"Sometimes one may observe eight of ten on the wing together in the dusk of evening in pursuit of insects."

Flag Night-Jar

"Sometimes one may observe eight of ten on the wing together in the dusk of evening in pursuit of insects."

The flamingo is found in Africa and Asia. The color of the plumage is a deep brilliant scarlet, except the quill feathers, which are black.

Flamingo

The flamingo is found in Africa and Asia. The color of the plumage is a deep brilliant scarlet, except…

The flamingo is found in Africa and Asia. The color of the plumage is a deep brilliant scarlet, except the quill feathers, which are black.

Flamingo

The flamingo is found in Africa and Asia. The color of the plumage is a deep brilliant scarlet, except…

"Phoinikopteros ruber. American Red Flamingo. Adult: Plumage scarlet, the primaries and most of the secondaries black. Legs lake-red. Bill black on the terminal part, orange in the middle, the base and bare skin of head yellow." Elliot Coues, 1884

American Flamingo

"Phoinikopteros ruber. American Red Flamingo. Adult: Plumage scarlet, the primaries and most of the…

"Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. Pigeon Woodpecker. Flicker. Yucker. High-holder. Back and exposed surfaces of wing-coverts and secondaries olive-brown with numerous black bars. Rump snowy-white; upper tail-coverts white, mixed with black. Primaries blackish, with golden shafts, and glossed with golden underneath, at their bases paler and more tawny yellow. Tail-feathers above black, their shafts and under surfaces golden, blackened at ends, the outermost with a few touches of yellow or white. Top of head, with back and sides of neck, ash, with a scarlet nuchel band (in both sexes). Sides of head, whole chin, throat, and fore-breast lilac-brown, with broad black cheek patches, these 'moustaches' wanting usually in the female. A broad black pectoral semi-lune. Other under parts shading from a lighter shade of the color of the breast into creamy-yellow, marked with numerous circular black spots. Bill and feet dark plumbeous. Iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Flicker

"Colaptes auratus. Golden-winged Woodpecker. Pigeon Woodpecker. Flicker. Yucker. High-holder. Back and…

flycatchers are insectivorous songbirds.

Flycatcher

flycatchers are insectivorous songbirds.

"Myiarchus cinerescens. Ash-throated Crested Flycatcher. Rather olivaceous-brown above, quite brown on the head; throat very pale ash, sometimes almost whitish, changing gradually to very pale yellow or yellowish-white on the rest of the under parts. Primaries edged as in crinitus, but secondares and coverts edged with grayish-white. Tail-feathers as in crinitus, but the rufous of the inner webs hardly or not reaching their ends, being cut off from the tip by widening of the fuscous stripe (in young birds, in which the quills and tail-feathers are more extensively rufous-edged, the last distinction does not hold)Elliot Coues, 1884

Ash-throated Flycatcher

"Myiarchus cinerescens. Ash-throated Crested Flycatcher. Rather olivaceous-brown above, quite brown…

"Pitangus derbianus. Derby Flycatcher. Under parts light wood-brown, with an olive tinge; wings and tail the same, but the feathers extensively bordered without and within with chestnut, forming a conspicuous continuous area on the wing-quills in the closed wing, and on most of the wing and tail-feathers more extensively than the brown portion of the inner webs. Below from the breast, including lining of wings, clear and continuous lemon-yellow. Whole chin and throat pure white, widening behind up under ear-coverts. Top and sides of head black, a circle of white from forehead over eyes to nape white, the enclosed black enclosing black a lemon and orange patch. Or, middle of crown yellow and orange, enclosed and partly concealed in black, this black enclosed in white, then the long and broad black bar on side of head, separating the white of side of crown from that of side of throat. The coronal feathers lengthened and erectile as in a king-bird, or more so; crown-patch of same character but more extensive. Bill and feet black; iris hazel Sexes alike." Elliot Coues, 1884

Derby Flycatcher

"Pitangus derbianus. Derby Flycatcher. Under parts light wood-brown, with an olive tinge; wings and…

