§8.3#2Ἄλλα δ’ ἔστιν ἃ ζῇ καρποφαγοῦντα καὶ ποοφαγοῦντα, οἷον φάψ, φάττα, περιστερά, οἰνάς, τρυγών.
Others are those which live by eating seeds and grass, such as the phaps, the ring-dove, the rock-dove, the oinas, and the turtle-dove.
Φάττα μὲν οὖν καὶ περιστερὰ ἀεὶ φαίνονται, τρυγὼν δὲ τοῦ θέρους· τοῦ γὰρ χειμῶνος ἀφανίζεται· φωλεῖ γάρ.
Now the ring-dove and the rock-dove are always visible, but the turtle-dove is seen in summer; for in winter it disappears, because it hibernates.
Οἰνὰς δὲ τοῦ φθινοπώρου καὶ φαίνεται μάλιστα καὶ ἁλίσκεται· ἔστι δὲ τὸ μέγεθος ἡ οἰνὰς μείζων μὲν περιστερᾶς, ἐλάττων δὲ φαβός·
The oinas is seen and captured especially in autumn; in size, the oinas is larger than a rock-dove, but smaller than a phaps.
ἡ δ’ ἅλωσις αὐτῆς γίνεται μάλιστα καπτούσης τὸ ὕδωρ.
Its capture takes place especially when it is gulping down water.
Ἀφικνοῦνται δ’ εἰς τοὺς τόπους τούτους ἔχουσαι νεοττούς· τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντα τοῦ θέρους ἀφικνούμενα νεοττεύει ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἐκτρέφει τὰ πλεῖστα ζῴοις, πλὴν τῶν περιστεροειδῶν.
They arrive in these regions having young ones with them; but all the other birds, arriving in summer, nest here, and rear most of their young on living creatures, except those of the pigeon kind.
Πάντων δ’ ὡς εἰπεῖν τῶν ὀρνίθων οἱ μὲν πεζεύουσι περὶ τὴν τροφήν, οἱ δὲ περὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ λίμνας βιοτεύουσιν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὴν θάλατταν, ὅσοι μὲν στεγανόποδες, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ὕδατι ποιούμενοι τὴν πλείστην διατριβήν, ὅσοι δὲ σχιζόποδες, περὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ὕδωρ· καὶ τούτων ἔνιοι διὰ τῶν δυομένων τρεφόμενοι, ὅσοι μὴ σαρκοφάγοι, οἷον περὶ μὲν τὰς λίμνας καὶ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐρωδιὸς καὶ ὁ λευκερωδίος· ἔστι δ’ οὗτος τὸ μέγεθος ἐκείνου ἐλάττων, καὶ ἔχει τὸ ῥύγχος πλατὺ καὶ μακρόν.
Of virtually all birds, some go on foot in search of their food, others live around rivers and lakes, and others around the sea; those that are web-footed spend most of their time in the water itself, while those that are split-footed spend it around the water itself; and some of these, such as are not carnivorous, feed on things that dive, as, around lakes and rivers, the heron and the spoonbill; this latter is smaller in size than the former, and has a flat and long beak.
Ἔτι πελαργὸς καὶ λάρος· ὁ δὲ λάρος τὸ χρῶμα σποδοειδής.
Also the stork and the gull; the gull is ash-colored.
Καὶ σχοινίλος καὶ κίγκλος καὶ πύγαργος· οὗτος μέγιστος τῶν ἐλαττόνων τούτων· ἔστι γὰρ ὅσον κίχλη.
And the schoinilos, the cinglus, and the pygargus; this last is the largest of these smaller birds, for it is as large as a thrush.
Πάντες δ’ οὗτοι τὸ οὐραῖον κινοῦσιν.
All these move their tail.
Ἔτι σκαλίδρις· ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὄρνεον ποικιλίαν ἔχον, τὸ δ’ ὅλον σποδοειδές.
Also the scalidris; this bird has a variegated pattern, but is overall ash-colored.
Καὶ τὸ τῶν ἁλκυόνων δὲ γένος πάρυδρόν ἐστιν.
And the genus of kingfishers is also water-loving.
