parent_taxon crag martin
___MASK68___ is a small genus of passerine birds in the swallow family . The genus means " of the riverbank "; it is derived from the Latin " ripa " " riverbank ". A passerine is any ___MASK32___ of the order Passeriformes , which includes more than half of all ___MASK32___ species . A notable feature of passerines compared to other orders of Aves is the arrangement of their toes , three pointing forward and one back , which facilitates perching . Sometimes known as perching birds or , less accurately , as songbirds , the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders , with over 5 , 000 identified species . It has roughly twice as many species as the largest of the ___MASK1___ orders , the ___MASK63___ . It contains more than 110 families , the second - most of any order of tetrapods ( after Squamata , the scaled reptiles ). The passerines contain several groups of brood parasites such as the viduas , cuckoo - finches , and the cowbirds . Most passerines are omnivorous , while the shrikes are carnivorous . The Eurasian ___MASK49___ or just ___MASK49___ (" Ptyonoprogne rupestris ") is a small passerine ___MASK32___ in the swallow family . It is about long with ___MASK51___ - brown upperparts and paler underparts , and a short , square tail that has distinctive white patches on most of its feathers . It breeds in the mountains of southern Europe , northwestern Africa and southern Asia . It can be confused with the three other species in its genus , but is larger than both , with brighter tail spots and different plumage tone . Many European birds are resident , but some northern populations and most Asian breeders are migratory , wintering in northern Africa , the Middle East or India . A genus ( genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms in biology . In the hierarchy of biological classification , genus comes above species and below family . In binomial nomenclature , the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus . Africa is the world ' s second - largest and second - most - populous continent . At about 30 . 3 million km² ( 11 . 7 million square miles ) including adjacent islands , it covers 6 % of Earth ' s total surface ___MASK78___ and 20 . 4 % of its total land ___MASK78___ . With 1 . 1 billion people as of 2013 , it accounts for about 15 % of the world ' s human population . The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north , both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast , the Indian Ocean to the southeast , and the Atlantic Ocean to the west . The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos . It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states ( countries ), nine territories and two " de facto " independent states with limited or no recognition . The barn swallow (" ___MASK66___ rustica ") is the most widespread species of swallow in the world . It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts , a long , deeply forked tail and curved , pointed wings . It is found in Europe , Asia , Africa and the Americas . In Anglophone Europe it is just called the swallow ; in Northern Europe it is the only common species called a " swallow " rather than a " martin ". Flight feathers (" Pennae volatus ") are the long , stiff , asymmetrically shaped , but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a ___MASK32___ ; those on the wings are called remiges ( singular remex ) while those on the tail are called rectrices ( singular rectrix ). The primary function of the flight feathers is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift , thereby enabling flight . The flight feathers of some birds have evolved to perform additional functions , generally associated with territorial displays , courtship rituals or feeding methods . In some species , these feathers have developed into long showy plumes used in visual courtship displays , while in others they create a sound during display flights . Tiny serrations on the leading edge of their remiges help owls to fly silently ( and therefore hunt more successfully ), while the extra - stiff rectrices of woodpeckers help them to brace against tree trunks as they hammer on it . Even flightless birds still retain flight feathers , though sometimes in radically modified forms . Vertebrates comprise all species of animals within the subphylum ___MASK16___ ( chordates with backbones ). Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata , with currently about 64 , 000 species described . Vertebrates include the jawless fish and the jawed vertebrates , which include the cartilaginous fish ( sharks and rays ) and the bony fish . The crag martins are four species of small passerine birds in the genus Ptyonoprogne of the swallow family . They are the Eurasian ___MASK49___ ( P . rupestris ) , the pale ___MASK49___ ( P . obsoleta ) , the rock martin ( P . fuligula ) and the dusky ___MASK49___ ( P . concolor ) . They are closely related to each other , and have formerly sometimes been considered to be one species . They are closely related to the ___MASK66___ barn swallows and are placed in that genus by some authorities . These are small swallows with brown upperparts , paler underparts without a breast band , and a square tail with white patches . They can be distinguished from each other on size , the colour shade of the upperparts and underparts , and minor plumage details like throat colour . They resemble the sand martin , but are darker below , and lack a breast band . These are species of craggy mountainous habitats , although all three will also frequent human habitation . The African rock martin and the south Asian dusky ___MASK49___ are resident , but the Eurasian ___MASK49___ is a partial migrant ; birds breeding in southern Europe are largely resident , but some northern breeders and most Asian birds are migratory , wintering in north Africa or India . They do not normally form large breeding colonies , but are more gregarious outside the breeding season . These martins build neat mud nests under cliff overhangs or