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

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Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)


Muscicapa rufifrons

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

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

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

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)


Falco rusticolus

Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.

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

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

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)


Tringa Glareola

Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.


Descriptive notes: 19–23 cm; 34–98 g; wingspan 54–57 cm. Small, graceful sandpiper; head, neck and breast finely streaked grey-brown; supercilium and throat white; upperparts black-brown with white spots, underparts white. Similar to T....
figure, drawing, illustration of Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus)


Phasianus cruentus

Hardwicke, 1821, Nepal.

Considerable intermediacy between most of the described subspecies suggests that much of the variation observed is probably clinal, and validity of many...

Descriptive notes: Male 44–48 cm (tail 16·5–18 cm); female 39·5–42 cm (tail 14–15·5 cm); 410–655 g. Rather small partridge-like pheasant. Female much duller, mainly brown, with forehead, face and throat...
figure, drawing, illustration of Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus)

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)


Troglodytes hyemalis [sic] (var. pacificus

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

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

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