Species

HBW Alive provides full accounts for every bird species known to science up to June 2013, including distribution maps and color illustrations. Check out these recently updated species or search the species you want.

Collared Imperial-pigeon (Ducula mullerii)
0 sec ago
New Caledonian Imperial-pigeon (Ducula goliath)
2 hours 33 min ago
Vanuatu Imperial-pigeon (Ducula bakeri)
14 hours 33 min ago
Zoe's Imperial-pigeon (Ducula zoeae)
14 hours 33 min ago
View all updated species
Explore the following sample species accounts to better understand the monumental work that lies behind these pages.

Come back often! The sample species are being rotated every month.

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

Taxonomy:

Troglodytes hyemalis [sic] (var. pacificus

 ) S. F. Baird, 1864, Simiahmoo, Puget Sound, Washington.

Until recently considered conspecific with T. troglodytes and T. hiemalis, given great morphological consistency, but acoustic and...

Descriptive notes: 9–11 cm; 8–12 g. Small, dark wren with short tail, small bill and pale supercilium, chin and throat. Upperwing-coverts rufous-brown with darker barring; primaries and secondaries brown, barred darker; upper breast light wood...
figure, drawing, illustration of Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)

Taxonomy:

Falco rusticolus

 Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.

Closest to F. cherrug; genetic data indicate that these two, along with F. biarmicus and F. jugger, form a group of closely...

Descriptive notes: 48–60 cm; male 769–1450 g, female 1130–2150 g; wingspan 105–135 cm. The largest Falco, with larger head, deeper chest, relatively short but broad outer wings and longer tail than other large falcons....
figure, drawing, illustration of Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)

Mexican Jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi)

Taxonomy:

Aphelocoma wollweberi

 Kaup, 1855, #R, Zacatecas, Mexico; restricted to Valparaíso Mountains.

Until recently considered conspecific with A. ultramarina, but molecular evidence#R points to a...

Descriptive notes: 28–32 cm; male 84–150 g, female 77–137 g. Small, chunky, crestless jay, dull bluish above and dingy below, with fairly heavy, pointed bill; bill length varies significantly with season, shorter in winter. Nominate race...
figure, drawing, illustration of Mexican Jay (Aphelocoma wollweberi)

Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis)

Taxonomy:

Picus imperialis

 Gould, 1832, “California” = Jalisco, Mexico.

Closely related to C. principalis. Monotypic.

Descriptive notes: c. 56–60 cm. World’s largest woodpecker; huge, with pointed crest. Male has side of crown back to underside of crest and nape red, feathers with white bases; rest of head and neck, also upperparts, underparts and tail, black...
figure, drawing, illustration of Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis)

Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)

Taxonomy:

Falco Isidori

 Des Murs, 1845, Bogotá, Colombia.

Previously placed in monotypic genus Oroaetus, but recent phylogenetic study found this species to be nested among the New World Spizaetus...

Descriptive notes: 60–80 cm, wingspan 144–166 cm. Large, stocky eagle with relatively short tail but long wings. Head, crest, neck and upperparts black, below chestnut streaked with black; thighs black, feathered tarsi chestnut; tail...
figure, drawing, illustration of Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)

Each bird species in HBW Alive has sections for Taxonomy, Subspecies, Distribution, Descriptive notes, Habitat, Food and Feeding, Breeding, Movements, Status and Conservation and Bibliography, as well as a distribution map and color illustrations.