Bird Species

The Takahe or South Island Takahe, Porphyrio hochstetteri, is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand and belonging to the rail family. It was thought to be extinct after the last four known specimens were taken in 1898. However, after a carefully planned search effort the bird was rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell near Lake Te Anau in the Murchison Mountains, South Island, on November 20, 1948. The specific scientific name commemorates the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter.

Tanagers – General Information

Tanagers are small-bodied birds. The smallest – the Short-billed Honeycreeper – is 9 cm long and weighs 9 grams. The longest, the Magpie tanager, is 26 cm. The heaviest is the White-capped Tanager which weighs 114 grams. Both sexes are usually the same size and weight.Tanagers are known for being brightly colored. As in most tanagers, only the male has brilliant plumage; it is scarlet with black wings, tail, and beak. The two sexes are usually the same size. Most have short, rounded wings. The male western, or Louisiana, tanager (P. ludoviciana) is yellow, black, and red. Females of these species are olive green above and yellow below.

Tattlers

They are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics and subtropics on muddy and sandy coasts. These are not particularly gregarious birds and are seldom seen in large flocks except at roosts.

These very similar birds resemble Common Redshanks in shape and size. The upper parts, underwings, face and neck are grey, and the belly is white. They have short yellowish legs and a bill with a pale base and dark tip. There is a weak supercilium (line above eye).

Ducks, Mallards & Wigeons

Duck are mostly aquatic birds, with a nearly global distribution, with the exception of Antarctica, although some species have learned to survive on sub-Antarctic islands. Depending on the species, they occur in both fresh water and sea water.

Terns

Terns are medium to large seabirds – the smallest tern being the Least Tern, weighing 1.5 oz (42 g) and measuring 9 inches (23 cm), to the largest — the Caspian Tern, weighing 1.4 lbs (630 g) and measuring 21 inches (53 cm). They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls.

The Greater Vasa Parrots

The Greater Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis vasa) is one of the most unusual parrots in the world; and their popularity has grown amongst aviculturalists and the pet bird owners.

The Greater Vasa Parrot is one of two species of vasa parrot, the other being the Lesser Vasa Parrot ,C. nigra. This parrot occurs naturally in portions of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests and surrouding islands in the western Indian Ocean. They were possibly introduced to Réunion.

Stone-curlews or Thick-knees – Burhinidae

Terns are medium to large seabirds – the smallest tern being the Least Tern, weighing 1.5 oz (42 g) and measuring 9 inches (23 cm), to the largest — the Caspian Tern, weighing 1.4 lbs (630 g) and measuring 21 inches (53 cm). They are lighter bodied and more streamlined than gulls.

Thornbills

Acanthiza is a genus of passeriform birds, mostly found in Australia but with one species (A. murina) restricted to New Guinea. These birds are commonly know as thornbills.

They are found primarily in Australia and have a thin long beak. Colloquially the thornbill is sometimes referred to as a Tit by locals, but in reality the Australian continent lacks any real Tits, albeit Acanthizan species do show some similarities with Tits in their behaviour. This is expressed in the fact that, like Tits, Thornbills live in small groups, except for the period of reproduction, during which the couples isolate themselves to raise their young.

Thrashers

Thrashers occur naturally in the Americas. They are related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds.

They got their common name because of the way they use their long bills to “thrash” through dirt or dead leaves, as they search for insects (their staple diet). They may also eat berries.

Thrushes (Family: Turdidae)

They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground.

Many have attractive songs.

Tinamous

They are slender and compact birds with a small head and a short, slender, down-curved bill.

• The smallest species – the Dwarf Tinamou – weighs about 43 g (1.5 oz) and measures 20 cm (7.9 in) in length.The largest tinamou – the Grey Tinamou, weighs 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and measures up to 53 cm (21 in) in length.

They have very small wings, but unlike other ratites, they can fly; however, they are poor flyers. Unlike other ratites, they have a oil gland.

They have three forward-facing toes and fourth hind toe is higher and either retrogressed or absent. Their tail is short and sometimes hidden behind coverts and some tinamous have crests.

Males and females look alike for the most part; however, in some species, the females have a brighter plumage.

