This section is aimed at explaining the bird and biology specific vocabulary you are likely to meet in other threads in Birdforum.
This page is divided into four sections: Dictionary A-F, Dictionary G-L, Dictionary M-S and Dictionary T-Z.
G
Gape: see Heads.
Gloger's rule: a zoogeographic rule stating that animals living in a warmer, more humid environment tends to be darker than those living in cooler, dryer areas.
Gonys: see Beaks. Related expressions are gonys spot, gonys angle = gondyeal angle also explained in the link.
H
I
Immature (there are two usages of this term):
- 1: strictly speaking, this includes all plumages after juvenile and before full adult plumage is attained. The number of immature plumages can therefore vary widely between groups of species.
- 2: many authors do not properly distinguish between juvenile/juvenal and immature.
Iris: see Beaks
References
- Erritzoe et al. 2007. The Ornithologist's Dictionary. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. ISBN 84-96553-43-4
- Pyle, Peter 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part 1. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California. ISBN 0-9618940-2-4
J
Juvenile: (synonymous with Juvenal) the first plumage with real feathers, reached by molt from the downy plumage of a nestling or pullus. Strictly, this is a plumage that will be followed by either the first adult plumage or by the plumage of an immature; however, there seems to be great confusion, and many will use juvenile and immature as synonymous. The juvenile feathers often are different than the feathers of later plumages: firstly, they often push out the downs that they replace, and the down may remain attached to the tip of the juvenile feather for a while; secondly, the body feathers often are more fluffy and downy than later feathers; and thirdly, tail feathers in passerines often are more pointed then tail feathers of later plumages. Erritzoe et al. proposes a change in usage so that a juvenile bird is any "young bird that is out of its nest and able to care for itself".
References
- Erritzoe et al. 2007. The Ornithologist's Dictionary. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. ISBN 84-96553-43-4
- Pyle, Peter 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, Part 1. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California. ISBN 0-9618940-2-4
K
L
Lore: (more often used in plural, lores) see Heads
This page is divided into four sections: Dictionary A-F, Dictionary G-L, Dictionary M-S and Dictionary T-Z.
