Birds (3)
PASSERINES
As noted in the previous page, one of the distinguishing characteristics of passerines is the shape of their feet. A collection of sketches of bird feet is given below.
The first three birds named are passerines. The birds of the second row are all aquatic and, with the exception of the plover, all have webbed feet. The kea (first on last row), like all parrots, has feet with two toes pointing forwards and two backwards.
However, feet are not the whole story, we see that the feet of the falcon are quite similar to those of passerines. From the definition of passerines at birding.about.com, we see that another characteristic of passerines is that their chicks hatch naked and blind, lacking any feathers, and need prolonged intensive parental care.
Source: canarytales.blogspot.in
The largest suborder of Passeriformes is Muscipitidae. This is the family of Flycatchers (See definition at bto.org). This family is united by its method of finding food. Flycatchers typically sit on a perch, capturing an insect in mid-air. The bill ia relatively broad, flat, and surrounded by bristles.
IN PREPARATION