in crevices in their mountain homes , and have readily adapted to the artificial cliffs provided by buildings and motorway bridges . Up to five eggs , white with dark blotches at the wider end , may be laid , and a second clutch is common . Ptyonoprogne martins feed mainly on insects caught in flight , and patrol cliffs near the breeding site with a slow hunting flight as they seek their prey . They may be hunted by falcons and infected with mites and fleas , but their large ranges and populations mean that none of the crag martins are considered to be threatened , and all are classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List . The sand martin (" ___MASK68___ riparia ") or European sand martin , bank swallow in the Americas , and collared sand martin in the Indian Subcontinent , is a migratory passerine ___MASK32___ in the swallow family . It has a wide range in summer , embracing practically the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean countries , part of northern Asia and also North America . It winters in eastern and southern Africa , South America and the Indian Subcontinent . A songbird is a ___MASK32___ belonging to the clade ___MASK36___ of the perching birds ( Passeriformes ). Another name that is sometimes seen as a scientific or vernacular name is Oscines , from Latin " oscen ", " a songbird ". This group contains some 4 , 000 species found all over the world , in which the vocal organ typically is developed in such a way as to produce a diverse and elaborate ___MASK32___ song . The cuckoo - finch (" ___MASK75___ imberbis "), also known as the parasitic weaver or cuckoo weaver , is a small passerine ___MASK32___ now placed in the family Viduidae with the indigobirds and whydahs . It occurs in grassland in Africa south of the Sahara . The male is mainly yellow and green while the female is buff with dark streaks . The eggs are laid in the nests of other birds . The cuckoos are a family of birds , ___MASK93___ , the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo , roadrunners , koels , malkohas , couas , coucals and anis . The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families , the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively . Plumage (" feather ") refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a ___MASK32___ and the pattern , colour , and arrangement of those feathers . The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies , and may vary with age classes . Within species there can be different colour morphs . The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family ___MASK46___ that are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding . " Swallow " is used colloquially in Europe as a synonym for the barn swallow . India , officially the Republic of India (" Bhrat Gaarjya "), is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh - largest country by ___MASK78___ , the second - most populous country ( with over 1 . 2 billion people ), and the most populous democracy in the world . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian Sea on the southwest , and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast . It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the northeast ; and Myanmar ( Burma ) and Bangladesh to the east . In the Indian Ocean , India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives . India ' s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Its capital is New Delhi ; other metropolises include Mumbai , Kolkata , Chennai , Bangalore , Hyderabad and Ahmedabad . Binomial nomenclature ( also called binominal nomenclature or binary nomenclature ) is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts , both of which use Latin grammatical forms , although they can be based on words from other languages . Such a name is called a binomial name ( which may be shortened to just " binomial "), a binomen or a scientific name ; more informally it is also called a Latin name . The first part of the name identifies the genus to which the species belongs ; the second part identifies the species within the genus . For example , humans belong to the genus " ___MASK57___ " and within this genus to the species " ___MASK57___ sapiens ". The " formal " introduction of this system of naming species is credited to Carl Linnaeus , effectively beginning with his work " Species Plantarum " in 1753 . But Gaspard Bauhin , in as early as 1623 , had introduced in his book " Pinax theatri botanici " ( English , " Illustrated exposition of plants ") many names of genera that were later adopted by Linnaeus . Birds ( Aves ), also known as avian dinosaurs , are a group of endothermic vertebrates , characterised by feathers , toothless beaked jaws , the laying of hard - shelled eggs , a high metabolic rate , a four - chambered heart , and a lightweight but strong skeleton . Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ___MASK65___ . They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species , at approximately ten thousand , with more than half of these being passerines , sometimes known as perching birds or , less accurately , as songbirds . Asia is Earth ' s largest and most populous continent , located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres and sharing the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe . Asia covers an ___MASK78___ of , about 30 % of Earth ' s total land ___MASK78___ and 8 . 7 % of the Earth ' s total surface ___MASK78___ . The continent , which has long been home to the majority of the human population , was the site of many of the first civilizations . Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population , but also dense and large settlements as well as vast barely populated regions within the continent of 4 . 4 billion people . The rock martin (" Ptyonoprogne fuligula ") is a small passerine ___MASK32___ in the swallow family that is resident in central and southern Africa . It breeds mainly in the mountains , but also at lower altitudes , especially in rocky areas and around towns , and , unlike most swallows , it is often found far from water . It is 12  15 cm ( 4 . 