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Bird watching is like an addiction. Once you are hooked, there is no getting away from it. Since doing so is hopeless, you need to understand the terminology you will here. Hawking is a form of food gathering. As the name suggest, the bird will wait at a high point and inspect below for food. When it sights said food, it swoops down and snatches it. Orientation refers to the navigation ability of birds. Some can orient to a particular direction during migration while others seem to be effected by the length of the day. Surprisingly, little is understood about how this happens. Anting is a bizarre bird ritual. Many species will allow ants to crawl through their wings. The ants effectively preen the wings as they eat and store anything they find. Plumage generally refers to the feathers on an adult bird. If the species molts only once a year, adults are considered to have basic plumage. Double molts is a sign of breeding and basic plumages. The term Papilla refers to a colorful knob often found on the beak or mouth of a hatchling. It acts as a target for the parent to place food upon return to the nest. Photoperiodism refers to the reaction of birds as well as other animals and plants to the changing amounts of sunlight in a day during the year. Breeding periods and migration are believed to be triggered by it. The act of probing refers to bird conduct during feeding sessions. Birds will probe areas such as dead bark, mud and what have you to find food. The type of probing is dependent upon the particular bird and is a crude method for identification. The act of stooping refers to a predator bird hunting smaller birds. It is the equivalent of the car chase in a movie. The predator will chase the smaller bird until it captures or fails. When it comes to birds, their display is all about communication. The display involves positioning their body in such a way to convey meanings regarding territoriality, mating and such. Moulting refers to the process whereby birds shed their feathers to be replaced by new ones. Most species moult once a year, but not all. Totipalmate is another way to identify a bird. The term refers to the webbing or lack thereof between the toes. Those birds with webbing have totipalmate. Non-totipalmate birds tend to have unconnected toes facing different directions. The act of foot-raking is distinct to a classification of birds that feed in the water. The term refers to their moving their feet about in the water to get animals to move so they can feed upon them. The act of gleaning refers to birds that pick their food off of upright structures such as trees. Some do it while hovering, but many may just land on the structure and whip their head back and forth to find food. The important thing to understand about birding is the language is important, but not critical. Gaining an appreciation of our feathered friends through observation is the key.
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