HILL MYNAH

                                              HILL MYNAH                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              


The common hill myna, sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as hill myna, is the myna most commonly seen in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is a member of the starling family, resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Sri Lanka hill myna, a former subspecies of G. religiosa, is now generally accepted as a separate species G. ptilogenys. The Enggano hill myna and Nias hill myna are also widely accepted as specifically distinct, and many authors favor treating the Southern hill myna from the Nilgiris and elsewhere in the Western Ghats of India as a separate species.

Description

This is a stocky jet-black myna, with bright orange-yellow patches of naked skin and fleshy wattles on the side of its head and nape. At about 29 cm length, it is somewhat larger than the common myna.
It is overall green-glossed black plumage, purple-tinged on the head and neck. Its large, white wing patches are obvious in flight, but mostly covered when the bird is sitting. The bill and strong legs are bright yellow, and there are yellow wattles on the nape and under the eye. These differ conspicuously in shape from the naked eye-patch of the common myna and bank myna, and more subtly vary between the different hill mynas from South Asia: in the common hill myna, they extend from the eye to the nape, where they join, while the Sri Lanka hill myna has a single wattle across the nape and extending a bit towards the eyes. In the Southern hill myna, the wattles are separate and curve towards the top of the head. The Nias and Enggano hill mynas differ in details of the facial wattles, and size, particularly that of the bill.

Vocalisations

The common hill myna is often detected by its loud, shrill, descending whistles followed by other calls. It is most vocal at dawn and dusk, when it is found in small groups in forest clearings high in the canopy.
Both sexes can produce an extraordinarily wide range of loud calls – whistles, wails, screeches, and gurgles, sometimes melodious and often very human-like in quality. Each individual has a repertoire of three to 13 such call types, which may be shared with some near neighbours of the same sex, being learned when young. Dialects change rapidly with distance, such that birds living more than 15 km apart have no call-types in common with one another.
Unlike some other birds, such as the greater racket-tailed drongo, the common hill myna does not imitate other birds in the wild, although it is a widely held misconception that they do. On the other hand, in captivity, they are among the most renowned mimics, perhaps on par only with the African grey parrot . They can learn to reproduce many everyday sounds, particularly the human voice, and even whistled tunes, with astonishing accuracy and clarity.

Distribution and ecology

This myna is a resident breeder from Kumaon division in India east through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the lower Himalayas, terai and foothills up to 2000 m ASL. Its range continues east through Southeast Asia northeastwards to southern China, and via Thailand southeastwards across northern Indonesia to Palawan in the Philippines. It is virtually extinct in Bangladesh due to habitat destruction and overexploitation for the pet trade. A feral population on Christmas Island has likewise disappeared. Introduced populations exist in Saint Helena, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and perhaps in the mainland USA and possibly elsewhere; feral birds require at least a warm subtropical climate to persist.

OSTRICH

                        OSTRICH                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Ostrich is the largest flightless bird found in the world. It is the tallest and heaviest bird among all the species of birds. On average, an Ostrich stands up to 9 feet and weighs as much as 300 pounds. The scientific name of Ostrich bird is "Struthio Camelus". It can live up to 40 years whereas Africa is home to a large number of Ostriches.

Fastest Bird On Earth

Ostrich flightless bird possesses wings but it cannot fly. They are fleet and strong runners and when it comes to speed, they are lightening fast. They can sprint up to as long as 43 miles an hour. Their purposefully designed legs enable them to cover 10 to 16 feet in a single stride. This bird also utilizes its strong legs for kicking the predator. An amazing piece of ostrich information is that a kick with sheer power is enough kill a lion or a human.

Wings Have A Purpose To Fulfill

The wings of an Ostrich do not serve for flying purpose. They are immaculately designed to ensure their balance, instead. The wings help a lot with balance when the ostrich is in full sprint and needs to change its directions. Moreover, the wings are also used for mating purpose. The dominant bird will raise its wings while a subservient one will allow its wing to wag, giving a clear indication to the male member.

Ostrich Lays The Largest Egg

Since the Ostrich is the largest bird, its eggs are also the biggest. It weighs around 3 pounds. The eggs usually take 38-42 days to hatch. The babies hatch feathered and are ready to accompany their parent right after birth. The parents usually protect them from adverse weather conditions by making them hide under their skin.

Misconception

Contrary to usually accepted belief, Ostriches never dig their heads in the sand. Whenever a danger confronts them, they lie down and try to press their heads in the sand in an attempt to look less visible. As you can see in ostrich pictures, their skin color matches with that of sand; serving as a camouflage. They lie still on the ground, pretending to be dead. So apparently, it seems that they have buried their heads deep into the sand while the things are quite different when it comes to reality!