"Myiarchus crinitus. Great Crested Flycatcher. Decidedly olivaceous above, a little browner on head, where the feathers have dark centres; throat and fore pure dark ash; rest of under parts bright yellow, the two colors meeting abruptly; primaries margined on both edges with chestnut; secondaries and coverts edges and tipped with yellowish-white; tail with all the feathers but the central pair chestnut on the whole of the inner web (excepting perhaps a very narrow space next the shaft); outer web of outer feathers with yellowish; middle feathers, outer webs of the rest, and wings except as stated, dusky-brown. The foregoing phrases are intended to be chiefly antithetical to those used in describing cinerescens, below, No. 375. Other diagnostic points are: bill dark but not quite black, pale at base below; stout and comparatively short, hardly or not as long as tarsus, the latter perhaps never .90, the olive back, ash throat, and yellow belly severally pure in color; all tail-feathers but middle pair so extensively rufous on inner webs that a mere line, if any, of fuscous persists next the shaft (compare erythrocercus and cooperi), and this fuscous line,if any, running of same narrowness to ends of the feathers (compare cinerescens); never more than a trace of rufous on outer webs." Elliot Coues, 1884

Great Crested Flycatcher

"Myiarchus crinitus. Great Crested Flycatcher. Decidedly olivaceous above, a little browner on head,…

"Terpsiphone paradisi, Paradise Flycatchers, have fine crests, shorter in the female; while fleshy wattles, round or above the eye, of scarlet, blue, or yellow, are found. The bill is sometimes reddish or blue, and the inside of the mouth green or yellowish, as in certain Birds of Paradise. The female is rich bay above, with similar head, but grey cheeks and throat. In other species the males are said to be maroon, cinnamon, chestnut, blue-grey, or glossy-black above." A. H. Evans, 1900

Paradise Flycatcher

"Terpsiphone paradisi, Paradise Flycatchers, have fine crests, shorter in the female; while fleshy wattles,…

"Sayiornis fusca. Pewit Flycatcher. Water Pewee. Pewit. Phaebe. Dull olivaceous-brown, the head much darker fuscous-brown, almost blackish, usually in marked contrast with the back; below, solid whitish, or palest possible yellow, particularly on the belly; the sides, and the breast nearly or quite across, shaded with grayish -brown; wings and tail dusky, the outer tail-feather, inner secondaries, and usually the wing-coverts, edged with whitish; a whitish ring round the eye; bill and feet black. Varies greatly in shade; the foregoing is the average spring condition. As summer passes, the plumage becomes much-duller and and darker brown, from wearing of the feather; then, after the moult, fall specimens are much brighter than in spring, the under parts being decidedly yellow, at least on the belly." Elliot Coues, 1884

Pewit Flycatcher

"Sayiornis fusca. Pewit Flycatcher. Water Pewee. Pewit. Phaebe. Dull olivaceous-brown, the head much…

"Milvulus forficatus. Swallow-tailed Flycatcher. Scissor-tail. Crown patch orange or scarlet. General color hoary-ash, paler or white below; sides at insertion of wings scarlet or bloody-red, and other parts of the body variously tinged with the same, or a paler salmon-red. Wings blackish, with whitish edgings. Tail black, but several of the long feathers extensively white or rosy; these are narrow and linear, sometimes widening somewhat in spoon-shape." Elliot Coues, 1884

Swallow-tailed Flycatcher

"Milvulus forficatus. Swallow-tailed Flycatcher. Scissor-tail. Crown patch orange or scarlet. General…

"Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus. Vermilion Flycatcher, Adult male: Pure dark brown, including stripe along side of head; wings and tail blackish with slight pale black. Female: Dull brown, including the little-crown; below, white, tinged with red, reddish or orange in some places; the breast and sides with slight dusky streaks." Elliot Coues, 1884

Vermilion Flycatcher

"Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus. Vermilion Flycatcher, Adult male: Pure dark brown, including stripe…

These birds are flying together in a triangular shape.

Birds Flying

These birds are flying together in a triangular shape.

These birds are flying together in a triangular shape.

Birds Flying

These birds are flying together in a triangular shape.