Todies / Todidae

They have colorful plumage and resemble kingfishers, with green heads, backs and wings, red throats (absent in immature Puerto Rican, Broad-billed, and Narrow-billed Todies[1]) with a white and blue-grey stripe on each side, and yellow undertail coverts; the color of the rest of the undersides is pale and varies according to species.

Toucans, Toucanets

Toucans have distinctive coloration, markings, and are particularly noted for their large colorful bills. Toco Toucan is the most recognized because of the bird’s iconic use in advertising, and is also distinguished as the largest at 25 in. (64 cm) long and by having the widest distribution, found not only in tropical areas and dry savannahs, but also lives in northern Argentina where night temperatures during the winter are near freezing.

The turacos and plantain eaters are brightly colored birds, usually blue, green or purple. The exception are the Go-away-birds, which are mainly grey and white. Turacos have been valued by native people for their brightly-colored feathers.  In South Africa , turaco feathers are said to have been the symbol of the Zulu king – he didn’t allow anyone else to wear the feathers.

Turacos have two copper pigments in their feathers that have not been found in any other animal. The green color comes from turacoverdin – the only true green pigment in birds. Other “greens” in bird colors result from a yellow pigment such as lypochrome combined with the prismatic blue physical structure of the feather itself. The wings of many turacos contain red, cooper-containing pigment turacin in addition to the aforementioned green pigment called turcoverdin. These pigments are unique to this group.

Towhees

Towhees are brownish-colored sparrows found in North America. They can be distinguished from the typical sparrows by their long tails.

These omnivorous birds are often observed foraging on the ground using both feet in unison to scratch lose ground debris to reveal food hidden underneath.

Excepting some local movements in response to availability of food, towhees are mostly sedentary (non-migratory), the exception being the Green-tailed Towhees – the only entirely migratory towhee species.

Townsend’s Solitaire

The Townsend’s Solitaires (Myadestes townsendi) are also known as Townsend’s Flycatchers, Townsend’s Thrushes or Townsend’s Ptilogonys.

These long-tailed, short-billed thrushes occur naturally in western North America where they inhabit woody mountainous areas. These grey songbirds are best known for their melodious, flute-like vocalizations.

Its northern, and nominate, race is the only member of the Solitaire genus to occur north of Mexico.

As implied by their names, these birds are usually seen alone, where they will aggressively defend a patch of junipers or other sources of berries.

This species’ common name commemorates the ornithologist John Kirk Townsend.

Creepers & Treecreepers

The treecreepers are a family of small birds that consist of two subfamilies:

• • The typical treecreepers (Certhiinae) are a group of seven species found in Europe and Asia, with one representative, the Brown Creeper in North America.

   

  • The Spotted Creepers (Salpornis spilonotus – Salpornithinae) are found in India and Africa.

Treepies

The treepies comprise four related genera – specifically the Dendrocitta, Crypsirina, Temnurus and Platysmurus.

These long-tailed perching birds are mostly found high up in the canopy and rarely come to the ground to feed.

Trogons

Trogons – bird genera Pharomachrus and Euptilotis

The trogons are resident (non-migratory) in tropical forests worldwide, with the greatest diversity found in Central and in South America. Trogons in the genera Pharomachrus and Euptilotis are referred to as “quetzals

Most members have colorful plumages with distinctive male and female plumages. They have broad bills and weak legs.

Their diet consists of insects and fruit.

They nest in tree cavities or termite mounds. Their eggs are white or pastel colored.

Tropicbirds – Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds now classified in their own order Phaethontiformes. Their relationship to other living birds is unclear, and they appear to have no close relatives. There are three species in one genus Phaethon. They have predominately white plumage with elongated tail feathers and small feeble legs and fee

Troupials (Icterus icterus) – also known as Northern Troupials

The Northern Troupials or Venezuelan Troupials (Icterus icterus) are large members of the “New World Oriole” family that mostly occur in northern and central South America. However, some subspecies are found in the northern and eastern extremes of the South American continent.

Trumpeters

The trumpeters are restricted to the forests of the Amazon basin in South America. They are named for the trumpeting call of the males.