Ostriches Are Typically Vegetarian

Being predominantly vegetarian, the ostrich diet consists of roots, leaves and flowers. They can even eat lizards, insects and other small creatures if the need arises.

Ostriches Usually Reside In Herds

Ostrich facts reveal that they usually subsist in herds that typically contain 10-12 birds. This enables them to form a community that can easily survive any threat from the predators. Each herd has a single big nest where all the community members lay eggs. This allows the entire community to prevent the eggs against any external attack.

KIWI

                                              KIWI                                                                                                                            Kiwi, the smallest member of the flightless bird clan is endemic to New Zealand. Being the smallest member of the ratKiwi, the smallest member of the flightless bird clan is endemic to New Zealand. Being the smallest member of the ratite family, it is about the size the chicken. The absence of tail makes them unique as you can see in kiwi pictures. They mainly reside in burrows.

What Earned Them The Name Kiwi?

The kiwi symbol got international recognition in 1906 when a British native got married to a New Zealand born girl. Afterwards, kiwi flightless bird was extensively publicized in British and American media, which made them familiar to the entire world. Ever since then, they have been at the heart of various political and sports campaigns.

Kiwi; The National Bird Of New Zealand

It is one of the most important Kiwi facts that it is the national symbol of New Zealand. Today, New Zealanders overseas and at home are often called "Kiwis". Kiwis also enjoy a close relationship with New Zealand's armed forces. The New Zealand's dollar is often referred to as "Kiwi". Kiwi is also used as an emblem by various clubs and organizations in New Zealand.

Physical Description

The smallest flightless bird is peculiar in its outlook with an adult kiwi being the size of a domestic chicken. The nostrils at the end of their beaks give them clear distinction over other birds. The bird is known to be the smallest member of the ratite family, a group of flightless birds that includes ostrich and penguins as well. They have claw like feet that are adapted for digging food. Kiwis are about 18 inches tall when fully grown and weigh about 7 pounds. Female members are usually larger than the male ones.

Kiwis Habitat

The natural kiwi habitat stretches across New Zealand. New Zealand is home to a large number of Kiwis due to its isolated environment. They are least vulnerable to any external threats from the predators and do not require much adapting. Their flightless feature also restricts them to their native land.

Kiwis Diet

Kiwis diet mainly consists of insects and consume a variety of food including small invertebrates, grubs, insects, spiders, freshwater crayfish, seeds and various types of warms. Their shrewd sense of smell enables them to locate food.

Kiwis Behavior

Kiwis are very shy birds and they move with an enhanced pace when they smell danger. They are nocturnal i.e. they remain dormant during the day and become active at night. They are capable of producing a very shrill sound that helps them to protect territory, avoid danger and call their mates.

Various species of kiwi birds

There are five important species of kiwi birds, which include the Great Spotted Kiwi Roroa, the Little Spotted Kiwi, Okarito Brown Kiwi, Tokoeka and the North Island Brown Kiwi.

Kiwi Bird conversation

A sudden increase in the island's population has posed a serious threat to the kiwis. It has negatively contributed in influencing their habitat, hence making their survival hard. Another reason that contributes to the declining population of kiwis is the predator dog. WWF needs to pay considerable heed to conserve kiwis, which lie at the verge of extinction.ite family, it is about the size of the chicken. The absence of tail makes them unique as you can see in kiwi pictures. They mainly reside in burrows.

AVOSET

                                                           

                                                   AVOSET                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Avocet bird enjoys distinction over other birds due to its elegance and striking coloration. It has a black and white stripped pattern that runs over its wings and back. It is an important piece of avocet information that the bird is approximately 41-51 cm long and weighs about 300-420 grams. The bird has an estimated life span of 10-15 years.

What Do They Look Like?

As you can see in the avocet pictures, it is a large seashore bird with a beautiful black and white stripped pattern on its back. Its grayish-blue long legs have received it the nickname of "blue shanks". It has dark brown eyes that spark in sunlight, giving it a majestic look. During the breeding season, these birds undergo a change in color from grey-white to a pink-tan. Like other birds of its type, Avocet possesses long legs and webbed feet that are perfectly designed for hunting in waters. They produce a high pitched "Kleek" sound to attract the attention of fellow birds in the flock. The female Avocets are slightly bigger in size than the male ones.

Where Do They Live?

Avocets usually prefer watery habitats and reside near fresh water and salt-water marshlands, coastal areas and beaches. One of the avocet bird facts is that it is widely distributed on the bases of its species. For instance, Pied Avocet is largely found in Europe and Asia whereas, Pacific coast of North America is home to many American Avocets.

What Do Avocets Eat? 

