Birds Encyclopedia

Dowitcher — The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish under parts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat closer related. All three are strongly migratory. The two North American species are difficult to separate in most plumages, and were …

Dove — Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms “dove” and “pigeon” are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for “dove” to be used for smaller species and “pigeon” for larger ones, but this is in no way …

Dipper — Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Usually they inhabit the banks of fast-moving hillside rivers, though some nest near shallow lakes. They have dense feathers with a down undercoat, providing them excellent insulation qualities. Dippers submerge and walk on the bottom to feed on insect larvae. …

Dickcissel — The Dickcissel, Spiza americana, is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It possibly is the only member of the genus Spiza (Bonaparte, 1824). These birds have a large pale bill, a yellow line over the eye, brownish upperparts with black streaks on the back, dark wings, a rust patch on the shoulder and light underparts. Adult …

Curlew — The curlews genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills. In Europe “curlew” usually refers to one species, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata. Curlews …

Cuckoo — The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos (family Musophagidae, sometimes treated as a separate order, Musophagiformes). Some zoologists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute. The cuckoo family, in addition to those species named as …

Crow — The crow is a large, mostly black bird of the family Corvidae and the genus Corvus common name for about 27 large passerine birds of the genus which also includes the ravens and jackdaws. Their family also includes the jays, magpies, choughs, and nutcrackers. Crows are found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. They are among …

Crossbills — The crossbills are birds in the finch family Fringillidae. The three to five (or possibly many more) species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterized by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name. These are specialist feeders on conifer cones, and the unusual bill shape is an adaptation …

Creeper — Creeper the name given to the small family of inconspicuous little birds related to wrens and nuthatches. The best known of this new world species is the brown creeper, where it nests in wooded temperate regions of Canada and the United States. It naturally spirals are a tree trunk, using the tell as a proper, and swoops to …

Cranes — Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds of the order Gruiformes, and family Gruidae. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or “dances”. While folklore often states that cranes mate for life, recent scientific research indicates that these birds do change mates over the …