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kagu
kagu , common name for a long-legged, heronlike bird, Rhynochetos jubatus. It has a loose, gray plumage with darker bandings; broad, rounded wings marked with white, black, and red; and a striking orange-red bill and feet. About the size of domestic fowl, the kagu has a large head endowed with a long erectile topcrest. Once abundant on the islands of the Coral Sea, the shy, nocturnal kagu is now close to extinction, and may only be found in the remotest mountains of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Like the dodo , the kagu suffered greatly from the ravages of domestic animals, especially pigs and dogs. A forest-floor dweller, it lives on a diet of insects and snails. It is practically flightless, but is a rapid runner with a curious manner of progress; it moves in short spurts, then stands motionless before moving on again. Its courtship behavior consists of a wild, skipping dance. The female lays a single, pale brown, rust-streaked egg, depositing it in a ground nest of leaves and twigs. Both sexes share in the incubation. Kagus are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Gruiformes, family Rhynochetidae. |
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"kagu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kagu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kagu.html "kagu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kagu.html |
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Rhynochetidae
Rhynochetidae (kagu; class Aves, order Gruiformes) A monospecific family (Rhynochetos jubatus) which is a large, grey bird with black, white, and chestnut, barred wings. It has a long, loose crest, a long, sharp, slightly decurved, red bill, and long, red legs with a raised hind toe. It has rounded wings, and a medium-length tail. It is nocturnal, terrestrial, and probably flightless, inhabits forests, feeds on worms, insects, and other animals, and nests on the ground. It is found in New Caledonia.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "Rhynochetidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Rhynochetidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Rhynochetidae.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Rhynochetidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Rhynochetidae.html |
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kagu
kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) See RHYNOCHETIDAE.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "kagu." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "kagu." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kagu.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "kagu." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kagu.html |
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