"Narrative": "The family Accipitridae includes 28 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nHawks, Eagles, Kites, and Harriers occur worldwide. Most accipitrines take live prey. Members of the genera Accipiter take mainly birds, small mammals and reptiles. The broad-winged soaring hawks, such as the buteos, catch their prey on the ground, from the wing or from a perch. They feed mainly on mammals and reptiles, occasionally on birds. Eagles prey on large and small mammals, birds and reptiles; a few also eat carrion or 'pirate' food from other birds of prey. The Snail kite feeds only on snails which are captured in one foot from the wing. Kites of the genus Ictinia live in open country and feed mainly on insects, captured in the feet while on the wing and eaten in flight. They also take insects by sorties from a perch or from foliage. Bats may be taken in flight and snails and small vertebrates on the ground. The harriers fly low over the ground in open country or over marshes, dropping on prey that includes mammals, frogs, reptiles, insects and some birds. The Osprey occurs on lakes, rivers, and seacoasts in temperate and tropical regions. The feet are adapted for catching and holding fish captured by plunging into the water with the legs and talons extended to grasp the prey. \r\n\r\nNests of the Accipitridae family are usually large structures of sticks and other material in a tree or on a rocky ledge or they may consist of little nest material on the ground. Harriers usually nest on the ground. Nests used in previous years are often renovated and used again. Eggs are rounded oval or nearly round, few are truly oval or pointed at one end. Eggs are laid at intervals of more than one day and incubation begins with the first egg, hence they hatch asynchronously and the young differ in size. Incubation periods in the larger species are from 45-50 days or more. In smaller species 31-38 days. In most species only the female incubates and she is fed by the male in or near the nest. The male may bring the food to a point near the nest and call the female to come to it."
},
{
"FamilyID": 3,
"Family": "Aegithalidae",
"Description": "Bushtits",
"Narrative": "The family Aegithalidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe Bushtit is found in woods, gardens and cultivated areas. The Long-tailed Tits occur in Eurasia. Long-tailed tits and bushtits are small (8-14 cm), long-tailed and fluffy-plumaged. They feed on insects and spiders gleaned from foliage. They also eat seeds.\r\n\r\nThe nest is a domed structure placed in a tree fork, composed of plant down, moss, cobwebs and fibers, almost covered with lichens; lined with feathers; side entrance a hole near the top. Eggs 3-8, white or pale lilac, usually with reddish speckles forming a ring around the large end."
},
{
"FamilyID": 6,
"Family": "Alaudidae",
"Description": "Larks",
"Narrative": "The family Alaudidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nLarks. Most species of larks occur in Africa and Eurasia. The widespread Horned Lark has also colonized the New World. Larks are open country birds, often occurring in desert, semi-desert, rocky or grassy environments. Their plumages tend to match these backgrounds. Most are pale grayish, brownish or buffy above, paler below; often with streaks or black markings that disrupt the outline of the body. A few species are black or mostly so, some are crested. The sexes are alike.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly seeds and insects. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground, usually lined with plant material, hair, etc., often with a rim of clods or pebbles; often in or under a grass clump or rock; some with partial domes. Eggs 2-5, variable, gray, greenish, pink, speckled with rufous/brown spots."
},
{
"FamilyID": 7,
"Family": "Alcedinidae",
"Description": "Kingfishers",
"Narrative": "The family Alcedinidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nKingfishers occur in many habitats, usually near water and/or in woods and forests on all continents and many islands. Most species have a long, strong, pointed bill. The legs are short.\r\n\r\nKingfishers feed on many kinds of animals, including fish, insects and other terrestrial arthropods, frogs, lizards, crabs, mollusks, snails, birds, mice and occasionally plants. Most species are sit-and-wait predators, perching on a branch and flying down to capture fish or terrestrial prey. Living prey items are often beaten on a branch before being swallowed. Some kingfishers hover over water and dive from the wing.\r\n\r\nKingfishers nest in holes, lay nearly round white eggs, and do not remove the nestling's droppings. Both sexes incubate. The eggs are laid at one-day intervals and incubation begins with the first egg, thus hatch at one-day intervals and the young are of different sizes, the oldest up to a week older than the youngest. When food is scarce only the older nestlings survive and there is much competition for the food brought by the parents."
},
{
"FamilyID": 8,
"Family": "Alcidae",
"Description": "Auks",
"Narrative": "The family Alcidae includes 22 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nAlcids live almost their entire lives on the ocean. They come to shore only to nest, usually in burrows or rock crevices. Their diet is primarily fish and squid caught by diving or chasing them underwater. Wings are more suited for underwater pursuit than for flying. In flight all Alcids have rapid wing beats. All are colored black and white. During the breeding season, some have very colorful beaks. Alcids (found in the Northern hemisphere) fill the same ecological niche that Penguins fill in the Southern hemisphere."
},
{
"FamilyID": 9,
"Family": "Anatidae",
"Description": "Ducks and Swans",
"Narrative": "The family Anatidae includes 59 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSwans. Large, long-necked birds with strong bills; sexes alike in plumage. Herbivorous; forage for water plants from the surface, using the long neck to reach the bottom. Swans do not dive. The nest is a bulky structure on the ground. Incubation is 34-40 days. Maturity is reached at 2-3 years of age.\r\n\r\nGeese. The plumages of the typical geese are alike in the sexes and lack iridescent colors.; downy young do not have complex plumage patterns. Geese reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years of age. \r\n\r\nDucks, Teal, Scoters, Pochards, Eiders, Mergansers. Most species are sexually dimorphic in plumage. Males have bold and/or colorful patterns while females are cryptically colored with buff and brown markings. Most species have iridescent wing patches. The bright nuptial plumage of the males is replaced by a dull \"eclipse\" plumage during the period of flightlessness when the flight feathers are being replaced. Downy plumages are conspicuously patterned, usually dark brown with buffy or yellow markings on the back and head. The bills of most species are broad'. The dabbling species forage from the surface or edges of ponds, streams or saltwater. The bills of the mergansers are slender and serrated for grasping fish. The diving ducks (pochards, scaup, eiders, scoters, goldeneyes, mergansers, etc.) have large feet placed far back."
},
{
"FamilyID": 11,
"Family": "Anhingidae",
"Description": "Anhinga",
"Narrative": "The family Anhingidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nAnhingas are medium to large (80-100 cm long) aquatic birds with a long, slender neck, long wings and long, graduated tail. The bill is long and slender, sharply pointed, without a hooked tip. The legs are short and set far back.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly fish, amphibians and insects. Anhingas dive and pursue fish underwater, propelled by the feet with the wings often partly spread; fish are impaled on the bill in a spearing motion. Fish are brought to the surface, tossed into the air, caught and swallowed head first. Anhingas often swim with the body submerged and head and neck above the water, slowly submerging to stalk fish, hence the nickname \"snakebird\". \r\n\r\nAnhingas nest in colonies, often with cormorants or herons. The nest is a platform of branches, sticks or reeds, lined with leaves and stems of water plants; placed over water in a tree, bush or reeds, usually less than 2 m high. The female builds the nest with material brought by the male. Clutch size is 3-5 greenish or bluish eggs with a chalky coat, some with darker spots. Both sexes incubate 25-28 days, starting with first egg. Young are naked at hatching but within 2 days covered with white or buffy down. Young are able to climb about at 8 days of age. Small nestlings take fluid from the bill of adults. When larger they take food from the throats of the parents, or pick up regurgitated food. Young birds leave the nest at 5 weeks and can swim and dive if alarmed. Anhingas fledge at 7 weeks and are fed by the parents for some time after fledging. Age at first breeding is 1 or 2 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 13,
"Family": "Apodidae",
"Description": "Swifts",
"Narrative": "The family Apodidae includes 9 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nTypical Swifts range in size from 10-25 cm in length and vary in weight from 6.5 to ca. 200 gms. Plumage is hard without downy or silky feathers. The apodid swifts are the most aerial of birds, feeding, drinking, bathing and copulating in flight and several species (e.g., Apus apus) can spend the night on the wing. Plumage colors are mainly brown or gray with lighter patches; some species have iridescent areas. The short legs and strong claws are adapted for clinging to the vertical surfaces of trees, cliffs, etc. \r\n\r\nSwifts forage entirely on the wing, feeding mainly on insects and spiders; occasionally they may take insects or spiders from the surface of the water, foliage or under the eaves of buildings. Most swifts glue nest material together with sticky saliva. Clutch sizes vary from 1-6 eggs. Incubation periods are 19-23 days. The nestling period is long and variable: 5-8 weeks in Apus apus depending on the weather which determines the supply of flying insects. Adults may forage far from the nest, returning to feed the nestlings with food items glued together with saliva and carried in the mouth."
},
{
"FamilyID": 15,
"Family": "Aramidae",
"Description": "Limpkin",
"Narrative": "The family Aramidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe Limpkin occurs in wooded swamps and brushy areas in the southeastern U. S., Caribbean islands, and from Mexico to Argentina. It is medium-sized (58-71 cm, 850-1050 gms), with a long neck, long legs, and brownish-olive plumage with white streaks. The long bill is slightly decurved. The tail is short and the wings are broad and rounded. \r\n\r\nFood is almost entirely large snails, mainly of the genus Pomacea, obtained in shallow water. After capturing a snail the Limpkin extracts the body and discards the shell. The nest is a shallow, rather flimsy structure, of sticks and dry plants, on a shady site on the ground near water, or in a bush or tree. Clutch is 4-8 pale buff eggs, spotted or blotched with light brown. Both sexes incubate and care for the precocial young even after they are able to fly. The young approach the adults from behind and reach forward between the legs of the parent to take a snail from the bill of the adult."
},
{
"FamilyID": 16,
"Family": "Ardeidae",
"Description": "Herons",
"Narrative": "The family Ardeidae includes 17 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nBitterns, Egrets, and Herons occur mainly in wet habitats in temperate and tropical regions and on many islands. They are medium to large in size (30-140 cm long) with long legs; most species have long necks and slender bodies. Bills usually long, straight and sharp-pointed. The night herons are stouter with shorter necks. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly aquatic animals, including fish, amphibians and insects. Some species also take reptiles, small mammals, birds, mollusks and crustaceans. Prey is usually seized in the bill, sometimes impaled. Pellets of indigestible parts are regurgitated. Various foraging methods are used: stand and wait in water for prey to appear; walk slowly in shallow water, along the margin or on a mudflat or beach; foot-stirring or trampling in muddy or sandy areas to flush prey; run about in shallow water to pursue prey; swim in deeper water and surface dive; hover and plunge-dive; dive from a perch. Most herons are diurnal (active during the day). Night-herons feed during the day, at dusk and at night.\r\n\r\nMost herons nest in dense or dispersed colonies. A few species, including most bitterns, are solitary. Nests are platforms of interlocked sticks in trees or piles of vegetation in reeds or on the ground, built mainly or entirely by the female of material brought by the male. Eggs usually 3-7, usually unmarked white, buff, pale blue, greenish or olive-brown. They are laid at intervals of 1-3 days. Incubation begins with the first or second egg, hatching asynchronous. Sibling murder or starvation may eliminate smaller chicks when food is scarce. Usually both adults incubate (only female in polygamous bitterns) 19-30 days. Downy hatchlings are fed by partial and complete regurgitation by both parents or only female. Young may leave the nest in a week and clamber about nearby, returning to the nest for feeding. Fledging occurs at 30-55 days of age but young remain dependent on parents for longer periods, especially in the larger species. Age at first breeding is 1-2 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 20,
"Family": "Bombycillidae",
"Description": "Waxwings",
"Narrative": "The family Bombycillidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nWaxwings. The name \"waxwing\" refers to the red, tear-drop shaped, sealing wax-like tips of the shafts of the secondaries.\r\n\r\nThe Cedar Waxwing has a white crissum and yellow tail tip. The Bohemian Waxwing has a rufous crissum and yellow tail tip. Females and juveniles lack black throats. Juveniles are brownish and streaked below. Waxwings feed mainly on berries and other small fruits. They take insects on the wing during breeding. They are nomadic, flocking in winter. The nest is made of twigs, moss, lichens, with soft lining, usually in a spruce, less often in pine or deciduous tree. The male may assist the female in nest building. Eggs 3-7, usually 5, grayish-blue marked with black spots and lines. Both sexes incubate 15-18 days, female fed on the nest by the male. Hatchlings are naked and fed by regurgitation. They fledge at 19-22 days, follow adults for 3 weeks."
