Bird Species (Non-Parrot) starting with Letters R and S

Rails / Rallidae

The family Rallidae includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. In Europe / Africa / Asia (the “Old World”), the long billed species are often referred to as “rails” and the short-billed species as “crakes”. However, in North America, they are typically all called “rails” irrespective of the length of their bill. Some other large species are called gallinules and swamphens.

Ravens

Ravens are the most widespread of all corvids (crows), ranging throughout Europe, North Africa, Western Siberia, North America and Greenland.

Most of us are familiar with the Common, or Northern Raven.

They are highly intelligent and share many of the same qualities as crows. Clever and resourceful, they adapt quickly to differing climates and terrains.

This alone requires great intellect. They are known as problem-solvers, even solving problems created by scientists.

Razorbills

The Razorbill, Alca torda, is the only living member of the genus Alca.

Though the Razorbill’s average lifespan is roughly 13 years, a bird ringed in the UK in 1967 has survived for at least 41 years—a record for the species.

Red Shining Parrots

The Red Shining-parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis) is endemic to the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni in Fiji. Most populations exist in or near the forests on the islands of Kadavu and Ono.

This parrot species was also introduced to southern Tonga – specifically Eua and Tongatapu Islands.

Its favored habitats include subtropical or tropical moist lowland and mangrove forest areas.

The Crimson Shining Parrot (Prosopeia splendens) is sometimes considered conspecific with Red Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis) (of, or belonging to, the same species), but may be closer to the Masked Shining Parrots (Prosopeia personata). The Crimson Shining Parrot is now considered monotypic (a genus consisting of only one species).

Red-billed Pionus or Coral-billed Pionus Parrot

The Red-billed Parrot averages 11 inches (28 cm) in length. The plumage is generally olive-green. The head is also olive-green except the feathers to the crown and back of the head are broadly edged with dark-blue. The cheeks are olive with blue tips. There is a blue band across the throat and upper breast. The breast and abdomen are dull olive, each feather with duller edging tinged bluish-pink. The under tail-coverts are red. The back is dull olive-green, each feather with olive-brown markings. The middle tail-feathers are green and the outers are blue with red at the base. They have red bills with a paler base. Their eye rings are grey and their irises dark brown. They have grey feet.

Young birds have a pale green head, and yellowish-green under tail-coverts with a few red feathers.

Red-cheeked Parrots

As Red-cheeked (geoffroyus), but generally darker; reddish-brown patch to wing-coverts absent; blue crown and back of head extends to nape, there adjoining pale blue band; back variably tinged bronze-brown; breast and abdomen with bluish-green tinge; under wing-coverts darker blue; generally larger. Female as nominate type, but brown of head extends to nape; there adjoining a very broad pale blue band; crown tinged bluish; back variably tinged bronze-brown; breast and abdomen with bluish-green tinge. … Length: 25 cm (10 ins), wing length 170 – 185 mm (6.5 – 7 ins)

Red-cheeked Parrots

The Red-cheeked Parrot averages 8 to 8.4 inches (~21 cm) in length and weigh around 4.7 to 6.3 oz (135 – 180 g).

Its general plumage is green. The forehead, throat and sides of the head are red. The crown and the back of the head are mauve-blue. The breast, abdomen, tail upperside, upper and lower tail-coverts are yellow-green. The lower back is green. There is a reddish-brown patch to the median wing-coverts. The under wing-coverts are blue. The underside of the tail is green-yellow. It has pale yellow irises. The feet are grey. The upper beak is coral red and the lower beak is brown-grey.

Female look like males for the most part, except her head is brown and there is an olive tinge to her cheeks and throat. The upper and lower beak is brown-grey. (Please refer to the image below to the right.)

Red-crowned Parakeets or Kākāriki

The Red-crowned Parakeet was once widespread across the islands and mainland of New Zealand. It was extremely abundant during the 1880s and irruptions occurred in a number of locations due to their vulnerability to introduced species, particularly stoats, rats and possums.

At one time, this species was considered “effectively” extinct on the mainland of New Zealand, although recent records indicate that small groups of them still exist. Some cage escapes / releases or vagrants from offshore island populations have also established themselves.

