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Either way, the name refers to the loon's poor ability to walk on land. [17] Another possible derivation is from the Norwegian word lom for these birds, which comes from Old Norse lómr, possibly cognate with English "lament", referring to the characteristic plaintive sound of the loon. [18] The scientific name Gavia refers to seabirds in ...
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term water bird is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems , although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments .
nymph in Cyprus Walking on water surface; the dark blobs are shadows cast by water disturbances around each of the six legs touching the water.. The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, water gliders, water skimmers or puddle flies.
If water levels remain constant, jacanas can breed year round. [10] A juvenile northern jacana. The male constructs a floating nest [10] [15] with whatever plant matter he can find. [10] A male jacana will grab vegetation and walk backwards to uproot it and continues to walk backward to drop the plant part in the nest.
The density and length of feathers is correlated exponentially with heat-loss in cold water. For this reason grebes invest plumage maintenance the most in birds in terms of duration of time and energy. The uropygial glands secrete a high concentration of paraffin. The secretion provides a dual purpose of protecting the feathers from external ...
Coots have strong legs and can walk and run vigorously. They tend to have short, rounded wings and are weak fliers, though northern species nevertheless can cover long distances. They typically congregate in large rafts in open water. They are socially gregarious and messy aquatic feeders. [citation needed]
The coot is an omnivore, and will take a variety of small live prey including the eggs of other water birds, as well as algae, vegetation, seeds and fruit. [20] It shows considerable variation in its feeding techniques, grazing on land or in the water. In the water it may upend in the fashion of a mallard or dive in search of food. [21]
Like all water striders, Gerrinae are able to walk on water using hydrophobic microhairs. Their bodies also consist of two antennae, a narrow thorax, and six appendages. [3] Members of the Gerrinae subfamily are characterized by having long slender bodies.