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Rynchops
The skimmers, forming the genus ''Rynchops'', are tern-like birds in the family (Biology), family Laridae. The genus comprises three species found in South Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They were formerly known as the scissorbills. Description The three species are the only birds with distinctive uneven beak, bills, where the lower mandible is longer than the upper mandible, upper. This remarkable adaptation allows them to fish in a unique way, flying low and fast over streams. Their lower mandible skims or slices over the water's surface, ready to snap shut any small fish unable to dart clear. The skimmers are sometimes included within the gull family Laridae but separated in other treatments which consider them as a sister group of the terns. The black skimmer has an additional adaptation and is the only species of bird known to have slit-shaped pupils. the forehead, ends of the secondaries, tail feathers and under parts are white, the rest of the plumage is black and the basal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Skimmer
The black skimmer (''Rynchops niger'') is a tern-like seabird, one of three similar bird species in the Rynchops, skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North America, North and South America. Northern populations bird migration, winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but South American populations make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows. Taxonomy The black skimmer was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1755 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' and given the binomial name ''Rynchops niger''. The genus name ''Rynchops'' is from the Ancient Greek ῥυvχος/''rhunkhos'' meaning "bill" and κοπτω/''koptō'' meaning "to cut off". The specific ''niger'' is the Latin word for "black". The black skimmer is one of three species in the genus ''Rynchops''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rynchops Niger
The black skimmer (''Rynchops niger'') is a tern-like seabird, one of three similar bird species in the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but South American populations make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows. Taxonomy The black skimmer was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1755 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' and given the binomial name ''Rynchops niger''. The genus name ''Rynchops'' is from the Ancient Greek ῥυvχος/''rhunkhos'' meaning "bill" and κοπτω/''koptō'' meaning "to cut off". The specific ''niger'' is the Latin word for "black". The black skimmer is one of three species in the genus ''Rynchops''. There are three subspecies: Description The black skimmer is the lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Skimmer
The black skimmer (''Rynchops niger'') is a tern-like seabird, one of three similar bird species in the Rynchops, skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North America, North and South America. Northern populations bird migration, winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but South American populations make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows. Taxonomy The black skimmer was described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1755 in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' and given the binomial name ''Rynchops niger''. The genus name ''Rynchops'' is from the Ancient Greek ῥυvχος/''rhunkhos'' meaning "bill" and κοπτω/''koptō'' meaning "to cut off". The specific ''niger'' is the Latin word for "black". The black skimmer is one of three species in the genus ''Rynchops''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Skimmer
The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors-bill (''Rynchops albicollis'') is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the family Laridae. They are somewhat tern-like but like other skimmers, have a short upper mandible and the longer lower mandible that is ploughed along the surface of water as the bird flies over the water to pick aquatic prey. It is found in southern Asia, where it is patchily distributed and declining in numbers. They are mainly found in rivers or estuaries. They are very brightly marked in black, white and orange, making them difficult to miss. Description This bird has a black cap and orange bill that contrasts with the white body. With its long wings it looks tern-like and is about 40–43 cm long with a wingspan of 108 cm. The upper parts of the body are dark black and the underparts are white. The black cap on the head leaves the forehead and nape white. The wings are long and pointed with a white trailing edge. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Skimmer
The African skimmer (''Rynchops flavirostris'') is a species of bird belonging to the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the family Laridae. It is found along rivers, lakes and lagoons in Sub-Saharan Africa. Description African skimmers have long wings, with a black back, hindneck, and crown. The forehead and rest of the body is white, with a bright, long, orange beak that ends with a yellow tip (black tip when immature), hence the specific name ''flavirostris'', "yellow-beak". Their short forked tail is white, and their legs are bright red. The average size is about long. Their voice is a sharp "kip-kip". Their bill structure is unique; the lower mandible is much longer than the upper mandible, and is flattened sideways like scissor blades. Distribution and habitat The African skimmer is found from Senegal to northern Congo River and southern Nile Valley, southern Tanzania to the Zambezi Valley, and then to KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa) and Angola. They live at large trop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laridae