"Sturnella magna. Field Lark. Old-field Lark. Meadow Lark. The colors, as above described, rich and pure, the prevailing aspect brown; black streaks prevailing on brown; yellow of chin usually confined between rami of under mandible; black bars on wings and tail usually confluent along the shaft of the feathers, leaving the gray in scallops. Sexes are similar: Female duller colored, the yellow paler. " Elliot Coues, 1884

Meadow Lark Foot and Bill

"Sturnella magna. Field Lark. Old-field Lark. Meadow Lark. The colors, as above described, rich and…

"Fig. 53 shows the lobate foot of a coot. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting webs, but from a series of lobes or flaps along the sides of the individual toes; as in the coots, grebes, phalaropes, and sun-birds. Lobation is usually associated with semipalmation, as is well seen in the grebes (Podicipedidae). In the snipe-like pharalopes (Phalaropodidae), lobation is present as a modification of a foot otherwise quite cursorial. The most emphatic cases of lobation are those in which each joint of the toes has its own flap, with a free convex border; the membranes as whole therefore present a scolloped outline." Elliot Coues, 1884

Coot Foot

"Fig. 53 shows the lobate foot of a coot. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting webs,…

"Fig. 52 shows the totipalmate foot of a pelican. The totipalmate is a special case of palmation, in which all four toes are webbed; this characterizes the whole order Steganopodes." Elliot Coues, 1884

Pelican Foot

"Fig. 52 shows the totipalmate foot of a pelican. The totipalmate is a special case of palmation, in…

"Fig. 53 bis - shows the lobate foot of a phalarope. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting webs, but from a series of lobes or flaps along the sides of the individual toes; as in the coots, grebes, phalaropes, and sun-birds. Lobation is usually associated with semipalmation, as is well seen in the grebes (Podicipedidae). In the snipe-like pharalopes (Phalaropodidae), lobation is present as a modification of a foot otherwise quite cursorial. The most emphatic cases of lobation are those in which each joint of the toes has its own flap, with a free convex border; the membranes as whole therefore present a scolloped outline." Elliot Coues, 1884

Phalarope Foot

"Fig. 53 bis - shows the lobate foot of a phalarope. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting…

Foot of Peregrine Falcon.

Falcon Foot

Foot of Peregrine Falcon.

Foot of Tawny Owl.

Owl Foot

Foot of Tawny Owl.

Foot of Yellow Wagtail.

Wagtail Foot

Foot of Yellow Wagtail.

Foot of Water-ousel.

Water-ousel Foot

Foot of Water-ousel.

Decorative floral tailpiece with a cherub and birds, used as an ornamental footer.

Footer with Cherub

Decorative floral tailpiece with a cherub and birds, used as an ornamental footer.

"Mature stapes of fowl, about x4; after Parker. st, its foot, fitting fenestra ovalis; mst, main shaft, or medio-stapedial element; sst, supra-stapedial; est, extra-stapedial; ist, infra-stapedial, its end representing a rudimentary stylo-hyal; f, a fenestra in the extra-stapedial." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Ear Bone of Fowl

"Mature stapes of fowl, about x4; after Parker. st, its foot, fitting fenestra ovalis; mst, main shaft,…

"Schizognathous skull of common fowl, nat. size, from nature, by Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. Letters as before; Pa, palatine. Schizognathism is a kind of " cleft palate" shown by the columbine and gallinaceous birds, by the wader at large, and many of the swimmers. In this general case, the vomer, whether large or small, tapers to a point in front, while behind it embraces the basisphenoidal rostrum, between the palatines; these bones and the pterygoids are directly articulated with one another and with the basisphenoidal rostrum, not being borne upon the divergent posterior ends of the vomer; the maxillo-palatines, usually elongated and lamelar, pass inwards over (under, when the skull is viewed upside-down, as it usually is) the anterior part of the palatines, with which they unite and then bend backwards, along the inner edge of the palatines, leaving a broader or narrower fissure between themselves and the vomer, on each side, and do not unite with one another or with the vomer." Elliot Coues, 1884

Common Fowl Skull

"Schizognathous skull of common fowl, nat. size, from nature, by Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. Letters as…

Guinea fowls have small heads for their size; beak and neck short; the tail equally short and drooping.

Guinea Fowl

Guinea fowls have small heads for their size; beak and neck short; the tail equally short and drooping.

