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coot

(Encyclopedia)coot, common name for a migratory marsh bird related to rails and gallinules and found in North America and Europe. The American coot (Fulica americana), or mud hen, is slate gray with a white bill, b...

Cygnus

(Encyclopedia)Cygnus sĭgˈnəs [key] [Lat.,=the swan], northern constellation located SE of Draco and NW of Pegasus. It was depicted as a bird by most ancient cultures. It is sometimes called the Northern Cross be...

field spaniel

(Encyclopedia)field spaniel, breed of medium-sized sporting dog developed in England from crosses between cocker spaniels and Sussex spaniels. It stands about 18 in. (45.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about ...

Prévert, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Prévert, Jacques zhäk prāvĕrˈ [key], 1900–1977, French poet. One of the most popular of 20th-century French writers, Prévert produced poetry ranging from the humorous to the satiric to the mel...

Kenai Fjords National Park

(Encyclopedia)Kenai Fjords National Park, 669,983 acres (271,248 hectares), S Alaska. The park features the great Harding Icefield and its radiating glaciers, many of which descend to tidewater, and a magnificent s...

starling

(Encyclopedia)starling, any of a group of originally Old World birds that have become distributed worldwide. Starlings were released in New York City in 1890; since then the common, or European, starling (Sturnus v...

Antigua and Barbuda

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Antigua and Barbuda ăntēˈgə, –gwə, bärbo͞oˈdə, –byo͞oˈ– [key], independent Commonwealth nation (2020 est. pop. 97,928), 171 sq mi (442 sq km), We...

kite, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)kite, in zoology, common name for a bird of the family Accipitridae, which also includes the hawk. Kites are found near water and marshes in warm parts of the world. They prey chiefly on reptiles, fro...

delta

(Encyclopedia)delta [from triangular shape of the Nile delta, like the Greek letter delta], a deposit of clay, silt, and sand formed at the mouth of a river where the stream loses velocity and drops part of its sed...

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

(Encyclopedia)Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, 582,578 sq mi (1,508,870 sq km), in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the NW Hawaiian Islands, c.270 mi (435 km) NW of Oahu; est. 2006 as Northwestern Hawaiia...