BIOL 427 Specimen Lab - 3 “Raptors, Rails and Shorebirds!”

David Toews Lab: BioDiversity Room 060 Office: BioDiversity Room 116

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Faconiformes vs. Accipitriformes Early Bird Tree “Shakes Up” Avian Tree of Life

(Hacke et al. 2008)

Hawks Falcons Parrots and Passerines This Week:

Falconiformes

Accipitriformes

(Hacke et al. 2008) Falconiformes - Falcons and Merlins diurnal birds of prey have long wings which are bent at “wrist”

have notched bill used to “sever the spinal column” of their prey Peregrine’s can dive over 300km/hr Accipitriformes - Hawks and Eagles

also diurnal birds of prey

hooked bills and strong, curved talons

osprey has reversible outer toe; sharp spicules for holding fish

Secretarybird from Africa females usually larger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68BPPVVpN7s than males red-tailed cooper’s

Buteo Accipiter Gruiformes - Cranes and Rails

Sandhill crane Virginia rail American coot rails are extremely secreve

American coots usually seen with ducks; have lobed toes

Cranes have feathers that “droop” over their rump and fly with necks outstretched, which (1) Sunbiern (2) Gray Crowned Crane (3) Water Rail disnguishes them from herons (4) Gray-winged Trumpeter (5) Great Bustard

Charadriiformes - Shorebirds and Gulls

gull’s are opportunisc feeders; can be challenging to disnguish

sandpipers and plovers “slender, probing bill with long legs”

“winnowing” of Wilson’s snipe (tail feathers)

(1) Pheasant-tailed Jacana (2) Snowy Sheathbill Alcidae; superficially similar to (3) Eurasian Woodcock (4) Atlantic Puffin (5) Blacksmith Lapwing penguins (black-and-white and (6) Ring-billed Gull (7) Black Skimmer stand upright) killdeer semi-palmated plover no hind toe!

sanderling (alternate plumage) up-turned bill

greater yellow-legs lesser yellow-legs basic plumage

alternate plumage dunlin Eldey - last known site of a Great Auk

“The last pair, found incubating an egg, was killed there on 3 July 1844, on request from a merchant who wanted specimens.”

Great Auk - exnct Columbiformes - Pigeons and Doves

have a fleshy mass at the base of the bill

invariably lay two eggs

watch a pigeon drink: it “sucks” as opposed to “sips” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik7mHp3E3D4

the exnct “Dodo” was a large pigeon