The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand’ – B.D. Heather and H.A. Robertson; 2005; 440pp; Viking states as follows: “Common to abundant on many islands free of mammalian predators. Very rare on the mainland.” … “In the North Island, a few are now found in heavy forest of western Northland, the central North Island and the Rushine Range” … “[V]agrants visit bush patches along the eastern coast of Northland from nearby island.”

For the most part, this species is confined to Stewart Island/Rakiura and a number of offshore islands (such as Kapiti Island, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Matiu/Somes Island) as well as the Kermadec Islands to the north of New Zealand, on the Auckland Islands to the south and the Chatham Islands to the east.

The two island populations are sometimes afforded subspecific status. They are considered vulnerable by the IUCN and BirdLife International because the remaining populations are highly fragmented.

According to the Porirua City News (17 November, page 8) published in October 2004, two pairs of Red-crowned Parakeets were seen in the Porirua Scenic Reserve, probably having flown from Kapiti Island.

Red-footed Boobies

The Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings.

Red-lored Amazon Parrots aka Yellow-cheek Amazon Parrots

The Red-lored Amazon averages 12 – 13.6 inches (30 to 35 cm) in length (including tail) with a wingspan from 15 to 17 inches (38 to 43 cm). The average weight is 310-480g.

The plumage is primarily green, with red forehead, in some subspecies yellow cheeks (sometimes with red spots). The crown is blue and thick. The tip of the lower beak is gray horn; the upper beak is light horn-colored. The feet are light to dark grey.

Males and females look alike; although some breeders opine that mature females have brown irises while mature males have a golden iris. If identifying the correct sex is important, this imprecise technique may not suffice and DNA sexing is recommended.

Juveniles have less yellow on cheeks, less red on forehead, and dark irises.

Redstarts

Redstarts are small insectivorous ground-feeding birds that occur in the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa). Most northern species are migratory.

They were named for their red tail (“start” is the modern English reflex of Middle English stert, Old English steort = tail of an animal, which gives the group its name).

Philippine Creepers or Rhabdornises

The family is endemic to the Philippines. The group contains a single genus Rhabdornis with three species. They do not migrate, other than local movements.

Rheas

Rheas are large, flightless birds with gray-brown plumage, long legs and long necks, similar to an ostrich.

These birds can reach 5.6 feet (1.7 m), and weigh up to 88 pounds (40 kg). Their wings are large for a flightless bird and are spread while running, to act like sails. Unlike most birds, rheas have only three toes. Their tarsus has horizontal plates on the front of it. They also store urine separately in an expansion of the cloaca.

Ptiloris: Riflebirds

The genus Ptiloris consist of riflebirds species that are part of the bird-of-paradise family.

They are found in the rainforests of New Guinea and Australia.

They were named “riflebird” as their black and green plumages resembled the uniform of early nineteenth century British army riflemen.

Asiatic, African Parakeets / Ringneck or Long-tailed Parakeets

The vibrant and colorful ringneck parrots are visually appealing and tame easily. Most of them readily breed in captivity resulting in an ample supply of young birds for the pet trade.

Owners describe them as smart birds that learn concepts quickly and love to show off. Many of them are very talented talkers, speaking with a clarity that can easily be compared to that of the Quakers, Grays and Amazons – species well known for their talking abilities. Contrary to rumors, both the male and the female are capable of speech. They learn words and phrases in a very short span of time without any training for the most part. They just learn by listening. Of course, should training be provided, their vocabulary can be significantly increased.

Roadrunner Bird : Chaparral Cock

The roadrunner are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America. These two species are the ground foraging cuckoos.

