altricial — young that are born naked and with eyes closed, unable to leave the nest (compare with precocial, below)

aquatic — living or growing in water

asynchronous hatching — hatching that does not occur at the same time but that may take place over two to three calendar days

birdhouse — another name for a nest box

breeding cycle — the time period beginning at nest building through egg laying and raising young to the point of independence

brood (n) — the young of a bird that are hatched or cared for at one time

brood (v) — to sit on and keep warm (chicks)

caching — the storage of berries, seeds, and other food items in the crevices of bark, under leaves, in cavities, and the like. Retrieval of cached food items is not accidental, as in scatterhoarding.

carnivorous — subsisting or feeding on animal tissues

cavity — a hole or opening in a tree trunk or limb

cavity-nesting bird — a bird that nests inside a hole in a tree trunk or limb or in a nest box

cloaca — posterior-most chamber of the digestive tract in birds

clutch — total number of eggs laid by a female bird in one nest attempt

coniferous — consisting of evergreen trees such as pines, firs, and the like

contour feather — predominate feather type found on the body, wings, and tail of the bird (as opposed to other feather types: down, bristles, semiplumes, etc.)

crepuscular — active at twilight, dawn, and dusk

deciduous — has leaves that fall off or shed either seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle

dimorphism — existing in two forms, two color forms, two sexes, and the like

dispersal — the movement of a young bird from the site where it hatches to the site where it breeds (juvenile dispersal); the year-to-year movement of an adult bird from one nest site to another (breeding dispersal)

diurnal — of, relating to, occurring, or active in the day

ectoparasite — a parasite that lives on the exterior of its host

egg dumping — occurs when a female lays her egg(s) in the nest of another bird, sometimes creating very large clutches; often seen in ducks

fecal sac — a clean, tough mucous membrane containing the excrement of nestling birds

fledge — the act of leaving the nest or nest cavity after reaching a certain stage of maturity

granivorous — feeding on seeds or grain

habitat — the place or environment where an animal (or plant) naturally or normally lives and raises young

hatch — to emerge from an egg, pupa, or chrysalis

hatching — the moment an organism emerges from an egg, pupa, or chrysalis

hibernation — winter dormancy in animals characterized by a great decrease in metabolism

incubation — the act of rearing and hatching eggs by the warmth of the body

insectivorous — feeding on insects

invertebrate — lacking a spinal column

larvae — the immature, wingless, and often wormlike stage of a metamorphic insect that hatches from the egg, alters chiefly in size while passing through several molts, and is finally transformed into a pupa or chrysalis from which the adult emerges

latitude — south to north measurement of location

longitude — east to west measurement of location

migration — regular, extensive, seasonal movements of birds between their breeding regions and their wintering regions

monogamy — mating of an animal with only one member of the opposite sex at a time

nest box — a box, typically made of wood, in which cavity-nesting birds can nest; sometimes called a birdhouse

nestling — a young bird that has not left, or abandoned, the nest

nocturnal — of, relating to, occurring, or active in the night

pair bond — the association between two birds who have come together for reproduction; can be short-term (lasting only through egg-laying or the rearing of young) or lifelong

parasite — organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (host) and derives its nutriment therefrom; usually a parasite causes some degree of damage to the host

polygamy — mating with several individuals (one male with several females, or one female with several males)

precocial — young that are capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth (compare with altricial, above)

predation — the act of preying

replacement clutch — the eggs laid to replace a clutch in which none of the eggs hatched

riparian — along banks of rivers and streams

roost (n) — a support on which birds rest; a place where birds customarily rest; also a group of birds resting together

roost (v) — to settle down for rest of sleep: perch

snag — a standing dead tree

species — related organisms or populations having common attributes and potentially capable of interbreeding

taxonomy — scientific naming of organisms and their classification with reference to their precise position in the animal or plant kingdom

terrestrial — living or growing on land

thermoregulate(ion) — the act of maintaining a constant body temperature

topographic map — a map depicting the natural and human-made features of a place or region, especially in a way to show their relativepositions and elevations