They Called It...What? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Brood parasites are birds, insects or fish that use a host (from the same or another species) to raise their young. Among birds, the strategy of egg mimicry is often used by the parasite, laying eggs similar in appearance to those of the host.

The European rock pipit (Anthus petrosus) is a passerine bird, breeding on the rocky coasts of Western Europe. The bird builds cup-shaped nests in the coastal terrain, laying four to six eggs which hatch in about a fortnight. The chicks fledge two to three weeks later. Although their main diet is small invertebrates from the marine environment, other insects may be caught in flight.
European rock pipits are subject to predation by other bird species, but the IUCN (2018) Conservation Status is listed as Least Concern.

All the answers are brood parasites, but only the common cuckoo is a summer migrant to Europe, with the others being native to Central and South America.

Phoenix Rising's psnz slipped this question into the quiz.

Answer: Great bustard

All of the choices are heavy birds, but the great bustard (Otis tarda) tips the scales at the greatest weight, ranging from 8 to 20 kg (18-44 lbs). No wonder the birds prefer to run rather than fly! The name "bustard" and the species name "tarda" likely relate to the Latin term for a slow bird - "avis tarda," but great bustards are actually pretty swift when running or when flying. 60% of the world's population of these bustards lives in Portugal and Spain, but they range across the Eurasian land mass.

They were hunted to extinction in Great Britain, but were reintroduced to Salisbury Plain, to an area under military protection and thus less trampled by the public. The birds are ground nesters, so human encroachment on their habitat has led to them becoming a vulnerable species. The male birds are about 2.5 times larger than the females and, starting after their third year of life, sport a tuft of beard-like white feathers that contribute to their elaborate courtship display. Most of the body is brown with black barring.

Player pusdoc of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew is much slower than a bustard but would still like to try to catch one in her binoculars.

Answer: Pheasant

The Caucasian snowcock (Tetraogallus caucasicus), a member of the pheasant family Phasianidae, inhabits the high rocky slopes of the Caucasus Mountains of Europe between the forest and the snowline. They sport grey, brown, white and black patterned plumage that appears grey from a distance. They have an eerie call that has been described as a desolate whistle, but can make 'chuk' noises that resonate loudly when they are threatened. They lay 5-6 eggs that have a green tinge in a 'scrape' in the ground.

The Phasianidae are large ground dwelling birds including pheasants, partridges, and peafowl.

Red Crew's smpdit laid this question into the quiz.

Answer: Smew

The smew (Mergellus albellus) is the sole living member of the genus Merbellus, and dates back to the Late Pleistocene Era. The drake smew has stark white feathers with a black back. It also has black lines across its body and black around the eyes, while the female is grey with a chestnut forehead and crown. The markings of the drake give it the appearance of a panda or, as it is sometimes called, cracked-ice.

As part of the sawbill family, their bills have a hook at the end and a serrated edge, which helps them to catch fish. The smew breeds in the forests of northern Europe and Asia where it builds its nests in the hollows of trees, diving for fish in the lakes and slow-flowing rivers. During the winter season they migrate south to the coasts and lakes of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and Germany, although the smew has been known to travel as far as England and even North America.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 dove for this question and nestled into a hollow in the quiz.

Answer: Coniferous forests or dense woodland

The European crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) is a small passerine (perching) songbird with a distinctive crest on its head. It is found largely in conferous forests, pine plantations and mixed woodland. In Europe, the tit is found in northern parts of Great Britain, and in France and the Iberian peninsula. Its IUCN (2016) conservation status is listed as Least Concern.The name for the genus, Lophophanes, is from the Ancient Greek words lophos, "crest", and phaino, "to show". Cristatus is Latin for "crested".

These birds are omnivorous, feeding on insects and seeds. They are found in pairs, though will join winter flocks with other species.

Phoenix Rising's psnz feathered this question into the quiz.

Answer: During the breeding season

Once readily found in Europe, the Fulica cristata, or red-knobbed coot, sometimes called the crested coot, is only found in a small area of southern Spain, but it has a large number in Africa. Because of the number of birds in Africa, it is not on the endangered list. It is listed as "least concern" but with decreasing numbers, even in Africa.

The bird's coloring is mainly black with a white frontal shield on its face and a short light, bluish-gray beak. The red-knobbed coot has two small red knobs, almost like bulbous horns that appear at the top of its head at a point where the frontal shield meets the black feathers. Those knobs are only present during breeding season and begin disappearing after breeding.