Species – Robins / Thrushes

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Black Robin (Turdus infuscatus)

Clay-colored Robin or Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)

Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea)

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Mountain Robin or Mountain Thrush (Turdus plebejus)

New Zealand Robins or Toutouwais

Norfolk Island Pacific Robin (Petroica multicolor multicolor), also known as the Norfolk Island Scarlet Robin or Norfolk Island Robin

Pacific Robin (Petroica multicolor)

Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii)

Rufous-collared Robin (Turdus rufitorques)

Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang)

Sooty Robin or Sooty Thrush (Turdus nigrescens)

Toutouwais or New Zealand Robins

Rodriguez Parrots

The Rodrigues Parrot (Necropsittacus rodericanus) is an extinct species of parrot which once lived on the Mascarene island of Rodrigues. It is known from subfossil bones and the 1708 description of Leguat as well as the 1726 report of Julien Tafforet.

The birds were described as generally of green coloration, with a large head and beak and a long tail, and being in size markedly larger than a pigeon, or considerably so than the local parakeet.

Rollers

The Rollers occur in the warmer areas of the Old World (Europa, Asia, and Africa).

These crow-size birds have a colorful, mostly blue and brown plumage. Their two inner front toes are connected, but not the outer one.

They mostly feed on insects, usually catching them in mid-air. They were named for the aerial acrobatics they perform when hunting insects.

They usually nest in tree cavities. The average nest consists of 2 – 4 eggs.

Rollers

The Rollers occur in the warmer areas of the Old World (Europa, Asia, and Africa).

These crow-size birds have a colorful, mostly blue and brown plumage. Their two inner front toes are connected, but not the outer one.

They mostly feed on insects, usually catching them in mid-air. They were named for the aerial acrobatics they perform when hunting insects.

They usually nest in tree cavities. The average nest consists of 2 – 4 eggs.

Rose-faced Parrots

The Rose-faced Parrot averages 9 to 9.5 inches (23 – 34 cm) in length and weighs around 7.1 to 7.3 oz.

The plumage of both males and females is mainly green. They have a dark grey/brown crown to the nape and distinctive rose/pink lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird’s head) to the area around eyes, the ear coverts (feathers covering the ears) and the hindcheeks. They have a pale rose chin and forecheeks. The hindneck is dull olive/yellow, reaching to the breast where it turns to a greenish color. The lesser wing-coverts and forewings are orange and yellow. Their green tail is tipped with blue, with red at the base. The bill is horn-colored. The eye rings are white and the irises are pale- yellow.

Females look like the male, but are generally smaller.

Immatures lack the full coloring to the face. The rose/pink on the face are confined to the superciliary line and ear coverts (feathers covering the ears). There is more green to the crown and nape. They have green/brown cheeks and chin. The breast is interspersed with green and there is an olive/yellow tinge to the breast. The irises are darker.

Rose-ringed Parakeets

The Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) – also known as Ring-necked Parakeets – are endemic to Northern and West Africa in Guinea, Senegal and southern Mauretania east to western Uganda and southern Sudan; as well as Southern Asia (depending on the sub-species).

These gregarious tropical parakeets are popular in the pet industry, and their numbers are decreasing in some areas due to trapping for the pet trade. The Rose-ringed Parakeet’s population has dropped dramatically in many areas of the Indian subcontinent.

In India, the royals prized them as pets and for their ability to speak; and owning one of these birds, represented a popular status symbol in the Indian culture.

These beautiful and elegant birds can live 25 to 30 years.

Rose-ringed Parakeets

The Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) – also known as Ring-necked Parakeets – are endemic to Northern and West Africa in Guinea, Senegal and southern Mauretania east to western Uganda and southern Sudan; as well as Southern Asia (depending on the sub-species).

These gregarious tropical parakeets are popular in the pet industry, and their numbers are decreasing in some areas due to trapping for the pet trade. The Rose-ringed Parakeet’s population has dropped dramatically in many areas of the Indian subcontinent.

In India, the royals prized them as pets and for their ability to speak; and owning one of these birds, represented a popular status symbol in the Indian culture.

These beautiful and elegant birds can live 25 to 30 years.

Rose-ringed Parakeets

The Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) – also known as Ring-necked Parakeets – are endemic to Northern and West Africa in Guinea, Senegal and southern Mauretania east to western Uganda and southern Sudan; as well as Southern Asia (depending on the sub-species).

These gregarious tropical parakeets are popular in the pet industry, and their numbers are decreasing in some areas due to trapping for the pet trade. The Rose-ringed Parakeet’s population has dropped dramatically in many areas of the Indian subcontinent.