Waterfowl is a common term used to describe birds that frequent marshes and lakes.

Water Fowl

Waterfowl is a common term used to describe birds that frequent marshes and lakes.

"Birds of a feather flock together." -Trowbridge, 1866

Friend Rebus

"Birds of a feather flock together." -Trowbridge, 1866

"Tachypetes aquilus. Frigate. Man-of-War Bird. brownish-black, glossed with green of purplish, duller on the belly, wings showing brown and gray; Female with white on neck and breast." Elliot Coues, 1884

Frigate Birds

"Tachypetes aquilus. Frigate. Man-of-War Bird. brownish-black, glossed with green of purplish, duller…

"Tachypetes aquilus. Frigate. Man-of-War Bird. brownish-black, glossed with green of purplish, duller on the belly, wings showing brown and gray; Female with white on neck and breast." Elliot Coues, 1884

Frigatebird Head

"Tachypetes aquilus. Frigate. Man-of-War Bird. brownish-black, glossed with green of purplish, duller…

"Fulmarus. Fulmar. Adult: White; mantle pale pearly-blue, restricted to back and wings, or extending on head and tail; usually a dark spot in front of eye; quills dark ashy-brown. Bill yellow, tinged with sea-green on culmen and lower mandible, the opening of the nostrils black; feet drying dingy yellowish, said to be delicate French gray in life; iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Fulmar and Nest

"Fulmarus. Fulmar. Adult: White; mantle pale pearly-blue, restricted to back and wings, or extending…

"Priocella tenuirostris. Slender-billed Fulmar. Adult: Plumage white, with clear pearly-blue mantle, and black primaries, just like a gull; the mantle beginning faintly on the nape, continuing over whole back, rump, tail, wing-coverts and inner quills; edge of the wing slaty-gray; primaries black, their shafts yellowish-white at base, their inner webs pearly-white to near the ends; white of first primary extending to within two inches of the tip, further on the rest successively, reaching the end on the 6th; outer webs of secondaries slaty-black, inner white; a small dusky spot before eye; a faint pearly shade on sides of breast and body. Bill and feet (dry) yellow; nasal tube and hood obscured with bluish horn-color." Elliot Coues, 1884

Slender-billed Fulmar

"Priocella tenuirostris. Slender-billed Fulmar. Adult: Plumage white, with clear pearly-blue mantle,…

"Oven-birds live singly or in pairs, in the plains of Chili, Brazil and Guiana."

Furnarius Rufus and Oven-Bird (Synallaxis Frontalis)

"Oven-birds live singly or in pairs, in the plains of Chili, Brazil and Guiana."

These birds are weak fliers, preferring to hide from predators.

Gallinule

These birds are weak fliers, preferring to hide from predators.

"Gallinula. Gallinules. Water Hens. Mud Hens. Bill not longer than head, stout at base, tapering, compressed, the culmen running directly up on the forehead and expanding into a frontal plate of different shape in different species. Nostrils near middle of bill, linear. Feet large and stout; tibia naked below; tarsus moderately compressed, scutellate; toes very long, the outer longer than the inner, with an evident though slight marginal membrane; claws long, slender, little curved, acute. Wings short and rounded, but ample. Tail very short, of 12 weak feathers, with long ample under coverts, as in Rails. Plumage not rich blue." Elliot Coues, 1884

Gallinule

"Gallinula. Gallinules. Water Hens. Mud Hens. Bill not longer than head, stout at base, tapering, compressed,…

"Lagapus. The densely-feathered feet resemble those of rabbits. No particular feathers on head or neck. Tarsi and toes densely feathered. Tail short, little rounded, normally of 14 broad feathers, with long upper coverts, some of which resemble rectrices, the central pair of these usually reckoned as rectrices, making 16. A naked red comb over eye." Elliot Coues, 1884

Red Game of Britain

"Lagapus. The densely-feathered feet resemble those of rabbits. No particular feathers on head or neck.…

The gannet is an excellent diver and can remain underwater for more than one minute.

Gannet

The gannet is an excellent diver and can remain underwater for more than one minute.