},
{
"FamilyID": 24,
"Family": "Burhinidae",
"Description": "Stone-curlews",
"Narrative": "The family Burhinidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThick-knees (also called stone-curlews) occur in open areas, often near water, but also in arid habitats in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Neotropics. They resemble large plovers, varying in length from 35-52 cm, with short, stout bills in the smaller species and long, massive bills in larger species. The head is large and broad with large, yellow eyes adapted to their crepuscular and/or nocturnal habits. The legs are long, bare, yellowish or greenish, with a thickened tibiotarsal joint (hence 'thick-knee'). Plumage cryptically colored in browns, gray or buff, with bars, streaks and spots of black. The sexes are alike.\r\n\r\nThick-knees forage at dusk or at night, taking all available small animals, including insects, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds' eggs and young and some seeds and other parts of plants.\r\n\r\nThe nest is a shallow scrape in open ground, often lined with small stones or shells. Clutch is usually 2 white to buff eggs with brown markings. Incubation by both sexes; hatching after 25-27 days. Chicks are covered with thick down and are active a day after hatching; parents guard and feed the chicks, which may be moved from the nest site; fledging about 6 weeks of age. Maturity is usually at 2-3 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 29,
"Family": "Caprimulgidae",
"Description": "Nightjars",
"Narrative": "The family Caprimulgidae includes 9 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe caprimulgids occur in tropical and temperate regions and many oceanic islands. The soft plumage is cryptically colored with gray, black, buff and rufous in mottled and vermiculated patterns, often with white patches on the chin or throat. Most species range from 16-40 cm in length. A few species with long tails are up to 78 cm. The long wings are pointed and the birds are excellent flyers. Most species are active only at twilight or at night. During the day they perch quietly on the ground or lengthwise on a branch. The Common Poorwill of western North America hibernates in rock crevices during the winter. During hibernation the birds are torpid with a body temperature of 18-19┬░C, versus the normal temperature of 40-41┬░C.\r\n\r\nThe feet are small and weak. The bill is also small and weak. The gape is deeply cleft with large bristles around the side to help guide insects into the mouth. Most caprimulgids feed mainly or entirely on flying insects captured in continuous flight. No nest is constructed. The 1-3, usually 2, eggs are laid on the bare ground or on fallen leaves. The North American species of nighthawks sometimes nest on the flat, graveled roofs of buildings. The cryptically-colored eggs are white, gray or buff with markings of black, brown or violet. Both sexes incubate (about 16-21 days) and brood the young which are covered with gray or buff down. The hatchlings remain in the nest when born but soon become active, running about near the nest at night, but hiding under the female during the day. The active young deposit their excreta a short distance from the nest site in any direction, producing a ring of small white droppings around the nest. The adults collect insects in their crops during foraging flights and return to the young birds which take the parent's beak into their own. The parent then discharges the crop contents into the throat of the youngster."
},
{
"FamilyID": 32,
"Family": "Cathartidae",
"Description": "Vultures",
"Narrative": "The family Cathartidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nNew World Vultures or Condors occur from southern Canada to southern South America. They are large birds (60-100 cm long), including some of the largest flying birds: the California and Andean condors, the latter with a wingspan of 3.2 m. The relatively small Black Vulture has a wing span of 1.5 m. Plumages are mainly black or dark brown, some with white in the wings. \r\n\r\nThe cathartines are carrion eaters, although Black and Turkey vultures occasionally kill new-born or defenseless animals. Black Vultures feed on garbage and scavenge in towns. Most species locate food by sight, but Turkey Vultures use their keen sense of smell to find rotting meat. No cathartine constructs a nest; eggs are laid on bare ground, in hollow logs, dense vegetation, on rocky ledges or in a cave. Most are solitary; the Black Vulture may nest in loose colonies. The Black and Turkey vultures lay 2 eggs which are white or cream colored with spots and blotches of brown. Incubation 32-58 days, varying with the size of the species; both sexes incubate the eggs, brood and feed the nestlings. A Black or Turkey vulture chick may fledge at 10 weeks; a California Condor at 22-25 weeks. Young condors may be fed by the parents for more than a year after leaving the nest, hence the adults nest every other year. Age at first breeding is at least 6-8 years in the condors, less in the smaller species."
},
{
"FamilyID": 34,
"Family": "Certhiidae",
"Description": "Treecreepers",
"Narrative": "The family Certhiidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSmall; brownish above streaked and spotted with white and buff; whitish below; rectrices stiffened; bill thin, decurved, pointed. Forage for insects, their eggs and larvae, moving only upward on tree trunks and limbs, using the tail as a prop. Nest of moss, bark strips, grass, twigs, placed behind a piece of loose bark, usually of a dead tree. Both sexes build the nest. Eggs 6-9, white with reddish spots."
},
{
"FamilyID": 36,
"Family": "Charadriidae",
"Description": "Plovers and Lapwings",
"Narrative": "The family Charadriidae includes 16 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nOystercatchers. The oystercatchers occur mainly on beaches, mudflats and rocky seashores; some species also forage or nest in meadows or by inland lakes. Their distribution is worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. Oystercatchers are large waders with black-and-white or completely black plumage; sexes alike. Food is mainly mollusks, crustaceans, annelid worms and insects. The strong bill has tactile cells in the tip and is used to open mussels, dislodge limpets from intertidal rocks or probe for food on sandy or muddy shores. Nest is a scrape on the ground. Eggs 2-4, yellowish-buff with brown or black markings; both sexes incubate about 26-27 days. The chicks run as soon as they are dry and are fed by the parents for 6 weeks.\r\n\r\nStilts and Avocets occur over much of the world in temperate and tropical regions, usually in wet habitats -- marshes, mudflats, lakes, streams, flooded fields. They are long-legged, long-necked, long-billed waders; 29-48 cm in length. Avocets have a slender, upcurved bill and feed on insects and other invertebrates by sweeping their bill from side-to-side through shallow water. Stilts have a straight, slender bill. The red legs of stilts are exceptionally long in proportion to their body size. Avocets nest in colonies near water; open nests are placed on grass, sand, mud or in shallow water and may be unlined or lined with dead plants. Clutch usually 4. Eggs buff or brownish with black and gray markings; incubation by both sexes 23-25 days; asynchronous hatching; downy young cared for by both adults; fledging at 35-42 days. Age at first breeding 2 or 3 years. Stilts nest in colonies near or in shallow water; nests of mud and plants or in grass clumps with little nest material; eggs 3-4, pale buff-brown with black and gray markings; incubation 22-25 days by both sexes, hatching synchronous; young precocial and nidifugous, cared for by both parents, but feed themselves. Fledge in 28-32 days; independent 2-4 weeks after fledging. Age at first breeding 2 years. \r\n\r\nPlovers and Lapwings are mainly terrestrial waders that occur worldwide, except in Antarctica. Plumage colors are mainly brown, white, gray, olive and black, often with a white nape band, black breast band or bands and a dark tail band. Sexes are alike or nearly so. Food is mainly animals taken from the surface of wet sand, mud or grass; forage by repeated short runs with pauses to peck at prey; may use 'foot-trembling' to startle prey into movement. Nests are scrapes with little or no lining, in the open or in thin vegetation. Clutch 2-5 eggs; eggs cryptically-colored with buff, brown or gray marked with black. In monogamous species both parents incubate eggs and care for young. Incubation period 3-4 weeks; chicks are downy; fledging after 3 weeks in small species or 5-6 weeks in large species. Tropical plovers may cool and wet the eggs with water carried in their belly feathers. Age at maturity 1 year in small species, 2-3 years in large species."
},
{
"FamilyID": 39,
"Family": "Ciconiidae",
"Description": "Storks",
"Narrative": "The family Ciconiidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nStorks have very large bills and long legs. They probe slowly for food in shallow water. Storks are capable of flying long distances. The appear as a \"kettle\" of birds, rather than forming a \"V\" formation. Wood Storks are highly colonial with 5-25 nests per tree, occasionally touching. Colonies will skip breeding due to lack of food, and will desert eggs and young if prolonged rains occur in dry season; such rains preclude effective foraging because water table does not drop and fish consequently do not become concentrated in relatively small pools. Forages by moving open bill in water until contact with prey item triggers rapid bill-snap reflex; sighting of prey not required. Often shuffles feet while feeding, presumably to flush fish. Both sexes incubate. Clutch size is usually three eggs. Incubation takes 28-32 days. Young are able to fly after 55-60 days. Both sexes tend young."
},
{
"FamilyID": 40,
"Family": "Cinclidae",
"Description": "Dippers",
"Narrative": "The family Cinclidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nDippers live along swift streams in Eurasia, western North America, Middle America, and the mountains of western South America. The name \"dipper\" refers to the virtually constant bobbing motion when out of the water. Such movements seem to be correlated with noisy habitats, such as rushing streams and marine shores. \r\n\r\nFood includes many kinds of aquatic animals: insects, larval insects, worms, small mollusks and crustaceans, tadpoles, small fish and fish eggs. Often feeds by moving stones to expose prey. Also feeds along stream banks by turning stones and debris. Dippers wade into shallow water or dive when foraging. They walk on the bottom or swim underwater with strong wingbeats. They may dive from a perch or from the wing and can emerge from the water directly into flight. Underwater periods are usually 5-7 seconds in length, rarely 10.\r\n\r\nThe nest is a large, domed structure of moss, grass and leaves with a wide opening usually pointing down; lined with dry leaves, plant fibers and hair. Both sexes build the nest, placed in a steep bank above a stream, often close to or under a waterfall, in a hole or crevice, on a ledge, under a bridge and similar sites. Eggs 4-5, white; incubation averages 16 days by female; male rarely incubates. Young are fed by both parents, fledging at 20-24 days, young fed for 7 or up to 18 days after fledging."
},
{
"FamilyID": 45,
"Family": "Coerebidae",
"Description": "Bananaquit",
"Narrative": "The family Coerebidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe Bananaquit is found in the West Indies, Central America and South America in suburbs, parks, gardens, shrubs, thickets and hardwood hammocks. It has a thick, decurved bill and feeds on insects and nectar from flowering trees. The nest is globe-shaped."
},
{
"FamilyID": 47,
"Family": "Columbidae",
"Description": "Pigeons and Doves",
"Narrative": "The family Columbidae includes 18 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nPigeons and doves occur on all continents and many islands. Columbids have relatively small bills. The head is small. Plumage is soft, dense feathers with downy bases; wings and tail variable in shape and length. Pigeons and doves have a well-developed bi-lobed crop that produces \"pigeon milk\" composed of the sloughed, nutritious cells of the crop lining plus semi-digested food, for feeding the young. \r\n\r\nPigeons and doves mainly eat seeds, fruits, berries, flowers and tender leaves, but many species also take small invertebrates, such as snails and insects. All or most species ingest grit, salty earth and molluscan shell fragments; the grit is used in the gizzard to grind hard seeds and the grit provides minerals, thus consumption of grit and shells increases during the breeding season. Most pigeons drink by sucking or pumping without raising the head.\r\n\r\nMost species build a shallow, rather flimsy nest of interwoven twigs, stems and other plant parts placed in a tree or bush; species that nest on the ground or on ledges usually build a nest, but sometimes lay on the bare substrate. The female does most of the nest-building; the male brings the materials. Most species lay 2 white or (rarely) buffy eggs; a few species lay 1, or rarely 3, eggs. Both sexes incubate, 14-18 days. The squabs grow rapidly and the smaller species can fly when about 2 weeks old; fledglings are fed by the male only or by both parents, until able to forage for themselves. Larger species develop more slowly. Most species reach maturity at 1 year of age."