In India, the royals prized them as pets and for their ability to speak; and owning one of these birds, represented a popular status symbol in the Indian culture.

These beautiful and elegant birds can live 25 to 30 years.

Ruff

The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a medium-sized wader. It is usually considered the only member of its genus Philomachus, but more recent research (Thomas et al, 2004) indicates that the Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper may belong there too.

Their breeding habitat is bogs, marshes and wet meadows with short vegetation in northern Europe and Russia. Ruff are migratory, wintering in southern and western Europe, Africa and India. They are highly gregarious, with a wintering flock of 1 million birds reported in Senegal.

Rüppell’s Parrots, Ruppel’s or Rueppel’s Parrots

The Rueppell’s Parrot or Rüppell’s Parrot (Poicephalus rueppellii) is endemic in Southwestern Africa, specifically central Namibia and southwest Angola to Luanda. They are usually seen in small flocks of up to 20 – but more can congregate in areas where food is plentyful.

Their preferred habitats range from riparian woodland to Acacia, dry steppe and thornveld as well as palm tree stands, such as Northern lala palm in the northern parts of its range. In its southerly range, it generally occurs in mixed Acacia woodland and cluster-leafs stands. This species is generally more common near streams or rivers.

The name commemorates the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell.

The reported maximum longevity in captivity is 34.3 years.

Rusty-faced Parrots (Hapalopsittaca / Hapalopsittica)

Size: Rusty-faced parrots are generally chunky and average 23 cm or 9 inches in length (including the tail).

Adults: The plumage is mostly green. The abdomen and under tail-coverts are yellowish-green. They have a dull orange crown and pale yellow lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird’s head). The orange-red cheeks have a yellow streaking. The olive ear-coverts (feathers covering the ears) are slightly elongated with yellow shafts. They have red shoulders. The outer median and secondary wing-coverts are dark blue. The tail is brownish-red with a violet-blue tip. They have blue secondary coverts and dark bluish primaries (= longest wing feathers). The underside of the flight-feathers are greenish-blue. The bill is horn-colored with a bluish-grey base. They have dark grey eye (periophthalmic) rings. The irises are greenish-yellow and their feet are dark grey.

Young (immature) birds have yellow streaks to their ear-coverts and cheeks. The head is a duller red and the secondary wing feathers are green.

Saffron-headed Parrots

The Saffron-headed Parrot averages 9.5 – 9.6 inches (~24 cm) in length.

The plumage is generally green, except the head and the throat that feature a bright yellow coloration. The ear coverts (feathers covering the ears) are washed with orange yellow. The breast and nape are olive-yellow. The thighs have some red and yellow feathers. The edge of the wings, the sides of the body and under wing-coverts are red. The primary wing feathers and wings are black – the latter with a bluish tinge and bluish-green edging. The lesser wing-coverts are green with a bluish tinge and the greater wing-coverts are blue with green edging. The central tail feathers have blue wing tips. The outer tail feathers have yellow to the inner webs. The irises are dark brown. The cere and feet are dark grey.

Immature birds have greenish heads. Their cheeks and ear coverts (feathers covering the ears) are tinged olive-yellow. The throat and breast are olive. The bend of the wing and wing-coverts are green with some red feathers. The edges of the wing are interspersed with green. The greater wing-coverts are green.

Saltator

Saltator is Latin for “leaper” or “dancer”. Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot applied it to this genus because of the heavy way the birds hop on the ground..

Sanderlings

It is somewhat unlike other sandpipers in appearance, which has led to the suggestion that it should be placed into a monotypic genus Crocethia (a genus consisting of only one species). A more recent review (Thomas et al., 2004) indicates, however, that the sanderling is a fairly typical “stint” or small sandpiper and should be separated from the large knots with its closest relatives in a distinct genus.

This bird is similar in size to a Dunlin, but stouter, with a thick bill. It shows a strong white wingbar in flight, and runs along the sandy beaches it prefers with a characteristic “bicycling” action, stopping frequently to pick small food items. It eats small crabs and other small invertebrates. In spring, birds migrating north from South America consume large numbers of horseshoe crab eggs in the Delaware Bay area.

