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All about birds
Birds are warm-blooded vertebrate animals that have wings, feathers, a beak, no teeth, strong, hollow bones, a skeleton in which many bones are fused together or are absent, powerful flight muscles, and an extremely efficient, one-way breathing system. |
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American Goldfinch
The American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis is easily detected in the spring or summer as a flash of yellow, flying with an undulating motion and calling perchicoree, perchicoree. |
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American Robin
The American Robin Turdus migratorius, one of the best known birds in North America, was so named by the early colonists because, although much larger (about 25 cm), it reminded them of the English Robin. |
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Atlantic Puffin
The scientific name of the Atlantic Puffin is Fratercula arctica. Fratercula means "little brother" or "friar," perhaps a reference to the puffin's black and white dress. |
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Birds as Symbols
The national bird of the USA is the bald eagle. It was chosen in 1782, although Benjamin Franklin preferred the wild turkey!
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Black Duck
Like other dabbling ducks, the American Black Duck takes off from the surface of the water by rising straight up into the air, unlike the diving ducks, which run along the water to become airborne. |
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Blue Jay
This bird's call is a familiar woodland sound in eastern North America. According to W.M. Tyler, "It is the Blue Jay's voice, more than his gay colour, that makes him conspicuous. |
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Bufflehead
The Bufflehead is Canada's smallest diving duck. Strikingly patterned in black and white, and constantly active, it attracts attention out of proportion to its relatively small numbers.
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Canvasback
The Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) is a wild duck that is found only in North America. It is a favorite of hunters, as it is delicious to eat if it has itself eaten the right food. Canvasbacks take their specific name from an aquatic plant, called wild celery, or Vallisneria americana, which is one of the foods that impart an excellent flavour to this game bird.
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Cassin
What is the most abundant breeding bird in British Columbia? It could be Cassin's Auklet Ptychoramphus aleuticus, one of the least known and most rarely seen of B.C. seabirds. |
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