},
{
"FamilyID": 50,
"Family": "Corvidae",
"Description": "Crows, Jays and Magpies",
"Narrative": "The family Corvidae includes 20 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe corvines are mostly medium to large in size, ranging from 25 cm to 66 cm. The bill is stout, moderately long, often with a small hook. Many species of crows and ravens are black, some with white, gray or brown areas. Jays and magpies are usually brightly colored with blues and greens, some with long tails and some jays are crested. Sexes are alike. They tend to be omnivorous and to build open, cup-shaped nests of twigs lined with fine plant material.\r\n\r\nCrow and raven species are omnivorous, with insects and other invertebrates composing most of their diet, plus fruits, small vertebrates, nestlings and eggs, etc. The Raven and other large species often take birds and small mammals. Carrion is eaten by many or all species. Most, perhaps all, species store food. Nests are built by both sexes; bulky structures of twigs, often with mud, mammal dung or earth included, lined with finer materials, placed in a tree, on a cliff, building or on the ground. Eggs usually 3-5, range 2-9; color variable but commonly greenish to whitish with brown and gray markings. Incubation by female; 16-18 days in small species, up to 18-20 days in Raven; fledging 30-35 days in smaller species, 6 weeks in Raven. Male feeds female during incubation, but female also leaves nest to feed; both sexes feed the young. Asynchronous hatching in large broods, smaller young often die. Young fed for varying periods after fledging. Age at first breeding usually 2 years in smaller species, probably 2-3 years in largest species. \r\n\r\nThe Jays are omnivorous, taking a range of nuts, seeds, fruits and small animals, including insects, bird's eggs, nestling birds and mice. Nest of twigs, bark, grass, etc., usually bound together with mud; lined with fine plant fibers; both sexes build; usually in a tree or bush, rarely in a tree cavity. Eggs 2-6, usually 4-5, variable in color. Incubation mainly by female, rarely by male; female fed on and off the nest by the male; incubation 16-18 days, young fledge at 17-21 days; young fed by both parents, only female broods; young fed for 1-2 months after fledging. No evidence of communal breeding. Age at first breeding usually 2 years, rarely 1 year.\r\n\r\nIn the Florida Scrub-Jay about half of the territories are occupied by a single pair, the other half by a monogamous adult pair with 1-3, rarely up to 8, helpers, usually offspring of previous 1 or 2 years. Mated pairs remain together for life; longest known surviving pair bred together for 8 years. Age at first breeding 2 years for about half, 3 years for most; females earlier than males The Western Scrub-Jay in California seems to be a monogamous breeder."
},
{
"FamilyID": 52,
"Family": "Cracidae",
"Description": "Chachalaca",
"Narrative": "The family Cracidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nCurassows, Guans and Chachalacas are long-tailed and arboreal with strong toes and long, strong legs. The beak is heavy and decurved. Wings are short and rounded. Food is mainly buds and fruits, occasionally small animals, including insects and frogs, are eaten. Cracids do not scratch for food as much as do the galliforms.\r\n\r\nThe nest is loosely woven of dry twigs and leaves, usually in a tree, sometimes over water; a few species nest on the ground. 2-3, rarely 4, white eggs. Incubation 22-35 days in different species; young are led from nest by female on first day, able to fly in 3-4 days. Plumage of chicks light brown or black, some with stripes. Adults provide mainly animal food which is presented in the bill to the young. Chachalacas are partly polygamous and form nesting groups in which males cooperate in nest building."
},
{
"FamilyID": 55,
"Family": "Cuculidae",
"Description": "Old World Cuckoos",
"Narrative": "The family Cuculidae includes 8 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nCuckoos are slender, short-legged birds with long, graduated tails. Food is mainly insects; at least some species take hairy caterpillars by beating the prey on a branch, extracting and eating the viscera and discarding the remainder. They build an open, platform nest and usually raise their own young; some species occasionally are brood parasites. Clutch size varies; the Black-billed Cuckoo lays 2-6 eggs, one every other day and incubation begins with the first egg. Both sexes feed the young which fledge in about 10 days, thus the last egg may be laid when the first hatchling is fledging."
},
{
"FamilyID": 61,
"Family": "Diomedeidae",
"Description": "Albatrosses",
"Narrative": "The family Diomedeidae includes 7 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nAlbatrosses are the largest seabirds with wingspans from 2 to 3.2 m and body lengths of 70-140 cm; males larger. The short nostril tubes are separate, lying on the sides of the culmen at the base of the maxilla. A groove extends forward from each nostril tube along the side of the maxilla. Salty nasal gland excretion follows this groove and drips from the tip of the bill. The bill is huge, with a hooked tip. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly squid, fish and some crustacea. Some plant material accidentally ingested. 'Ballast' stones are swallowed. Smaller seabirds (e.g., prions and small penguins) are sometimes seized, especially by the Sooty Albatross. Some albatrosses also scavenge on dead animals and whale feces and follow ships to feed on garbage thrown overboard. They readily come to dead fish ('chum') and fish oil attracts them. Most food is taken from the surface, but albatrosses also feed below the surface by up-ending or making shallow dives.\r\n\r\nAll species nest on the ground, usually in colonies. Most colonies are on islands. Nests vary in size and are composed of material within reach from the nest site; plants and soil make up most nests. One white egg, sometimes with reddish spots; both sexes incubate in shifts of several days; incubation period 65 -79 days. Young guarded by both parents, one at a time, until chick is large enough to defend itself after 5 weeks in large species, 3 weeks in the small species. Both parents feed the downy chick by partial regurgitation in which the nestling takes fluid and digested prey from the throat of the adult. A Wandering Albatross can make its first flight at about 278 days, the Royal at 240 and the Sooty at about 139 days. The extended period of brood care means that the larger species can breed only every other year. Age at first breeding is roughly proportional to size; most populations of the Wandering Albatross can breed at 9-11 years, but some delay until 15 years of age. The smaller species begin to breed at 4-7 years of age. Longevity 30-40 years in the Royal; more than 25 years in Buller's Albatross."
},
{
"FamilyID": 66,
"Family": "Emberizidae",
"Description": "Buntings",
"Narrative": "The family Emberizidae includes 60 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSparrows, Buntings and Longspurs are small, brownish birds, usually with some streaking. They have short conical bills and eat primarily seeds and insects. Food is often uncovered by scratching on the ground with their feet. Many are long distance migrants. They have nine primary feathers on each wing. Most nest on the ground or in bushes."
},
{
"FamilyID": 71,
"Family": "Falconidae",
"Description": "Falcons and Caracaras",
"Narrative": "The family Falconidae includes 10 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe true falcons range in size from the tiny falconets and pygmy falcons (length 15 cm, weight 45-75 gms), to the Gyrfalcon (50-60 cm in length, average weights for males 1.17 kg, females 1.75 kg). The falconets feed mainly on insects. The large falcons are strong, fast flyers specialized for killing birds in flight, possibly by striking them with the hind claws or by seizing them in their talons and dropping to the ground. Kestrels take small mammals and insects by hovering and dropping to the ground for the capture. The largest falcons, such as the Peregrine and Gyrfalcon, are able to kill large birds in the air or capture mammals on the ground. Peregrines take mainly birds from passerines to pigeons, grouse, ducks and geese and mammals up to the size of rabbits. Gyrfalcons also feed mostly on birds taken in flight or on the ground, ranging from passerines to ptarmigan, ducks, geese and seabirds. Few mammals are taken during the breeding season, more in the winter.\r\n\r\nThe caracaras are omnivorous. All feed on carrion and most species also take some or all of the following: adult insects and larvae, other arthropods, nestling birds, frogs, lizards, small mammals, fruits and other plant material. \r\n\r\nFalcons vary in their nesting, but none builds its own nest. Some lay the eggs on a bare rock ledge or in a scrape on the ground, others use the old nest of another bird and some nest in cavities in trees or buildings. Eggs of all falcons are buffy thickly blotched and speckled with dark reddish-brown. Clutch size usually 3-6 in small species, and 3-5 in large species. Eggs are laid at 2-3 day intervals. Incubation is 25-32 days in small species to 32-35 days in large species. Post-fledging dependency 2-3 weeks in small species to 2 months in large ones. The female does most of the incubation and care of the young, the male brings most of the food."
},
{
"FamilyID": 73,
"Family": "Fregatidae",
"Description": "Frigatebirds",
"Narrative": "The family Fregatidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nFrigatebirds occur on all tropical and subtropical seas and islands. They are 70-110 cm in length with long, narrow wings (over 2 m in largest species), a deeply forked tail, short legs, small feet and a long, hooked bill. Females are larger than males. Males are glossy black, sometimes with white ventral patches; females mainly white below. Eye ring, throat skin and feet often brightly colored. Gular skin (pouch below bill) is bare and inflatable like a red balloon in breeding males. Immatures have white heads. They are remarkable flyers, spending most of the time on the wing except when breeding. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly flying fish and squid often taken from boobies and terns by piracy, i.e., by harassing the victim until it disgorges fish it is carrying, which the pirate then catches in midair. Frigatebirds fly above shoals of tuna and dolphins to catch flying fish that leap out of the water to escape the predators, pick up dead or dying fish, baby sea turtles and offal from the beach or surface of the water, or swoop low over breeding colonies of seabirds to snatch unattended nestlings, including those of their own species.\r\n\r\nThey nest in colonies in trees or low shrubs, rarely on the ground. Nests are built of sticks, feathers, bones, etc., assembled mainly by male, built mainly by female during courtship and incubation. There is much theft of nest material among neighbors. Clutch 1 large, white egg. Both parents incubate 44-55 days. Naked hatchlings are brooded for 2 weeks until covered with pale gray down. Young cared for and fed by both parents by incomplete regurgitation, i.e., young feeds from throat or beak of adult. Young guarded by adults for up to 45 days. Fledging delayed up to 6-7 months, plus long period of post-fledging care for 4-10 months or longer. During this period the young birds gather in small groups, picking up objects from the surface of the sea, attacking boobies and terns and taking small chicks, including unattended frigatebirds."
},
{
"FamilyID": 74,
"Family": "Fringillidae",
"Description": "Finches",
"Narrative": "The family Fringillidae includes 23 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nFinches are small, seed-eating birds with pointed wings and conical bills. The tail us relatively short and notched. When flying, they have distinctive calls. The flight pattern is typically undulating, as if they were riding on a small roller coaster.\r\n\r\nThey nest in trees or bushes, building a cup-shaped nest from grasses and twigs. Clutch size is typically 3-5 eggs."
},
{
"FamilyID": 77,
"Family": "Gaviidae",
"Description": "Loons",
"Narrative": "The family Gaviidae includes 5 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nLoons breed on freshwater lakes and ponds in the northern Holarctic and winter in coastal waters and bays in the northern hemisphere. They are large aquatic birds (53-100 cm long, 1-6 kg weight) that come on land only to nest. They have straight, sharp-pointed bills, webbed feet, short wings and a short tail. The legs are set so far back that they cannot stand upright on land. Breeding plumages are strikingly patterned, mainly black, white and gray with contrasting spotting and barring. Winter plumages are dull, gray and white. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly fish, but crustaceans, aquatic insects and larvae, frogs and some plant material are also taken. Mollusks and other invertebrates, as well as fish, are eaten during the winter in marine habitats. Loons feed by diving and underwater pursuit of fish; often form cooperative flocks for fishing, especially during migration and in winter. The nest site is chosen by the male on open land next to the water or in shallow water; often on an island in a lake or pond. The nest is usually a low mound of plant material with a shallow depression; sometimes little or no nest material is used. Both sexes build the nest which may be used in subsequent years. Clutch usually 2 olive-brown or olive-green eggs with dark spots; laid at interval of 1-3 days. They hatch asynchronously. Both sexes incubate for 24-30 days. Downy hatchlings are semi-precocial and immediately enter the water; brooded ashore for the first few nights. They are taken on the adult's back in the water or warmed under the wing during the day. Both parents feed the chicks and continue to do so until after fledging at 55-75 days of age. In most species the adults obtain food close to nest. The Red-throated flies to the ocean or a nearby river. Fish are carried crosswise in the bill to feed the young for several weeks, then less frequently until fledging at 55-75 days. Age at maturity is 2-3 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 78,
"Family": "Glareolidae",
"Description": "Pratincole",
"Narrative": "The family Glareolidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nPratincoles and Coursers inhabit open country, in wet or semiarid regions, in Africa, southern Europe, Asia and Australia. They are small to medium-sized plover-like birds with long, pointed wings and rapid, almost falcon-like, flight. \r\n\r\nPlumages tend to be cryptically colored in buff, gray, brown and black. Sexes are alike. The typical pratincoles feed on insects usually captured in flight, \"hawking\" like giant swallows. They also forage for insects on the ground. \r\n\r\nThey nest in colonies near water. The nest is a scrape in the ground or a depression on a rock. Eggs 1-4, usually 2-3, yellowish with dark markings. In all pratincoles both sexes incubate for 17-21 days."