Sandgrouse

The sandgrouse are distributed across northern, southern and eastern Africa as well as Madagascar; the Middle East, India through to central Asia; and the Iberian Peninsula; where they are restricted to treeless open areas, such as plains and semi-deserts.

Waders, Sandpipers – Shorebirds

Waders, called Shorebirds in North America (where “wader” is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons), are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas (Stercoraracidae), gulls (Laridae), terns (Sternidae), skimmers (Rhynchopidae), and auks (Alcidae). Also, the pratincoles (Glareolidae) and the Crab Plover (Dromadidae), which look more similar to waders, are closely related to the seabirds.

Santarm Tui Parakeets

The Santarém Tui Parakeets is a little smaller than the nominate Tui Parakeet, averaging 6 inches (16 cm) in length. Although other than small difference in size, they look like the nominate species, but they have a variably marked stripe behind eye, and the yellow patch to the forehead is often more extensive (please refer to above image).

Sapsuckers

As their name implies, sapsuckers feed primarily on the sap of trees, moving among different tree and shrub species on a seasonal basis. Insects, especially those attracted to the sweet sap exuding from sap holes, are often captured and fed to the young during the breeding season.

The most easily recognised sap holes are found in birch trees during the breeding season. The members of this genus are slender birds with stiff tails and relatively long wings.

Screamers: South American waterfowl

The screamers are a small family of birds, the Anhimidae. For a long time they were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but they are truly related to ducks (family Anatidae), most closely to the Magpie Goose (which some DNA evidence suggests are closer to screamers than to ducks). The family is exceptional within the living birds in lacking uncinate processes of ribs.

Scrub Jays

Most of the Scrub Jay’s head is a rich deep blue (the top of the head, the nape, and the sides of the head). One species, the Unicolored Jay, is blue all over. Some species have a white stripe above the eye and dark ear feathers. The chest is also white or grey-white and the back is a grey-brown. Most species have a bright blue tail and wings.

Similar Species: These jays are easily confused with the common Blue Jay, but they lack the Blue Jay’s crest, are slightly larger and have a longer tail, as well as slightly shorter and more rounded wings.

Scrubfowl – Genus Megapodius

Unlike other birds that brood nest using their body heat, these birds don’t incubate their eggs, but bury them instead.

They build massive mounds of decaying vegetation, which the male attends to, adding or removing litter as needed to regulate the internal heat until the young hatch.

Scrubwrens

Scrubwren, any of a number of small Australasian birds belonging to the genus Sericornis, sometimes known as scrub tits.

Senegal Parrots aka Yellow-vented Parrots

The Senegal Parrots (Poicephalus senegalus senegalus) are probably the best known and most popular members of the entire Poicephalus family, which includes Meyer’s, Red-bellied, and Jardine’s Parrots.

These compact and very playful African parrots are frequently seen in pet shops around the USA and Europe, where they were heavily imported until their importation became illegal in 1992.

Senegal Parrots have a life expectancy of 20 – 30 years; however, some captive birds have been recorded to have lived close to 50 years.

The Seychelles Parakeet averaged 16 ins (41 cm) in length. It resembled the Alexandrine parakeet, but was smaller and lacked the pink color in its collar. The general plumage was green; back of head, nape and narrow stripes to cheek washed with blue; broad cheek-stripe and obscure narrow line from cere to eye black; abdomen yellowish-green; purple-red patch on wing coverts; upperside of middle tail-feathers blue with yellow tips, outer feathers green; tail underside yellow; bill red with yellow tip; iris yellowish; feet grey.

Phalacrocoracidae: Cormorants and Shags

There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags. The names “cormorant” and “shag” were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo (now referred to by ornithologists as the Great Cormorant) and P. aristotelis (the Common Shag). “Shag” refers to the bird’s crest, which the British forms of the Great Cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not. Sometimes the same species is called a cormorant in one part of the world and a shag in another, e.g. the Great Cormorant is called the Black Shag in New Zealand (the birds found in Australasia have a crest that is absent in European members of the species). Some modern classifications of the family have divided it into two genera and have tried to attach the name “Cormorant” to one and “Shag” to the other, but this flies in the face of common usage and has not been widely adopted.