Τυγχάνει δ’ αὐτῶν ὄντα δύο εἴδη, καὶ ἡ μὲν φθέγγεται, καθιζάνουσα ἐπὶ τῶν δονάκων, ἡ δ’ ἄφωνος· ἔστι δ’ αὕτη μείζων· τὸν δὲ νῶτον ἀμφότεραι κυανοῦν ἔχουσιν.
There happen to be two kinds of them, and one sings as it sits upon the reeds, while the other is voiceless; this latter is larger, and both have a blue back.
Καὶ τροχίλος.
And the trochilus.
Περὶ δὲ τὴν θάλατταν καὶ ἁλκυὼν καὶ κήρυλος.
And around the sea, both the kingfisher and the cerylus.
Καὶ αἱ κορῶναι δὲ νέμονται ἁπτόμεναι τῶν ἐκπιπτόντων ζῴων· παμφάγον γάρ ἐστιν.
And crows also feed by laying hold of stranded creatures; for it is omnivorous.
Ἔτι δὲ λάρος ὁ λευκὸς καὶ κέπφος, αἴθυια, χαραδριός.
Further, the white gull, the cepphus, the stormy petrel, and the plover.
Τῶν δὲ στεγανοπόδων τὰ μὲν βαρύτερα περὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ λίμνας ἐστίν, οἷον κύκνος, νῆττα, φαλαρίς, κολυμβίς, ἔτι βόσκας, ὅμοιος μὲν νήττῃ, τὸ δὲ μέγεθος ἐλάττων, καὶ ὁ καλούμενος κόραξ· οὗτος δ’ ἐστὶ τὸ μὲν μέγεθος οἷον πελαργός, πλὴν τὰ σκέλη ἔχει ἐλάττω, στεγανόπους δὲ καὶ νευστικός, τὸ δὲ χρῶμα μέλας· καθίζει δὲ οὗτος ἐπὶ τῶν δένδρων καὶ νεοττεύει ἐνταῦθα μόνος τῶν τοιούτων.
Of the web-footed birds, the heavier ones are found around rivers and lakes, such as the swan, the duck, the coot, the grebe, and also the boscas, which is similar to the duck but smaller in size, and the so-called corax; this is in size like a stork, except that it has shorter legs, and is web-footed and a good swimmer, and black in color; it sits upon trees and nests there, alone of such birds.
Ἔτι χήν, καὶ ὁ μικρὸς χὴν ὁ ἀγελαῖος, καὶ χηναλώπηξ καὶ αἲξ καὶ πηνέλοψ.
Also the goose, and the small gregarious goose, and the sheldrake, the aix, and the penelops.
Ὁ δ’ ἁλιαίετος καὶ περὶ τὴν θάλατταν διατρίβει καὶ τὰ λιμναῖα κόπτει.
The sea-eagle both frequents the sea and strikes lake-birds.
Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ παμφάγοι τῶν ὀρνίθων εἰσίν.
Many of the birds are also omnivorous.
Οἱ δὲ γαμψώνυχοι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἅπτονται ζῴων, ὅσων ἂν κρατῶσι, καὶ τῶν ὀρνέων· πλὴν οὐκ ἀλληλοφάγοι τοῦ γένους τοῦ οἰκείου εἰσίν, ὥσπερ οἱ ἰχθύες ἅπτονται πολλάκις καὶ ἑαυτῶν.
Those with crooked talons attack other animals as well, as many as they can master, and other birds too; except that they do not eat each other of their own kind, whereas fish often attack even their own kind.
Ἔστι δὲ τὸ τῶν ὀρνίθων γένος πᾶν μὲν ὀλιγόποτον, οἱ δὲ γαμψώνυχες καὶ ἄποτοι πάμπαν, εἰ μή τι ὀλίγον γένος καὶ ὀλιγάκις.
The whole class of birds drinks very little, and those with crooked talons do not drink at all, except for some small class and that but rarely.
Μάλιστα δὲ τοιοῦτον ἡ κεγχρίς.
This is especially the case with the kestrel.
Καὶ ἰκτῖνος ὀλιγάκις μέν, ὦπται δὲ πίνων.
The kite also, though rarely, has been seen drinking.