Snowy Sheathbill
Chionis albus
Unique, stocky, and rather pigeonlike white bird (actually an aberrant shorebird) of Antarctic Peninsula and islands. Migrates north in winter to Tierra del Fuego and southern Argentina, where a few immatures remain year-round at sea lion and penguin colonies. Typically unafraid; walks around boldly to scavenge and even eat feces. Plumage entirely white (somehow remarkably clean given its habits) with a naked pale pinkish face and a pale green and orange bill. Flies strongly with stiff wingbeats; does not alight on water, but will hitch rides on ships.
识别特征
A snowy sheathbill is about 380–410 mm (15–16 in) long, with a wingspan of 760–800 mm (30–31 in). It is pure white except for its pink, warty face; its Latin name translates to "snow white".<p>Sheathbills spend 86% of their day hunting for food and the other 14% resting.
分类信息
The snowy sheathbill was 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 in a new genus Vaginalis and coined the binomial name Vaginalis alba. Gmelin based his description on the "white sheath-bill" that had been described and illustrated in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Lathamin his A General Synopsis of Birds . Latham erroneously believed that the bird was found in New Zealand. The type locality was designated as the Falkland Islands by Baron Bradford and Charles Chubb in 1912. The snowy sheathbill is now placed in the genus Chionis that was introduced in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek khiōn meaning snow. The specific epithet albus is Latin meaning "white". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- 学名
- Chionis albus
- 命名信息
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- 目
- Charadriiformes
- 科
- Chionidae
- 属
- Chionis
分布与栖息地
The snowy sheathbill lives in Antarctica, the Scotia Arc, the South Orkneys, and South Georgia. Snowy sheathbills living very far south migrate north in winter.
- 繁殖区
- AN : Antarctic Pen. and satellites, South Shetland, South Orkney, and South Georgia is.
- 非繁殖区
- to coastal sc Chile and ec Argentina to Cape Horn and Falkland Is.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Banded White-eye
Zosterops vellalavella
Small. Olive-green above and on crown, with a thin white eye-ring. Throat and base of undertail strongly yellow. Has an olive chest band. Belly gray. Bill and legs vivid orange. Found in forested areas, scrub, and gardens. Call is a strong “tse.” Song is a slow musical phrase of mostly downslurred whistles.
Emperor Goose
Anser canagicus
Stocky goose that inhabits rocky coastlines, lagoons, and tidal flats. Striking white head, black throat, and petite pink bill. Blue-gray body with intricate black-and white bars, a white tail, and bright orange legs. Face sometimes stained orangish-brown. Juvenile has a gray head, but still shows white tail. Breeds on marshy tundra and winters in small flocks on coastal waters. Rarely seen outside Alaska.
Black-throated Bobwhite
Colinus nigrogularis
Fairly common in brushy fields and coastal scrub of Yucatan Peninsula region, where 'bob-WHITE!' song sounds just like that of other bobwhites. Usually found in groups or pairs, sometimes not far from villages or other human habitation; best seen on quiet roads and trails. Like most quail, flushes explosively from close range with excited calling, and perches readily up in trees when flushed. The only quail of open habitats in most of its range; compare Singing Quail, which occurs inside tropical forest.
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