Shearwaters

Shearwaters – or “true shearwaters” – are medium-sized, long-winged seabirds that were named for their hunting technique, which involves flying and gliding close to the surface of the sea, as they search for suitable prey.

They are found on unfrozen oceans of the world, being most common in temperate and cold waters and rarely occur in tropical or even subtropical waters.

These marine birds spend their lives on the open ocean, except when breeding.

Short-tailed Parrots or Sharp-tailed Parrots

The Short-tailed Parrot occurs naturally in the rain forest of the tropical zone, with populations existing along both sides of the Amazon river in northernmost Brazil, south-eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and eastern Peru. It can also be found in the coastal deltas of French Guiana and Amapá – a Brazilian state located in the extreme north.

Outside the breeding season, they are usually found in large, noisy flocks that can be heard from a distance. They prefer trees along water courses. These parrots tend to gather towards the evenings on roosting trees.

Even though this species is considered common in parts of its range, speaking in general terms, this parrot is considered endangered in its natural habitat (CITES II) due to habitat destruction and capturing for the pet trade.

Shrikes

A shrike is a passerine bird of the family Laniidae which is known for its habit of catching insects, small birds or mammals and impaling their bodies on thorns. This helps them to tear the flesh into smaller, more conveniently-sized fragments, and serves as a “larder” so that the shrike can return to the uneaten portions at a later time.

A typical shrike’s beak is hooked, like a bird of prey, reflecting its predatory nature.

Sibias

The Sibias (genus Heterophasia) includes many species

• Rufous-backed Sibia, Heterophasia annectens – sometimes in Leioptila
• White-eared Sibia, Heterophasia auricularis – sometimes in Malacias
• Rufous Sibia, Heterophasia capistrata – sometimes in Malacias
• Grey Sibia, Heterophasia gracilis – sometimes in Malacias
• etc

Epimachus: Sicklebills

The genus Epimachus (Cuvier, 1816) consist of four species birds of paradise with long decurved sickle-like bill.

Sicklebills feed by “trap-lining” between favorite plants and, unlike most other hummingbirds, actually perch on the flowers while feeding.

Singing Parrots or Yellow-headed Parrots

The Singing Parrot averages ~9.75 to 10 inches (~25 cm) in length, from head to the tip of the tail; and weighs around 5.6 to 6.8 oz (160-195g).

Male: The general plumage is green. His head is yellow, edged with a greyish-mauve collar around the neck. The breast, abdomen, upperside of tail, upper and under-tail-coverts are yellowish-green. The lower back is green and there is a reddish-brown patch to the median wing-coverts. The under wing-coverts are violet-blue. The tail underside is dusky yellow. He has narrow grey periophthalmic rings and pale yellow irises. The feet are grey and the upper beak is pale horn-colored. The lower beak is dark grey.

Siskins

Siskins (genus Carduelis) are small finches with a worldwide distribution. These active little birds mostly feed on seeds and some insects.

Skimmers

These tern-like birds have elongated lower beaks.

They mostly feed on fish by flying low over the water surface skimming the water with the lower beak for small fish.

Skuas

The skuas are seabirds in the family Stercorariidae. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America. They have even been sighted at the South Pole.

The name skua comes from Faroese skúgvur (Stercorarius skua), and the island of Skúvoy is renown for its colony of that bird. Jaeger is derived from the German word Jäger, meaning hunter.

“Skua” is also a slang term at American Antarctic research stations such as the McMurdo Station or the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. It is named for the bird, and it means to salvage or scavenge for equipment or gear.

Slaty-headed Parakeets

The slaty-headed parakeet averages 15.5 – 16 inches (~40 cm) in length, with the tail being ~ 6 to 7 inches (~158 to 178 mm) long. Slatyheads are bigger than Plumheads. The hens are slightly smaller than the cock, the body approximately the same size as that of an Eastern Rosella.

A variety of mutations have been produced, including blue, olive, lutino and albino.

