Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

Lesser Yellowlegs

Order : Charadriiformes
This is a diverse order which includes about 350 species of birds in all parts of the world. Most Chardriiformes are strong flyers, some species performing the most extensive migration of any birds. Most live near water and eat invertebrates or other similar small animals and most nest on the ground. the order is split into 3 main suborders; Charadrii (about 200 species including Sandpipers, Plovers and Lapwings ), Lari ( about 92 species including Gulls, Turns, Skimmers and Jaegers), and Alcidae ( about 21 species including Auks, Guillemots and Puffins)

Family : Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Predominantly birds of arctic regions, the Scolopacidae is a large family of waders or shorebirds, the majority of which eat small invertebrates picked out from mud, soil or sand. Different bill lengths mean that different species can feed in the same habitat without competing with each other. They are usually found in groups on or near the beach. For the most part they are silent in winter and on migration.

Name : Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
Length : 23 - 25 cm ( 9 - 10 in )

The Lesser-yellowlegs is a medium sized shorebird with long yellow legs, long thin dark bill, grey brown plumage above and white below. The birds forage in shallow water for insects, small fish and crustaceans, sometimes stirring up the water with their bill. The Lesser-yellowlegs nests in clearings near ponds in boreal forest region from Alaska to Quebec, migrating to the Gulf coast of North America, the West Indies, and South America mainly from July to November, but some individuals may be seen at any time of year.


#Lesser Yellowlegs #Tringa flavipes #Sandpipers #Scolopacidae #Charadriiformes #North American birds #South American Birds #migrants #birds of the West Indies #Caribbean #birds #birds of Tobago


Bird identification photos

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)

Laughing Gull

Order : Charadriiformes
This is a diverse order which includes about 350 species of birds in all parts of the world. Most Chardriiformes are strong flyers, some species performing the most extensive migration of any birds. Most live near water and eat invertebrates or other similar small animals and most nest on the ground. the order is split into 3 main suborders; Charadrii (about 200 species including Sandpipers, Plovers and Lapwings ), Lari ( about 92 species including Gulls, Turns, Skimmers and Jaegers), and Alcidae ( about 21 species including Auks, Guillemots and Puffins)

Family : Gulls and Turns (Laridae)
The Laridae family compromises two distinct subfamilies Lari (Gulls) and Sterninae (Turns). Gulls account for over 40 species, and are heavily built web footed scavengers that take insects, molluscs, crustaceans, fish and garbage from beaches and shorelines, worms and grubs from fields, and some will even take eggs and chicks of other birds including their own. Turns account for about 40 species of slender water birds that often form large breeding colonies nesting on the ground on remote Islands sometimes numbering millions of individuals. Many Terns are long distance migrants covering thousands of kilometers in just a few days.

Name : Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
Length : 40 - 45 cm (16 - 18 in )
Local Names : Sea Gull, Laughing Bird

The Laughing Gull is a medium sized Gull of North and South America, and is the only Gull nesting in the Caribbean. The Northernmost populations migrate further south in winter, and has occurred as a very rare vagrant in Western Europe. It has a black head during breeding season which turns mottled grey during winter, otherwise it’s white with grey upperparts and wings and a red bill. The Laughing Gulls name is derived from it’s raucous call. Laughing Gulls breed in coastal marshes or similar habitat, the nest, made largely from grasses, is constructed on the ground. 3 - 4 greenish eggs are laid and incubation takes about 3 weeks. Laughing Gulls are omnivorous, and will feed from fish taken from the sea surface, or scavenge along the shore for offal.


 #Laughing Gull #Larus atricilla #Sea Gull #Laughing Bird #Gulls # Lari #Laridae #Charadriiformes #migrant birds #North American birds #South American birds #birds #birds of Tobago


Bird identification photos