The three species are dumpy birds with long necks and legs, and chicken-like bills. The plumage is soft, and they are weak fliers. They are fast runners.

Tui Parakeets

The Tui Parakeet (Brotogeris sanctithomae) is found along the entire length of the Amazon River, as well as its tributaries – specifically the Amazon range of Brazil to eastern Ecuador and northern Bolivia.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, these parakeets were imported into the United States in large numbers until the importation ceased following an export ban. At the time, there was little interest in breeding these parakeets and nowadays this parakeet is almost nonexistent in the U.S. Now the delightful little Tui Parakeets are highly sought after by aviculturists.

Touracos / Turacos Photo Gallery

Turacos are medium-sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, living in forests, woodland and savanna. The turacos, plantain eaters and go-away birds make up the bird family Musophagidae (literally banana-eaters). In southern Africa both turacos and go-away birds are commonly known as louries

Turkeys

Turkeys have a distinctive fleshy caruncle that hangs from the beak, called a snood. As with many galliform species, the female is smaller than the male, and much less colorful. With wingspans of 1.5–1.8 meters (almost 6 feet), the turkeys are by far the largest birds in the open forests in which they live, and are rarely mistaken for any other species.

Turnstones

Both birds are distinctive medium-sized waders. They are high Arctic breeders, and are migratory. These chunky powerful birds have strong necks and bills well suited to their feeding technique. As the name implies, these species readily turn stones or seaweed looking for hidden invertebrates. They are strictly coastal, preferring stony beaches to sand, and are often found with Purple Sandpipers.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Most, but not all, are rather plain, and many have erectile crests.

They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust with stronger bills.

Vangas

The vangas are small to medium-sized perching birds thare are only found on Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa and Comoros – an island nation located off the eastern coast of Africa.

Veery Thrushes, Catharus fuscescens

The Veery, Catharus fuscescens, is a small thrush species. It is occasionally called Willow Thrush or Wilson’s Thrush. This species is 16-18 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes. It is a member of a close-knit group of migrant species which also includes the cryptotaxa Gray-cheeked Thrush and Bicknell’s Thrush (Winker and Pruett, 2006).

Verdin Tits aka Yellow-headed Bushtits

The Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) is a species of penduline tit. It is the only species in the genus Auriparus, and the only species in the family to be found in the New World (Americas).

The Verdin is a very small bird. At 4.5 inches in length, it rivals the Bushtit as one of the smallest passerines in North America. It is gray overall, and adults have a bright yellow head and rufous “shoulder patch” (the lesser coverts). Unlike the tits, it has a sharply pointed bill.

Vireos

Most species in the four genera are found in northern South America, Central America or Mexico, and most are non-migratory. A handful of species, in the genus Vireo, migrate into the United States during the breeding season. The species breeding in North America are the most familiar. But these migrants comprise only a subset of the vireo family.

Vultures: Scavengers

A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. This is likely because a feathered head would become spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep clean.This feature also allows quick cleaning in a nearby river.

Vulturine Parrots

The Vulturine Parrot has a total length of ca. 23 – 24 cm (9.2 – 9.5 in). It has a rather short, squarish tail, and a mainly green plumage, which typically is tinged blue, especially below. The chest is olive-brown. The underwing coverts are bright red, and when perched this can be hinted as an orange-red shoulder-patch. The under-tail is yellowish with a bluish tip (appears dark against light). The outer webs and tips of the remiges (flight feathers – typically only visible in flight) are bluish-black, making the outer sections of the upperwing appear quite uniformly dark in flight. The arguably most conspicious feature, however, is its un-feathered blackish and orange-pinkish head, bordered by a broad yellow collar of feathers, followed by a second blackish collar. This bare, vaguely vulture-like head is the reason behind its common name. Juveniles have a feathered greenish head.

Little is known about its behavior, but it is suspected the bare head is an adaption to avoid feather-matting from sticky fruits. It has also been recorded feeding on seeds and berries.

Wagtails

The wagtails occur naturally in the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia).

These small perching birds have long tails which they wag frequently. Wagtails are slender and often colorful.

