birds

"Most s winter well offshore in the central North Pacific. There are about one million individuals, with 86% in North America. The Horned Puffin generally nests among rocks or in cracks in the cliffs. ... The Tufted Puffin is the commonest puffin in the Pacific with 3 million birds (82% in North America). Breeding colonies occur on both sides of the Pacific from the Arctic south to in Japan and to the winter waters of California. Wintering areas are located in the deep oceanic waters of the central North Pacific. Birds typically breed in earth burrow near the cliff edge, partly because it is easy to dig there and partly because there the heaviest of the puffins and have difficulty in taking off from flat ground. ... Adults eat mainly squid and planktonic invertebrates."

"All birds have upper and and lower eyelids. They protect the eyes and are closed when the bird sleeps. Birds also have an inner eyelid that wets and cleans the eye. This third eyelid is cloudy in most birds. But the puffin's inner eyelid has a clear center. It lets the puffin see underwater, even when the lid is protecting the eye."

"The breeds from France and the in the south to as far north as there is ice-free land and has been studied throughout its range. It winters over vast areas of the North Atlantic and, in small numbers, the Mediterranean .. It is the most numerous of the ... puffins with some 20 million individuals. The single egg is incubated for six weeks and the chick is fed on small fish for another six weeks. The chick is independent after it has fledged."

"Iceland is the stronghold of the with the majority of the world's population. Thus, it is not surprising that the species has been an important part of Icelandic culture, folklore and food for many centuries. Aever Petersen (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) initiated the study of Puffins there during the early 1970s. The off Iceland's southern coast have around three-quarters of a million pairs of Puffins breeding at high density on the grassy tops of more than 20 islands in the group. There is a long tradition of fowling and records of the catches have been kept since 1910 with detailed records since 1946. These show that the numbers killed have declined in recent years despite no great reduction in hunting effort."

"Iceland is by far and away the Puffin capital of the North Atlantic, supporting around 2.5–3 million pairs. In 1994 it was decreed that hunting with fleygs could only take place from 1 July to 15 August. Puffins arrive in Iceland in late April and leave at the end of August, so the open season for hunting was chosen to coincide with the maxim presence of the late-arriving immature birds to relieve hunting pressure on the May-June breeders. Thus non-breeding two- to four-year-olds have traditionally been claimed to comprise over 90 per cent of the catch, although nowadays many more nesting birds are allegedly killed in the hunt. As on the , Iceland's Puffins have declined catastrophically in recent years, with colonies in the south and west hardest hit. Records of the Puffin harvest reflect this: in the mid-1990s over 200,000 birds were caught annually in Iceland (by 100–200 hunters), compared with fewer than 40,000 in recent years."

"... the young puffin, unlike the young , is lively and active at birth, and can soon walk about. Protected by a thick coat of soot-coloured , with white breast, it hardly needs the warmth of the under the parental wing."

"For a seabird, the is diminutive. It stands just 18–20cm (7–8in), which is about as tall as a paperback novel, and it is 26–29cm (10–11.5in) long from the tip of its bill to the end of its short, pointed tail. By comparison, a is 46cm (18in) long and a up to 80cm (24in) long. The puffin weighs between 350 and 600g, while the herring gull weighs up to 1500g. Seeing these figures it is easily understandable how puffins can be bullied by herring gulls and other birds."

"The first scientific studies of Puffins were by on between 1927 and 1939, rather as a sideline to his pioneering work on the . During this period, Skokholm became one of the world's best-known seabird islands. After the Second World War, Lockley turned his attention to and in 1953 published his monograph Puffins in which he described Puffin biology and behaviour in very evocative prose."

"I suggest we depict penguins as callous and unfeeling creatures who insist on bringing up their children in what is little more than a large chest freezer."

"The little penguins look alike Even as Ike resembles Mike. They are so gentle and so nice God keeps these little birds on ice."

"The rules for the humans are do not disturb or hold up the penguin. Stand still and let him go on his way. And here, he's heading off into the interior of the vast continent. With 5,000 kilometers ahead of him, he's heading towards certain death."

"We describe ' , a new species of kiwi based on a 1-million-year-old from shallow marine sediment in the . The fossil is very similar to the tarsometatarsi of living kiwi species, most closely resembling Apteryx rowi and A. mantelli in size and shape, but differs in being stouter, with proportionally narrower proximal and distal ends. The new fossil is the second oldest known record of kiwi. It demonstrates a relatively conservative kiwi since the ."