},
{
"FamilyID": 80,
"Family": "Gruidae",
"Description": "Cranes",
"Narrative": "The family Gruidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nCranes are large, long-legged, long-necked birds with long, broad wings, a short tail and a straight bill of medium length. Plumages are mainly gray, white, brown, blue and black. Sexes are similar in plumage but the females are smaller. \r\n\r\nCranes are omnivorous; all species use their bills to dig and probe for roots and tubers of marsh plants and they graze and browse on seeds, sedges, tender plants, buds, fruits, acorns and cultivated crops. Insects, other small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and the eggs and chicks of birds are taken. Nests are composed of plants and are always on the ground, usually in marshes, sometimes in grassland or open woodland.\r\n\r\nEggs of most species are brownish with flecks of darker brown, or whitish with brown flecks. Usually 2 eggs are laid and 1 young is reared; incubation by both parents about 30 days. Both parents feed the young bill-to-bill. Fledging varies from 55-105 days in different species. Adults pair for life and return to the same spot to breed, sometimes using the same nest which becomes larger as they add to it over several years. They reach maturity at an average age of 4-5 years. Longevity in captivity to 55 years, in the wild probably at least 25 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 81,
"Family": "Haematopodidae",
"Description": "Oystercatchers",
"Narrative": "The family Haematopodidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe oystercatchers are found mainly on beaches, mudflats and rocky seashores. Their distribution is worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. Oystercatchers are large waders (40-45 cm in length, about 500 gm) with black-and-white or completely black plumage. Sexes are alike with the females slightly larger. The wings are long and pointed and the tail is short. The distinctive bright orange-red bill is long, stout and laterally compressed with a chisel-like tip. The stout legs are reddish and the tarsi are covered with small, hexagonal scales. The 3 short, thick toes are slightly webbed.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly mollusks, crustaceans, annelid worms and insects. The strong bill has tactile cells in the tip and is used to open mussels, dislodge limpets from intertidal rocks or probe for food on sandy or muddy shores, river gravel and farmland.\r\n\r\nThe nest is a scrape on the ground, sometimes lined with shells, stones or bones or with such objects around the periphery. Eggs 2-4, yellowish-buff with brown or black markings; both sexes incubate about 26-27 days. The chicks run as soon as they are dry and are fed by the parents for 6 weeks. They fledge at 5 weeks. Maturity is at 2 years and 9 months. Longevity up to 36 years in the wild with an average probably more than 10 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 84,
"Family": "Hirundinidae",
"Description": "Swallows and Martins",
"Narrative": "The family Hirundinidae includes 14 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSwallows are found worldwide, except in polar regions. They range in size from 10-23 cm. Their long, pointed wings and small bills with broad gapes are adapted for capturing insects during sustained flight. Some occasionally eat berries. Eggs 3-8, plain white or with reddish spots. The female incubates.\r\n\r\nMartins are the largest swallows with broad, triangular wings and long forked tails. The sexes differ. Most breeding ranges do not overlap, but different species may migrate or winter together. They feed mainly on flying insects, rarely on the ground for ants and other insects. The nest is made of grass, leaves, mud, in holes, cavities, often in colonies, including bird houses with many compartments. Eggs 3-8, usually 4-5, white.\r\n\r\nSwallows are found in North, Central and South America. They are 12-13.5 cm in size. All are glossy greenish-blue or blue above and white below. Most have a white rump or partially white rump. Tails are notched. They forage in the open, often over water. The nest is made of grass, hair, etc., in a tree hole or crevice. Some nest in loose colonies."
},
{
"FamilyID": 85,
"Family": "Hydrobatidae",
"Description": "Storm-petrels",
"Narrative": "The family Hydrobatidae includes 10 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nStorm-Petrels are the smallest tubenoses; 12-25 cm long, 20-50 gms in weight. Males may be smaller than females. The bill is small with a hooked tip. The plumage is usually all black or black with a white rump. They can walk or run on their toes for short distances on land and shuffle while crouching on the tarsi. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly planktonic crustaceans, mollusks,small fish, whale feces and offal from dead whales and other large animals. Apparently they can smell oily animal fat because some species respond to cod liver oil on the water. Most of the food is taken from the surface as the birds hover or fly just above the water, often dipping their feet into the water as they pick up a morsel. They sometimes take prey while swimming. They often glide along the windward slope of a wave a few centimeters above the water where the updraft provides a lift. Wilson's Storm-Petrel has been observed to dive below the surface.\r\n\r\nStorm-Petrels come ashore only to breed in colonies on islands. The nest is in a hole, crevice or burrow dug by both sexes in soil with a tunnel up to 1 m long. The nest chamber is bare or lined with grass, rootlets, etc.. Storm-Petrels usually come ashore only at night. One dull white egg is incubated by both sexes for 40-50 days. Hatchlings are covered with down. Hatchlings are fed an oily mush, regurgitated into the open bill of the young, for the first few days. Larger nestlings are cared for and fed, by incomplete regurgitation, by both parents. After 5-7 days the nestlings are left alone during the day and visited nightly for feeding. Feeding is discontinued at fledging at 59-73 days of age. They may occupy nest holes at 2 years of age, but do not breed until 4-6 years old."
},
{
"FamilyID": 87,
"Family": "Icteridae",
"Description": "Orioles",
"Narrative": "The family Icteridae includes 25 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nOrioles, Blackbirds and Meadowlarks are fairly large birds with slender, pointed bills. Orioles are black and orange or black and yellow. Blackbirds are black or glossy purple - green. Meadowlarks are primarily brown but with bold yellow breasts.\r\n\r\nBlackbirds tend to form large mixed flocks, especially in the winter in southern states. They feed on grain and insects. Orioles feed on insects, fruit and nectar. They can be attracted to feeders with orange slices. Meadowlarks feed on insects."
},
{
"FamilyID": 90,
"Family": "Jacanidae",
"Description": "Jacana",
"Narrative": "The family Jacanidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nJacanas occur in swamps, marshes, wet meadows and along streams in the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, New Guinea and from Mexico to Argentina. Jacanas range in length from 16.5-53 cm. Plumages are dark reddish or blackish-brown with areas of white or pale yellow. Sexes are alike in coloration, but females are larger than males. Several species have fleshy wattles covering the forehead and all species have a sharp spur or a knob extending from the carpals. The long, bare tibia, long toes and extremely long toenails are adapted for walking on floating vegetation.\r\n\r\nJacanas feed on insects taken from floating vegetation and on frogs, fish and invertebrates, from the surface or below the surface of the water. They often turn over aquatic plants to search for prey and may eat some plant material, including the ovules of water lilies.\r\n\r\nThe females court and mate with several males. Nests are flimsy platforms of plant debris built on floating vegetation, mainly or entirely by the male. Clutch usually of 4 glossy yellow to brown eggs with dark markings or unmarked. The male incubates for about 22-28 days. The female may start a second clutch with another male a week after completing a clutch with the first male and continue to produce clutches for her other males. She may copulate with all males in her group within 30 minutes. Females feed in and defend the territories of their males. Males provide all, or most, of brood care. Some species pick up and carry chicks under their wings to protect them from rain. The downy precocial chicks feed only when with the male and are dependent on him for 3-4 months."
},
{
"FamilyID": 91,
"Family": "Laniidae",
"Description": "Shrikes",
"Narrative": "The family Laniidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nShrikes occur in Africa, Eurasia and North America. The bill is heavy and hooked. Feet and claws are strong. The plumage is mainly black, gray and white, some with rufous areas. In most species the females are duller, but similar to the males in plumage. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly insects, other arthropods and small vertebrates. They forage in open woodland, forest edge and often from wires, dropping from the perch to capture prey on the ground. Some species take insects on the wing, others search in the leaf litter. Most Northern Hemisphere species of Lanius impale some prey on thorns, sharp twigs or the barbs of barbed wire fences, hence the nickname \"Butcherbird\". \r\n\r\nThe nests are cups of twigs, tendrils and other materials, lined with wool, hair, grass or feathers placed in a tree. Eggs 2-6 in the tropics and subtropics, 5-7 or more in high latitudes. They are white or variously colored with darker markings. Some species are communal breeders. Incubation is 15-18 days with fledging at 12-20 days.\r\n\r\nThe populations of most species of Shrikes have been declining for years, apparently related to human land-use practices including the excessive use of insecticides which destroy the insect species preyed upon by shrikes. Habitat alteration is caused by farming methods which reduces the number of hunting perches and nest sites."
},
{
"FamilyID": 92,
"Family": "Laridae",
"Description": "Gulls",
"Narrative": "The family Laridae includes 53 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nGulls and Kittiwakes occur worldwide on coasts, rivers and lakes. Plumage is usually black, brown, gray and white. They are carnivores, scavengers, pirates and predators; they will eat anything animal or of animal origin, including fish, mollusks, other invertebrates, small mammals and birds, eggs, garbage, carrion and sewage. The larger species are often predatory on the young and eggs of other birds, or engage in piracy against terns, smaller gulls, mergansers, cormorants or loons. They obtain food by feeding on mudflats, shores, fishing by plunging, up-tilting, probing, prying and chasing. Most gulls breed in colonies, often on islands. Nests vary from rudimentary to bulky structures composed of plants, sticks, etc. Most species nest on flat areas; kittiwakes nest on rocky cliffs. Clutch usually 2-3, brown, olive, blue or gray eggs with darker markings. Both parents incubate for 3-4 weeks, varying with size. The cryptically colored downy nestlings are precocial and are fed by both parents, in or near the nest, for 2-3 weeks. Young peck adults' bill, often on a colored spot or band, to initiate feeding by regurgitation. Fledging at 4-5 weeks and feeding by the adults may continue for several weeks thereafter. Smaller species attain adult plumage in 1-2 years, large species in 4-5 years. Longevity is up to 20+ years.\r\n\r\nTerns occur worldwide in temperate and tropical regions. They are long-winged and mostly slender-bodied with forked tails and straight, sharp-pointed bills. Plumages are usually white below, gray above, with a black crown in breeding plumage; a few species have brown wings. Bills are red, yellow, orange or black; feet yellow, red, orange, brown or black. Food is taken by plunge-diving from the wing, mainly for fish, squid and crustaceans, sometimes pelagic mollusks and worms. Terns feed mainly by day, but some by night in the tropics, or by moonlight. Most species prepare a scrape with little or no lining on sandy or gravelly substrates in flat, open areas, often on islands. Eggs are cryptically-colored; clutch varies from 1 in the tropics to 3-4 in temperate latitudes with incubation 3-4 weeks by both sexes. Chicks are downy at hatching and semi-precocial in ground-nesters; fledging in 1-2 months, parental care continues for several months until young become proficient at procuring food.\r\n\r\nSkuas and Jaegers occur on the seacoasts of all continents, at least in winter. They are medium to large gull-like birds. Most species obtain some of their food by piracy on terns, gulls, auks, gannets and other seabirds by pursuing the victim and forcing it to disgorge or drop food items. \r\n\r\nSkimmers are the size and shape of large terns with long, pointed wings and short, forked tails. The bill is yellow or red with a black or yellow tip and of a unique structure: the mandible (lower part of the bill) is longer than the upper part of the bill. The bill is used in \"'skimming\"' for food in which the bill is opened and the tip of the mandible is inserted into the water as the bird flies over the surface. They nest in loose colonies, usually on open sand or shell beaches, occasionally in salt marshes or on gravel roofs."
