Alyssum — Alyssum is a genus of about 100-170 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. The genus comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants or (rarely) small shrubs, growing to 10-100 cm tall, with oblong-oval leaves and yellow or white flowers (pink to …

Aloe — Aloë, is a genus containing about four hundred species of flowering succulent plants. The genus is native to Africa and is common in South Africa’s Cape Province and the mountains of tropical Africa, and neighbouring areas such as Madagascar, the Arabian peninsula and the islands off Africa. The APG II system (2003) placed the genus in the family …

Wryneck — The wrynecks (genus Jynx) are a small but distinctive group of small Old World woodpeckers. Like the true woodpeckers, wrynecks have large heads, long tongues which they use to extract their insect prey and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backwards. However, they lack the stiff tail feathers that the true woodpeckers use when climbing …

Woodpecker — The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known to live in treeless areas such as rocky hillsides and deserts. The Picidae …

Woodcock — The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea. Their closest relatives are the typical snipes of the genus Gallinago. Woodcocks have stocky …

Wood Warbler — The Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix) is a common and widespread leaf warbler in the genus Phylloscopus, family Phylloscopidae & order Passeriformes, which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains. This warbler is strongly migratory and the entire population winters in tropical Africa. This is a …

Widgeon — The wigeons are dabbling ducks in the genus Anas. There are three species: The Eurasian Wigeon, also known as Widgeon or Eurasian Widgeon (Anas penelope, previously Mareca penelope) is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his …

Weaver — The Ploceidae, or weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches in the family Ploceidae, suborder Passeri & order Passeriformes. These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which are from Sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia. A few species have been introduced outside their native range. The weaver group is divided into …

Vireo — The vireos are a small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Vireonidae, suborder Passeri & order Passeriformes (mostly) restricted to the New World. They are typically dull-plumaged and greenish in color, the smaller species resembling wood warblers apart from their heavier bills. They range in size from the Choco Vireo, Dwarf Vireo and Lesser Greenlet, all at …

Turkey — A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris, subfamily Meleagridinae, family Phasianidae & order Galliformes. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species. The other living species is Meleagris ocellata or the Ocellated Turkey, native to the …