The avadavat is either of two species (red or green) of the genus Amandava. They are also known as the red or green munia, and the red munia is also known as the strawberry finch. They have also been known as the amadavat or amidavad; these, like avadavat and amandava, are corruptions of Ahmedabad, the name of a city in the Indian state of Gujarat, where they were first seen by Europeans.
The third species in the genus is the orange–breasted waxbill, which is found not in India but in Africa.
The booby is a seabird, related to the gannets. It probably gets its name from its habit of landing on ships, which makes it an easy catch for sailors. Captain Bligh and his companions are said to have lived on them during their epic voyage after being cast adrift by the Bounty mutineers.
The cassowary and the rhea are flightless birds, from New Guinea (and north–eastern Australia) and South America respectively.
The chats are a family of flycatchers, found in Europe and Asia. Species include the whinchat, and various stonechats and bush chats.
The drongos are perching birds, normally black or dark grey, that live in the Old World tropics.
The frogmouths are nocturnal birds, related to the nightjars. They live in the Indian subcontinent, south–east Asia, and Australia.
The jacamars are small–to–medium–sized perching birds that live in the lowland forests of South and Central America. They have long bills and tails, and many species have bright, iridescent plumage.
The juncos are small birds that live in the forests of North America.
The killdeer is a member of the plover family, native to the Americas, named after its distinctive call. (As far as I can establish, it poses no actual threat to members of the Cervidae family.)
The loon is a name used in America for the genus of seabirds that are known in Europe as divers.
The manakins are a family of 55 species of birds, distributed through the American tropics. The name is from the Middle Dutch word mannekijn, meaning 'little man' – also, presumably, the source of 'mannequin'.
The megapodes are large, ground–feeding birds – a bit like a turkey or large chicken – native to Australasia.
The motmots are tree–dwelling birds, related to the kingfishers and native to Central and South America.
The nutcracker is a member of the crow family, similar to the jay, and native to Europe, Asia and western North America.
The ortolan is a member of the bunting family. In France, they are traditionally captured alive during their migration from North Africa, then force fed and drowned in Armagnac, roasted, and eaten whole – bones and all. The diner would cover his head with a linen napkin, to preserve the precious aromas – and, it is said, to hide from God.
The potoos are related to the nightjars and frogmouths (see above). They are nocturnal insectivores, native to Central and South America.
The stilts, as their name implies, are long–legged wading birds. They live in hot climates.
The turnstones are also wading birds, related to the sandpipers. There are two species: the European turnstone is also known as the ruddy turnstone, to distinguish it from the black turnstone which lives in western North America.
The weka is a flightless bird in the rail family, native to New Zealand. It's also known as the Māori hen or woodhen.
© Haydn Thompson 2017–23