7  5 . 9 in ) long , with mainly brown plumage , paler - toned on the upper breast and underwing coverts , and with white " windows " on the spread tail in flight . The sexes are similar in appearance , but juveniles have pale fringes to the upperparts and flight feathers . The former northern subspecies are smaller , paler , and whiter - throated than southern African forms , and are now usually split as a separate species , the pale crag martin . The rock martin hunts along cliff faces for flying insects using a slow flight with much gliding . Its call is a soft twitter . In biology , an organism is any contiguous living system , such as an ___MASK7___ , ___MASK59___ , fungus , archaeon , or bacterium . All known types of organisms are capable of some degree of response to stimuli , reproduction , growth and development and homeostasis . An organism consists of one or more cells ; when it has one cell it is known as a unicellular organism ; and when it has more than one it is known as a multicellular organism . Most unicellular organisms are of microscopic scale and are thus loosely described as microorganisms . Humans are multicellular organisms composed of many trillions of cells grouped into specialized tissues and organs . Cowbirds are birds belonging to the genus Molothrus in the family ___MASK73___ . They are brood parasitic New World birds which are unrelated to the Old World cuckoos , one of which , the common cuckoo , is the most famous brood parasitic ___MASK32___ . Shrikes are carnivorous passerine birds of the family Laniidae . The family is composed of thirty - one species in four genera . They are fairly closely related to the bush - ___MASK70___ family Malaconotidae . The ___MASK32___ genus ___MASK66___ is a group of passerines in the family ___MASK46___ ( swallows and martins ). The genus name is the Latin for a swallow . These are the typical swallows , including the widespread barn swallow . Many of this group have blue backs , red on the face and sometimes the rump or nape , and whitish or rufous underparts . With fourteen species this genus is the largest in its family . ___MASK61___ is a genus of sparrows , also known as the true sparrows . The genus includes the house sparrow and the Eurasian tree sparrow , some of the most common birds in the world . They are small birds with thick bills for eating seeds , and are mostly coloured grey or brown . Native to the Old World , some species have been introduced throughout the world . Mammals are any vertebrates within the class Mammalia ( from Latin " mamma " " breast "), a clade of endothermic amniotes distinguished from reptiles and birds by the possession of a neocortex ( a region of the brain ), hair , three middle ear bones and mammary glands . The sister group of mammals may be the extinct " Haldanodon ." The mammals represent the only living Synapsida , which together with the ___MASK13___ form the Amniota clade . The mammals consist of the Yinotheria including monotrema and the Theriiformes including the theria . Brood parasites are organisms that rely on others to raise their young . The strategy appears among birds , ___MASK43___ and some fish . The brood parasite manipulates a host , either of the same or of another species , to raise its young as if it were its own . The pale ___MASK49___ (" Ptyonoprogne obsoleta ") is a small passerine ___MASK32___ in the swallow family that is resident in northern Africa and in southwestern Asia east to Pakistan . It breeds mainly in the mountains , but also at lower altitudes , especially in rocky areas and around towns . Unlike most swallows , it is often found far from water . It is 12  13 cm ( 4 . 7  5 . 1 in ) long , with mainly brown plumage , paler - toned on the upper breast and underwing coverts , and with white " windows " on the spread tail in flight . The sexes are similar in appearance , but juveniles have pale fringes to the upperparts and flight feathers . It was formerly considered to be the northern subspecies of the rock martin of southern Africa , although it is smaller , paler , and whiter - throated than that species . The pale ___MASK49___ hunts along cliff faces for flying insects using a slow flight with much gliding . Its call is a soft twitter . The dusky ___MASK49___ (" Ptyonoprogne concolor ") is a small passerine ___MASK32___ in the swallow family . It is about long with a broad body and wings , and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of most of its feathers . This martin has sooty - brown upperparts and slightly paler underparts . The two subspecies are resident breeding birds in South Asia from the Indian subcontinent to southwestern China and the northern parts of Thailand , Vietnam and Laos . Rodents ( from Latin " rodere ", " to gnaw ") are mammals of the order ___MASK63___ , which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws . About 40 % of all mammal species are rodents ; they are found in vast numbers on all continents except Antarctica . They are the most diversified mammalian order and live in a variety of terrestrial habitats , including human - made environments . The order ___MASK67___ , or the scaled reptiles , are the largest recent order of reptiles , comprising all lizards and snakes . With over 10 , 000 species , it is also the second - largest order of extant vertebrates , after the perciform fish , and roughly equal in number to the Saurischia ( one of the 2 major groups of dinosaurs ). Members of the order are distinguished by their skins , which ___MASK84___ horny scales or shields . They also possess movable quadrate bones , making it possible to move the upper jaw relative to the neurocranium . This is particularly visible in snakes , which are able to open their mouths very wide to accommodate comparatively large prey . They are the most variably sized order of reptiles , ranging from the dwarf gecko (" Sphaerodactylus ariasae ") to the green anaconda (" Eunectes murinus ") and the now - extinct mosasaurs , which reached lengths of .