1			2												3
									4
				5								6			7
8
							9						10
	11		12														13		14
								15			16
17	18
							19
					20
21																				22
										23
24
																	25
			26
							27
										28

Across 1. In one of the worst examples of the devastation wrought by invasive species, this island has experienced over 15 avian extinctions since the arrival of a colubrid snake thought to have been accidentally transported from its native home as a ship stowaway. 5. While most passerines have about 2000 to 4000 feathers, a swan from this biome can have over 25,000 feathers! 6. Birds in the family Thamnophiliidae either opportunistically or obligatorily follow swarms of this Neotropical arthropod through the forest. Genus. 8. An imitated bird call, used by birders and ornithologists to attract birds. Excessive use of this is considered unethical. 9. One of the few bird families not in the order Psittaciformes with species capable of mimicking human speech. 11. Megapodes hatch in a state of such advanced physical maturity that they are considered to be ______precocial 17. Sex chromosomes of male birds 19. In the traditional taxonomy (not Sibley-Ahlquist) the beloved Disney character “Zazu” belongs to this order 21. This bird is a molluscivore that feeds on the natural reservoirs of the tropical disease schistosomiasis. Common name. 23. The name of the very special red-tailed hawk that moved the hearts of New Yorkers and inspired a documentary film 24. The tail feathers of this bird were once used as currency as far north as New Mexico to as far south as the Andes 25. This bird lays the largest egg in relation to body size of any bird species. 26. In a phenomenon not unlike American dog shows, each year in Thailand, over 100,000 people participate in songbird competitions where judges score birds on the quality of their singing. One of the main participants is a bird whose common name is a “tautonym” (e.g. Aye Aye) 27. The Greek word root “ptes” appears frequently in ornithology, and means 28. The region between the eye and bill on the side of a bird's head; sometimes featherless

Down 1. Poisoning from the drug Diclofenac has tragically reduced populations of several species in this genus by over 95% 2. The only bird order confined entirely to Africa, ______birds are considered “living fossils” since they are survivors of a lineage that was massively more diverse in the late Paleogene and Miocene. 3. This legendary American ornithologist and Caribbean bird expert was the namesake for Ian Fleming’s famous protagonist. Last name only. 4. A large mythical bird-like creature appearing in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology 7. Snipes are the only birds in the world that have ___________ retrices 10. This clade, characterized by two holes in each side of their skulls, includes birds, crocodiles, squamates and tuataras. 12. Poisonous birds? Indigenous people long recognized that the feathers and skin from these birds could be poisonous, but it was modern science that discovered the birds do not produce the toxins themselves; rather they acquire it through a diet high in toxic beetles. Common name or genus. 13. Sailors used to think that birds of this family were the souls of departed mariners flying restlessly over the waves. It was therefore considered very bad luck to kill them. ______dae 14. The nickname of Tom Cruise’s best friend in Top Gun, who dies when forced to eject from his aircraft 15. Efforts to conserve this species sparked such controversy that people began sporting bumper stickers that said “Kill a _____, save a logger”. 16. “Listers” like Owen Wilson’s character in the movie The Big Year would travel to the ends of the earth for a “_____” 18. German word meaning “migratory restlessness”, used to describe the phenomenon in which caged migratory birds exhibit anxious behavior during migration season. 20. During mating, males belonging to the family Pipridae congregate in what is known as a ____ to compete for the females’ attention. 22. In the horror film “The Birds”, director Alfred Hitchcock deliberately chose not to use traditionally feared species such as ravens or crows; instead using common, normally harmless species. The first bird attack in the movie is by a bird from this family. ______dae 23. The Hopi Indian word for the Common _____ means “The Sleeping One”, owing to the fact that this bird can enter an extended state of extreme torpor that is very close to “hibernation”