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Nyctibiidae
Potoos (family Nyctibiidae) are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene. Potoos are nocturnal insectivores that lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. They hunt from a perch like a shrike or flycatcher. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, camouflaged to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump. In Argentina, they are known as kakuy or cacuy from Quechua meaning 'to remain'. In Bolivia they are called ''guajojo'', for the sound of their call. In Brazil and Paraguay, they are called urutau from Guaraní ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyctibiinae
Potoos (family (biology), family Nyctibiidae) are a group of birds related to the nightjars and frogmouths. They are sometimes called poor-me-ones, after their haunting bird vocalization, calls. The family Nyctibiidae was formerly included with the nightjars in the order Caprimulgiformes but is now placed in a separate order, Nyctibiiformes. There are seven species in two genera in tropical Central America, Central and South America. Fossil evidence indicates that they also inhabited Europe during the Paleogene. Potoos are nocturnal insectivores that lack the bristles around the mouth found in the true nightjars. They hunt from a perch like a shrike or Old World flycatcher, flycatcher. During the day they perch upright on tree stumps, camouflaged to look like part of the stump. The single spotted egg is laid directly on the top of a stump. In Argentina, they are known as kakuy or cacuy from Quechua language, Quechua meaning 'to remain'. In Bolivia they are called ''guajojo'', fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parapreficinae
''Paraprefica'' is an extinct genus of potoo (family Nyctibiidae) from the middle Eocene (c. 48 million years ago). Its fossil remains have been found in the Messel pit at Messel, Germany. Taxonomy It is the only known member of the extinct subfamily Parapreficinae, erected in 2021 to distinguish ''Paraprefica'' from the extant potoos of the genus ''Nyctibius'' and '' Phyllaemulor'', which have a slightly different anatomy and are known only from the Americas. Described for the first time in 1999 by G. Mayr, this bird was at first placed in the genus '' Prefica'', a North American fossil closely related to modern oilbirds ('' Steatornis caripensis''). Later research showed however that ''Paraprefica'' had characteristics found only in the family Nyctibiidae, order Caprimulgiformes (the nightjars). It is possible that the similarities between the bones of ''Prefica'' and ''Paraprefica'' are due to primitive characters found in all Cypselomorphs, the group that also includes the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paraprefica
''Paraprefica'' is an extinct genus of potoo (family Potoo, Nyctibiidae) from the middle Eocene (c. 48 million years ago). Its fossil remains have been found in the Messel pit at Messel, Germany. Taxonomy It is the only known member of the extinct subfamily Parapreficinae, erected in 2021 to distinguish ''Paraprefica'' from the extant potoos of the genus ''Nyctibius'' and ''Rufous potoo, Phyllaemulor'', which have a slightly different anatomy and are known only from the Americas. Described for the first time in 1999 by G. Mayr, this bird was at first placed in the genus ''Prefica'', a North American fossil closely related to modern oilbirds (''Steatornis caripensis''). Later research showed however that ''Paraprefica'' had characteristics found only in the family Nyctibiidae, order Caprimulgiformes (the nightjars). It is possible that the similarities between the bones of ''Prefica'' and ''Paraprefica'' are due to primitive characters found in all Cypselomorphs, the group that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyctibius
''Nyctibius'' is a genus of potoos, nocturnal birds in the family Nyctibiidae. Etymology The genus ''Nyctibius'' was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Comte de Buffon's "Le Grande Engoulevent de Cayenne", the great potoo, which thus becomes the type species. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''nuktibios'' meaning "night-feeding", from ''nux'' night and ''bios'' "life". Distribution They are found throughout much of Mexico, Central America, South America, and parts of the Caribbean. Taxonomy They are one of two genera in the family, the other being the monotypic genus '' Phyllaemulor'' (containing only the rufous potoo). Prior to 2018, they were considered the only extant genus within the Nyctibiidae; however, a study that year found a deep divergence between the rufous potoo and all other species in the genus, leading it to be described in a new genus and expanding the number of genera within the fam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Potoo
The northern potoo (''Nyctibius jamaicensis'') is a nocturnal bird belonging to the potoo family, Nyctibiidae. It is found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, and on the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common potoo (''Nyctibius griseus'') but is now usually treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations. Taxonomy The northern potoo was Species description, formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with all the nightjar like species in the genus ''Caprimulgus'' and coined the binomial nomenclature, binomial name ''Caprimulgus jamaicensis''. Gmelin based his description on earlier accounts of the bird in Jamaica, including Hans Sloane's "Wood owle" published in 1725 and John Latham (ornithologist), John Latham's "Jamaican goatsucker" published in 1783. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Potoo