The original (natural) slaty-headed parakeet has a mostly green plumage. The head, however, is dark grey with a slight bluish hue, There are black stripes to the cheeks and a narrow band to nape, with an adjoining bluish-green band. There is a dark red patch to the wing-coverts. The under wing-coverts are greenish-blue. The middle tail-feathers are blue with a green base and yellow tips. The upper beak is red with a yellow tip. The lower beak is yellowish. The irises are whitish and the feet grey.

Females are either without or with a greatly reduced dark red patch to the wing-coverts.

Immatures have greenish head and brownish-green cheeks. There is a narrow green band to the nape. The upper and lower beaks are horn-colored with a brownish base to the lower beak. They attain their adult plumage when they are about 30 months old.

Slender-billed Conures aka Long-billed Conures

Slender-billed Conures average 15-16 inches in length.

The general plumage is generally olive green. Their forehead, crown and neck feathers are edged with brownish black. The feathered lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird’s head) and cere are crimson red. The center of abdomen is a maroon reddish color and the tail is brownish red with a tinge of green.

They have a dark grey bill. The upper beak is prolonged and slightly curved.

The irises are orange and the eyes are circled by a small grey periophthalmic ring.

Nestorinae: Nestor Parrots aka Kaka aka New Zealand Kaka

Greenish-brown; forehead, crown and nape greyish-white, sometimes feathers tipped dull green; neck and abdomen brownish-red, hind-neck more crimson and with yellow and dark-brown margins; breast olive-brown; ear-coverts orange-yellow; rump, upper and under tail-coverts red edged with dark-brown; under wing-coverts and undersides of flight feathers crimson; tail brown with pale tips; iris dark-brown; feet dark grey; bill brownish-grey.

Female has shorter and less curved bill.

Immatures as adult, but with yellowish base to the lower beak.

Snipes

A Snipe is any of nearly 20 very similar wading bird species characterised by a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage. Snipe in the family Scolopacidae belong either to the small genera Coenocorypha (the New Zealand snipes) and Lymnocryptes, or to the about 15 typical snipes in the genus Gallinago. The latter are the closest relatives of the woodcocks , whereas the small genera represent earlier divergences in the snipe/woodcock clade (Thomas et al., 2004). The three species of Painted Snipe are not closely related to these, and are placed in their own family, the Rostratulidae.

Softbills

There is a lot of confusion about what birds are “softbills,” as the name is somewhat misleading.

Many only associate those birds with large yet light-weight and relatively fragile beaks. However, the beaks of many “softbills” are quite hard and strong, and can cause considerable damage – an experience that a good number of their human caretakers can attest to.

Authorities generally apply this name to any birds that are on a soft food diet; differentiating them from “hard-bills,” which refers to birds with hard, strong beaks that are adapted to cracking seeds and nuts.

The beaks of Softbills are adapted for feeding on fruits, nectar, plant material, insects and/ or other small animals.

Sparrows

The Old World Sparrows (family Passeridae) – of which there are about 140 species – are native to the old world tropics and Australasia.

American Sparrows – or New World sparrows – are closely related to the Old World Sparrows, although some physical differences as far as the seed-eaters bills and head markings exist.

Their average lifespan is 4 to 7 years.

Spindalis

Spindalis is a genus consisting of 4 non-migratory bird species.

The genus is considered endemic to the Greater Antilles; a population on Cozumel Island, off the Yucatan Peninsula’s east coast, is part of that island’s West Indian fauna.

Traditionally considered aberrant tanagers (Thraupidae), their true affiliation remains unresolved. They are not part of the Thraupidae, however.

Spoonbills / Wading Birds (family Threskiornithidae)

All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly-opened bill from side to side. The moment any small aquatic creature touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish—it is snapped shut. Spoonbills generally prefer fresh water to salt but are found in both environments. They need to feed many hours each day.

Birds of Paradise or Cendrawasih

The members of this family are perhaps best known for the plumage of the males of most species, in particular highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings or head.