"Distinctive features include a long and slightly curved bill with nostrils near the tip, a cone-shaped body (because of reduced pectoral development) that tapers markedly to a strong neck and comparatively small head, powerful muscular legs which make up one third of the total weight, small eyes, large ear apertures and many long tactile bristles about the face and base of the bill. The s, which end in a claw, are very small (40–50 ) and there is no external tail. The is loose and hair-like and does not change in form throughout life. Its neotenous characteristics of having weak barbs and lacking aftershafts gives kiwis a permanently shaggy appearance. Depending upon condition of the bird and time of year, plumage represents between 4.7 and 6.8 per cent of the body weight."

"... the Kiwi (Apteryx) ... runs rapidly, but has no power of flight. Its body is covered with a thick coating of almost hair-like feathers. By feeling with the finger amongst these feathers one can detect the presence of a miniature wing hidden amongst them. It is so small as to be absolutely useless, although it is asserted that the kiwi tries its best to tuck its bill under it when it goes to sleep!"

"Like to a pair of horns come first to us-ward, like to a pair of hoofs with rapid motion; Come like two Cakavās in the grey of morning, come like two chariot wheels at dawn, ye Mighty."

"He took the rotundity of the moon, and the curves of creepers, and the clinging of tendrils, and the trembling of grass, and the slenderness of the reed, and the bloom of flowers, and the lightness of leaves, and the tapering of the elephant’s trunk, and the glances of deer, and the clustering of rows of bees, and the joyous gaiety of sunbeams, and the weeping of clouds, and the fickleness of the winds, and the timidity of the hare, and the vanity of the peacock, and the softness of the parrot’s bosom, and the hardness of adamant, and the sweetness of honey, and the cruelty of the tiger, and the warm glow of fire, and the coldness of snow, and the chattering of jays, and the cooing of the kókila, and the hypocrisy of the crane, and the fidelity of the chakrawáka; and compounding all these together he made woman, and gave her to man."

"Some shorebirds are capable of very deep (>15 cm) and complex probing of the sediment and this feeding guild is represented globally by three very large curlew species: s (Numinous madagascariensis), s (N. arquata) and s (N. americanus). These deep-probing shorebirds are threatened globally due to recent declines in population sizes, largely resulting from and hunting pressure. To prevent further loss and possible extinction of shorebirds at risk, better knowledge of their feeding ecology outside the breeding grounds is required."

"The best-known English stone curlew haunt at the present time is surely in the , now a (Clarke 1937, Mason & McClellan 1994, Taylor et al. 1999: 78-79), where the birds can conveniently be watched from the 's . Some 5-7 pairs have nested on the 137-hectare (338-acre) stony at least since 1970 (Westwood 1983)."

".— On the twenty-seventh of February, 1788, stone-curlews were heard to pipe; and on March first, after it was dark, some were passing over the , as might be perceived by their quick short note, which they use in their nocturnal excursions by way of watch-word, that they may not stray and lose their companions. Thus we see, that retire whithersoever they may in the winter, they return again early in the spring, and are, as it now appears, the first summer birds that come back. Perhaps the mildness of the season may have quickened the emigration of the curlews this year. They spend the day in high elevated fields and sheep-walks; but seem to descend in the night to streams and meadows, perhaps for water, which their upland haunts do not afford them."

"Stone curlews appear to use their loud and far-carrying cries to achieve . Their presence in places where they are scarce or little known has sometimes been revealed when they have replied unexpectedly to recordings of their calls. The group evidently plays an important, but not clearly known, part in the spacing between nests. Social behaviour continues during incubation, with the non-sitting partners, unmated birds, and those that have lost their eggs, periodically meeting on afternoons, evenings, and at night; thus possibly enabling members of the community to know what is happening and, if necessary, to supply mates to birds that have lost their partners. These noisy meetings often take place well away from the nesting grounds and thus do not assist predators to find nests."

"The Numinous tahitiensis is a rare shorebird that breeds in western Alaska and winters on oceanic islands in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean. Before human colonization, the islands on which curlews winter were devoid of terrestrial predators, allowing curlews to evolve a rapid moult during which about 50% of adults become flightless. Especially when flightless, these birds are vulnerable to harvest by humans and to predation by introduced mammals such as dogs and cats. On atolls where they are harvested by humans, curlews tend to occur only on uninhabited islets. Consequently, human encroachment in Oceania has probably reduced Bristle-thighed Curlew numbers and altered winter distribution of the species. Future studies should (1) identify concentrations of wintering curlews, focusing in the ; (2) determine whether migratory stopover sites exist in the central Pacific between Hawaii and the southern end of the wintering grounds; and (3) establish a monitoring programme to assess population trends in several parts of the winter range. A comprehensive plan is needed to provide for the existence of predator-free islands throughout key portions of the winter range."