They mostly feed on insects found on the ground.

These ground nesters laying up to six speckled eggs at a time.

Warblers

Warblers are three groups of birds which belong to the order Passeriformes (Perching Birds).

The common name “Warbler” was derived from the trills and quavers of their songs.

These small song birds are not closely related, but share some characteristics, as they are all similar in size, active and insectivorous.

Waterthrushes

The Waterthrushes are New World warbler. The two species are:

• Louisiana Waterthrush, Seiurus motacilla
• Northern Waterthrush, Seiurus noveboracensis

Waterthrushes are ground feeders and can usually be found near water.

Wattlebirds

Wattlebirds are characterized by their wattles. These are bare fleshy appendages, usually wrinkled and often brightly colored, hanging from the cheeks, neck or throat, and presumably serving for display. The exception is the Little Wattlebird, which lacks wattles.

Finches: Breeding or as Pets

Finches: Breeding or as Pets Index of Finch Species … Photos of the Different Finch Species for Identification … Common Health Problems of Finches … Finch / Canary Diet / Nutrition … Finch Data: Range, Length, Clutch-size and Incubation Periods for each Finch SpeciesJust like canaries, finches are great for people who enjoy watching birds rather than having a demanding pet that requires a lot of personal attention.Housing and Breeding Finches:I hate to see them in small cages. Since these are birds that will ALWAYS be in a cage in most households, I would hope that people give them a roomy flight cage, preferably with some plants in it for the finches to enjoy.They should be able to fly. Make it a “project” to prepare an attractive flight cage for them, with lots of toys and natural branches, maybe some plants.I would always at least get two finches — there is nothing sorrier than one lone finch or canary in a cage. They are social beings — and you will enjoy watching them interact.If you haven’t owned any finches yet, I would recommend starting with the Zebra Finch or Society Finches. They also get along fine in an aviary setting. They are truly easy to take care of, hardy and charming. They are also VERY inexpensive. I remember I bought several mutations for less than $10 each from local breeders for a zebra finch. Societies were a little more expensive. You might pay more in pet shops. But they are still very affordable. Some of those finches (depending on the species) do make a lot of babies … and babies … and babies. I remember that within a year I had a hundred of them! 🙂 … This is why their price is so low for the more prolific finch species. Breeders are always overstocked with them and they may be difficult to sell. If you don’t want that many babies, I would recommend the following:

Waxwings

The waxwings are a group of passerine birds characterised by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its name.

These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter.

They are not true long-distance migrants, but wander erratically outside the breeding season and move south from their summer range in winter. In poor berry years huge numbers can erupt well beyond their normal range.

Weaver Birds or Weaver Finches

The Weaver Birds or Weaver Finches (Ploceidae) are small birds that are related to the finches.

They are named for their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds).

The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers.

Wheatears

The wheatears, genus Oenanthe, were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family Turdidae. They are more commonly now placed in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. This is an Old World group, but the Northern Wheatear has established a foothold in eastern Canada and Greenland.

Whimbrels

The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland.

This is a migratory species wintering on coasts in Africa, South America, south Asia into Australasia and southern North America. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season.

White-crowned Pionus or White-crowned Parrot (pionus senilis)

The White-crowned Pionus or White-crowned Parrot (pionus senilis) is endemic to western Panama to south-eastern Mexico in San Luis Potosi and southern Tamaulipas, mainly along Pacific slopes. Its preferred habitat includes the lowland areas and foothills locally up to 1600 m altitude, usually they are hidden in the forest canopies or can be found along the edges and adjacent semi-open woodland and second growth.

The White-crowned Parrot feeds in social flocks of 30-50 birds, which may wander outside the breeding range once nesting has finished. It feeds on taking various seeds, nuts and fruits, and can be pest in crops of corn or sorghum, and commercial fruit plantations. It can be unobtrusive when feeding since it is slow-moving, usually silent, and keeps in the canopy. However, at rest it often perches conspicuously at the top of an unopened palm frond. Its flight call is a screeched kreeah.

