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.

Wetar Ground-dove (Alopecoenas hoedtii)
23 hours 42 min ago
Negros Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba keayi)
1 day 21 hours ago
Moreno's Ground-dove (Metriopelia morenoi)
3 days 1 hour ago
Bare-faced Ground-dove (Metriopelia ceciliae)
3 days 7 hours ago
View all updated species
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Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Taxonomy:

Certhia flaveola

 Linnaeus, 1758, Jamaica.

Three clades, “bahamensis group” (Quintana Roo region of SE Mexico, and Bahamas), “flaveola group” (Cayman Is, Jamaica and Hispaniola),...

Descriptive notes: 10–11 cm; 6·4–14·2 g. Distinctive for its bill shape, which is short, sharply pointed and decurved. Generally dark grey to dusky olive above, much brighter on rump, with prominent pale supercilium, white patch...
figure, drawing, illustration of Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)

Taxonomy:

Buceros erythrorhynchus

 Temminck, 1823, Mora, Cameroon.

Closest to T. monteiri, but close also to T. flavirostris, T. leucomelas and T. deckeni (and presumably jacksoni...

Descriptive notes: 35 cm; male 124–185 g, female 90–151 g (nominate), male 182 g, female 148 g (race kempi), male 128 g, female 125 g (race ruahae). Small, black-and-white hornbill with spotted wing-coverts, white in outer tail, and long,...
figure, drawing, illustration of Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)

Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis)

Taxonomy:

Pauxi unicornis

 J. Bond and Meyer de Schauensee, 1939, above Bolívar, near Palmar, Yungas de Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Has been considered a race of P. pauxi, and until very recently was treated as conspecific with P. koepckeae, but differs from latter in...

Descriptive notes: 85–95 cm; male c. 3850 g; female c. 3600 g. Large, virtually all-black cracid with white vent and tip to tail. Bright red bill and pale blue casque, which grows up to 6·3 cm. Legs normally pale red, but...
figure, drawing, illustration of Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis)

Malay Eared-nightjar (Lyncornis temminckii)

Taxonomy:

Lyncornis Temminckii

 Gould, 1838, Borneo.

Previously placed in genus Eurostopodus. Race jacobsoni of L. macrotis may belong in present species...

Descriptive notes: 25–28 cm. Sexes similar. Shows distinct "ears"; upperparts brown speckled buff, pale buff and cinnamon, crown boldly spotted with blackish-brown; thin buff nuchal ­collar; wing-coverts brown, speckled and spotted...
figure, drawing, illustration of Malay Eared-nightjar (Lyncornis temminckii)

Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)

Taxonomy:

Platalea pygmea

 [sic] Linnaeus, 1758, Suriname = eastern Asia.

Hitherto usually placed in monotypic genus, Eurynorhynchus, but sometimes included in present genus; recent study supports its treatment within...

Descriptive notes: 14–16 cm; male averages 29·5 g, one female 34 g; wingspan 32–38 cm. Small wader closely resembling other Calidris, but has spatulate bill; in summer, red-brown head, neck and breast with dark brown streaks; upperparts...
figure, drawing, illustration of Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)

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.