surfbird

surfbird
/serrf"berrd'/, n.
a sandpiperlike shorebird, Aphriza virgata, of the Pacific coast, breeding in Alaska and wintering in South America.
[1830-40, Amer.; SURF + BIRD]

* * *

bird
 (Aphriza virgata), American shorebird that has a black triangle on its otherwise white tail. Surfbirds are about 25 centimetres (10 inches) long. With the knots, they constitute the subfamily Calidritinae (family Scolopacidae).

      Surfbirds breed in rock fields at high elevations in the mountains of south central Alaska. The male assumes parental duties once the hen has laid the four eggs in a nest on the ground. He may suddenly explode from the nest, an action believed to be a defense against trampling. Surfbirds winter on rocky beaches with much seaweed and heavy surf, chiefly from Alaska to California; some go as far south as southern Chile.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • surfbird — ☆ surfbird [sʉrf′bʉrd΄ ] n. a shorebird (Aphriza virgata) of the same family as the sandpiper, found on the Pacific coast of the Americas during the winter: it has a short, square tail, white at the base and black at the tip …   English World dictionary

  • Surfbird — Taxobox name = Surfbird status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 image width = 220px image caption = Surfbird in nest regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Charadriiformes familia = Scolopacidae genus = Aphriza (disputed) genus… …   Wikipedia

  • surfbird — strazdiniai tilvikai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Aphriza angl. surfbird vok. Gischtläufer, m rus. бурунный кулик, m pranc. bécasseau du ressac, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bėgikai siauresnis terminas – strazdinis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • surfbird — strazdinis tilvikas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Aphriza virgata angl. surfbird vok. Gischtläufer, m rus. бурунный кулик, m pranc. bécasseau du ressac, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – strazdiniai tilvikai …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • surfbird — noun Date: 1839 a shorebird (Aphriza virgata) of the sandpiper family that occurs along the Pacific coasts of America and has a black tipped white tail …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • surfbird — noun sandpiper like shorebird of Pacific coasts of North America and South America • Syn: ↑Aphriza virgata • Hypernyms: ↑shorebird, ↑shore bird, ↑limicoline bird • Member Holonyms: ↑Aphriza, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • USS Surfbird (AM-383) — The USS Surfbird (AM 383) was an In popular culture Surfbird appeared briefly in the 1954 film The Caine Mutiny as the fictitious minesweeper USS Jones .References* *External links* http://www.surfbird383.org …   Wikipedia

  • Calidrid — Taxobox name = Typical waders image width = 200px image caption = Red Knot, Calidris canutus . Calidris s. str. are stout birds with bold pattern in breeding plumage regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves subclassis = Neornithes… …   Wikipedia

  • Kobuk River — The Kobuk River is approximately convert|280|mi|km|0|lk=on long, located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. [USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). [http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO… …   Wikipedia

  • Cozumel Thrasher — Conservation status Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1] …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”