 13-14 days, but if the nest is disturbed, they can leave as early as
nine days old. They creep and flutter from the nest, and remain in nearby cover for a few
days.

IUCN Status

Song thrushes are classified as red list status (RSPB), which means they are a globally
threatened population; one of the criteria to be met for Red List status is a 50% decline (UK)
over the past 25 years. According to BTO statistics, the Song thrush has declined by more
than 50% between 1970 and 1995 and, although no solid reason has been given for this
decline, many in the profession of ornithology believe it could be due to the loss of preferred
feeding and nesting habitats: fewer hedgerows, increased drainage and tillage have reduced
the abundance of invertebrates, a critical part of the Song thrush diet.

Moorhen
Scientific name

Gallinula chloropus

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Gruiformes

Family: Rallidae

Genus: Gallinula

Specie: G.
chloropus

4|Page
Physical appearance

The common moorhen is a medium sized member of the rail family found in aquatic
environments. It is 12-15 inches in length and has a wingspan of a little under two feet. It has
gray-black feathers and a red bill with a yellow tip. It has white stripes on its sides. It has
long chicken-like toes that help it walk on the top of floating vegetation and the mud. Males
and females are similar, but males are a little larger.

Distribution

In the UK they breed in in lowland areas, especially in central and eastern England. They're
scarce in northern Scotland and the uplands of Wales and northern England. UK breeding
birds are residents and seldom travel far.

Habitat

The common moorhen lives in freshwater and brackish marshes, lakes, canals and ponds with
cattails and other aquatic vegetation.

Feeding

The common moorhen is omnivorous and feeds while walking on plants or while floating on
the water. It swims across the water to scoop up floating seeds and other materials from
plants floating on the surface of the water. It also dives to gather the seeds, leaves and roots
of aquatic plants. On land it walks with a high-stepping gait and pecks at the ground like a
chicken. It also eats algae, small fish, tadpoles, insects, berries, grass, snails, insects and
worms.

Reproduction

The male moorhen courts the female by bringing her water weeds and fanning out his tail.
The males and the female form a monogamous pair. The pair builds several nests in their
territory. The nest is bowl-shaped and made of twigs, cattail and bulrush stems and grass and
sedges. It is lined with leaves and other plants. The nest is built within a few feet of the water
and sometimes it is even built on floating plants in the water. The moorhen may pull down
plants growing around the nest to provide a protective cover for the nest. Because they are so

5|Page
close to the water, moorhen nests are often lost to flooding. The female common moorhen
lays four to twelve eggs at a rate of one egg per day. The eggs hatch in 17-22 days. The
chicks are precocial and will leave the nest and feed themselves within a few days of birth.
Once all the chicks leave the nest, the moorhens use the extra nests to sleep in at night. Both
parents care for the chicks. They chicks fledge in about five to seven weeks. The mating pair
may raise more than one brood in a season, using the same nests.

IUCN Status

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Most races at least locally common. Nominate
generally common throughout range; has expanded range in Northern Europe since mid-19th
century.

Purple Heron
Scientific name

Ardea purpurea

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Pelecaniformes

Family: Ardeidae

Genus: Ardea

Species: A. purpurea

Physical appearance

Its body is dark and elongated. Its head and neck are narrow and elongated. Its beak can be
used as a harpoon to catch prey. The long paws allow the purple heron to reach the deepest
water. The long and well-spaced fingers allow the purple heron to walk easily on marshy
grounds and on water vegetation. Its typical stretching neck completes its beak, increasing the
efficiency and the speed of the attack to prey. It can live up to 23 years.

6|Page
Distribution

The purple heron is common throughout southern and eastern Europe, central and southern
Asia, and Africa. Four subspecies are recognized: Ardea purpurea purpurea’s breeding range
extends from eastern and southern Europe, east to Iran and as far south as South
Africa. Ardea purpurea bournei breeds on Santiago Island in the Cape Verde Islands and
Ardea purpurea madagascariensis occurs in Madagascar and the Seychelles. The breeding
range of Ardea purpurea manilensis stretches from south of the Himalayas, through India to
Sri Lanka, and east to China, Russia, and south-east Asia.

Habitat

The purple heron inhabits wetland habitat such as swamps, reed-beds, rice-fields, and lake
shores. It is found from sea-level up to an altitude of about 1,800 meters.

