Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
BUNTING
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: BUN-CAL
del.icio.us it!
|
BUNTING , properly the See also:common See also:English name of the See also:bird called by See also:Linnaeus Emberiza miliaria, but now used in a See also:general sense for all members of the See also:family Emberizidae, which are closely allied to the finches (Fringillidae), though, in See also:Professor W.. K. See also:Parker's See also:opinion, to be easily distinguished therefrom — the Emberizidae possessing what none of the Fringillidae do, an additional pair of palatal bones, " palato-maxillaries." It will probably follow from this diagnosis that some forms of birds, particularly those of the New See also:World, which have hitherto been commonly assigned to the latter, really belong to the former, and among them the genera Cardinalis and Phrygilus. The additional palatal bones just named are also found in several other peculiarly See also:American families, namely, Tanagridae, Icteridae and Mniotiltidaewhence it may be perhaps inferred that the Emberizudae are of Transatlantic origin. The buntings generally may be also outwardly distinguished from the finches by their angular gape, the posterior portion of which is greatly deflected; and most of the Old-World forms, together with some of those of the New World, have a bony knob on the palate—a swollen outgrowth of the dentary edges of the See also:bill. Correlated with this peculiarity the maxilla usually has the tomia sinuated, and is generally See also:concave, and smaller and narrower than the mandible, which is also concave to receive the palatal knob. In most other respects the buntings greatly resemble the finches, but their eggs are generally distinguishable by the irregular See also:hair-like markings on the See also:shell. In the See also:British Islands by far the commonest See also:species of bunting is the yellow-See also:hammer (E. citrinella), but the true bunting (or See also:corn-bunting, or bunting-See also:lark, as it is called in some districts) is a very well-known bird, while the See also:reed-bunting (E. schoeniclus) frequents marshy soils almost to the exclusion of the two former, In certain localities in the See also:south of See also:England the cirl-bunting (E. cirlus) is also a See also:resident; and in See also:winter vast flocks of the See also:snow-bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis), at once recognizable by its pointed wings and elongated See also:hind-claws, resort to our shores and open grounds. This last is believed to breed sparingly on the highest mountains of See also:Scotland, but the See also:majority of the examples which visit us come from See also:northern regions, for it is a species which in summer inhabits the whole circumpolar See also:area. The See also:ortolan (E. hortulana), so highly prized for its delicate flavour, occasionally appears in England,but the British Islands seem to See also:lie outside its proper range. On the See also:continent of See also:Europe, in See also:Africa and throughout See also:Asia, many other species are found, while in See also:America the number belonging to the family cannot at See also:present be computed. The beautiful and melodious See also:cardinal (Cardinalis virginianus), commonly called the Virginian See also:nightingale, must be included in this family. (A. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] BUNTER |
[next] BUNTING (a word of doubtful origin, possibly connec... |