The great potoo or grand potoo (''Nyctibius grandis'') is the largest potoo species and is widely distributed in Central and South America. Much like owls, this species is nocturnal. It preys on large insects and small vertebrates, which it captures in sallies from high perches. Possibly its most well-known characteristic is its unique moaning growl that the great potoo vocalizes throughout the night, creating an unsettling atmosphere in the Neotropics with its nocturnal sounds. Taxonomy The great potoo was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Lineus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with all the nightjar like species in the genus '' Caprimulgus'' and coined the binomial name ''Caprimulgus grandis''. The great potoo is now one of the seven potoos placed in the genus '' Nyctibius'' that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. The genus name is from Ancient Gree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nightjars
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food being insects. Some New World species are called nighthawks. The English word ''nightjar'' originally referred to the European nightjar. Nightjars are found all around the world, with the exception of Antarctica, and certain island groups such as the Seychelles. They can be found in a variety of habitats, most commonly the open country with some vegetation. They usually nest on the ground, with a habit of resting and roosting on roads. The subfamilies of nightjars have similar characteristics, including small feet, of little use for walking, and long, pointed wings. Typical nightjars have rictal bristles, longer bills, and softer plumage. The colour of their plumage and their unusual perching habits help conceal them during the day. Sys ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shrike
Shrikes () are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of 34 species in two genera. The family name, and that of the larger genus, '' Lanius'', is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as butcherbirds because of the habit, particularly of males, of impaling prey onto plant spines within their territories. These larders have multiple functions, attracting females and serving as food stores. The common English name shrike is from Old English , alluding to the shrike's shriek-like call. Taxonomy The family Laniidae was introduced (as the subfamily Lanidia) in 1815 by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. The type genus '' Lanius'' had been introduced by Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old World Flycatcher
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') and northern wheatear (''Oenanthe oenanthe''), found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family is relatively large and includes 357 species, which are divided into 57 genera. Taxonomy The name Muscicapa for the family was introduced by the Scottish naturalist John Fleming in 1822. The word had earlier been used for the genus '' Muscicapa'' by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Muscicapa comes from the Latin '' musca'' meaning a fly, and '' capere'' to catch. In 1910, the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert found it impossible to define boundaries between the three families Muscicapidae, Sylviidae (Old World warblers) and Tu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier, and the leaf-mimic katydid's wings. A third approach, motion dazzle, confuses the observer with a conspicuous pattern, making the object visible but momentarily harder to locate. The majority of camouflage methods aim for crypsis, often through a general resemblance to the background, high contrast disruptive coloration, eliminating shadow, and countershading. In the open ocean, where there is no background, the principal methods of camouflage are transparency, silvering, and countershading, while the bioluminescence, ability to produce light is among other things used for counter-illumination on the undersides of cephalopods such as squid. Some animals, such as chameleons and octopuses, are capable of Active ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ēṓs'', 'Eos, Dawn') and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch.See: *Letter from William Whewell to Charles Lyell dated 31 January 1831 in: * From p. 55: "The period next antecedent we shall call Eocene, from ήως, aurora, and χαινος, recens, because the extremely small proportion of living species contained in these strata, indicates what may be considered the first commencement, or ''dawn'', of the existing state of the animate creation." The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the List of countries and dependencies by area, eighth-largest country in the world. Argentina shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina is a Federation, federal state subdivided into twenty-three Provinces of Argentina, provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and List of cities in Argentina by population, largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a Federalism, federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty ov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