Feeding

The Purple Heron feeds on fish, amphibians, insects (both grubs and adults), especially from
sunset to sunrise. During wading keeping its beak very near the water and swallow with a
rapid neck and head movement the fishes from the head, in order to make them easily pass
through the esophagus. Also feeds on amphibians, beetles, and mollusks; occasionally eating
small mammals, snakes and lizards

Reproduction

The nest is usually build in reed beds and in between plants typical of wet areas, generally
close, at 0.5 -1 meter, from water. The nest also built on trees up to 25 meters from the
ground, made of reeds and small branches. The purple herons usually lay 4-5 eggs with an
incubation period of 25 to 30 days. The chicks fledge after 45 to 50 days. During courtship
the male’s plumage is brighter, especially on the neck. The pairs bond at least for one season.
Both parents take care of the chicks. They nest in small colonies, generally made up of two or
three pair bur also single. In central Europe eggs are laid at the end of April, or at the
beginning of May, in the South of Europe three weeks later.

IUCN Status

There are estimated to be a total of between 270,000 and 570,000 purple herons in the world
and the population is probably decreasing slowly. The International Union for Conservation
of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern because the rate of

7|Page
decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the
bird faces is drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats, particularly destruction of the
reed beds. The purple heron is one of the species to which the Agreement on the
Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds (AEWA) applies.

Ring Necked Dove

Scientific name

Columba palumbus

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Genus: Columba

Species: C. palumbus

Physical appearance

Columba palumbus is the largest and most common of Britain's doves and pigeons. It is grey
in color with a dusky pink breast and a white neck patch, which is absent in juveniles, and
earns the species its alternative name of 'ringed dove' or 'ring dove'. In both adults and
juveniles, a white band is visible on the wings in flight. This species produces a husky 'hooh-
hrooo' call during the breeding season.

Distribution

Found almost everywhere in Britain except on high hills and mountains, and is joined in
winter by woodpigeons from the continent escaping harsh weather. It occurs throughout most
of Europe, reaching as far north as central Scandinavia, east to Russia, and south to North
Africa and the Middle East.

Habitat

8|Page
Found in woodlands, hedgerows, parks, and gardens, and even in city centers. The
woodpigeon feeds on agricultural land and it can be a serious agricultural pest

Feeding

Most of its diet is vegetable, round and fleshy leaves from Caryophyllaceous, Asteracea, and
cruciferous vegetables taken from open fields or gardens and lawns; young shoots and
seedlings are favored, and it will take grain, pine nuts, and certain fruits and berries. In the
autumn they also eat figs and acorns, and in winter buds of trees and bushes. They will also
eat larvae, ants, and small worms. They need open water to drink and bathe in. This species
can be an agricultural pest, and it is often shot, being a legal quarry species in most European
countries. It is wary in rural areas, but often quite tame where it is not persecuted. Young
common wood pigeons swiftly become fat, as a result of the crop milk they are fed by their
parents. This is an extremely rich, sweet fluid that is produced in the adult birds' crops during
the breeding season.

Reproduction

It breeds in trees in woods, parks and gardens, laying two white eggs in a simple stick nest
which hatch after 17 to 19 days. Wood pigeons seem to have a preference for trees near
roadways and rivers. Males exhibit aggressive behavior towards each other during the
breeding season by jumping and flapping wings at each other. Their plumage becomes much
darker, especially the head, during hot summer periods. The nests are vulnerable to attack,
particularly by crows, because they live in the countryside, the more so early in the year when
the leaf cover is not fully formed. The young usually fly at 33 to 34 days; however, if the nest
is disturbed, some young may be able to survive having left the nest as early as 20 days from
hatching.

IUCN Status

The woodpigeon is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. It is widespread
and common in the UK. May be killed or taken under the terms of General Licenses (Wildlife
and Countryside Act 1981). Included in the Birds of Conservation Concern Green List (low
conservation concern).

Rock Dove

9|Page
Scientific name

Columba livia

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Genus: Columba

Species: C. livia

Physical appearance

The rock dove or 'pigeon' has a dark bluish-gray head, neck, and chest with glossy yellowish,
greenish, and reddish-purple iridescence along its neck and wing feathers. Females tend to
show less iridescence than the males. The bill is dark grayish-pink. Two dark bands across
the wings are seen in most pigeons, and one bluish-gray band across the tail. They have red
eyes, and salmon-colored feet.

