Birds of East Asia: Glossary

I am extremely grateful to James Lambert for his help in producing this glossary.

Glossary of Terms used in Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia

James Lambert and Mark Brazil

accidental: a stray bird out of its normal range.

accipiter: any bird of prey of the genus Accipiter.

aerial: habitually found in the air (e.g swallows, swifts, terns), fast and highly manoeuvrable. Hence, aerialist: superb flyer.

alula: four small feathers on the leading edge of the upper side of the wing over the base of the greater coverts.

arboreal: habitually found in trees (e.g. woodpeckers, nuthatches).

‘arm’: the inner wing, consisting of the secondary flight feathers and secondary coverts

‘armpit’: the area between the body and the underwing.

asl: above sea level.

auriculars: feathers situated about the ear.

axillaries: the feathers covering the ‘armpits’ - between the body and the underside of the wing.

belly: the feathers on underside of the body, below the breast and flanks.

Beringian: inhabiting Beringia, the large arctic region comprising eastern Russia east of the Lena River, the Bering Strait and northwestern North America west of 130°W.

bib: a patch of plumage under the bill resembling a bib in shape.

blaze: a bright, vertical stripe of colour on the forehead.

boreal: the cold/cool, northern region south of the tundra (cf Taiga).

breast: the feathers on the front of the body below the throat.

call: shorter and less complex vocalisation than song, serving some behavioural function, such as maintaining contact (contact call), giving warning (alarm call), during flight (flight call) or breeding display (breeding call), or to mark out territory (territorial call). Distinguished from song.

cap: feathers of one colour on the crown and hind crown. Cf. hood.

carpal joint: 1. the joint where the bones of the inner and outer wing meet, forming a bend along the leading edge. 2. of or relating to this joint.

central crown stripe: a stripe of colour running down the centre of the crown, between the lateral crown stripes.

cere: an area of bare skin at the base of the upper mandible and around the nostrils.

cheek: feathers on the sides of head, below the eye and ear coverts.

chevron: a feather pattern in the shape of an inverted V.

chin: feathers on the throat directly under the bill.

collar: a band/ring of coloured feathers around the neck.

concolorous: of the same colour.

confiding: allowing close approach by observers (cf shy).

congener: a different species of the same genus.

conspecific: being of the same species.

corvid: any bird of the crow family Corvidae.

coverts: small feathers covering bases of larger wings feathers (greater coverts, median coverts, lesser coverts) or part of the body (ear coverts, tail coverts).

crepuscular: active during twilight (cf diurnal & nocturnal).

crescentic: in the shape of a crescent.

crest: feathers of the crown that that sit up, sometimes erectile.

critically endangered: facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.

crown: feathers of the top of the head.

cryptic: of plumage, affording camouflage.

culmen: a ridge running along the top of the upper mandible.

dabbling duck: any of various ducks that primarily feed by dabbling and upending on the surface of the water.

decurved: of a bill, bending downwards.

diagnostic: of a field mark, serving to make correct identification unmistakeable.

dimorphic: = sexually dimorphic.

diurnal: active during the day (cf crepuscular & nocturnal).

diving duck: duck that primarily feed by diving underwater.

DMZ: Demilitarised zone dividing Korean Peninsula.

duck-dive: of a waterbird, to dive straight down head first from the surface of the water.

ear coverts: feathers covering ear area.

eclipse plumage: between breeding and non-breeding plumage stages.

endangered: facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, though less than critically endangered.

endemic: native and exclusive to a particular (stated) region.

extinct: having no living individuals.

extra-limital: outside the specified region (e.g. from outside East Asia).

eyebrow: = supercilium.

eye-patch: a patch of coloured feathers surrounding the eye.

eye-ring: coloured plumage encircling eye (cf orbital ring).

eye-stripe: a stripe of colour running laterally from before eye (that is, the lores) to a certain extent behind the eye (above the cheek and below the supercilium, if present).

face: the forehead, lores and chin.

Fenno-Scandia: the region covered by Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Kola Peninsula.

feral: formerly domesticated or captive but now living in a wild state.

filoplume: a thin, hair-like feather.