"In Florida, in the spring when the mating instinct is strong, I have seen a flock of s ing about the sky, going through various intricate movements, with the precision of dancers in a ball-room . No sign, no signal, no guidance whatever. Let a body of men try it under the same conditions, and behold the confusion, and the tumbling over one another! At one moment the birds would wheel so as to bring their backs in shadow, and then would flash out the white of their breasts and under parts. It was like the opening and shutting of a giant hand, or the alternate rapid darkening and brightening of the sail of a tacking ice-boat. This is the spirit of the flock."

"Still keeping to the low-lying counties, but repairing to the heaths and commons on the wolds, we may have the good fortune to meet with the singular and interesting Stone-Curlew, Norfolk Plover, or Thicknee, as it is severally known. It is not related very closely to the Curlew, being in fact intermediate between the Bustards and the Plovers, probably most closely related to the latter group of birds. It is a summer migrant to this country, and in spite of the drainage, which has greatly curtailed its haunts, still continues to be fairly well distributed in suitable districts. It returns year after year to its favorite haunts, arriving here in April and leaving in October. Wide extensive heaths and rough open country, which is often turned into rabbit warrens, are the places the Stone-Curlew loves. He is a birds of the dry sandy soils, and rarely if ever wanders to the lower and more marshy ground. Nor does he frequent the wooded country, although his favourite heath may be surrounded with trees and fields with tall hedges. The ground cannot be too rough or broken for the Stone-Curlew—heath and furze and briars, coarse grass and stunted bushes, intermixed with bare pebbly ground; these are the characteristics of its summer haunt."

"(or bush stone-curlew, southern stone-curlew, weeloo and willaroo) are long-legged bush-dwelling waders that stand about 50 cm high. They are more often heard than seen. A distinguishing feature is the large yellow eye with a broad white eyebrow and a thick brown-grey stripe running from the eye and down the neck. Their voice is an eerie whistling call which begins with a drawn-out 'wee-seer' that is repeated a number of times and ends with a high-pitched and drawn-out 'keeleeoo'. They favor open woodland, dry watercourses, coastal scrub, suburbs and towns in Queensland and can be tame near habitation, golf course and resort islands."

"Numinous arquata are ground nesting s that breed on various open upland habitats, such as {[w|bog}}s, , and hay meadows, as well as on coastal marshes and lowland farmland. Curlew are usually associated with damp habitats, and prefer a heterogeneous mosaic of short and longer vegetation (Pearce-Higgins & Grant 2006). Nests are often located in or next to taller vegetation but curlews tend not to nest in very dense vegetation, as they are highly mobile and need to be able to move freely whilst using cover to evade predators. Curlews feed on a wide range of invertebrates both in the soil, and on the ground surface and plants. Their characteristic bill can be used for probing into soft ground and also y vegetation."

"The tide rises, the tide falls, The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; Along the sea-sands damp and brown The traveller hastens toward the town, And the tide rises, the tide falls."

"Few mont' ago it happen dat I'm goin' walk aroun', Gettin' ready for de ploughin' is comin' on de spring, An' soon I wait an' listen, for I t'ink I hear de song Of de firse, de early robin, as he jus' begin to sing.It was very, very lucky w'en de firse wan come along — An' you see upon your farm dere is de place de robin stop, Settle down to feex hees fedder, an' commence to mak' hees song — For o' course it's always makin' beeg difference wit' de crop."

"When the red, red, robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along, along There'll be no more sobbin', when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song."

"He rocks in the tree tops all day long Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singing his song All the little birds on Jaybird Street Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet."

"I dreaded that first robin so, But he is mastered now, And I'm accustomed to him grown,— He hurts a little, though."

"Yes, the robin, the Opechee, Joyous said, “O Chibiabos, Teach me tones as sweet and tender, Teach me songs as full of gladness!”"

"Spring, the sweete Spring, is the yeres pleasant King, Then bloomes eche thing, then maydes daunce in a ring, Cold doeth not sting, the pretty birds doe sing, Cuckow, jugge, jugge, pu we, to witta woo.The Palme and May make countrey houses gay, Lambs friske and play, the Shepherds pype all day, And we heare aye birds tune this merry lay, Cuckow, jugge, jugge, pu we, to witta woo.The fields breathe sweete, the dayzies kisse our feete, Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit, In every streete, these tunes our eares doe greete, Cuckow, jugge, jugge, pu we, to witta woo Spring, the sweete Spring."