Avocets are primarily carnivorous in nature. They consume aquatic invertebrates, insects, small crustaceans and seeds. They sometimes feed on small fish too. The bird has a long, upturned beak, which it oscillates at either side in water to catch the prey.

How Do They Reproduce?

The Avocets, both male and female, act quite peculiar on the arrival of breeding season. The birds are seen to be engaging in complex courtships. The male member seeks the attention of the female by splashing water on itself. During copulation, the birds sprint with their necks intertwined. These birds usually nest on the ground, which are efficiently lined with grass, feathers and so forth. The female usually lays 3-4 small green-brown eggs that are incubated by the male members. The hatchlings leave the nest within one day of hatching.

Are These Species Endangered?

Contamination and destruction of wetlands have caused a significant fall in their number. Their natural habitat has been profoundly influenced by the water diversion for human use like residential schemes, amusement parks and enormous shopping malls. The Avocets are fighting hard to get their numbers up and flourish again. No substantial attention has been given to this bird by the wildlife authorities for the protection of this species.

WOODPECKERS

                                                                                                          WOODPECKERS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Woodpeckers are better known as woody woodpeckers in children's as well as elders'world. There are other members as well in the family such as piculets, wrynecks, sapsuckers and members of the picidae family. Woodpeckers and all these birds can easily be seen across the globe except Australia, New Guinea, NewZealand, Madagascar and all the Polar Regions at the borders.
You can easily find them around big trees in thick forests and heavy jungles. Moreover they are found in places where there is heavy woodland around. Some woodpeckers also live in hilly and rocky areas where there are no trees. Some live in deserts as well but that type is very rare and hardly seen.

Types of Woodpeckers

Coming to the types of woodpeckers, there are almost one hundred and eighty species of these lovely birds some of which are listed in this post, such as Golden-Fronted wood pecker, Red Bellied woodpecker, and so on. Both these types of woodpeckers look same, at first sight, but they are different from each other in many ways. People often get confused while distinguishing between them due to their like appearances.
Another type of woodpecker is Acorn woodpecker, also known as Melanerpes Formiciverus. They are named so because they depend heavily on acorns and like to eat the oak fruits more than any other thing.
Arizona woodpecker and Strickland's woodpecker are among the other types of woodpeckers. These are very similar and people also get confused while distinguishing between these two types of woodpeckers. In fact there was a time when people thought that Arizona woodpeckers were sub species of Strickland's woodpeckers but that's not true. They both are different types of woodpeckers that may look alike but are different for one or more reasons.
The woodpeckers types don't end here and there are many others as well, such as Black-Cheeked woodpecker, Downy woodpecker, Gila woodpecker, Golden-Olive woodpecker, Great Spotted woodpecker, Green woodpecker, Grey woodpecker, Hairy woodpecker, Ladder-Backed woodpecker, Lewis's woodpecker, Magellanic woodpecker, Pileated woodpecker, Red-Cockaded woodpecker, Red-Headed woodpecker, Red-Naped woodpecker, Robust woodpecker, Three-Toed woodpecker, and so on.

Woodpecker Facts

As far as woodpecker facts are concerned, they are many. I have tried to sum up the most interesting and amazing facts in this post, so that everyone out there can grasp some quality information in a stimulating manner.
Woodpeckers have four toes, two at front and two at back and the birds with such a condition are called zygodactyls birds.Woodpeckers are categorized as omnivorous and like to have insects, fruits, seeds and nuts in their diet.They catch their prey with the help of their long tongue.As far as vocalization of woodpeckers is concerned, they can't produce any kind of sounds.Usually they peck to communicate with each other and also to attract their mates during the mating season.Woodpeckers have feathers on their nostrils that prevent them from gasping or gulping wood particles while pecking.Woodpeckers have feathers on their nostrils that prevent them from gasping or gulping wood particles while pecking.The old holes then become shelter for other birds, such as bluebirds, owls, wrens, and so on.Woodpeckers are capable of pec't feel any sort of pain or headaches during and after pecking.Their brain is very tightly integrated and guarded under their skull since they are made for pecking.The woodpeckers can live a life of four years at minimum and eleven years at maximum.The largest threat or risk to all the woodpeckers is that of their decreasing habitats.There are many reasons for that, like the burning of forests, use of insecticides, natural catastrophes, and so on.Thus if someday you need to cut a dead tree for any reason, do leave ten to fifteen inches of that tree remain erected for woodpeckers.                                                                                     

BARE NECKED FRUITCROW

                                                                                                                              BARE NECKED FRUITCROW                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Bare-necked fruitcrow belongs to birds' species that are heavily found in thick rain forests and along riversides in Amazon Basin, Brazil, Colombia, Guiana, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. Coming to the color of the only species of the genus Gymnoderus, both the female and male birds are black in appearance. The major difference between a female and male bird is the grey-blue fur at the neck region of the male bird. Moreover, male birds have white wings that differentiate them from female members. These birds are a classic blend of magnificent colors in nature.

