The World of Birds [antikvár]

ACCENTORS, sparrow-like birds witli short rounded wings, and fine pointed bills. They are generally brown or reddish-brown spotted or streaked above, and brown or grey below, usually with a reddish band on the breast or reddish streaks on the flanks. The twelve species are sufficiently alike to be included in the single genus Prunella. In most species, the nest is an untidy cup of grass, mosses and leaves, lined with wool or feathers, and placed low down or on the ground, in a small conifer, stunted shrub or crevice amongst boulders. The eggs are unmarked and vary in colour from pale blue to blue-green, the usual clutch size being between three and Ave. All species feed mainly on the ground, hopping about stiffly with a mouse-like action. Insects comprise a large part of the diet in spring and summer; in winter the food consists chiefly of small seeds and berries. Accentors are quiet, unobtrusive little birds, often extremely tame and confiding. They are usually rather solitary, but some species show a tendency to form flocks in winter. The song is short and simple, generaUy soft, and deUvered at a hurried pace, from a rock or low bush. family: Prunellidae, order; Passeriformes, class; Aves. ALBATROSSES, 14 species of large, long-winged, gliding seabirds comprising the family Diomcdeidae, one of the families of tubenosed birds. They vary in length from 28-53 in (17- 135 cm) but in flight they seem much larger because of their long wings. The largest, the Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, has the broadest wing-span of any living bird, up to II ^ ft (3 ¦ 5 m). Albatrosses are stoutly-built with a white or brown plumage, often marked with darker brown on the wings, back and tail. The head is large and carries a strong, hooked bill, with nostrils opening through horny tubes, as in all species of the 'tubenosed' order. The legs are short, the hind toe is rudimentary or missing entirely, and the other three toes are webbed. The sexes are externally similar, except in the Wandering albatross, where the female has more dark markings, while the fully adult male—it may take 10 years to become fully mature—is pure white except for black wing tips. There are only two generally-accepted genera of albatrosses: Diomedea with 12 species, and Phoebelria the Sooty albatrosses The dunnock, also called hedge-sparrow, feeding nestlings, (left) close-up, showing slender bill typical of insectivorous birds.