Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

quail

(Encyclopedia)quail, common name for a variety of small game birds related to the partridge, pheasant, and more distantly to the grouse. There are three subfamilies in the quail family: the New World quails; the Ol...

yew

(Encyclopedia)yew, name for evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Taxus, somewhat similar to hemlock but bearing red berrylike fruits instead of true cones. Of somber appearance, with dark green leaves, the yew si...

bean

(Encyclopedia)bean, name applied to the seeds of leguminous trees and shrubs and to various leguminous plants of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) with edible seeds or seed pods (legumes). The genera and specie...

squirrel

(Encyclopedia)squirrel, name for small or medium-sized rodents of the family Sciuridae, found throughout the world except in Australia, Madagascar, and the polar regions; it is applied especially to the tree-living...

canary wood

(Encyclopedia)canary wood or canary whitewood, name applied to the timber of the tulip tree (see magnolia) in some parts of the United States, also to that of an Australian eucalyptus, the Indian mulberry, and to t...

snowberry

(Encyclopedia)snowberry, name for several shrubby plants bearing white berries, especially species of the genus Symphoricarpos which is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Dipsacale...

human evolution

(Encyclopedia)human evolution, theory of the origins of the human species, Homo sapiens. Modern understanding of human origins is derived largely from the findings of paleontology, anthropology, and genetics, and i...

fiddler crab

(Encyclopedia)fiddler crab, common name for small, amphibious crabs belonging to the genus Uca. They are characterized by a rectangular carapace (shell) and a narrow abdomen, which is flexed under the body. They ar...

gastropod

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Internal anatomy of a snail, Helix aspersa, representative mollusk of the class Gastropoda gastropod, member of the class Gastropoda, the largest and most successful class of mollusks (phylum ...

roller

(Encyclopedia)roller, common name for brightly colored Old World birds noted for performing somersaults in flight. They include the rollers proper (subfamily Coraciinae) and ground rollers (subfamily Brachypteracii...