This section is aimed at explaining the bird and biology specific vocabulary you are likely to meet in other threads in Birdforum.
This page is divided into four sections: Dictionary A-F, Dictionary G-L, Dictionary M-S and Dictionary T-Z.
M
Malar: malar stripe, see Heads
Mandibles: the two parts of the bill/beak, if used in singular, most often as lower mandible; see also Beaks
Monogamous: A mating system used by many birds where one individual has only one mate for at least one breeding season. In reality, "cheating", such that each litter is comprised of offspring fathered by more than one male is quite common in many birds thought to be monogamous.
Monotypic: a taxon that is not subdivided. For example the Hoatzin is a monotypic species because there are no accepted division in subspecies. It is also the only member of its genus Opisthocomus which therefore is a monotypic genus. Opisthocomus is the only member of the monotypic family Opisthocomidae. The opposite is Polytypic.
N
Nail: see Beaks
Nidicole, Nidicolous: A bird that is born naked and with closed eyes (so synonymous with Altricial). Nidicolous is the adjective of that.
Nidifuge, Nidifugous: nidifuge is a hatching that is able to move around and most often feed itself (so synonymous with Precocial). Nidifugous is the adjective of that.
Nocturnal: a species that is active during the night. Many of these actually start their activity at dusk and may still be active at dawn (such as Barn Owl in the UK, while others are strictly nocturnal.
O
Ocellus, Ocelli: Eye-like spot(s) such as those found in Indian Peafowl.
Orbital ring: a ring around the eye consisting of naked skin, see Beaks. Some birds have a ring of differently coloured feathers around the eye, this is the eye-ring.
P
Palmation: more or less the same as webbing; see Legs and Feet. Semipalmated really means "with half palmations".
Pamprodactyl: Having all four toes on each foot pointing forwards as in the swifts. see Legs and Feet
Patagial mark: an area along the leading edge of the underside of the wings (parts of the underwing coverts) stretching from the body to the wrist which in some hawks (such as Red-tailed Hawk) will have a contrasting darker color.
Phylogeny: The evolutionary relationship among species (or other taxonomic units). A phylogenetic analysis can be based on morphology, plumage or DNA sequences, or any combination thereof; the results are often illustrated as a phylogenetic tree. See also Clade.
Polytypic: the opposite of monotypic. For example, the Bananaquit is divided into forty-one subspecies according to the Clements checklist.
Post-ocular: mostly in connection with the words "spot" or "stripe": many hummingbirds have a white spot behind the eye or a stripe starting behind the eye continuing diagonally backwards-down.
Primaries: a group of flight feathers, see Wings which also explains "primary projection". The number of primaries differ among different groups of birds with gulls normally having 10, which some passerines only having 9.
Precocial: about a bird that is well developed at hatching, is able to thermoregulate and often are able to feed. The hatchlings of these birds are often able to run around soon after hatching and will most often leave the nest in less than 24 hours. See also Altricial for the opposite. Many birds hatch in a state between the extremes, so that there is a continuum rather than two clearly separated groups. See also Semi-altricial.
Pullus: original meaning seems to have been nestling, often used for any young bird that is still in downs. See also Juvenile in J
Q
Qualitative trait: something that can be scored as present or absent. For example in different subspecies of Greater Antillean Oriole, the upper rump can be yellow or black.
Quantitative trait: something that will be scored as a number. This could be the length of the bill, width of the bill, or in an oriole, the percentage of the underside that is yellow vs black.
R
Rectrices: (singular: rectrix) tail feathers, see General Anatomy. The number of tail feathers differ among species, sometimes even among closely related species like Wilson's Snipe and Common Snipe.
Remiges: (singular: remex) flight feathers of the wing, see General Anatomy.
S
Scapulars: the feathers of the shoulder region, see Wings.
Secondaries: a group of flight feathers, see Wings.
Semi-altricial: birds where the hatchlings have downs and open eyes but are still dependent on their parents for everything else. See also Precocial and Altricial for two related concepts.
Semipalmated: "with half palmations", or in other words, with slight webbing between the toes.
Speciation: the process of two populations going from being one species to being two species. This can happen during a period of geographic isolation (allopatry, vicariance) or in sympatry.
Speciation in sympatry: for two species to arise in sympatry is a difficult process to prove. For this to happen, one current idea is that sexual selection would be combined with some ecologic differences for sympatric speciation to happen. One example is mentioned in Vidua.
Species: the most important unit in taxonomy, and perhaps therefore, many different definitions of the word species exists (called species concepts). A thorough discussion of the different species concepts is far beyond the scope of this dictionary. See this Birdforum thread for a short discussion and for references to several papers on the subject.
Speculum: a contrastingly colored area of the secondaries, see Wings. This designation is most commonly applied to dabbling ducks, but can also be used for parrots to mention one.
Subspecies: a geographically defined population that differs in some defined way from another population. If it is impossible to say where one population ends and the other starts (because there is a very wide gradual variation (cline)) then there really is one population and they are the same subspecies, even if the most distant birds are very different. If there, within 1100 miles is 500 miles with type A, 100 miles of gradual change, and 500 miles with type B, then you should have two subspecies. It will be obvious that there is a certain degree of personal interpretation as to when an area of mixture is narrow and stable (the two taxonomic units are different species), a little wider or unstable (the two taxa are subspecies) or a little wider yet (one subspecies). See this BirdForum thread for a discussion of the topic. In Opus, subspecies are currently listed based on Clements Checklist[1] with occasional mention of differences of opinion in other checklists.
Sympatry, sympatric: about two populations that occur in the same or at least overlapping areas. See also Speciation in sympatry.
Syndactyl: Having the third and fourth toes on each foot joined for at least part of their length. This is found in the kingfisher family. see Legs and Feet
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
This page is divided into four sections: Dictionary A-F, Dictionary G-L, Dictionary M-S and Dictionary T-Z.