‘fingers’: the projecting tips of the outermost primaries seen on the spread wing of soaring birds in flight.

first-summer: an age category immediately following first-winter, and lasting up until the next moult in late summer/autumn.

first-winter: age category following juvenile, from first late summer/autumn moult to the next spring moult.

flanks: feathers on side of body below the wings and behind the belly.

flash: 1. a white patch on the wings, especially of skuas and jaegers, which can be seen flashing when the wings are flapped. 2. any white or brightly coloured plumage patch.

fledge: of young, to grow flight feathers.

fledgling: a young bird that replaced its covering of down feathers with juvenile feathers and is about to leave the nest.

flight feathers: the long, stiff wing feathers principally used in flying.

flyway: a route regularly used by migrating birds.

fore-wing: the front part of the wing, usually including the leading edge and the foremost wing coverts.

frontal shield: a fleshy protuberance extending from the upper mandible onto the forehead.

frugivorous: feeding on fruit. Hence, frugivore.

gadfly petrel: any of the petrels of the genus Pterodroma.

game bird: a bird that is regularly hunted.

gape: 1. corner of beak where upper and lower mandibles join. 2. angle formed by upper and lower mandibles when the beak is open.

glide: to fly on outstretched wings without flapping and hence lose or maintain (but not gain) height. As opposed to soar.

gonydeal: related to or situated at the gonys.

gonys: a point at which there is a prominent angle on the lower mandible, as seen on larger gulls.

gorget: a coloured patch on the throat.

greater coverts: the largest covert feathers of the wings.

gular: relating to or situated at the throat. Hence, gular pouch: an expandible throat pouch, as in frigatebirds; gular stripe: a plumage stripe running down the throat.

‘hand’: the outer wing consisting of the alula, primary flight feathers and primary coverts.

hepatic: tawny-brown, a colour morph of various cuckoos.

heronry: a breeding site of herons and egrets.

hirundine: swallows and martins, of the family Hirundinidae.

Holarctic: inhabiting the entire northern arctic and temperate regions of the earth; = both Palearctic and Nearctic.

hood: concolorous feathers covering crown and part of neck (cf. cap).

hybrid/ hybridise: cross between two different species.

immature: a bird that has not reached the adult stage or attained adult plumage.

insectivorous: feeding on insects. Hence, insectivore.

irruptive: irregularly expanding en masse into an area outside of its normal range, usually in response to food pressures.

jesses: small straps attached to the legs of a raptor used in falconry.

jizz: the unique general impression of shape, size and appearance of a bird.

juvenile: a fully-fledged bird that has its first set of true feathers but has not yet reached its first moult.

lamellae: a comb-like structure on inner edge of bill, used to sieve food from water.

lateral crown stripe: a stripe of colour running along both sides of the crown, between the central crown stripe and the supercilium.

leading edge: the front edge of the wing. Cf. trailing edge.

lek: 1. a patch of ground where male birds of certain species (such as the black grouse and the ruff) perform elaborate displays for females in the breeding season. 2. to give such a display on a lek.

length: bird measurement from tip of beak to tip of tail.

lesser coverts: the smallest covert feathers of the wings, near the leading edge.

lobe: a rounded protrusion or part.

lores: the feathers between the base of the upper mandible and the eye.

lump: to taxonomically assign two or more species into one new species. As opposed to split.

malar: pertaining to the side of the throat. Hence, malar stripe: a stripe running down the side of the throat (below the submoustachial stripe, if present).

mandible: either of the two parts of the beak.

mane: long feathers that droop over the hind-neck and somewhat resemble a horse’s mane. Hence, maned: having a mane.

mantle: feathers of the upper back and upper base of wings.

mask: 1. a coloured patch of feathers or bare skin covering the face. 2. a thick, black or dark streak running laterally from the forehead through the eye found on shrikes.

median coverts: the middle-sized coverts of the wing, situated between the lesser and primary coverts.

mid-wing: the middle part of the wing, especially when of a different colour.

migrant/migratory: bird moving between areas on a seasonal basis (cf. nomadic).

mirror: small white patch visible on open wing of certain large gulls, situated near tip and on fore-edge of black outer primaries.

monogeneric: having only one genus within a family.

monomorphic: sexes identical in appearance (cf dimorphic).

monotypic: having no subspecies or races (cf polytypic).

montane: relating to, or inhabiting mountainous regions.

morph: a plumage pattern or colour not related to race, age, sex or breeding.

moult: to lose feathers whilst changing plumage.

