Selected words from the text of the guide have
been compiled into this glossary for your reference. These terms are used to describe
the wildlife you will see on the trails, their habitats and their behaviors.
accipiters :: small to medium-sized
hawks, of the genus Accipiter, characterized by short-broad wings and a long tail,
i.e., Cooper's Hawk
alluvium :: sediment or soil that
is deposited by a river or running water
argillite :: fine-grained sedimentary
rock consisting mostly of hardened clay particles
basic (warbler plumage) :: refers
to birds in non-breeding plumage. Warblers begin to molt their bright breeding plummages
to duller plumages in late-summer early-fall, making identification more challenging.
biodiversity :: the biological variety
of a particular environment as reflected by the number of different species of plant
and animals present
boreal :: typically the northern region
of North America characterized by long harsh winters and short summers. The Boreal
Forest, an extensive band of coniferous trees, stretches across the northern latitude
of North American and Eurasia.
canopies :: the highest layer of foliage
provided by trees and shrubs in forests and woodlands
cavity :: a hollowed out space in
a tree typically used as a nest area by owls and woodpeckers
chrysalis :: The pupal or transformatory
stage of a butterfly's life; also the protective covering of the pupa
composites :: rocks that are made
up of two or more distinct materials that retain their original compositions
contiguous :: lands that share a common
border
copses :: the plural for a dense grouping
of small trees and shrubs, also known as a thicket or coppice
crepuscular :: refers to animals that
are primarily active during twilight hours including both dusk and dawn
crop :: an expanded muscular pouch
near the throat where food is temporaily stored and then digested
diabase :: a crystalline igneous rock
rich in magnesium and iron content; equivalent to volcanic basalt
diurnal :: refers to a species that
is active during the day, rather than at night
ecotones :: the area where two adjacent
ecosystems transition, i.e, woodlands transition to meadow
edge habitat :: an area in which habitats
transition such as where a field transitions to a woodland. Many species of birds
take advantage of edge habitats such as Gray Catbird, Eastern Kingbird and Eastern
Towhee.
emergent wetlands :: wetlands characterized
by the colonization of erect, rooted plants that are able to live in water or very
moist soils
empidonax :: a group of small insect-eating
passerines commonly called tyrant flycatchers whose genus Empidonax falls within
the family order Tyrannidae
ephemerals :: lasting for one day
only or lasting for a short period of time
erratics :: Seemingly out of place
rocks and boulders carried to their present day location by glacial ice and deposited
when the ice melted
fallow :: describes lands that are
plowed, then left unseeded for a season
fen :: a wetland fed by surface and/or
groundwater usually possessing alkaline or neutral water chemistry especially if
it contains a limestone base
fry :: recently hatched or juvenile
fish
glacial lake :: the result of melted
ice from retreating glacier
gneiss :: igneous or sedimentary rocks
that were subjected to metamorphic conditions such as high heat and pressure
kettle :: refers to a group of hawks
circling together on thermal updrafts
igneous :: rocks that are created
when molten rock cools and solidifies
invasive :: a species that is non-native
and due to rapid reproduction, strangling other species or changing the chemistry
of the soil it becomes detrimental to the habitat in which it resides
irruption :: an unusually large influx
of birds to an area; often associated with winter finches and usually caused by
a shortage of food elsewhere.
jurassic :: a geologic period spanning
199.6 - 145.5 million years ago
larvae :: the early life stage of
certain insects such as a caterpillar
leaf litter :: leaf matter in different
stages of decomposition
Lepidoptera :: the order of insects
that includes butterflies and moths
macroinvertebrates :: aquatic invertebrates
such as insects, crustaceans, molluscs and worms found in rivers, ponds, lakes,
wetlands and oceans.
native :: a plant, animal or insect
that is indigenous to the region
nectaring :: the act of feeding on
flower nectar by butterflies and hummingbirds
neotropical :: refers to species that
nest in North American but spend up to six winter months in warmer climates of the
Americas including Mexico and Central and South America
neotropical passerines :: perching
birds or songbirds that fall within the order of passeriformes that breed in North
American and winter in the neotropical ecozones that include Southern Florida, South
and Central America, Mexican lowlands and the Caribbean
neotropical songbirds :: same as neotropical
passerines
nocturnal :: refers to a species that
is active during the night, rather than the day
Odonata :: the order of insects that
includes dragonflies and damselflies
ordovician :: "the second of the six
geologic periods from the paleozoic era spanning 488.3 - 443.7 million years ago
"
paleozoic :: the geologic era spanning
542 - 251 million years ago
passerine :: birds in the order Passeriformes
more commonly known as perching birds or songbirds such as jays, blackbirds, finches,
warblers and sparrows
pellets (owl) :: the indigestible
parts of an owl’s latest meal, including whole and broken bones. This mass of fur,
feathers and bones is too large to pass through the rest of the owl’s digestive
tract and is regurgitated as a compact pellet
perched wetlands :: wetlands that
are removed from streams or rivers and fed solely by drainage water
phragmites :: or common reed, is a
plant species found in marshes and wetlands and is most commonly associated with
brackish water. Its stems can grow up to 20 feet tall and it is recognizable by
its fluffy brown seed head.
pishing :: an imitated bird call most
often used to draw birds out into the open for identification
prehensile :: the body part of an
animal that has been adapted for grasping, in the case of American Woodcock, its
beak is able to grasp earthworms. Other examples of this ability are the trunk of
an elephant, the tongue of a giraffe or the lips of a horse.
precambrian :: the geologic time period
that begins with the earth's creation and stretches to 590 million year ago
pupate :: the process by which an
insect passes through its pupal stage or stage of transformation
riparian :: related to, or having
a location on the banks of a natural course of water such as a river or stream
riparian buffer :: lands adjacent
to streams that contain vegetation that provides habitat for wildlife, flood control
and streambank stabilization along with providing a buffer from human intervention
scats :: excrement of small carnivores,
herbivores or omnivores, such as fox, coyote, raccoon, squirrels etc., often used
to aid indentification when tracking an animal.
shrub/scrub :: woody vegetation that
is less than 20 feet tall found in upland, lowland or wetland areas
sinkholes :: a depression in the earth's
surface caused when the soil or bedrock is removed by water
stolons :: horizontal shoots from
a plant that grow above or just under ground and are able to produce copies of the
plant from buds
succession :: same as successional
successional :: habitat consisting
of plant species that take root and grow back after an area has been cleared. There
are different degrees of succession along with different successional habitats.
terminal :: the last bands on the
tail or wing of birds, frequently used for identification
thermals :: columns of warm air that
rise when the ground is heated by the sun. Raptors take advantage of these upward
air movements to gain altitude during migration. The birds circle upward within
the column of rising air and then glide down to the base of another thermal.
topography :: the study of the earth's
surface features usually recorded in three-dimensional form, such as relief maps
triassic :: a geologic period and
system spanning 251.0 - 199.0 million years ago
understory :: the smaller trees, shrubs
and herbs that grow in the shade beneath the forest canopy such as dogwood, ironwood,
spicebush and ferns
vernal :: relates to or occurs in
the Spring, i.e., vernal pool is a temporary body of water usually created in the
Spring from runoff. It dries up as the weather gets hotter.
whitewash :: white stains from bird
excrements that are usually found where birds perch or nest