White-headed Pionus or Speckle-faced Parrot

The White-headed Parrot averages 12 inches (30 cm) in length. Its plumage is mostly green. The forehead and crown are whitish-grey with salmon-colored edging. The back of the head, nape and the side of the neck are greyish-blue with a white base and violet-black edging. Theear-coverts are dark grey with whitish-pink center. The cheeks and chin are whitish with a broad brownish-grey edging. There is a pink band across the throat merging with the brownish grey-blue of the breast. The abdomen is greyish brown-green with each feather edged rust color. The under tail-coverts are red. The primary wing feathers and wings are green. The under wing-coverts and underside of flight-feathers are dull green. The middle tail-feathers are green. The outer tail-feathers have dull reddish-blue tips and a red base. The bill is pale horn-colored. The eye rings are grey and the irises brown. Their feet are grey.

Young birds have a green edging to their head feathers. The chin, breast and abdomen are green. The red under tail-coverts are edged with green. They have dark irises.

White-winged or Canary-winged Parakeets

Canary-winged parakeets are small stocky parakeets – about 8.5 to 10 inches (21 to 25 cm) long — nearly half of its length (4.3 inches or 10.8 cm) is made up by its pointed tail. They are slightly larger than grey-cheek parakeets and lovebirds.

The plumage of the canary-wing islime green in color; a little darker green on the breast and underneath. The canary-winged parakeet has a trailing yellow edge on its folded wings. One of its most distinguished characteristics is the white wing patches that are most noticed when this parakeet is in flight. There are some blue marks under the tail and possibly on the wings. The eyes are brown; the beak is pale and the legs are pinkish in color.

Like the other members of Brotogeris, they are not sexually dimorphic and must be sexed either by DNA or surgically.

Young birds look like adults, but the overall plumage is duller in coloration.

Indigobirds and Whydahs

The Indigobirds and Whydahs are part of a bird family known as Viduidae. These small, finch-like birds are found in Africa.

The dominant color of their plumage is either black or indigo, which gives the first group its name. The “Whydahs” were named for the long or very long tails of the breeding males.

These brood parasites lay their eggs into the nest of estrildid finches, without destroying the hosts’ eggs, as many other brood parasites might do. They simply add 2 – 4 eggs to the eggs laid by the hosts. The host eggs and the eggs of the Indigobirds or Whydahs are all white, but the eggs of the latters are slightly larger. The Indigobirds typically use fire finches as hosts, whereas the Paradise Whydahs favor pytilias.

Indigobirds and whydahs also imitate their hosts’ song, which the males learn in the nest. Even though females do not sing, they learn to recognize the song and chose mates with the same song. The nestling indigobirds also mimic the unique gape pattern of the nestlings of the host species.

Willets

The Willet, Tringa semipalmata (formerly Catoptrophorus semipalmatus: Pereira and Baker, 2005; Banks et al., 2006), is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a well-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks. Its closest relative is the Lesser Yellowlegs, a much smaller bird with a very different appearance apart from the fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck which both species show in breeding plumage.

Woodhoopoes

The woodhoopoes are related to the kingfishers, the rollers, and the Hoopoe, forming a clade with this last according to Hackett et al. (2008). A close relationship between the Hoopoe and the woodhoopoes is also supported by the shared and unique nature of their stapes. They most resemble the true Hoopoe with their long down-curved bills and short rounded wings. According to genetic studies, the two genera Phoeniculus and Rhinopomastus, appear to have diverged about 10 million years ago, so some systematists treat them as separate subfamilies or even separate families.

Woodpeckers

Soaring over the treetops, in undulating flight alternating briefly with strong intervals of flapping, wings tucked in close to their bodies, the birds in the Picidae family are spectacular to view. The Picidae family includes the impressive Woodpeckers as well as Piculets, Wrynecks, and Sapsuckers.

There are eight extant families in the Order: Piciformes. There are over 180 species—some sources tout as many as 200—and about 30 genera in the Picidae family.

Information about Hummingbirds: The Tiny Jewels from the Americas

Hummingbirds are the second largest family with over 340 species – 29 of them are on Birdlife International endangered list.

They are predominantly nectarivorous and are only found in the Americas (New World). They are found as far north as Alaska and as far south as Chile. An (introduced?) population has been reported as being common on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Wrens

They are mainly small and inconspicuous, except for their loud songs.