Facts about Bare Necked Fruitcrow

The species of bare-necked fruitcrows were first introduced in the year 1758 by Linnaeus.The lovely bird can be classified scientifically under Phylum Chordata of Kingdom Animalia, while placed in Class Aves, Family Cotingidae and Genus Gymnoderus.In Binomial Nomenclature, they are known as Gymnoderus foetidus where the first name refers to their genus and second part denotes species, i.e. the only surviving species of this particular genus.The bare-necked fruitcrow birds can fly almost 700m higher into the atmospheric air.You cannot easily disturb these birds with noise, and for most of the time they will pay no attention to it.They have not yet been classified in the list of endangered species by the greatest world authority actively involved in their conservation.The size of these birds mostly varies between 34 cm to 38 cm in length.As a general criterion, to put a bird, animal, or plant species in the vulnerable list (threatened species that may become endangered in the near future) there must be evidence that 30 percent of the population has decreased over three generations or in the period of ten years.The overall population of bare-necked fruitcrows has declined but not up to 30 percent to make them threatened ones.

Bare Necked Fruitcrow Habitat

The bare-necked fruit crow birds love to inhabit the thick green areas of the forests that are commonly considered as lowlands. However, they also feel easy near sides of lakes and rivers. It can be said about bare-necked fruit crow that they are crazy about green fields and wet places. Another good thing about these birds is that they are always found in groups around lakes, that proves their harmony and unity with one another.

Bare Necked Fruitcrow Diet

As the very name suggests, the bare-necked fruitcrows mostly fed on fruits of trees growing in their natural habitat, but they also eat bulky insects. Their most popular food items are grasshoppers and dragonflies. Moreover, they love to catch their preys on branches of the trees and consume them right on the spot.

Bare Necked Fruitcrow Conduct                                                                                                                  

The members of this species of class Aves are termed as peaceful and beautiful birds that always fly in clusters in the blue sky, thus presenting a charming scene for your eyes. For this very reason they are classified as absolute believers of unity. They are usually found in the branches of dense trees of rain forests for breeding and resting purposes.

BLUE CHINNED SAPPHIRE

                                                 BLUE CHINNED SAPPHIRE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   This is a kind of humming bird. It is really small in size, only 8.9 cm as it can be seen in blue chinned sapphire pictures. And also, this little bird weighs only 3.8 g. It reproduces by laying eggs in a nest that is shaped rather deep for such a tiny bird, like a cup.

Identification

The blue chinned sapphire information reveals that it has a beak or bill that is fairly straight. The upper portion or the upper mandible is black while the lower one is reddish. These birds make it rather easy for people to differentiate between male and female as their physical appearance has a slight yet easily observable difference. The male bird’s plumage is majorly green which is comparatively darker from above as compared to the lower part. Also, the male bird has white thighs. The tail of such a male bird, which is forked, is blue and this color can also be seen on its throat. The female on the other hand is different in the under-parts. The difference is not in the shape or structure of the bird on the outside but the color and pattern. The female bird has white under-parts that are spotted green.

Blue Chinned Sapphire Habitat

This bird is usually found in forests hence also called a forest bird. It is also sometimes found in cultivated areas but if they are found anywhere outside forests it has to be a place with big trees. So, if there is a cultivated area, like a farm, which has a lot of big trees, especially in places like Colombia, Trinidad, Brazil and Peru you can expect to find little creatures like blue chinned sapphire hummingbirds lurking on the trees there.

Interesting Facts

Although these birds, like other hummingbirds, make feeding territories and do their best to protect their food, they are still known to be rather timid. You could say that they are too lazy to fight, but then again a hummingbird can hardly ever be called lazy. The second option one is left with is the thought of the bird being just too peaceful or innocent. This option seems more apt. This is said because when kept in observation along with other birds, this particular bird is often seen being bullied by the rest; bullied and even harassed. While, this fact makes one feel sorry for them, it also makes one automatically fall in love with their cuteness and innocence. Unlike other hummingbirds, these ones actually do sometimes lose the fight owing to their tiny size. In it one of the important blue chinned sapphire facts that these birds and their beautiful blue colour shines bright in sunlight and makes their body look like a metallic armour.

Blue Chinned Sapphire Diet

The blue chinned sapphire diet consists of insects and nectar. However, this has been mentioned as the general diet of this species. There isn't a very strict rule as to what they eat and what they don't. Another trend that they follow while feeding is the establishment of a feeding territory. This is established by the male. This is established by the male and protected very vigorously by him too.