Laridae is a family of seabirds in the order Charadriiformes that includes the gulls, terns (including white terns), noddies, and skimmers. It includes around 100 species arranged into 22 genera. They are an adaptable group of mostly aerial birds found worldwide. Taxonomy The family Laridae was introduced (as Laridia) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. Historically, Laridae were restricted to the gulls, while the terns were placed in a separate family, Sternidae, and the skimmers in a third family, Rynchopidae. The noddies were traditionally included in Sternidae. In 1990 Charles Sibley and Jon Ahlquist included auks and skuas in a broader family Laridae. A molecular phylogenetic study by Baker and colleagues published in 2007 found that the noddies in the genus '' Anous'' formed a sister group to a clade containing the gulls, skimmers, and the other terns. To create a monophyletic family group, Laridae was expanded to include the genera that had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae, subfamily Sterninae, that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated in eleven genera in a subgroup of the family Laridae, which also includes several genera of gulls and the skimmers (''Rynchops''). They are slender, lightly built birds with long, forked tails, narrow wings, long bills, and relatively short legs. Most species are pale grey above and white below with a contrasting black cap to the head, but the marsh terns, the black-bellied tern, the Inca tern, and some noddies have dark body plumage for at least part of the year. The sexes are identical in appearance, but young birds are readily distinguishable from adults. Terns have a non-breeding plumage, which usually involves a white forehead and much-reduced black cap. Terns are long-lived birds and are relatively free from natural predators and parasites; most species are declining in numbers due directly o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mugil Cephalus
The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous English names, including the flathead mullet, striped mullet (US, American Fisheries Society name), black mullet, bully mullet, common mullet, grey mullet, sea mullet and mullet, among others. The flathead grey mullet is a mainly diurnal coastal species that often enters estuaries and rivers. It usually schools over sand or mud bottoms, feeding on zooplankton, dead plant matter, microalgae and detritus. The adult fish normally feed on algae in fresh water. The species is euryhaline, meaning that the fish can acclimate to different levels of salinity.Minckley, W.L. 1973. Fishes of Arizona. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix. pp. 257–258. Description The back of the fish is olive-green, sides are silvery and shade to white towards t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pomatomus Saltatrix
The bluefish (''Pomatomus saltatrix'') is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia and New Zealand, elf and shad in South Africa. It is a popular gamefish and food fish. The bluefish is a moderately proportioned fish, with a broad, forked tail. The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins. Coloration is a grayish blue-green dorsally, fading to white on the lower sides and belly. Its single row of teeth in each jaw is uniform in size, knife-edged, and sharp. Bluefish commonly range in size from seven-inch (18-cm) "snappers" to much larger, sometimes weighing as much as , though fish heavier than are exceptional. Systematics The bluefish is the only extant species now included in the family Pomatomidae. At one time, gnomefishes were included, but these are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Systema Naturae
' (originally in Latin written ' with the Orthographic ligature, ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Sweden, Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomenclature, was partially developed by the Bauhin brothers, Gaspard Bauhin, Gaspard and Johann Bauhin, Johann, Linnaeus was the first to use it consistently throughout his book. The first edition was published in 1735. The full title of the 10th edition (1758), which was the most important one, was ', which appeared in English in 1806 with the title: "A General System of Nature, Through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, Systematically Divided Into their Several Classes, Orders, Genera, Species, and Varieties, with their Habitations, Manners, Economy, Structure and Peculiarities". The 10th edition of Systema Naturae, tenth edition of this book (1758) is considered the starting point of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Engraulis Anchoita
The Argentine anchoita (''Engraulis anchoita'') or Argentine anchovy is an anchovy of the genus ''Engraulis'', found in and around waters of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. Description It grows to SL or TL. Spawning takes place throughout the year but is most intense and close to shore in October/November, and more offshore and less intensely in May/June. Ecology ''Engraulis anchoita'' is a key species in the pelagic ecosystem of the Argentine waters. They are zooplanktivores, and prey especially upon copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...s, but also their own eggs. ''Engraulis anchoita'' themselves are prey to other species, and constitute a main diet component of important commercial species such as hake, squid and mackerel. Fishery Annual catch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycengraulis Grossidens
''Lycengraulis'' is a genus of anchovies containing four recognized species. They are restricted to the Western Hemisphere in the waters in and around Central America and South America. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * ''Lycengraulis batesii'' ( Günther, 1868) (Bates' sabretooth anchovy) * ''Lycengraulis figueiredoi'' Loeb & Alcântara, 2013Loeb, M.V. & Alcântara, A.V. (2013): A new species of ''Lycengraulis'' Günther, 1868 (Clupeiformes: Engraulinae) from the Amazon basin, Brazil, with comments on ''Lycengraulis batesii'' (Günther, 1868). ''Zootaxa, 3693 (2): 200–206.'' * '' Lycengraulis grossidens'' (Agassiz, 1829) (Atlantic sabretooth anchovy) * ''Lycengraulis limnichthys ''Lycengraulis'' is a genus of anchovies containing four recognized species. They are restricted to the Western Hemisphere in the waters in and around Central America and South America. Species There are currently five recognized species in this ...'' L. P. Schu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
