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.

Malay Bullfinch (Pyrrhula waterstradti)
1 month 2 weeks ago
Indian Grass-babbler (Graminicola bengalensis)
1 month 3 weeks ago
Socorro Parula (Setophaga graysoni)
2 months 1 week ago
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala)
2 months 3 weeks ago
View all updated species
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Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)

Taxonomy:

Muscicapa rufifrons

 Latham, 1801, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Hitherto considered to include R. melanolaema and usually R. kubaryi (see both species). Often considered conspecific with R. ...

Descriptive notes: 15·5–17·5 cm; 8–13·5 g. Nominate race has forehead rufous, crown, face, nape and mantle dull grey-brown, shading to rufous on lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts; upperwing grey-brown; tail rufous...
figure, drawing, illustration of Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Taxonomy:

Falco Chrysaëtos

 Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.

Has been considered closely related to A. audax, and perhaps also to A. gurneyi. Form kamtschatica very similar to ...

Descriptive notes: 66–90 cm; male 2840–4550 g, female 3630–6665 g (exceptionally up to c. 7200 g); wingspan 180–234 cm. Fairly uniform dark brown although crown, nape and median upperwing coverts normally pale yellowish-...
figure, drawing, illustration of Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Magellanic Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus)

Taxonomy:

Strix magellanicus

 Lesson, 1828, Straits of Magellan.

Until recently included as a race of B. virginianus, but differs from the taxon in vocalizations#R...

Descriptive notes: c. 45 cm; 830 g (n = 1 male). Very like B. virginianus; differs in smaller size (wing length 318–368 mm versus 297–390 mm in virginianus), smaller ear tufts, smaller bill, weaker talons, more prominent rim around...
figure, drawing, illustration of Magellanic Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus)

Rail-babbler (Eupetes macrocerus)

Taxonomy:

Eupetes macrocerus

 Temminck, 1831, Padang, Sumatra.

Original name was unjustifiably emended to “macrocercus” and this version has been used extensively; Temminck himself emended name to “...

Descriptive notes: 28–30 cm; 66–72 g. Distinctive, with long neck and tail; broad white supercilium from front of eye and extending down side of neck, bordered below by broad black line from bill base and lores through and below orbit and...
figure, drawing, illustration of Rail-babbler (Eupetes macrocerus)

Asian Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon)

Taxonomy:

Ibis nippon

 Temminck, 1835, Japan.

Proposed race sinensis, described around end of 19th century, turned out to be the species’ breeding plumage. Monotypic.

Descriptive notes: 55–84 cm. Distinctive bushy-crested ibis with red facial skin and legs. Non-breeding adult white, with orangish-cinnamon tones in tail and flight feathers, whereas breeding adult has grey head, neck, mantle and...
figure, drawing, illustration of Asian Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon)

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.