"The Gannet (S. bassana) has slate-grey wing-quills, purplish-grey bill, reddish feet and naked parts." A. H. Evans, 1900 Additionally, these birds have white plumage and blue eyes.

Gannet

"The Gannet (S. bassana) has slate-grey wing-quills, purplish-grey bill, reddish feet and naked parts."…

Five Geese roaming the streets.

Geese

Five Geese roaming the streets.

Four geese waddling next to a fence in the country. While waddling they were "honking and hissing like a bewildered orchesta.

Geese Waddling

Four geese waddling next to a fence in the country. While waddling they were "honking and hissing like…

A flock of geese flying over a town.

Geese

A flock of geese flying over a town.

"The Gerfalcon is the most powerful of the Falcon tribe. The falcons, it may be said, realize the ideal of a bird of prey."

Gerfalcon

"The Gerfalcon is the most powerful of the Falcon tribe. The falcons, it may be said, realize the ideal…

"Further development of hen's egg; after Haeckel: A, the mulberry mass of cleavage cells, b, same as seen on top in fig 111, F, here viewed in profile in section, resting upon n, the simply-shaded part of the figure, to represent conventionally the mass of food-yelk. A, morula stage (as before); B, blastula stage, the mass of cells, b, forming the blastoderm, uplifted from the food-yelk, leaving the cleavage-cavity, s; w, the thickened rim of the germ-disc; C, the blastula in process of inversion, by which a layer of entoderm-cells, i, growing from periphery to centre, will apply itself to the layer of exoderm-cells, e, obliterating the cleavage-cavity, s; D, the disc-gastrula completed, by union of entoderm, i, with exoderm, e, leaving the primitive intestinal cavity, d, which is quite similar in appearance to the cleavage cavity, s, but morphologically quite different." Elliot Coues, 1884

Egg Germination

"Further development of hen's egg; after Haeckel: A, the mulberry mass of cleavage cells, b, same as…

"Restoration of Leguatia gigantea. extinct bird from the Mascarene Islands." Elliot Coues, 1884Tall white bird.

Leguatia Gigantea

"Restoration of Leguatia gigantea. extinct bird from the Mascarene Islands." Elliot Coues, 1884 Tall…

A girl with birds.

Girl

A girl with birds.

A girl sitting outside.

Girl

A girl sitting outside.

A girl spreading seeds for birds to eat.

Girl Feeding Birds

A girl spreading seeds for birds to eat.

"Glottis, or opening of trachea in the mouth; a, base of tongue; b, b, horns of hyoid bone; c, rima glottidis, cleft or chink of the glottis; d, a triangular vacuity; e, an elastic ligament; d, d and e represent an epiglottis; f, f, a papillose surface." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Glottis of a Rook

"Glottis, or opening of trachea in the mouth; a, base of tongue; b, b, horns of hyoid bone; c, rima…

"- a, head of a (Polioptila nigriceps) Black-capped Gnat-catcher. b, head of a(Polioptila caerulea) Blue-gray Gnat-catcher. c, tail of (Polioptila nigriceps) Black-capped Gnat-catcher. d, tail of (Polioptila plumbea) Plumbeous Gnat-catcher" Elliot Coues, 1884

Black-capped Gnat-catcher

"- a, head of a (Polioptila nigriceps) Black-capped Gnat-catcher. b, head of a(Polioptila caerulea)…

"Grayish-blue, bluer on the crown, hoary on the rump, the forehead black, continuous with a black superciliary line. Edges of eyelids white, and above these a shade on the breast. Wings dark brown, the outer webs, especially of the inner quills, edged with hoary, and the inner webs of most bordered with white. Tail jet-black, the outer feather entirely or mostly white, the next one about half white, the third one tipped with white. Bill and feet black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Blue-gray Gnat-catcher

"Grayish-blue, bluer on the crown, hoary on the rump, the forehead black, continuous with a black superciliary…

The godwit is larger than the Woodcock with a long beak, twice the length of its head.

Godwit

The godwit is larger than the Woodcock with a long beak, twice the length of its head.