},
{
"FamilyID": 105,
"Family": "Mimidae",
"Description": "Mockingbirds",
"Narrative": "The family Mimidae includes 12 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nMockingbirds and Thrashers occur in open woods, gardens, edge and scrub. Mockingbirds are 23-29 cm in length and slender with long tails. Plumages are mainly gray or brownish-gray above, white below, often with white wing patches and white in the tail. \"Wing-flashing\" is a conspicuous behavior pattern that is used by mimines during foraging and in the presence of potential predators. One or both wings are rapidly and repeatedly opened and extended, sometimes the tail is fanned. Highly vocal with musical, complex songs, some mimic other birds. Food mainly insects and fruit. Nest a deep cup of grass, etc. in a bush or tree; 3-5 eggs, greenish-blue with brown markings.\r\n\r\nThrashers are rufous, brown or gray above, white or pale brownish below, some with dark spots, stripes or streaks, some unspotted or faintly so. Food is insects, other small animals, fruits, berries. Nests are open cups of twigs, grass, leaves, etc. on ground or in a bush or tree. Eggs 2-6, whitish, greenish-white, blue-green, spotted with reddish or unmarked."
},
{
"FamilyID": 107,
"Family": "Motacillidae",
"Description": "Wagtails and Pipits",
"Narrative": "The family Motacillidae includes 10 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nWagtails are found in Europe, Asia and Africa, usually near water. Wagtails are slender birds with long bills. They bob their head when they walk. Insects and seeds make up most of their diet. They nest on the ground in a cup-like nest. Wagtails usually are solitary.\r\n\r\nPipits are found on the ground in areas with short grass, often in flocks. Pipits have long legs and often bob their tail."
},
{
"FamilyID": 109,
"Family": "Muscicapidae",
"Description": "Old World Flycatchers",
"Narrative": "The family Muscicapidae includes 14 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThis group includes the African and Eurasian \"flycatchers\", but not the convergently similar \"flycatcher\" groups that are members of the Muscicapidae family. The New World tyrant flycatchers are members of the Tyrannidae family. Thus, the \"flycatcher\" pattern of morphology and behavior has evolved independently from several ancestral lineages."
},
{
"FamilyID": 116,
"Family": "Odontophoridae",
"Description": "Quails",
"Narrative": "The family Odontophoridae includes 6 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nQuail are small, compact birds, with a short, stout bill. The head is often crested. Plumage is usually brightly marked with brown, buff, yellow, reddish, gray, black and white. Sexes differ in plumage in most species. Food is mainly seeds and insects.\r\n\r\nNew World quail are monogamous. They lay 4-15 white or brown-spotted eggs. Nests are usually on the ground in a shallow depression lined with grass, leaves, etc., usually concealed in grass, often next to a rock, log or base of a tree. Gambel's Quail builds a lined nest often under vegetation so as to be shaded at midday or, occasionally, up to 10 feet above the ground in an old nest of a Roadrunner, thrasher or Cactus Wren. The Montezuma Quail builds a well-constructed nest in a shallow depression roofed and overhung with grass. The California Quail usually nests on the ground next to a log or rock but occasionally up to 10 feet high in a bush or tree."
},
{
"FamilyID": 128,
"Family": "Paridae",
"Description": "Tits and Chickadees",
"Narrative": "The family Paridae includes 12 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nChickadees and Tits occur in Eurasia, Africa and North America south to Mexico. They are found mainly in woodlands and forests. Among the smallest of birds (11-15 cm.), they are small-billed. They have fluffy body plumage. In winter they travel in small flocks with other species. Chickadees and Tits feed on insects gleaned from foliage and bark, seeds and berries. They will readily come to feeders. They nest in tree holes or other cavities. Eggs are plain white or with reddish speckles."
},
{
"FamilyID": 129,
"Family": "Parulidae",
"Description": "Wood-Warblers",
"Narrative": "The family Parulidae includes 57 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nWarblers are among the most colorful birds found in North America. They are small, active birds with sharp, pointed bills. They feed on insects. Birds that feed on the ground are often a drab tan or brown color while warblers that feed higher up are often colored a bright yellow and black. Males in breeding plumage are the most colorful. Females and males in the fall can be surprisingly drab and difficult to identify. Warblers nest in a cup-shaped nest on the ground or in a bush or tree. A few nest in cavities."
},
{
"FamilyID": 130,
"Family": "Passeridae",
"Description": "Old World Sparrows",
"Narrative": "The family Passeridae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nOld World Sparrows are small brownish birds with conical bills. The eat primarily seeds and insects. The House Sparrow is found worldwide, usually in close proximity with human habitation. They are typically abundant in urban areas. The House Sparrow was introduced to New York City in 1850 and spread to the west coast within 60 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 132,
"Family": "Pelecanidae",
"Description": "Pelicans",
"Narrative": "The family Pelecanidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nPelicans occur in tropical and temperate areas on all continents. Most species inhabit inland lakes and seacoasts. Brown Pelican occur only on seacoasts. The long, hooked bill, enormous gular pouch and webbed feet are the most obvious characters. Length 140-180 cm, with long necks and heavy bodies. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly fish and some crustaceans. Most species feed on the surface by scooping up fish in the bill while ducking the head below the surface or upending. The pouch expands in the water creating a broad scoop filled with water and prey. The head is then raised, the water drains from the pouch and the fish are swallowed whole. The larger species form U-shaped lines, herding fish before them as they swim to shallower water, scooping as they proceed. The Brown Pelican plunge-dives from a height, folding its wings at the last instant before hitting the water.\r\n\r\nPelicans nest in colonies in trees or on the ground where there are no terrestrial predators, as on small islands. Tree nests are large structures of sticks, ground nests are heaps of vegetation and debris. Nests are built by the female of material brought by the male in his pouch. Eggs oval, white with rough surface. Clutch 1-3, rarely 5-6. Incubation is 30-37 days by both parents beginning with the first egg. Hatchlings are pink and naked and turn black or gray within 4-14 days, thereafter develop a coat of gray, white or blackish down. Young are fed from the pouch by partial regurgitation in which the young puts its head into the parent's pouch, or by complete regurgitation from food deposited in the nest. The young birds leave the nest at 20-30 days and form a crèche. They fledge at 65-80 days. Age at first breeding is 3-4 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 135,
"Family": "Peucedramidae",
"Description": "Olive Warbler",
"Narrative": "The family Peucedramidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThis is a family that contains only one species, the Olive Warbler. It is found in montane conifer forests. The relationships of the Olive Warbler have been uncertain because its hyoid apparatus (muscles controlling the tongue) is typical of wood-warblers. While it looks like a wood-warbler, it differs in many ways. Some have thought that it is a sylviid."
},
{
"FamilyID": 136,
"Family": "Phaethontidae",
"Description": "Tropicbirds",
"Narrative": "The family Phaethontidae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nTropicbirds occur in all tropical and subtropical oceans, spending their non-breeding time at sea, coming ashore only to breed. They are medium-sized (body 25-45 cm in length; weight 300-750 gms) aerial birds with a short neck, long, narrow wings and long central tail feathers extending 50-55 cm beyond the other feathers. The plumage is typically white, sometimes flushed with pink or orange and with a black bar across the eyes and black markings on the wings. The brightly colored yellow, red or orange bill is stout, pointed, slightly decurved with serrate tomia. The short legs are set far back and used for swimming; on land the birds cannot stand and must shuffle over the ground, pushing with the small feet. \r\n\r\nWhen foraging, tropicbirds fly several meters above the water, dropping in a swift nose-dive to capture flying-fish above the surface; other fish and squid are captured by plunge-diving from a height, usually with little penetration of the water but sometimes to a greater depth. Usually solitary, sometimes in pairs or small groups. When not breeding they remain at sea, resting on the water or flying.\r\n\r\nTropicbirds nest on islands, often in loose colonies on cliffs from which they can take off without walking. The nest is a scrape in sand or earth with little or no nesting material. They may also nest in cavities, caves, under overhanging rocks or under vegetation. On some Pacific islands they nest in trees. The single egg is pale to deep purple-brown with darker markings when laid, but the pigments are water soluble and are lost during incubation. Eggs are incubated by both sexes for 40-46 days. Hatchlings are covered with dense, silky, gray or yellowish-brown down. Young are fed by regurgitation into the throat of the young by both parents. Fledging is at 65-90 days, depending on food supply. Young become independent at fledging."
},
{
"FamilyID": 137,
"Family": "Phalacrocoracidae",
"Description": "Cormorants",
"Narrative": "The family Phalacrocoracidae includes 6 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nCormorants and Shags occur in tropical and temperate regions, mainly on seacoasts or islands. Some species are found inland on lakes and rivers. They are medium to large-sized (50-100 cm long, 700-3500 gms) aquatic birds with a long neck, long wedge-shaped tail, short legs and large webbed feet. The bill is of medium length with a hooked tip. \r\n\r\nCormorants and shags feed mainly on fish caught under water by surface-diving and pursuit. The dive begins with a forward leap and the feet are used for underwater swimming. They also take crustaceans and cephalopods. The prey is captured in the bill and brought to the surface before being swallowed. Cormorants usually fish singly, but flocks may gather when prey is abundant. They sometimes cooperate by forming a moving line abreast, diving as they proceed.\r\n\r\nThey nest in colonies on rocky islands, cliffs or in trees, often with other species. Nests may be scrapes or heaps of vegetation on the ground or composed of sticks and other items if in trees. The male selects the nest site and brings the material to the female who builds the nest. Clutch size is usually 3-4, pale blue or green, usually unmarked with a chalky surface. Eggs are incubated by both sexes on the feet for 4 weeks. The chicks are naked at hatching but by 1 week of age are covered with black, gray and/or white down. Small nestlings take water from the mandible of the parents. When larger they are fed on regurgitated food taken from the throats of the parents. Young leave the nest at 4 weeks of age and fledge at 48-53 days. They are fed for 2-3 months after fledging. Age at first breeding is 2-3 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 138,
"Family": "Phasianidae",
"Description": "Pheasants and Partridges",
"Narrative": "The family Phasianidae includes 16 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nPheasants, Grouse and Turkeys are terrestrial birds that feed and nest on the ground. They are \"chicken-like\" in appearance. The Domestic Fowl (Gallus gallus) is a phasianid. The wings are short and rounded, the tail varies from short to long, with extreme development in the males of the peafowl and some pheasants. The legs and feet are strong. Food is mainly seeds, fruits, other plant products and small animals.\r\n\r\nNests are simple, usually on the ground. Eggs are white, buff, olive green or spotted. Clutch size is variable, from 2 to 12+. Only females incubate. Males of monogamous species may help to raise young. Most species are sexually mature at one year of age, but in some large species males do not breed until more than one year old and in peacocks and Argus pheasants, adult male plumage is not attained until 3-5 years old. Longevity of large species is up to 30 years in captivity -- much less in the wild."
