Portal:Birds
Welcome to the Birds Portal! Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, oviparous vertebrate animals. Most scientists believe that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. Ranging in size from tiny hummingbirds to the huge ostrich and emu, there are between 9,000 and 10,000 known living bird species in the world, making Aves the most diverse class of terrestrial vertebrate.
A bird is characterized by feathers, a toothless beak, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a light but strong skeleton. All birds have forelimbs modified as wings and most can fly. Birds are important sources of food, acquired either through farming or hunting. Numerous species of birds are also used commercially, and some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular pets. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry and popular music. Numerous species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities and as a result efforts are underway to protect them. Template:/box-footer Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.  In general, seabirds live longer, breed later and have fewer young than other birds, but they invest a great deal of time in their young. Most species nest in colonies, which can vary in size from a few dozen birds to millions. Many species are famous for undertaking long annual migrations, crossing the equator or circumnavigating the earth in some cases. They feed both at the ocean's surface and below it, and even feed on each other. Seabirds can be highly pelagic, coastal, or in some cases spend a part of the year away from the sea entirely. Seabirds and humans have a long history together: they have provided food to hunters, guided fishermen to fishing stocks and led sailors to land. Many species are currently threatened by human activities, and conservation efforts are under way. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.  The osprey (Pandion haliaetus), also known colloquially as seahawk, fish hawk or fish eagle, is a medium-large fish-eating bird of prey or raptor. However, It is not the same as a sea-eagle. It is found on all continents except Antarctica although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant. Anatomy: Anatomy • Skeleton • Flight • Eggs • Feathers • Plumage Evolution and extinction: Evolution • Archaeopteryx • Hybridisation • Late Quaternary prehistoric birds • Fossils • Taxonomy • Extinction Behaviour: Singing • Intelligence • Migration • Reproduction • Nesting • Incubation • Brood parasites Bird orders: Struthioniformes • Tinamiformes • Anseriformes • Accipitriformes • Galliformes • Gaviiformes • Podicipediformes • Procellariiformes • Sphenisciformes • Pelecaniformes • Ciconiiformes • Phoenicopteriformes • Falconiformes • Gruiformes • Charadriiformes • Pteroclidiformes • Columbiformes • Psittaciformes • Cuculiformes • Strigiformes • Caprimulgiformes • Apodiformes • Coraciiformes • Piciformes • Trogoniformes • Coliiformes • Passeriformes Bird lists: Families and orders • Lists by region Birds and humans: Ringing • Ornithology • Bird collections • Birdwatching • Birdfeeding • Conservation • Aviculture Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.
--Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 1712
Template:/box-header Free online resources:
There is also Birds of North America, Cornell University's massive project collecting information on every breeding bird in the ABA area. It is available for US$40 a year. For more sources, including printed sources, see WikiProject Birds. Template:/box-footer Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.  Mourning doves are light grey and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents care for the young for a time. The species is a prolific breeder, and pairs will often have several broods per year. In warm areas, a pair may have up to six broods a year. Mourning doves eat mainly seeds, including those of both native and introduced plants. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found.
Every month a different bird-related topic, article, stub or non-existent article is picked. Please improve the article any way you can. Template:/box-header Create requested articles (WikiProject Birds – Article requests): Do these tasks:
More outstanding tasks at the cleanup listing on Labs, Category:Birds articles needing attention, and Wikipedia:WikiProject Birds#Tasklist.
The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject:
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