Birds of paradise range in size from the King Bird of Paradise at 50 grams (1.8 oz) and 15 cm (6 in) to the Black Sicklebill at 110 cm (43 in) and the Curl-crested Manucode at 430 grams (15.2 oz )

Starlings

Their plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.

The size and weight varies greatly by species.

• The shortest-bodied species is Kenrick’s Starling (Poeoptera kenricki) at 6 inches (15 cm).The largest starlings are the mynas (genus Mino) – in particular the Yellow-faced (Mino dumontii) and Long-tailed Mynas (Mino kreffti). These mynas can exceed 1 foot (30 cm) and weigh over 8 oz (225 grams).The lightest-weight species is Abbott’s Starling (Poeoptera femoralis), at 1.2 oz (34 grams).

They have strong feet and their flight is strong and direct.

Storks

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills, belonging to the family Ciconiidae. They occur in most of the warmer regions of the world and tend to live in drier habitats than the related herons, spoonbills and ibises; they also lack the powder down that those groups use to clean off fish slime. Storks have no syrinx (= sound-producing vocal organ) and are mute, giving no bird call; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, and small birds or mammals. There are 19 species of storks in six genera.

Storm-petrels – Family Hydrobatidae

They are colonial nesters, displaying strong philopatry to their natal colonies and nesting sites. Most species nest in crevices or burrows and all but one species attends the breeding colonies nocturnally. Pairs form long term monogamous bonds and share incubation and chick feeding duties. Like many species of seabird nesting is highly protracted with incubation taking up to 50 days and fledging another 70 days after that.

Sungrebes or American Finfoots (Heliornis fulica)

Sungrebes or Finfoots occur naturally in southeastern Mexico (Veracruz) south through Central America and throughout most of northern South America (but remain mostly east of the Andes mountain range). They range as south as Bolivia and northeastern Argentina.

Finfoots are highly secretive, and because they are so reserved, Finfoots often go unseen. They are territorial most of the time and definitely during breeding season. Although they do not migrate, they do disperse in order to form new colonies in preferred habitats. Since they do not fly well, they stay near shady, calm waterways.

The Finfoot is generally viewed alone or in pairs. So secretive are they that even experienced ornithologists have difficulty locating them. This makes them a prized sighting for birders.

Sunbirds and Spiderhunters

Sunbirds are strongly sexually dimorphic.

The adult males usually have brilliantly colored plumage, while the females and the young are duller in coloration.

Sunbirds have long thin down-curved bills and brush tipped tubular tongues – both adaptations to their nectar feeding.

Surfbirds

The Surfbird, is a small stocky wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is usually classified in a genus of its own, as Aphriza virgata, but more recent data suggests it is very close genetically to the Red and Great Knots and should be included in Calidris (Thomas et al., 2004). Indeed, the Great Knot looks very much like a larger, more long-billed, and somewhat darker surfbird.

Swallows

They have slender, streamlined bodies; long, pointed wings and most of them have long tails. Their feet are designed for perching rather than walking. The front toes are partially joined at the base.

Porphyrio

Porphyrio is thegenus of birds with a distribution in the warmer regions of Africa and the Americas, barely reaching into Asia and Europe.

Swans: Bird Genus Cygnus

Swan pairs typically bond for life and pairs stay together throughout the year, including moving together in migratory populations. However, it has been observed that some of them switch mates over their lifetimes, particularly after nesting failures, and some that lost their mate did not mate again. The “divorce rate” is estimated to be about 6%. Additionally, studies found that around a third of all broods exhibit extra-pair paternity.

Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets

The swift family remains one of the more complicated groups of birds in taxonomic research, but the swiftlet tribe is a rather well-defined group. Its internal systematics is confusing; the plumage is usually dull, with shades of black, brown, and gray; from their outward appearance, most species are very similar. Swiftlets have four toes, except the Papuan swiftlet which lacks the hallux (back toe). Their legs are very short, preventing the birds from perching, but allowing them to cling to vertical surfaces. Flight is mainly gliding due to very long primary feathers (flight feathers) and small breast muscles. The larger Aerodramus swiftlets weigh about 14 grams and are 10 cm long.

Swifts

The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with the hummingbirds.