},
{
"FamilyID": 140,
"Family": "Phoenicopteridae",
"Description": "Flamingoes",
"Narrative": "The family Phoenicopteridae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nFlamingos occur in Africa, southern Asia, the Andes of South America, Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, West Indies and the Galapagos Islands. They are highly social, feeding in groups and nesting in colonies. They usually inhabit shallow soda lakes and salt lagoons with an alkaline pH (up to 10.5), in barren country often surrounded by desert. \r\n\r\nFlamingos have long legs, long necks, webbed feet and a bill that is bent in the middle. Plumage colors change with age, but are mainly rosy pink, red and white with black flight feathers.\r\n\r\nThe feeding method of flamingos is unique among birds and has been likened to that of whalebone whales because of the straining of water and solids through the lamellae. The head is lowered to the water with the bent bill held upside down and the bill and head submerged. In the smaller species the head is swept from side to side, taking in algae, diatoms and other small organisms. The larger species take mud and water into the bill as they feed on algae, diatoms, small crustaceans, mollusks and insect larvae. The fleshy, spinous tongue moves rapidly like a piston inside the bill, squeezing the mud and water out through the lamellations which retain the edible portions. \r\n\r\nNesting is in colonies often of several thousand pairs and seldom in groups smaller than 10 pairs. In shallow water the nests are built of stones and mud picked up by both sexes within reach of the nest site and placed beneath their bodies to form a circular pile with a shallow depression on top. Nest mounds may be 30 cm high and separated from one another by approximately twice the length of the neck. Nests situated on islands are constructed of stones, feathers and debris. Clutch size is usually 1 white egg with a chalky surface. Incubation is by both adults for 27-36 days. The hatchling is covered with short, wooly down, ash-gray with white below and has a straight, pink bill and pink legs, both of which turn black in a few days. The nestling is fed by regurgitation of a secretion from glands in the adult's crop. Chicks remain in the nest for 5-8 days, and can feed themselves when 4-6 weeks of age, varying with the species. Most birds are in the adult plumage by age 2 and some may breed when 3 years old, but many may not nest until older. Longevity is probably 25-60 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 144,
"Family": "Picidae",
"Description": "Woodpeckers",
"Narrative": "The family Picidae includes 25 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nWoodpeckers, Flickers and Sapsuckers are adapted for clinging to the bark of trees with their toes (two facing forward and two facing backward), and braced by stiffened tail feathers. They use their straight, strong, chisel-tipped beaks to drill into the tunnels of wood-boring insect larvae which are extracted with the barbed tongue. The skull is thick and bony to withstand the pounding of the bill and the tongue is often coated with a sticky secretion which aids in the extraction of insect larvae. In most species the nostrils are protected from wood dust and chips by a covering of feathers. Most woodpeckers have 12 flight feathers. Woodpeckers range in size from 8.5 cm to 58 cm in length, most are 15-33 cm. Many species are patterned in black and white, some green or brown, often with red or yellow crowns or flight feathers. In a few species the sexes are alike. In many species the males have a red or yellow crown patch. Spots and bars are frequent.\r\n\r\nIn addition to probing for insects on, or in, the bark of trees, woodpeckers may catch flying insects on the wing, probe fallen branches on the ground and eat fruit and nuts. Some excavate ant nests in trees or in the ground and some take nestling birds. Sapsuckers and some species of Picoides, feed on sap from pits they excavate in tree trunks and branches. The Acorn Woodpecker stores acorns in holes drilled in tree bark or dead trees, including telephone poles, fence posts and buildings.\r\n\r\nWoodpeckers roost and nest in holes, usually in trees, occasionally in an earthen bank. The nest holes are excavated by one or both members of a pair and may be used for many years, or as the roosting hole during the non-breeding season. The cavity is lined with wood chips. Clutch size is 2-9 eggs. Eggs are incubated by both sexes during the day, by the male at night. The incubation period is about 11-17 days. Hatchlings are naked and blind, but rapidly develop feathers. Both sexes feed the young which fledge after 2.5-3.5 weeks. Fledglings are fed by the parents until independent. The Acorn Woodpecker is a communal breeder."
},
{
"FamilyID": 150,
"Family": "Podicipedidae",
"Description": "Grebes",
"Narrative": "The family Podicipedidae includes 7 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nGrebes are small to medium-sized (23-76 cm in length; 150-1500 gms weight) foot-propelled divers with thick, soft, waterproof plumage. Small, narrow wings and legs set far back. Food is mainly aquatic animals usually captured by diving, searching and pursuing prey underwater. Fish-eating species have elongate bodies and long necks and bills. Species that eat mainly invertebrates tend to be rotund and to have short necks and bills. Fish-eaters swallow their own feathers and also feed them to their young, possibly to entangle fish bones in the stomach. Pellets composed of bones and feathers are regurgitated. Pellet formation and regurgitation also occur in grebes that eat insects and crustacea.\r\n\r\nNests are shallow heaps of aquatic plant stems and leaves usually concealed in aquatic vegetation, floating, anchored to plants or on a platform built up from the bottom. Nests are rarely on land near water. Most species are territorial and some breed in colonies. Clutch 2-7 elongate eggs, white or cream-colored when laid, soon stained brown. Incubation is 20-28 days beginning with the first or second egg, by both sexes. When the incubating adult is disturbed or is leaving the nest it covers the eggs with nest material. Young are precocial but depend on both parents for food, warmth and protection. They often ride on backs of parents when small."
},
{
"FamilyID": 151,
"Family": "Polioptilidae",
"Description": "Gnatcatchers",
"Narrative": "The family Polioptilidae includes 4 species that have been recorded in North America. Gnatcatchers are small. active birds found in woodlands and scrub areas. All have long tails."
},
{
"FamilyID": 152,
"Family": "Procellariidae",
"Description": "Petrels and Shearwaters",
"Narrative": "The family Procellariidae includes 24 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nPetrels, Shearwaters, Fulmars and Diving-Petrels are known as the tubenoses or tube-nosed swimmers. They are pelagic, occur in all oceans and nest mainly in the higher latitudes of both hemispheres. Some high-latitude species move to lower latitudes or tropical waters in the non-breeding season and others are trans-equatorial migrants to high latitudes in the opposite hemisphere. Some make long movements during the non-breeding season, often far from the breeding grounds. \r\n\r\nWings are long and narrow. The bill is heavy (slender in shearwaters). Sexes are similar in plumage, mostly black or gray above and white below or all dark gray. Food is mainly fish, squid and crustaceans, often as plankton. They also take carrion and scavenge. Pterodroma species feed by swooping to the surface and pattering with the feet while picking up food items. Shearwaters dive from a height and from the surface and pursue prey underwater. \r\n\r\nThey nest in colonies. Some larger species nest in the open, often on cliffs and are active during the day. Small species dig burrows and are active mainly at night. All species have a long breeding cycle."
},
{
"FamilyID": 154,
"Family": "Prunellidae",
"Description": "Accentors",
"Narrative": "The family Prunellidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nAccentors are found in Europe, Asia and Africa. Historically, Accentors were usually treated as a family of thrush-like birds, but DNA hybridization indicates that the accentors are closer to the true sparrows and weavers. The Siberian Accentor is an accidental visitor to North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 155,
"Family": "Psittacidae",
"Description": "Parrots",
"Narrative": "The family Psittacidae includes 8 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nMost parrots eat seeds and fruits. All parrots nest in holes, most in cavities in trees or holes in banks or rock crevices. Monk Parrots build a huge communal nest of twigs and dead branches in which each pair has its own nest chamber. \r\n\r\nAll parrots lay white eggs. Clutch sizes vary from 2-5 in larger species, up to 8 in small species. Incubation begins with the first or second egg and in most species is by the female who is fed by the male. Duration of incubation varies with the size of the bird, from 17-23 days in small species up to 5 weeks for the large macaws. Newly-hatched young are blind and naked or with sparse dorsal down which is white in most species. The eyes open 1-2 weeks after hatching. In most species the white down is replaced by a dense, gray down followed by the development of feathers. Hatchlings are brooded by the female who is fed by the male. After several days the male feeds the young directly. Young birds remain in the nest for 3-4 weeks in small species up to 3-4 months in the large macaws. Fledglings are fed by the parents for varying periods after leaving the nest."
},
{
"FamilyID": 160,
"Family": "Pycnonotidae",
"Description": "Bulbuls",
"Narrative": "The family Pycnonotidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nBulbuls occur in the Old World tropics. A few species are found in temperate areas of southeast Asia and Japan. Sexes are alike. Bristles extend from the nape. Biulbuls are arboreal or are found in scrub and thickets. Food consists of fruits, seeds, insects, nectar, pollen. The nest is an open cup of leaves and plant fibers in a tree. Eggs whitish or pinkish with reddish-brown markings. The female builds nest the nest and incubates.\r\n\r\nThe Red-whiskered Bulbul has been introduced in Miami, Florida."
},
{
"FamilyID": 161,
"Family": "Rallidae",
"Description": "Rails and Crakes",
"Narrative": "The family Rallidae includes 13 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nRails occur worldwide in temperate and tropical climates and live mostly in swamps, marshes and wet grasslands. Some occur in dry habitats. They are small to medium-sized. The body can be laterally compressed (\"skinny as a rail\") in typical rails. The bill varies in length and shape from long and curved to short and conical. Wings are short and rounded. Many island forms are flightless. Adult plumages tend to be alike in the sexes, but females are smaller. \r\n\r\nThe food of most species is entirely or mainly animal, including insects, worms, mollusks and other small invertebrates. Larger rails may take frogs, small fish and bird's eggs. Coots feed on aquatic plants by diving or on the surface.\r\n\r\nRails build their nests of plant materials on swampy ground in dense vegetation, among bent reeds over shallow water or on tussocks. Some species construct a roofed nest. Coots may nest in less dense vegetation or in open areas at the edge of reedbeds or on floating platforms. Clutches range from 1-14 eggs. Largest clutches may result from more than one female laying in a nest. Egg color varies from white to buff with spots and blotches of reddish, gray, brown or black. Incubation is usually by both sexes, in some species only by the female, for 2.5-4 weeks. Nestling downs are black or dark brown in rails; reddish in at least some coots. The young leave the nest soon after hatching and are cared for by both parents until they are independent.\r\n\r\nThe greatest incidence of flightlessness occurs in rails and most flightless rails have evolved on islands. Many have become extinct due to human influences, including the introduction of predators, but at least 15 subspecies and species of flightless rails are still alive. Flightlessness evolves to conserve energy where resources are low and mammalian predators are absent."
},
{
"FamilyID": 164,
"Family": "Recurvirostridae",
"Description": "Avocets and Stilts",
"Narrative": "The family Recurvirostridae includes 3 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nStilts and Avocets occur over much of the world in temperate and tropical regions, usually in wet habitats -- marshes, mudflats, lakes, streams, flooded fields. They are long-legged, long-necked, long-billed waders 29-48 cm in length. Avocets have a slender, upcurved bill; stilts a straight, slender bill. The red legs of stilts are exceptionally long in proportion to their body size. Avocets have bluish-gray legs. Plumages of most species are pied black-and-white, some with areas of buff or reddish on the head, neck or breast.\r\n\r\nAvocets feed on insects and other invertebrates by sweeping the bill from side-to-side through shallow water or by \"tipping up\" in deeper water. Stilts feed from the surface of shallow water, from floating vegetation or from muddy surfaces, taking insects, insect larvae, freshwater mollusks, worms and tadpoles. \r\n\r\nAvocets nest in colonies near water; open nests are placed on grass, sand, mud or in shallow water and may be unlined or lined with dead plants. Clutch size is usually 4, rarely 2, 3 or 5. Clutches of 8-12 probably due to more than one female laying in a nest. Eggs are buff or brownish with black and gray markings. Incubation is by both sexes for 23-25 days. The young hatch; asynchronously. Young are cared for by both adults and fledge at 35-42 days. Age at first breeding is 2 or 3 years.\r\n\r\nStilts nest in colonies near or in shallow water. Nests consist of mud and plants or in grass clumps with little nest material. Eggs 3-4, pale buff-brown with black and gray markings. Incubation is 22-25 days by both sexes, hatching synchronous. Young are precocial and are cared for by both parents, but feed themselves. They fledge in 28-32 days. They are independent 2-4 weeks after fledging. Age at first breeding is 2 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 165,
"Family": "Regulidae",
"Description": "Kinglets",
"Narrative": "The family Regulidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nKinglets are found in coniferous and mixed forests in North America and Eurasia. They are small (9 cm.) greenish above, whitish to yellowish below with white wing bars. They differ mainly in crown markings. Kinglets feed on insects gleaned from foliage and often hover to take prey from leaves. The nest is a bulky purse-like structure of moss suspended from, or attached to, twigs or branchlets. Eggs 5-10, white or buffy, usually with brown spots."
