GLOSSARY: of Avian Terms.
- Aberrant: Not normal or unusual.
- Accidental: A bird that is out of its usual range.
- Adult: An adult bird is of breeding age. Adult plumage does not change after moult.
- Allopreening: The preening of one bird by another.
- Altitudinal Migration: The seasonal movement of birds, not between north and south, but between different alttudes.
- Alula: The 3 to 5 feathers covering the leading edge of the wing.
- Aseasonal: Not having a season. eg: no specific breeding season.
- Axilla: The area where the underside of the wing meets the body.
- Axillaries: The feathers that cover the axilla (arm pit).
- Avian: Pertaining to birds.
- Bar: A band of contrasting colour across wing, tail or breast.
- Belly: The lowest part of the underside, between the breast and undertail-coverts.
- Buff: A pale brown colour.
- Carpal joint: A joint forming the bend in the wing, between the "arm" and the "hand". The wrist of a bird.
- Casque: A helmet like structure or protuberance on the scull or bill.
- Cere: A fleshy or waxlike membrane at the base of the upper bill, containing the nostrils.
- Cline: A gradual series of changes in a bird across a geographic area.
- Collar: A band of colour around the neck.
- Covert: Small feathers which covrer the base of larger feathers.
- Crepuscular: Appearing or flying between dusk and dawn.
- Crest: A tuft of feathers on the upper part of the head. These feathers may be raised or lowered.
- Culmen: An external ridge along the centre of the upper mandible.
- Diagnostic: A feature so distinctive as to definitely identify a species.
- Dihedral: The upward angle of the wing from the horizontal, when viewed from the front or rear of the bird. From wing base to tip.
- Dimorphism: Difference of appearance between sexes of the same species, as in feather colour or shape.
- Endemic: Found only in a particular area or region.
- Eye-line: A line of feathers differently coloured than those surrounding,which encompasses the eye and behind.
- Facial disc: A disc shape formed by the facial feathers on some birds eg. owls.
- Feral: Having returned to the wild after a period of domestication.
- Flank: Literally means side, but in birds is the area directly below the closed wing.
- Fledgling: Partially or wholly feathered, but not yet flying.
- Frons: The forehead or the front of the skull immediately above the base of the bill.
- Frontal shield: A horny or fleshy area on the forehead without feathers, which extends to the bill but does not include the nostrils.
- Gape: The fleshy corner of the beak opening. Pronounced in young birds and often yellow.
- Genus: The taxonomic rank below Family and above Species. The Genus is the first part of the scientific name.
- Glide: Flying without flapping the wings, but not maintaining altitude whilst doing so.
- Gular Pouch: Distendible skin in the centre of the throat.
- Hackles: Longer than normal pointed feathers on the neck or throat.
- Hatchling: See "Nestling"
- Hood: A mass of coloured plumage which covers the head.
- Hybridisation: The interbreeding between different species. The offspring is generally infertile.
- Immature: The stage between juvenile and mature. Immature birds are usually independent of their parents.
- Jiz: The overall impression of a bird, based on a combination of size, shape, colour and movement.
- Juvenile: A young bird with it's first feathers, which replaced the down. The stage between fledgling and juvenile.
- Lamella: Stiff hairs forming a comb on the inner edges of the bill. Used to filter food from water.
- Lanceolate: Used to describe feather shape. ie: spear-like.
- Leading Edge: The front edge of the wing.
- Lobe: Flat fringes along the sides of the toes of some waterbirds.
- Lores: The area between the base of the bill and the eye.
- Mandible: Part of a birds bill. The bill is made up of two parts, the upper and lower mandible.
- Mantle: Feathers covering the upper part of the back and base of the wings.
- Mask: A dark area of the face, encompassing the eyes.
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GLOSSARY: of Avian Terms.
- Megapode: Large foot (lit.) Normally used to refer to mound builders.
- Migratory: Having regular seasonal movements. Some movements might be over very long distances.
- Nail: The hooked tip of the upper mandible of some waterfowl.
- Nape: The back of the bird's neck. "Nuchal" means of the nape.
- Nestling: Young bird within the nest, and before feathers are formed. ie: naked or downy.
- Nomadic: Different to migratory, in that the movements vary with respect to season and destination.
- Nominate: Considered the predominant one in the species, and all other races (sub-species) are below it in ranking.
- Nuptial: Pertaining to breeding, eg:nuptial plumage or breeding plumage.
- Nuchal: To do with the nape.
- Orbital ring: A coloured ring around the eye. It may be skin or feathered.
- Order: The taxonomic grouping between "class" and "family".
- Papillae: Touch receptors inside the bill.
- Passerine: Referring to birds within the order of Passiformes, which are song or perching birds. They have three toes forward and one toe back.
- Pelagic: Ocean going birds. Most of their time is spent at sea, coming to land only to breed.
- Pellet: The regurgitated remains of undigested food, such as feathers and bones.
- Phase: A difference in the appearance of plumage between birds, that is not related to age or race.
- Piratic: Birds which steal food from other birds.
- Plumage: The covering of feathers and down, as a whole.
- Plume: An individual feather, usually long and for display.
- Primaries: The main and outer flight feathers on the wing.
- Race: A division of "Species". Some birds within a species, may have variations locally, becoming a race or "sub-species".
- Rachis: The central shaft of a feather.
- Rictal bristles: Modified feathers surrounding the mouth of some birds. They direct the insects into the mouth, whilst the bird is in flight.
- Roost: A place where birds rest or sleep.
- Rufous: Reddish in colour. Yellowish or brownish red.
- Rump: The area between the lower back and the base of the tail.
- Scapular: Feathers covering the shoulders of a bird.
- Secondaries: The inner flight feathers on the wing.
- Sedentary: Does not migrate and remains within a local area.
- Shaft: The main stem of a feather.
- Shoulder: The area covered by the upperwing coverts.
- Soaring: Flying without flapping the wings, but maintaining or increasing altitude, whilst doing so.
- Soft parts: Unfeathered areas of the body, such as bill and feet.
- Species: The taxonomic rank below Genus, and one of the classifications into which the Genus is divided.
- Speculum: A bright, often iridescent patch of color on the wings of certain birds, especially ducks.
- Spur: Sharp projection on the leg or on the wing.
- Striated: Streaks, in the direction of from head to tail.
- Sub-Adult: See "Immature"
- Sub-terminal: Near the end of the tail feathers, as in "sub-terminal" band.
- Supercilliary: The eyebrow stripe of some birds
- Superprecocial: Emerging from the egg in a very advance state. eg: feathered, eyes open.
- Talon: Claws which are sharply hooked, and designed for holding or killing prey.
- Tarsus: The lower leg.
- Terminal: At the end of the tail feathers.
- Trailing edge: The hind edge of the wing.
- Underparts: (or ventral surface) the chin, throat, breast, belly, flanks and tail.
- Upperparts: (or dorsal surface) the mantle, back, rump and base of the tail.
- Vagrant: A bird outside of it's normal habitat, having arrived there without intention. eg: because of violent weather conditions.
- Vent: The cloaca, an opening at the rear of the bird which includes the anus and oviduct openings.
- Ventral: pertaining to the underparts of the body.
- Vermiculated: Patterned with wavy lines.
- Wattle: Fleshy growths which may be found on the crown, face or neck, and they are often brightly coloured.
- Wingspan: The straight line distance between wing tips.
- Wrist: See "carpal joint"
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