Seabirds Glossary
Aves
Birds; the class of animals that have wings and feathers, are warm-blooded, and lay eggs.
Behavior
Anything an animal does involving action and/or response to stimulation.
Biodiversity
The variety of life forms: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form. It is usually considered at three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.
Breeding
Reproduction: the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring
Breeding biology
Characteristic life processes and phenomena of living organisms; "breeding biology of birds"
Brooding
Sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
Categories
Class; a collection of things sharing a common attribute
Class
In biology a taxonomic group containing one or more orders
Classification system
A system for classifying things
Classify
Arrange or order by classes or categories
Clutch
A number of birds hatched at the same time
Computer Simulation
A representation of a real-life situation in a computer
Cultural heritage
The ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values
Data
Collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn; "statistical data"
Evolve
To develop gradually
Field Guide
A book used to identify animals
Genus
In biology taxonomic group containing one or more species
Habitat
The place occupied by an organism, population or community; it is the physical part of the community structure in which an organism finds its home, and includes the sum total of all the environmental conditions present in the specific place occupied by an organism. Often, a habitat is defined to include a whole community of organisms.
The home to a particular organism, where the species will attempt to be as adaptive as possible to that particular habitat, in what is deemed their ecological niche
Migration
The periodic passage of groups of animals (especially birds or fishes) from one region to another for feeding or breeding
Migration routes
The way or course taken by an animal to get from a starting point to a destination during a migration
Natural History
The study of animals or plants; the sum of the facts about the animals and plants of an area or class
Observations
Watching something and taking note of anything it does
Order
In (biology) taxonomic group containing one or more families
Plumage
The feathers and down of a bird
Physiology
The study of how living organisms function; the study of the activities and processes of living organisms such as water movement, nutrient transport, respiration
Predation
The act of an animal feeding on another animal
- Predator
An animal that hunts and kills other animals for food
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- Prey
An animal hunted or caught for food
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- Range
The area in which an individual organism may travel in its lifetime; range also refers to the geographic distribution of a particular species
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- Seabird
A bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls; pelicans; gannets; cormorants; albatrosses; petrels; etc.
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- Simulation
A simulation is an experiment run as a model of reality
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- Species
In biology taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
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- Subsistence
The means of living; obtaining food and shelter necessary to support life; everything that is done to "make a living"
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- Survival
A state of surviving; remaining alive
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- Taxonomy
The science of naming organisms and assigning them to groups
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- Vertebrates
Animals that have backbones