},
{
"FamilyID": 166,
"Family": "Remizidae",
"Description": "Penduline-tits",
"Narrative": "The family Remizidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe Verdin is considered a part of the Penduline-tit family. These are small birds with 10 primary feathers on each wing. They eat primarily insects, fruit and seeds. The Verdin is found in mesquite, thorny shrub areas of the desert or brushy riparian woodlands. It is usually seen alone or in pairs. It is very active, behaving like a chickadee. Verdin are quite loud, often heard before they are seen."
},
{
"FamilyID": 176,
"Family": "Scolopacidae",
"Description": "Waders",
"Narrative": "The family Scolopacidae includes 65 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSandpipers, Snipe, Stints, Godwits, Dowitchers, Curlews, Whimbrel, Yellowlegs, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Knots, Surfbird, Phalaropes.\r\n\r\nThe sandpipers, snipe and allies occur worldwide, mainly in aquatic and marine habitats, some in moist woodland, grasslands or swamps. Size varies from 12-60 cm, but many have long, slender bills that make up a large portion of the length. Bills vary from the short, slender bills of most sandpipers to the long, decurved bills of curlews and long straight bills of godwits. The bill has sensory pits at the tip with which the bird can detect and evaluate objects when probing in mud, sand or soil. \r\n\r\nFood varies, but is mainly animal. Nests are usually on the ground, often concealed by vegetation. Eggs usually 4, in some 2-3. Eggs are cryptically colored, whitish with brown and black markings. In most species both sexes incubate and incubation begins with the last egg, so young hatch simultaneously. Downy chicks leave the nest within a day after hatching and feed themselves."
},
{
"FamilyID": 178,
"Family": "Sittidae",
"Description": "Nuthatches",
"Narrative": "The family Sittidae includes 4 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nNuthatches forage on the trunks and branches of trees or the faces of rocks and cliffs. The nuthatches and Wallcreeper do not brace the tail against the substrate when climbing about on trees or rocks. They often descend down tree trunks headfirst. They have long, curved, sharp toenails, short tails and sharp, straight beaks.\r\n\r\nThey are 13-20 cm. in size. Plumage is usually gray or bluish-gray above, white below, some with rufous underparts, some with a black or brown crown. \r\n\r\nFood is insects and seeds. Some open nuts with their sharp bill. They nest in a crevice or tree hole, lined with grass, moss, hair. Old World species reduce the size of the entrance hole with mud. They lay 4-10 eggs, white with reddish spots. The female incubates 12-14 days. Young are fed by the male."
},
{
"FamilyID": 183,
"Family": "Strigidae",
"Description": "Owls",
"Narrative": "The family Strigidae includes 21 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nOwls are carnivorous. Most species feed on rodents and shrews, some take birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, crabs, earthworms and/or insects. Some small species take moths and other insects in flight. Indigestible portions of the prey (bones, hair, feathers, chitin) are regurgitated as pellets.\r\n\r\nOwls do not build a true nest. Most deposit the eggs in a hole, on the ground or in the old nest of another bird. The Short-eared Owl assembles a layer of dry plants on the ground and some species excavate a hollow on the ground. The Burrowing Owl uses the holes of large rodents, e.g., prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Owls often begin to breed in the winter when the nights are longest. Eggs are chalky-white and almost round. Clutch sizes vary from 1-14, in many species depending on the food supply. Snowy Owls may lay up to 14 eggs during years of rodent abundance, but fail to breed when rodent populations crash. Eggs are laid at intervals and incubation begins with the first egg, thus the hatchlings differ in size and the number raised to fledging depends on the food supply. Usually only the female incubates and the male brings food to her. Both sexes feed the young."
},
{
"FamilyID": 185,
"Family": "Sturnidae",
"Description": "Starlings",
"Narrative": "The family Sturnidae includes 1 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nStarlings are native to Eurasia and Africa, but the Common Starling has been introduced in many other parts of the world and four species of mynas have been introduced into certain regions. Starlings are medium-sized, wings pointed in most species, rounded in mynas. Plumage colors vary from glossy black, brown and gray to white; some with yellow, orange or red areas or wattles; some are crested. The sexes may be alike or differ in plumage. Starling's beaks are straight, sharp, often yellow or red. Legs are long. Highly vocal. Many starlings and mynahs mimic the songs and calls of other birds. Some mynahs can mimic human speech as well as, or better than, many parrots. \r\n\r\nStarlings feed mainly on the ground on insects, fruits, berries and virtually any other edible material. Some species are pests in gardens, taking fruit. Most species nest in holes or cavities, some build nests of twigs. Some are colonial. Clutch size ranges from 2-9, usually 4-6, bluish or blue-green eggs, some spotted with brown or reddish markings. Most species are social, forming flocks especially during the non-breeding season."
},
{
"FamilyID": 186,
"Family": "Sulidae",
"Description": "Gannets and Boobies",
"Narrative": "The family Sulidae includes 5 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nBoobies and Gannets occur on the coasts and islands of the oceans of the world. Boobies are tropical and subtropical; gannets occur in temperate regions. They spend long periods at sea, often far from the breeding areas. The sulids are medium to large-sized birds (940-3100 gms) with long, relatively narrow wings and a long, wedge-shaped tail. Sexes are the same size in gannets. Females are larger than males in boobies. The bill is straight, strong, pointed, with a curved nail at the tip.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly fish and squid, including many different species. Food is taken mainly by plunge-diving from various heights (up to 45 meters). They also dive from the surface and pursue prey under water, or on foot in shallow water. Some boobies capture flying fish and squid on the wing. Some species hunt in groups and some scavenge.\r\n\r\nAll sulids except Abbott's Booby nest in colonies. Nests are on the ground, cliff ledges or in trees. Ground scrapes or shallow depressions are unlined, or loosely woven nests of twigs and debris. Nest construction is by both sexes, but the male usually brings the material. Eggs are pale blue, green or white with chalky coat and becoming stained with brown. Clutch 1 in gannets, 1-4 in boobies, laid at intervals up to 5 days. Incubation begins with the first egg. Incubation is 40-57 days by both sexes with eggs cupped between the foot webs. Hatching is asynchronous and a full clutch of more than 1 egg is seldom reared unless the food supply is ample and close to the nest. Sibling murder occurs in broods of two or more. Young are fed and cared for by both parents. Young are usually fed by incomplete regurgitation in which the young take the food from the gullet of the adult. Fledging is at 86 to 170 days, varying with the food supply. Gannets become independent at fledging; boobies with variable periods of post-fledging care at the nest site or as free-flying juveniles. Age at first breeding is 2-6 years. Adults of most species do not breed every year."
},
{
"FamilyID": 187,
"Family": "Sylviidae",
"Description": "Old World Warblers",
"Narrative": "The family Sylviidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nOld World Warblers are found in grass, thickets, reedbeds, marshes, swamps, thickets, grass, usually near water. They occur in Eurasia, Africa, Arabia, Japan, Philippines, southern Pacific islands and Australia.\r\n\r\nThey are 12-19 cm. in size. Food is primarily insects. The nest is a deep cup of plant material, cobwebs, often attached to several reeds over water or hanging from several twigs in a bush, thicket or similar sites. Eggs usually 4-6, variable; pinkish, whitish, greenish with reddish, yellowish, gray to black spots/blotches.\r\n\r\nGnatcatchers are small (10-11 cm) and slender with long tails and medium-length bills. Four species occur in North America. Colors are mostly bluish-gray above, white or grayish below. Tails are black with white outer feathers. Some have black crowns or black mask. They feed on insects and spiders. \r\n\r\nThe nest is a small, neat cup of soft plant fibers camouflaged with lichens, bits of moss, fastened with cobwebs to a horizontal branch, in a tree fork or bush. Eggs 2-3 in tropics, 4-5 in temperate areas, bluish to white, speckled with reddish-brown."
},
{
"FamilyID": 191,
"Family": "Threskiornithidae",
"Description": "Ibises and Spoonbills",
"Narrative": "The family Threskiornithidae includes 5 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nIbises and Spoonbills occur primarily in freshwater and estuarine habitats, including swamps, marshes, coastal mangroves, rice fields, rivers and ponds. Ibises and spoonbills are widely distributed in the warmer regions of the world and are especially abundant in the tropics of Africa, Asia and South America. Ibises are medium-sized (50-100 cm long) with moderately long legs and necks and long, decurved bills. Spoonbills are 75-85 cm long, similar to ibises in other proportions, but their bills are straight and flattened with a spatulate tip. \r\n\r\nFood is mainly invertebrates, including insects, larvae, mollusks, crustaceans and small fish, reptiles, amphibians. Ibises feed mostly in shallow water and muddy areas by probing with their curved bill. In upland areas they take insects, spiders, bird and reptile eggs, small rodents and occasionally carrion. Spoonbills feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly open spatulate bill from side to side through water and silt. They take insects, insect larvae, small fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, tadpoles, worms and possibly plants. Ibises and spoonbills usually feed in groups.\r\n\r\nThey nest mainly in colonies, each pair defends only the nest site. Nests are large piles of sticks, other plant materials, lined with grass or reeds in trees or sometimes on the ground. The nest is built mainly by the female of material brought by the male. Clutch size is usually 2-5. Eggs white, pale green or blue, unmarked or spotted, with a chalky surface; laid at intervals of 1-3 days. Incubation is 21-29 days by both sexes, beginning with the first egg. Hatching is asynchronous. Both parents care for the hatchlings. Nestlings are fed by partial regurgitation directly from adult to young, or by complete regurgitation into the nest to be picked up by the young. Nestlings are brooded for 5-7 days and begin to move from the nest at 14-21 days, but return to be fed. They are capable of flight by 30-50 days of age. Age at first breeding is 3-4 years."
},
{
"FamilyID": 196,
"Family": "Trochilidae",
"Description": "Hummingbirds",
"Narrative": "The family Trochilidae includes 23 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nHummingbirds include the smallest living birds with most species 6-13 cm long and 2-9 gms in weight. The bill is long (6-110 mm), slender, tubular, straight or curved. The tongue is long and adapted for nectar-feeding. Wings are adapted for hovering forward and backward. Hummingbird's high metabolism required for hovering is reflected in relatively large heart and lungs and high concentration of red blood cells. The plumage is usually iridescent.\r\n\r\nAll hummingbirds feed on nectar supplemented with insects and spiders. Different species utilize different kinds of flowers and extract nectar in different ways, hence the variation in the shapes and sizes of bills. Many plants are pollinated by hummingbirds which pick up pollen on the head plumage while feeding. Most species insert the bill into the corolla of a flower to obtain the nectar. A few puncture the the base of the corolla tube to gain access to the nectar. Hummingbirds have been observed taking juice from ripe fruit and some North American species take sap from openings in the bark of trees made by sapsuckers. Insects are taken on the wing or gleaned from foliage. Spiders are taken from foliage or webs. When food is scarce, or during extremely cold weather, hummingbirds may become torpid and appear to be dead, but will revive when warmed.\r\n\r\nSexual dimorphism tends to be highly developed in species in which solitary males display in a defended territory to which the females come for mating. Each male defends several song perches and mating occurs on these perches. In most species the males are polygamous and the females build the nest, incubate the eggs and rear the young alone. \r\n\r\nIn most species the nest is a small, compact open cup placed astride a branch and composed of vegetable down, fibers and sometimes moss, bound together and to the branch with cobwebs. In some species lichens are attached to the outer surface. The clutch is always two white, elliptical eggs. Larger clutches indicate that more than one female has laid in the nest. Incubation begins after the second egg is laid and ranges from 14-19 days. The young are covered with sparse down and are brooded frequently for the first 8-12 days, after which brooding ceases. Small nestlings defecate in the nest and the female removes the droppings; older nestlings defecate over the rim of the nest. The female feeds the young on insects and spiders by regurgitation from her crop directly into the crops of the nestlings by inserting her bill into their throats. Fledging varies from 18-28 days and is influenced by weather. The female continues to feed the fledged young for up to about 40 days."