‘moustache’: = moustachial stripe.

moustachial stripe: a stripe of colour running from near the base of the lower mandible along under the lower edge of the cheek (above the submoustachial stripe, if present).

nail: hooked tip of upper mandible of albatrosses, petrels, and some ducks.

nape: the back of the neck.

Nearctic: inhabiting the arctic and temperate regions of North America. Cf. Palearctic, Holarctic.

necklace: ring of colour around neck, wider at front than back.

nectarivorous: feeding on nectar. Hence, nectarivore.

nest parasite: bird that lays its eggs in another species’s nest.

New World: the continents of North and South America.

nictitating membrane: a semi-transparent moveable membrane that covers the eye.

nocturnal: active during the night (cf crepuscular & diurnal).

nomadic: moving sporadically between areas (cf migratory).

nominate (race): subspecies with the same species and subspecies names, as Streptopelia chinensis chinensis, indicating it was the first subspecies described.

non-passerine: a bird of any order other than Passeriformes.

nuchal: pertaining to the nape.

Old World: the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia.

orbital: pertaining to the eye.

orbital ring: ring of bare flesh around eye (cf eye-ring).

overshoot: of a migrating bird, to go beyond its normal wintering or spring range.

Palearctic: inhabiting the entire arctic and temperate regions of Africa, Europe and Asia. Cf. Nearctic, Holarctic.

panel: large patch of contrastingly coloured plumage.

passerine: a bird of the Order Passeriformes; a so-called ‘song bird’ or ‘perching bird’; having three toes pointing forward and one back.

pectinate: having narrow projections, like the teeth of a comb.

pelagic: relating to or inhabiting the open ocean.

phase: = morph.

pied: two-toned, black-and-white.

pinions: the flight feathers, especially a primary flight feathers.

piscivorous: feeding on fish. Hence, piscivore.

plume: a long, impressive display feather. Hence, plumose: like a plume.

plunge / plunge-dive: of certain seabirds, to dive for prey into water from the air.

polyandrous: female mating with more than one male within a breeding season.

polygamous: male mating with more than one female within a breeding season.

polymorphic: having many different forms.

polytypic: having subspecies or races. As opposed to monotypic.

precocial: of chicks, mobile soon after hatching.

primaries: the outer flight feathers.

primary coverts: the covert feathers covering primary flight feathers.

primary forest: forest not previously cleared or logged (cf secondary forest).

primary projection: the length that the primary flight feathers extend beyond the tip of the longest tertial on the folded wing.

race: = subspecies.

raft: group of seabirds together on the water.

raptor: non-technical term for any diurnal bird of prey.

rectrices: the main tail feathers. (Singular rectrix).

remiges: = flight feathers. (Singular remix).

resident: inhabiting a certain region all year round.

rictal bristles: stiff bristles (specially adapted feathers) resembling cat’s whiskers situated about the base of the beak.

riparian: relating to, or inhabiting the banks of rivers and lakes.

rump: the feathers on upper side between the tail and the back.

sally: making short flights from a perch to catch prey, then returning.

scaling: plumage patterning that resembles scales.

scalloping: scallop-shaped plumage patterna.

scapulars: the feathers of the ‘shoulder’, on the upper surface, between the mantle the upperwing coverts.

seabird: any of various birds primarily inhabiting oceanic regions.

secondaries: the inner flight feathers attached to the ‘arm’.

secondary coverts: the covert feathers covering secondary flight feathers.

secondary forest: previously cleared or logged forest that regrown (cf primary forest).

second-summer: age category immediately following second-winter, lasting until the next moult in late summer/autumn.

second-winter: age category immediately following first-summer, from the second late summer/autumn moult to the time of the next spring moult.

secretive: = shy.

semipalmate: having partial webbing between the three front toes (cf totipalmate).

serrated: having a saw-like edge.

sexually dimorphic / sexual dimorphism: species in which ♂♂ and ♀♀ differ in appearance, plumage or size.

shear: to fly close above ocean surface without flapping.