Distribution

Wild Columba livia are native to Europe, North Africa, and southwestern Asia. Feral pigeons
are found worldwide, including throughout all of North America. Rock doves were
introduced to North America by the earliest European settlers at Jamestown and Plymouth in
the early 1600s. Most Rock Doves are seen in cities or farms, areas of considerable human
alteration. This species is widespread and common at lower elevations throughout western
Washington, mostly breeding in cities and farmlands. Their original native habitat is cliff-
sides, and rock doves can be found in eastern Washington nesting on basalt cliffs along the
Columbia River in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge (Grant County). They are absent
from heavily forested areas.

Habitat

10 | P a g e
Sometimes a nuisance in cities, but not proven to have much negative impact on native bird
species. A favorite prey of Peregrine Falcon, supporting Peregrines that stay around cities.

Feeding

Rock doves feed in the early morning and in the mid-afternoon on the open ground. They eat
mainly seeds including corn, oats, cherry, and barley. In cities, feral pigeons also eat popcorn,
cake, peanuts, bread, and currants.

Reproduction

Rock doves breed throughout the warm season. They lay usually two eggs in a rough nest
made of sticks and debris. The eggs are incubated for 16 to 19 days and the young are fully
fledged (have their feathers) and learning to fly by 30 to 37 days after hatching.

IUCN Status

Rock dove is of least concern in the red list of IUCN.

Domestic Pigeon
Scientific name

Columba livia domestica

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Genus: Columba

Species: C. livia

Subspecies: C. l. domestica

Physical appearance

11 | P a g e
It is 32-37 cm long with 64-72 cm wingspan. Dark bluish-grey head, neck and chest with
glossy greenish and reddish-purple iridescence around the neck and wing feathers. Orange or
red iris with pale inner ring (adult) or brown or greyish brown (juveniles). Black bill with off-
white cere. Red feet and legs. Distinctive twin black wing bars. White lower back feathers.

Distribution

Worldwide except Sahara Desert, Antarctica and the high Arctic. European population
estimated at between 17 and 28 million birds.

Habitat

The wild pigeon is found in coastal areas and the feral pigeon is found almost exclusively in
areas of human habitation.

Feeding

Seeds form the major component of the diet, but it varies greatly according to species. Some
ground feeding species (granivorous species) eat fruit and take insects and worms. One
species, the Atoll Fruit Dove, has adapted to taking insects and small reptiles. The feral
pigeon found in urban areas exists exclusively on a diet of seed (normally from human
sources) and human refuse, such as fast food waste. Wood pigeons have a varied diet which
includes vegetables and berries.

Reproduction

Breeds all year round with peak breeding periods in spring and summer. All columbiformes
are monogamous (mate for life). Wild birds breed on coastal cliffs and some inland cliffs.
Feral birds breed on or in buildings, usually in urban areas. Flimsy nest built on rocky shelf
(wild) or accessible ledge on a building or in the roof void of a building (feral). Two white
eggs that are incubated by both parents for 17-19 days. The squab (chick) has yellow down
and a pink bill. Squabs are fed on ‘crop milk’ by both parents. Fledging period is
approximately 30 days depending on time of year. Pigeons can breed at 6 months of age

IUCN Status

According to IUCN red list, domestic pigeon is of least concern.

Common Kestrel
Scientific name

12 | P a g e
 Falco tinnunculus

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Falconiformes

Family: Falconidae

Genus: Falco

Species: F. tinnunculus

Physical appearance

Falco tinnunculus is among the smallest of all raptors. Adults range in weight from 150 to
190 g, with females tending to be larger than males. Common kestrels have longer tails and
wingspans relative to their body size than most other falcons, which allow them to be easily
distinguished from related species. Common kestrel plumage ranges from gray to brown. The
back is usually a darker color than the breast, both are covered in dark brown or black spots.
The wings are tipped in black on the dorsal side and are pale underneath. Males often have a
more bluish-gray heads and tails. Females are more of a reddish-brown color and have
barring on the tail. In both sexes, there is a darker stripe or spot underneath each eye.