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

"The mounting lark (day’s herald) got on wing, Bidding each bird choose out his bough and sing. The lofty treble sung the little wren; Robin the mean, that best of all loves men; The nightingale the tenor, and the thrush The counter-tenor sweetly in a bush. And that the music might be full in parts, Birds from the groves flew with right willing hearts; But (as it seem’d) they thought (as do the swains, Which tune their pipes on sack’d Hibernia’s plains) There should some droning part be, therefore will’d Some bird to fly into a neighb’ring field, In embassy unto the King of Bees, To aid his partners on the flowers and trees Who, condescending, gladly flew along To bear the bass to his well-tuned song. The crow was willing they should be beholding For his deep voice, but being hoarse with scolding, He thus lends aid; upon an oak doth climb, And nodding with his head, so keepeth time."

"My musical friend, at whose house I am now visiting, has tried all the owls that are his near neighbours, with a set at , and finds that they all hoot in . He will examine the nightingales next spring."

"A has just flown from a bare branch in the gateway, where he had been perched and singing a full hour. Presently he will commence again, and as the sun declines will sing him to the horizon, and then again sing till nearly dusk. The yellowhammer is almost the longest of all the singers; he sits and sits and has no inclination to move. In the spring he sings, in the summer he sings, and he continues when the last sheaves are being carried from the field."

"What Bird so sings, yet so dos wayle? O ’tis the ravish’d Nightingale. Jug, jug, jug, tereu, shee cryes, And still her woes at Midnight rise. Brave prick song! who is’t now we heare? None but the Larke so shrill and cleare; Now at heavens gats she claps her wings, The Morne not waking till shee sings. Heark, heark, with what a pretty throat Poore Robin red-breast tunes his note; Heark how the jolly Cuckoes sing Cuckoe, to welcome in the spring, Cuckoe, to welcome in the spring."

"All day I heard your high heart-broken laughter, Swallow, and, hearing, cried, ‘Is there no place Or time when you forget, Pandîon’s daughter, Your maidenhood, and Têreus, King of Thrace?’"

"Above the antique mantel was displayed As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale Filled all the desert with inviolable voice And still she cried, and still the world pursues, “Jug Jug” to dirty ears."

"It’s not their fault they do not know The birdsong from the radio."

"I grant the Linet, Larke, and Bul-finch sing, But best, the deare, good Angell of the Spring, The Nightingale."

"My mournful voice the pitying rocks shall move, And my complainings echo thro' the grove."

"Sweet Peggy round her car, sir, Has strings of ducks and geese, But the scores of hearts she slaughters By far outnumber these; While she among her poultry sits, Just like a turtle-dove, Well worth the cage, I do engage, Of the blooming god of Love! While she sits in the low-backed car, The lovers come near and far, And envy the chicken That Peggy is pickin’, As she sits in the low-backed car."

"If thou didst feed on western plains of yore; Or waddle wide with flat and flabby feet Over some Cambrian mountain’s plashy moor; Or find in farmer’s yard a safe retreat From gypsy thieves, and foxes sly and fleet; If thy grey quills, by lawyer guided, trace Deeds big with ruin to some wretched race, Or love-sick poet’s sonnet, sad and sweet, Wailing the rigour of his lady fair; Or if, the drudge of housemaid’s daily toil, Cobwebs and dust thy pinions white besoil, Departed Goose! I neither know nor care. But this I know, that thou wert very fine, Season’d with sage and onions, and port wine."

"Nort had chickens, I had cocks, Gamesome cocks, loud-crowing cocks; Mysie ducks, and Elspie drakes,— For a wee groat or a pound: We lost nae time wi’ gives and takes."

"He escorted her to the enormous open fire of wood in front of which a row of once-feathered vertebrates were slowly revolving on a horizontal rod.“We return always to the old methods, mademoiselle,” said he. “Here in this kitchen we cook by electricity, by gas, by everything you wish, but for the volaille we return always to the old methods. Wood fire.”The intense heat halted Gracie. The master, however, august showman, walked right into it, seized an iron spoon fit for supping with the devil, and, having scooped up an immense spoonful of the fat which had dripped drop by drop from the roasting birds, poured it tenderly over them, and so again and again."

"The capon is above all other foules praised, for as much as it is easily digested."

"A magnificent turkey had just been taken off the spit, well-shaped, golden, done to a turn, and the odour from which was enough to tempt a saint."

"The goose at Michaelmas is as famous in the mouths of the million, as the minced-pie at Christmas; but for those who eat with delicacy, it is by that time too full-grown. The true period when the goose is in its highest perfection, is when it has just acquired its full growth, and not begun to harden. If the March goose is insipid, the Michaelmas goose is rank; the fine time is between both, from the second week in June to the first in September."

"Really, we have just eaten a superb turkey. It was excellent, crammed with truffles up to its beak, tender as a fat pullet, plump as an ortolan, fragrant as a thrush. To be sure, we only left the bones."