‘shoulder’: the upperwing coverts on a closed wing.

shy: wary of human observers (cf confiding).

sight record: published or unpublished anecdotal record of a bird’s presence at a certain location unsupported by photographic or other evidence.

skein: a long line of birds in flight.

skulking: typically remains under cover, hence difficult to observe.

snorkel: of loons, to float with just the nostrils above the surface of the water.

soar: to fly on outstretched wings without flapping and gain height on rising air (cf glide).

song: vocalisation that is longer and more complex than a call, generally serving some behavioural function, such as claiming or holding territory (territorial song), breeding display to attract mate, usually given from perch, sometimes in flight (song flight) (cf call).

spatulate: having a rounded, broadened and flattened end; resembling a spatula.

species (singular sp., plural spp): a taxonomic category defining a naturally-occurring population of organisms that can interbreed freely and is reproductively isolated from other groups. The whole concept of ‘species’ is subject to much debate and differing opinion in the scientific world.

specific: of or pertaining to a species. Hence, specifically.

speculum: an iridescent plumage patch on the upperwings of ducks.

split: to taxonomically assign one species into two or more new species (cf lump).

stoop: of certain birds of prey, to dive quickly for prey.

straggle: to stray outside its normal range. Hence, straggler.

striated: having markings of numerous short streaks.

sub-adult: a bird nearing maturity but retaining vestiges of non-adult plumage.

submoustachial stripe: a stripe of colour running below the moustachial stripe (and above the malar stripe, if present).

subspecies: a taxonomic subcategory of species defined by morphological and/or geographic differences.

subterminal band: a band or stripe of colour running across tail feathers set back from the tail tip.

supercilium: a stripe of colour running over the eye; an ‘eyebrow’. Hence, supercilliary.

supraloral: situated above the lores.

sympatric: occurring in the same geographical region.

taiga: the cold/cool, northern region south of the tundra of northern Eurasia, typically forest with lakes/swamps (cf boreal).

tail streamers: extremely elongated outer or central tail feathers.

talons: strong hooked claws used for catching, holding and killing prey.

tarsus: the part of the leg above the foot. (Plural tarsi). Cf. tibia.

taxon (Plural taxa): a taxonomically defined unit – species, or sub-species.

temperate: warm regions, between the taiga/boreal and tropical regions.

terminal band: a band or stripe of colour running across tail feathers at the tail tip.

terrestrial: spending most of time on the ground, e.g. pittas and quails.

tertials / tertiaries: the inner wing feathers between the secondaries and the body.

thermal: a rising column of air used by birds to gain height by soaring.

thigh: = tibia.

threatened: having a conservation status of vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

throat: the feathers on the front of the neck below the chin and above the breast.

tibia: the part of the leg above the tarsus, often feathered.

totipalmate: having all four toes joined by webbing (cf semipalmate).

trailing edge: the back edge of the wing. Cf. leading edge.

tropical: inhabiting the tropics or hottest regions of the earth, between the northern and southern temperate regions.

‘trousers’: heavily feathered upper legs of certain birds of prey and some corvids.

tundra: the treeless plains of arctic regions.

undertail coverts: the feathers covering the underside of the base of the tail.

upend: of certain waterfowl, to feed by placing the head underwater and raising the rear end above water.

uppertail coverts: the feathers covering the upperside of the base of the tail.

vagrant: a bird which occasionally in a certain region but not as a regular yearly visitor.

vent: the feathers covering the cloaca.

vermiculation: a plumage pattern of fine winding or wavy lines. Hence, vermiculated.

vinaceous: red wine colour. Also, vinous.

vulnerable: facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, but not endangered or critically endangered.

wander: = straggle. Hence, wanderer.

waterfowl: birds of the family Anatidae, including ducks, geese, swans and their allies.

wattle: a lobe of flesh, usually brightly coloured, hanging from some part of the head.

web: a membrane connecting the toes of certain water birds.

whiskers: 1. = rictal bristles. 2. any facial markings that superficially resemble whiskers

wing bar: a strip of colour running across or along the length of the wing.

wingspan: the length of the two extended wings measured from one wing tip to the other. Abbreviation: WS.

young: = immature.

zygodactylic: having two toes facing fowards and two facing back.

Terms appearing in Intro section annotating Avian Topography illustrations