"Limosa fedoa. Great Marbled Godwit. Marlin. Feathers not extending on side of lower mandible to a point far beyond those on upper. no white anywhere; rump, tail, and its coverts barred throughout with blackish and the body-color. Lining of wings chestnut; axillars the same, more or less barred with black. General color rufous or light dull cinnamon-red, uniform and nearly uninterrupted on all the under parts, richer and more chestnut on the lining of the wings and axillars; somewhat marked with dusky on the sides of the breast and body; on the whole upper parts variegated with the brownish-black central field of each feather, the blackish predominating, leaving the rufous chiefly as scallops and tips of the feathers. This rufous very variable in intensity; usually paler on upper than on under parts, and strongest under the wings. Primaries rufous, successively darkening from the last to first, the outer webs and ends of the few outer ones blackish, the shaft of the first white. Bill livid flesh-colored, blackish on about terminal third; legs ashy-blackish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Marbled Godwit

"Limosa fedoa. Great Marbled Godwit. Marlin. Feathers not extending on side of lower mandible to a point…

"Astragalinus lawrencii. Lawrence's Goldfinch. Gray, more or less tinged with yellowish, whitening on the belly and crissum; rump, a large breast-patch, and much of the back rich yellow; crown, face, and chin black; wings black, variegated with yellow, most of the coverts being of this color, and the same broadly edging the quills; inner secondaries edged with hoary gray; tail black, most of the feathers with large square white spots on the inner webs and whitish edging of the outer; bill and feet flesh-color more or less obscured." Elliot Coues, 1884

Lawrence's Goldfinch

"Astragalinus lawrencii. Lawrence's Goldfinch. Gray, more or less tinged with yellowish, whitening on…

"Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch. Yellow-bird. Thistle-bird. In summer: Rich yellow, changing to whitish on the tail-coverts; a black patch on the crown; wings black, ore or less edged with white; lesser wing-coverts white or yellow; greater coverts tipped with white; tail black, every feather with a white spot; bill and feet flesh-colored. In September, the black cap disappears; the general plumage changes to a pale flaxen-brown above and whitey-brown below, with traces of the yellow, especially about the head; wings and tail much as in summer; sexes then much alike: this continues until the following April or May." Elliot Coues, 1884

American Goldfinch

"Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch. Yellow-bird. Thistle-bird. In summer: Rich yellow, changing…

"Astragalinus psaltria. Arkansaw Goldfinch. Upper parts uniform olive-green, without any black; below yellow; crown black, this not extending below the eyes; wings black, most of the quills and the greater coverts white-tipped, and the primaries white at base; tail black, the outermost three pairs of feathers with a long rectangular white spot on the inner web." Elliot Coues, 1884

Arkansaw Goldfinch

"Astragalinus psaltria. Arkansaw Goldfinch. Upper parts uniform olive-green, without any black; below…

"Astragalinus mexicanus. Mexican Goldfinch. The upper parts continuously-black, and the black of the crown extending below the eyes, enclosing the olive under eyelid. Mexican border and southward. This bird looks quite unlike typical psaltria, but the gradation through var. arizonae is perfect; and mexicana, moreover, leads directly into var. columbiana, a Central American form in which the tail-spots are very small or wanting. The females of these several varieties cannot by distinguished with certainty." Elliot Coues, 1884

Mexican Goldfinch

"Astragalinus mexicanus. Mexican Goldfinch. The upper parts continuously-black, and the black of the…

When attacked, the goose makes a hissing noise similar to that of some snakes.

Goose

When attacked, the goose makes a hissing noise similar to that of some snakes.

When attacked, the goose makes a hissing noise similar to that of some snakes.

Goose

When attacked, the goose makes a hissing noise similar to that of some snakes.

"Fig 72 - Hyoid bones of a goose, nat. size; Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. a, cartilaginous end-piece of b, the great glosso-hyal, which has absorbed or replaced cerato-hyals or "lesser cornua"; c, basihyal, movably articulated with b, and combined completely with d, basibranchial, commonly called "urohyal;" e, ceratobranchial: f, epibranchial; e and f are together known as " thyrohayals," or "greater cornua." Elliot Coues, 1884

Goose Hyoid

"Fig 72 - Hyoid bones of a goose, nat. size; Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. a, cartilaginous end-piece of…