},
{
"FamilyID": 197,
"Family": "Troglodytidae",
"Description": "Wrens",
"Narrative": "The family Troglodytidae includes 9 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nAll but one species of wren occur in North and South America. The group clearly originated in the New World. The only wren in the Old World is a subspecies of Troglodytes troglodytes, the Winter Wren of North America, known in Europe as The Wren, which occurs in Eurasia and nw Africa. \r\n\r\nMost wrens live in thickets and undergrowth, some in marsh vegetation or desert scrub. Mainly are insectivorous, some take fruit. They are 10-23 cm. in length. Wrens are mostly small with short, slender bills, some decurved. Tails are short in most species, feet are strong, wings are short and rounded. Plumages are mostly rufous, browns and grays; striped, barred, spotted or streaked with white, black or gray. Sexes are alike. Wrens are highly vocal, many with complex, musical songs. Some sing duets. Most nest in holes or build domed nests with side openings. Eggs 2-3 in tropics, up to 10 in temperate regions; white, bluish, greenish, brown, often with speckles of brown or rufous. Only females incubate 13-19 days, some fed by male. Young hatched naked or with sparse down; fledge at 14-19 days, fed by both parents. Nests are used as dormitories by adults and young. Many species are cooperative breeders."
},
{
"FamilyID": 198,
"Family": "Trogonidae",
"Description": "Trogons and Quetzals",
"Narrative": "The family Trogonidae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nTrogons occur in tropical and subtropical forests and woodlands from the lowlands to 3500 meters. Some extend into temperate regions. Trogons are among the most colorful birds. Males are red, pink, orange or yellow below, with a long, graduated tail that is black and white in most species. The upperparts of males of the American and African species are metallic green. In the Asian species the dorsum is brown. Female plumages are mainly brown or gray, some with reddish or yellowish tints on the lower abdomen. Bill is short, broad at the base and the culmen is curved.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly insects, usually taken on the wing by hovering before a leaf or branch to pick off the prey. Some insects are taken in flight. They also eat small arthropods and fruits. Some species may take small frogs and lizards. The fruit-eating quetzals have flatter bills than other trogons.\r\n\r\nTrogons nests in cavities in trees, decayed stumps, excavated in the occupied nests of arboreal termites or wasps or in hollows formed by epiphytes. Eggs white, cream, buff, brown, pale blue or pale green. Clutch size is 2-4. Incubation 17-19 days. The young are naked at hatching."
},
{
"FamilyID": 199,
"Family": "Turdidae",
"Description": "Thrushes",
"Narrative": "The family Turdidae includes 28 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nThe typical thrushes are among the finest singers in North America. Many species have melodious songs. The juvenal plumage is usually spotted. Food is usually invertebrates and fruit. Nests are cup-shaped, usually of plant materials. Some species include mud. The nest is usually built by the female. Eggs 2-6, rarely more, vary from white in hole-nesters to gray, greenish or blue. Incubation by female is 12-15 days, usually 13-14 days. Fledging at 12-15 days. Brooding is by the female. Both sexes feed the young. Age at first breeding is probably 1 year. \r\n\r\nThrushes. The species are similar in size (20-30 cm) and include the largest species of thrushes, but they vary widely in plumage colors and markings. Species of Turdus are native to all continents except Australia. They occur naturally on many islands, including those of the southwest Pacific and West Indies, and have been introduced to others. The best-known species include the American Robin (migratorius), Eurasian Blackbird (merula) and Song Thrush (philomelos). Many are notable songsters with melodious, fluid songs. They feed on insects, other invertebrates and fruits. Nests of some include mud; open cups usually placed in a tree or bush. Eggs tend to be blue with, or without, spotting.\r\n\r\nBluebirds occur in savanna, woodland edge. Males are blue above. Females mostly brownish with blue in the wings. They nest in holes, usually in trees, often in nest boxes; eggs pale blue to white. Food is insects taken on the wing or on the ground, often by dropping from a low perch; also other invertebrates, fruits, and berries."
},
{
"FamilyID": 201,
"Family": "Tyrannidae",
"Description": "Tyrant Flycatchers",
"Narrative": "The family Tyrannidae includes 45 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nTyrant Flycatchers are most abundant in the Neotropics and include a wide array of ecotypes, including species that are the counterparts of warblers, wrens, vireos, jays, shrikes, pipits, thrushes and certain New World orioles. They range in weight from 4.5 to 80 gm. Plumages tend to be greenish, yellow, brownish and gray with little or no sexual dimorphism. Some have yellow, orange, white or red crests, often concealed until erected. The species that make aerial sorties to capture flying insects tend to have long, narrow wings. Those that take insects from foliage may have short, rounded wings. Tails vary from short and square to long and forked. Legs are long in terrestrial species and short in arboreal species.\r\n\r\nMost tyrants are insectivorous, but the methods of foraging include aerial sorties from a perch, gleaning from foliage, dropping to the ground from a perch and walking on the ground. Some of the large species take fish, frogs, lizards, mice and bird's eggs, as well as large insects. Many tropical species also eat fruit. The Piratic Flycatcher and some species of Elaenia are mainly frugivorous when fruits are available.\r\n\r\nIn most species both sexes build a cup nest placed in the fork of a branch. Others build globular nests of grass and twigs. The species of Myiarchus nest in cavities and line the nest with soft animal material, usually including pieces of shed snake skin. The Piratic Flycatcher takes over the nest of some other species, often throwing out the eggs or young of its victim. Eggs vary from plain white to gray, brownish or buffy, often with spots or blotches of reddish, brown or lilac. Clutch sizes usually 3-5 in temperate areas, 2-3 in the tropics. Incubation takes 14-20 days, only by females. Young remain in the nest for 14-23 days, brooded only by the female but fed by both sexes which bring insects in the bill, not by regurgitation. Young of tropical species may remain with the parents in a family group for nearly a year. Age at first breeding is probably 1-2 years in most species."
},
{
"FamilyID": 202,
"Family": "Tytonidae",
"Description": "Barn-owls",
"Narrative": "The family Tytonidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nBarn Owls have skulls that are long and narrow and a facial disk that is heart-shaped. Their legs are long. Most individuals began to breed at one year of age and produced one brood per year. Incubation is 32-34 days. First clutches average 7 eggs. Young are blind and covered with whitish down which is replaced by a second downy plumage, followed by the true feathers. Maturity is at one year. Barn Owls are carnivorous, feeding on rodents and shrews."
},
{
"FamilyID": 203,
"Family": "Upupidae",
"Description": "Hoopoes",
"Narrative": "The family Upupidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nHoopoes occur in open country with scattered trees, pastures, orchards and savannas in Europe, Asia, Malaysia, Africa and Madagascar. Weight is 65-67 gms. Wings are broad, rounded and the tail is square. They have a long, erectile crest. Plumage is buffy or pinkish-cinnamon, without metallic gloss. They perch and roost in trees. On the ground hoopoes walk strongly. Flight is undulating and erratic, reminiscent of a large butterfly.\r\n\r\nFood is mainly insects and other small invertebrates taken on the ground or by probing with the bill. They also gather food by hawking for flying insects or by turning over refuse or dry cowpats.\r\n\r\nHoopoes nest in holes in trees, walls, crevices in rocks, buildings or nest boxes. The nest site is found and cleared by the male. Some nests are lined with grass, others are bare. Eggs white, clutch size varies from 4-7 in the tropics to 5-8 in Europe. Female incubates and is fed by the male, but may emerge to forage for herself. The female remains in the nest for a week after eggs hatch, then both adults feed the nestlings. Droppings of nestlings are not removed from the nest. Incubation is about 17 days, nestling period 26-32 days. There are one to three broods per season."
},
{
"FamilyID": 206,
"Family": "Vireonidae",
"Description": "Vireos",
"Narrative": "The family Vireonidae includes 16 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nVireos are small (10-17 cm, 9-24 gm). Plumages are mainly gray, greenish or brown above and whitish or yellowish below. Some species have white eyerings, white superciliary lines and/or white wing bars. The sexes are alike. Vireos inhabit broad-leaved or mixed forest and scrub. Food is mainly insects during the breeding season, with up to 50% fruit during migration and winter in Central and South America. They forage by taking insects from the foliage, sometimes by hovering at leaf clusters and some by the capture of flying insects on the wing. The Gray Vireo, which lives in the arid southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, also forages on the ground.\r\n\r\nNests are deep cups of leaves, grass and bark strips, bound together with cobwebs and lined with fine grass. The nest is suspended by the rim from the fork of a small branch in foliage. Both sexes build in most species, only the female in some. Construction time is 5-15 days. Eggs 4-5, white and unmarked, or white with various degrees of brown spotting, usually concentrated at the large end. Incubation is 11-13 days beginning with the 2nd egg. Males of most species sing while incubating. Both sexes care for the young during the 12 day nestling period. Fledging is 30-40 days after hatching."
},
{
"FamilyID": 209,
"Family": "Thraupidae",
"Description": "Tanagers",
"Narrative": "The family Thraupidae includes 6 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nTanagers are among the most colorful and vibrant of the New World birds. Tanagers have relatively thick bills; bill shape is related to feeding behavior. Tanagers eat mostly fruit and insects. They are found in forested and shrubby habitat in North and South America. The female takes the lead in nest-building. They typically lay 2-4 eggs in a cup-shaped nest. Incubation is by the female. Both sexes tend the young."
},
{
"FamilyID": 210,
"Family": "Cardinalidae",
"Description": "Cardinals and Grosbeaks",
"Narrative": "The family Cardinalidae includes 13 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nCardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings are seed eaters. The conical bill is thick, short and powerful. Seed kernels can easily be cracked open. Insects are also a significant part of the diet. The plumage of the males is often very colorful in breeding plumage. Songs of birds in the Cardinalidae family tend to be very musical. The clutch size is 3-4 eggs."
},
{
"FamilyID": 211,
"Family": "Ptilogonatidae",
"Description": "Silky-flycatchers",
"Narrative": "The family Ptilogonatidae includes 1 species that have been recorded in North America.\r\n\r\nSilky-flycatchers are slender, long-tailed and crested. Males are gray or blue-gray with yellow flanks and crissum, black wings and black-and-white tails. Females similar but more olivaceous in color. They occur in loose flocks, feed on berries and hawk for insects from high, open perches. Nest is an open cup of lichen or moss. Both sexes build the nest. Eggs 2, gray or whitish with brown or lilac markings. Only the female incubates 16-17 days. Both sexes feed young, fledging at 24-25 days.\r\n\r\nPhainopepla is slender, long-tailed, crested and shining black with white wing patches in the male, gray in the female. They feed on insects and berries, especially mistletoe. The nest, built mainly by the male, is a compact, open cup in a shrub or tree. Eggs 2-3, rarely 4. Both sexes incubate 14-15 days, fledging at 18-19 days."
},
{
"FamilyID": 256,
"Family": "Pandionidae",
"Description": "Osprey",
"Narrative": "The family Pandionidea includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 257,
"Family": "Phylloscopidea",
"Description": "Old World Warblers",
"Narrative": "The family Phylloscopidea includes 6 species that have been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 258,
"Family": "Acrocephalidae",
"Description": "Sedge Warbler",
"Narrative": "The family Acrocephalidae includes 1 species that have been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 259,
"Family": "Megaluridae",
"Description": "Asian Warblers",
"Narrative": "The family Megaluridae includes 2 species that have been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 260,
"Family": "Calcariidae",
"Description": "Longspurs",
"Narrative": "The family Calcariidae includes 6 species that have been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 261,
"Family": "Stercorariidae",
"Description": "Skuas and Jaegers",
"Narrative": "The family Stercorariidae includes 4 species that have been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 262,
"Family": "Tityridae",
"Description": "Becards and Tityras",
"Narrative": "The family Tityridae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America."
},
{
"FamilyID": 263,
"Family": "Heliornithidae",
"Description": "Sungrebes",
"Narrative": "The family Heliornithidae includes 1 species that has been recorded in North America."
