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Whether you are new to bird watching or an old hat, the terminology can be complex. Here is a primer on some basic terms as well as more sophisticated ones you should know. Hawking is a form of food gathering. As the name suggest, the bird will wait at a high point and inspect below for food. When it sights said food, it swoops down and snatches it. Orientation refers to the navigation ability of birds. Some can orient to a particular direction during migration while others seem to be effected by the length of the day. Surprisingly, little is understood about how this happens. Anting is a bizarre bird ritual. Many species will allow ants to crawl through their wings. The ants effectively preen the wings as they eat and store anything they find. Paddling is a term that carries a different meaning than you might think. It does not refer to peddling through the water. Instead, it refers to stamping the ground to motivate food such as worms to pop up where they can be eaten. The term Papilla refers to a colorful knob often found on the beak or mouth of a hatchling. It acts as a target for the parent to place food upon return to the nest. The classification of bird species refers to their designation within a hierarchy. The hierarch is class, order, family, genus and species. The act of probing refers to bird conduct during feeding sessions. Birds will probe areas such as dead bark, mud and what have you to find food. The type of probing is dependent upon the particular bird and is a crude method for identification. The act of stooping refers to a predator bird hunting smaller birds. It is the equivalent of the car chase in a movie. The predator will chase the smaller bird until it captures or fails. The speculum is a marketing area found on a duck. Many ducks have a patch of color on their wings. The color distinction and shape can be used for identification purposes. A diurnal species refers to a bird that feeds and is active primarily during the day, the opposite of how most birds customarily act. Totipalmate is another way to identify a bird. The term refers to the webbing or lack thereof between the toes. Those birds with webbing have totipalmate. Non-totipalmate birds tend to have unconnected toes facing different directions. The nape of a bird is another potential classification mechanism. It refers to the area between the crown of the head and neck. It often is an area of demarcation, making it helpful in identifying the bird you are seeing. The act of gleaning refers to birds that pick their food off of upright structures such as trees. Some do it while hovering, but many may just land on the structure and whip their head back and forth to find food. Being able to speak Birdinese is important, but hardly the key to enjoying your time on sighting trips. If you feel overwhelmed by the terms, forget them and just enjoy yourself.
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