The female is typically slightly smaller than the male. The birds are swimmers and have some toe webbing. They stay off the coast and desert regions, living in freshwater lakes, lagoons, and rivers. The male and female are both involved in building the nest in shallow waters and in incubation duties. They tend to 5-7 eggs in a clutch. One source cited the red-knobbed coot being very aggressive towards its young, to the point few make it to adulthood. That behavior, hunting and habitat loss are the cause for the dwindling numbers.

Phoenix Rising's jaknginger flew this question into the quiz.

Answer: Eurasian thick-knee

The Eurasian thick-knee (Burhinus oedicnemus) is a bird described as "bizarre" by The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's ebird resource. It indeed has thick knees, but its huge, yellow eyes with a buffy superciliary streak add to its odd appearance. Classified as a shorebird, it actually prefers rocky heath over beaches and littoral regions. The genus and species names refer to "ox-nose" and "swelling shin."

The bird is mostly nocturnal, and has a haunting call reminiscent of curlews. They feed mostly on insects and other invertebrates. In flight, a strong black and white pattern is noted. They are fairly large, with length ranging 38-46 cm (15-18in). Generally, two eggs are laid on a depression created on open ground; the young are precocial meaning their eyes are open, they have downy feathers and they are able to walk immediately (vs. altricial, birds that are born without feathers and require much more parental care and protection).

This question was raised up into the quiz by Phoenix Rising player pusdoc, who has neither an ox nose nor thick knees.

Answer: Hornbills

A member of the order Bucerotiformes, to which hornbills (named after the down-curved shape of their bills) also belong, the Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) is one of three extant species of its genus. Both its scientific and its common name are derived from its distinctive call, a soft "oop-oop-oop". This bird is found in most of Europe and Asia, as well as parts of North Africa and central sub-Saharan Africa, where it inhabits a wide range of ecosystems.

The Eurasian hoopoe is a medium-sized bird, with a long, tapering bill; its plumage is a beautiful cinnamon colour, while its wings are black and white. Its most striking feature, however, is its tall crest of black-tipped feathers. This bird is mainly insectivorous, which makes it useful to humans because it eats various kinds of agricultural pests.

The Eurasian hoopoe has been known to humans since antiquity. While revered and highly regarded in Ancient Egypt and Persia, in much of Europe the hoopoe was seen as a harbinger of war and death. In the Old Testament, it is mentioned as unclean, and thus unfit to be eaten - probably because of the foul-smelling liquid secreted by brooding females for defence. In spite of the bird not being kosher, in 2008, on the occasion of the celebrations for the country's 80th birthday, the hoopoe was chosen as the national bird of Israel, where it is quite common.

This question was written by LadyNym of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew, who remembers reading about the hoopoe in literature and mythology.

Answer: Cormorant

The European, or common, shag (Gulosus aristotelis) is a species of cormorant, and the only member of its genus, whose name means "glutton" in Latin.

Most cormorants (family Phalacrocoracidae) have dark feathers; their bills are long, thin, and hooked, and their feet webbed. The European shag is a medium-large bird, with a greenish sheen to its black feathers, a yellow patch on its throat, and a crest of feathers on the head during the breeding season. Unlike other cormorant species, it keeps to the coast, and hardly ever ventures inland. It is also one of the deepest divers in a family characterized by the habit of diving from the surface to catch fish: specimens of European shag have been recorded diving to a depth of 61 m (200 ft). When diving, cormorants propel themselves by using their feet and wings.

The European shag is one of two species of cormorant (the other being the great cormorant) that is commonly seen in the British Isles. It is also found along the western and northern coasts of the Scandinavian Peninsula, in western Iceland, on the eastern Adriatic coast (Dalmatia), and in the Greek islands.

LadyNym of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew dived deep into her knowledge of birds to write this question.

Answer: Madeira firecrest

The Madeira firecrest (Regulus madeirensis) is only found on the island of Madeira. This little passerine has striking facial markings and a coloured crest on its head. Typically the males have an orange crest and the females have one which is yellow. They are insectivorous birds and quite weak fliers, preferring to hop from branch to branch. The female prefers to breed in tree heaths and builds a closed, cup-shaped nest from moss, lichen, twigs and cobwebs.

It was originally thought to be related to other common firecrests (R ignicapillus) but in 2003 the International Ornithological Congress confirmed it was a divergent. There was sufficient divergence from the other Regulus species for the Madeira firecrest to have its own subspecies.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 hopped this question into the quiz.