Distribution

Falco tinnunculus is a widespread kestrel species, found throughout Europe, Asia, and
Africa. Its range spans from Great Britain to China and as far south as South Africa. In
Europe, F. tinnunculus is migratory and winters in southern Europe and sub-saharan Africa.
However, the majority of the breeding population in Europe is non-migratory.

Habitat

Common kestrels prefer open, grassy fields and farmlands, which give them sufficient open
areas to hunt. They can sometimes be found in forested areas and marshlands. Common
kestrels occupy a wide range of altitudes, from sea level to almost 5000 m.

13 | P a g e
Feeding

Common kestrels feed primarily on small mammals, including voles and mice. They
sometimes feed on amphibians, reptiles and other birds. Common kestrels hunt by soaring 10
to 20 m above the ground and diving quickly onto their prey. They may also been seen
hunting on foot for small mammals and insects, especially beetles and grasshoppers. If prey is
abundant, common kestrels will sometimes kill more than they need and cache what they do
not eat.

Reproduction

Common kestrels become quite vocal during the mating season, displaying a variety of calls.
However, most of the calls are used year-round and the birds merely become more talkative
during courtship months. One call, described as sounding like "quirrr-rr quirrr-rr," is made by
both sexes during mating behaviors and by the female when she becomes interested in
mating. A common visual display is a slow, "shivering" flight in which both sexes beat their
wings quickly but shallowly. It may look like only the tips of their wings are beating. This
display usually takes place immediately before or after mating. Vocal calls, such as the
"quirrr-rr" call, accompany this display, signaling excitement between the pair. Mating pairs
are often seen flying quickly together at great heights.

This flight is characterized by sharp wing beats and a slight rocking motion. The end of this
display is sometimes marked by the pair diving dramatically to the nest with wings thrown
into a sharp "V" shape. From the beginning of courtship until egg-laying, males hunt for the
females and brings them prey as gifts. During this time, females becomes increasingly
sedentary and spend the majority of their time in the nest.

IUCN Status

This species is evaluated as of "least concern" by the IUCN.

Humming Bird
Scientific name

Crocosmia disambiguation

14 | P a g e
Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Apodiformes

Family: Trochilidae

Physical appearance

Hummingbirds are 3 - 3.75 inches long with a wingspan of 4 - 4.75 inches. Hummingbirds
are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers. Their name comes from the fact that they
flap their wings so fast (about 80 times per second) that they make a humming noise.
Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down. They are also
able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern. They have a specialized long and
tapered bill that is used to obtain nectar from the center of long, tubular flowers. The
hummingbird’s feet are used for perching only, and are not used for hopping or walking.

Distribution

Hummingbirds are only located in the Western Hemisphere, from Alaska and northern
Canada to the southern tip of South America. Only a handful of species are regularly seen in
North America, though unique species can be found in abundance throughout South America,
Central America, and the Caribbean. The species that nest in North America are generally
migratory, though many other hummingbirds stay in the same lush, tropical ranges all year
round.

Habitat

Hummingbirds live in many types of landscapes, including temperate woodlands, mountain

meadows, cloud forests, tropical rainforests, and deserts. Hummingbird habitats consistently
include an abundance of flowers, which more recently can be found in many urban and
suburban gardens throughout the USA.

15 | P a g e
Feeding

Hummingbirds eat almost exclusively nectar and small insects such as gnats and spiders.
While some hummingbirds will experiment with fruit, doing so is usually a way to extract
sweet juice similar to nectar and they do not eat the fruit’s flesh. Hummingbirds do not eat
seeds at all, unlike many other birds, nor will they nibble at suet, bread, or scraps.

Reproduction

The beginning of the reproductive season varies according to the species and region. As a
general rule, the peak in reproduction occurs when flowers are the most abundant. The
nesting period of North American hummingbirds usually extends from the spring to the end
of summer, except for the Anna's Hummingbird, which generally nests in the winter. The
female of this species can incubate its eggs when the temperature is low and there is snow in
the area. This early nesting period (from November to May) is explained as a strategy that
allows the species to avoid competition with other hummingbird species in temperate zones,
especially in the bush growth of the California coast. Male hummingbirds are polygamous,
mating with a number of females during the reproductive season. In most of the species
observed, the male only associates with the female at mating time. All the responsibilities,
such as building the nest, incubation and raising the young usually fall to the female.

IUCN Status

IUCN red list evaluation indicates the humming bird is of least concern in the list.

16 | P a g e