These birds have short wings and a thin down-turned bill.

Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.

Wrentits, Chamaea fasciata

Its systematics have been the subject of much debate, the Wrentit having been placed in many different families by different authors for as long as it has been known to science. Its common name reflects the uncertainty, and its external resemblance to both tits and wrens. It is by no means closely related to either however.

Woodpeckers

Soaring over the treetops, in undulating flight alternating briefly with strong intervals of flapping, wings tucked in close to their bodies, the birds in the Picidae family are spectacular to view. The Picidae family includes the impressive Woodpeckers as well as Piculets, Wrynecks, and Sapsuckers.

There are eight extant families in the Order: Piciformes. There are over 180 species—some sources tout as many as 200—and about 30 genera in the Picidae family

Xantus’s Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) is a small seabird found in the California Current system in the Pacific Ocean.

The species is named for the Hungarian ornithologist John Xantus de Vesey who described it from specimens collected off Baja California.

Yellow-chevroned Parakeets

These parakeets are 8 – 9 inches long (20 – 25cm) and weigh around 2.5 oz (72 g). They are slightly bigger than its cousin, the greycheek, and a little larger than the popular lovebird.

It is closely related to the Canary-winged Parakeet. In fact, it was considered conspecific (of, or belonging to, the same species) until 1997. (Please refer to the physical differences as featured on the image to the right – also below is some information about the species controversy.)

Males and females are not sexually dimorphic and must be sexed either surgically or by DNA.

The plumage is mostly bright green; the underparts are a paler green and the underwing coverts are yellow-green. The wings are a slightly darker green and have a trailing yellow edge on its folded wings that is also seen when this parakeet is in flight.

Their hook-shaped beaks are orange-brown and the legs and feet are pink-grey. They have creamy-white eye rings and dark brown eyes.

Yellow-faced Parrots

These parrots average 10.5 ins (27 cm) in length. Their plumage is mostly green, edged with dark green. The forehead, lores (the regions between the eyes and bill on the side of a bird’s head), crown and ear-coverts are variably yellow, some older birds have entire head and abdomen yellow to orange; edge of wing yellowish-green. Front of forehead in many birds bare with plucked appearance. The tail is green with greenish-yellow tips; outer tail feathers with broad orange-red band. The bill is horn-colored with black base and their irises are yellow. The feet are greyish-flesh color and their cere pink.

Yellow-crowned Parakeets or Yellow-fronted Parakeets

These small, bright green parakeets are 23 – 25 cm or ~9 – 9.2 inches long (including the tail).

The plumage is mainly green. The breast, abdomen and under tail fathers are yellowish-green. The narrow red band to its forehead extends to the eyes. The crown is yellow. There is a red patch on each side of the lower back. The outer webs of the flight-feathers are violet-blue. The irises are orange-red and the bill is a pale bluish-grey. The feet are grey.

Immature birds look like adult, but have duller forehead markings and pale reddish-brown irises.

Similar Species ID: The Red-crowned Parakeet (C. novaezelandiae) has red crown and band from bill to behind eye.

Captive birds have lived up to 10 years.

Yellow-throated Hanging Parrots, also known as Coryllis À Gorge Jaune

This hanging parrot averages 4.5 inches (12 cm) in length. Its plumage is mostly yellowish-green, with a yellow patch on its throat. The lower back and upper tail-coverts are red. The back has a faint yellowish tinge. The wings are green and the underside of the flight feathers is greenish-blue. The upperside of the tail is green, and the underside is greenish-blue. The bill is pale red with yellowish tips. Theirises are yellowish-white, and the feet are brownish-flesh colored.

Females look similar, except they have a duller yellowish tinge to the back and the throat patch is much smaller.

Young birds have green feathers interspersed on their lower backs. The bill is paler and the irises are brown. Their feet are brownish.

Yellow-legged Gulls

The Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is a large gull of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species.

It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Caspian Gull L. cachinnans, or more broadly as a subspecies of the Herring Gull L. argentatus.

It is named after the German zoologist Karl Michahelles.