Thanks to the dedicated work of conservationists, the pink pigeon has been saved from extinction, and numbers have dramatically increased over the last decade. But without continued intensive management, including a captive breeding program, the species would be likely to become extinct. A close relative of the abundant and widespread wood pigeon of Europe and parts of Asia, the pink pigeon is one of the most attractive members of the large family of pigeons and doves. This group has suffered more than most from extinction, with almost a third of the 309 surviving species classified as Threatened or Lower Risk, near threatened. Over 80 percent of them are island species, as were all but one of the 13 species of pigeons and doves that have recently become extinct. The pink pigeon is found only on the island of Mauritius and the neighboring Ile aux Aigrettes. Discoveries of bones of the birds indicate that it was once widespread in forests throughout the whole of Mauritius. Now it is confined to the southwestern part of the island. The precarious position the species is in today is entirely due to a variety of human factors.

Multiple Threats

Along with many other unique animals and plants, the pink pigeon has suffered from the massive destruction of the native forests of Mauritius by colonists from the late 18th century onward. Uncontrolled hunting also played its part in reducing the species to a perilously low and fragmented population. In addition, the pink pigeon-and other unique Mauritian wildlife has been affected by predation by the legion of animals deliberately introduced or accidentally brought to the island by sailors and settlers. They include the crab-eating macaque, originally from Southeast Asia, which preys on adult pigeons, also taking eggs and young from their nests. The small Indian mongoose, which was introduced to control black rats, also preys on young pigeons.

However, black rats that take the pigeon’s eggs and young have survived and prospered; feral cats are also predators of pigeons. Other threats affecting the birds include disease and shortages of suitable food in late winter. The remaining small and fragmented populations and their forest habitat are increasingly at the mercy of tropical cyclones that hit the island from time to time. Winds blowing at up to 155 miles per hour (250 km/h) or more not only damage the forest by stripping trees of the shoots and fruit on which the pigeons feed but also blow down the bird’s nests. By 1990, as a result of all these factors, the total world population of this once common species was reduced to just 10 individuals, all of which nested in a single grove of introduced Japanese red cedar trees. Rescue Plans The pink pigeon has been the focus of a major international rescue program for many years. It has involved sponsorship by BirdLife International (a global partnership of conservation organizations), the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the New York Zoological Society.

There is also a long-term program of research and rescue involving the Mauritian government working together with several zoos-the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Vogelpark Walsrode in Germany, and the New York and Alberquerque zoos. Attempts at captive breeding at the zoos began in the mid-1970s. Careful reintroduction into the wild has recently helped achieve a dramatic increase in the pigeon’s numbers. Other elements in the program include restoring habitat, controlling introduced predators and guarding nests to prevent predation, rescuing eggs and young from failing nests, providing the birds with extra food, and controlling disease. The rescue program came barely in time to save the pink pigeon. The intensive management has seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of the pigeons. A few more years of decline and the species would probably have suffered the same fate as its closest relative, the long extinct Reunion pigeon.

Pink pigeon (Mauritius pink pigeon, chestnut-tailed pigeon)
Columba (Streptopelia) mayeri

• Family: Columbidae
• World population: 360-380 birds
• Distribution: Restricted to 4 sites in southwestern Mauritius and introduced to lie aux Aigrettes, off eastern coast
• Habitat: Subtropical evergreen forests, including remnant native trees and introduced species, most pairs nest in introduced Japanese red cedars
• Size: Length: 14-14.8 in (36-40 cm). Weight: male 8.5-14.5 oz (240-410 g); female 7.5-13 oz (213-369 g)
• Form: Slightly larger than feral pigeon, with smaller head, larger body, and broad, rounded wings; plumage pink white; duskier on upper back, belly, flanks, and undertail; rest of upperparts and wings dark chocolate brown; primary flight feathers darker; lower back and rump blue gray; uppertail coverts and tail red-orange or chestnut; eyes surrounded by red ring of bare skin with white or pale-yellow iris; bill red at base with a yellow or creamy tip; red feet
• Diet: Wide variety of fruit and berries as well as leaves and flowers
• Breeding: Nest is platform of twigs; 2 white eggs incubated for 13-18 days; young fledge in about 20 days
• Related endangered species: Sixty one species of pigeons are threatened, including 17 other species in the genus Columba: silvery wood pigeon (C. argentina); yellow-legged pigeon (C. pallidiceps) ; white-tailed laurel pigeon (C. junoniae) ; maroon pigeon (C. thomensis); and Sri Lanka wood pigeon (C. torringtoni)

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The only species of penguin to live on the Equator, the portly Galapagos penguin breeds on at least five of the Galapagos Islands. Because of its restricted range and very small population, a sharp decline in numbers is particularly disturbing. Penguins are normally associated with cold habitats in and around Antarctica, although several species have ranges that include warmer climates. The Humboldt penguin, for instance, breeds in coastal Chile and Peru. However, the Galapagos penguin a close relative of the Humboldt is the only species that lives entirely within the tropics, on at least five islands of the Galapagos group. Life at such latitudes is challenging for the birds, since their insulating plumage, underlying fat, and specialized blood heat exchange-all adaptations for surviving in very cold water-make it difficult for them to cope with the tropical heat when on land. Temperatures in the Galapagos islands can rise to more than 104°F (40°C). Adaptations to Heat In order to survive the heat, the Galapagos penguin has various anatomical and behavioral adaptations. It is one of the smallest penguin species, and the smaller an animal, the greater its surface area relative to its total size. Consequently, the Galapagos penguin has a large surface area from which to dissipate (lose) heat when on land. Heat loss is made easier by its having shorter feathers than any other species of penguin. When ashore, the adults seek shade. They lose more heat by increasing the blood flow to their flippers, feet, and bare facial patches. The flippers are proportionately larger than those of cold-climate penguins, increasing the area where heat exchange can take place. The animals’ blood supply can also bypass the heat-transfer system that helps maintain their body temperature in cold water. Galapagos penguins often breed in rock crevices and caves, such as lava tubes (natural tunnels in lava flows) that shade the birds and their chicks from the sun.

Major Threats

The Galapagos penguin depends directly on the surrounding ocean for its survival. The Cromwell Current, an upwelling of cool, nutrient rich water, maintains the fish stocks that the penguins rely on for food. The current is susceptible to a periodic climatic event called the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Records show that a population of 3,400 penguins declined by 77 percent between 1982 and 1983-an ENSO year that adversely affected the Cromwell Current, reducing fish stocks and causing thousands of birds to starve. It is likely that more females than males died, which would have slowed the recovery of the population. Another ENSO event in 1997 caused a further decline of 66 percent. Galapagos penguins are known to be slow breeders, the birth rate averaging out at only 1.3 chicks per year. In ENSO years the entire population can fail to breed at all. The animals also have a restricted breeding range, with about 95 percent nesting on just two islands.

Chicks and eggs are vulnerable to natural predators such as rice rats, snakes, and crabs. More serious threats are posed by introduced predators, including feral dogs, cats, and brown and black rats, which kill adults and chicks. A tenfold increase in the permanent human population of the Galapagos in the last 40 years has led to disturbance of breeding sites and an expansion of coastal fisheries. Penguins are caught in nets and suffer from competition for fish stocks. Tourism adds to disruption; visitors come to look at the birds. To ensure the continued survival of the Galapagos penguin, controls on fisheries, oil spills, human disturbance, and the introduction of mammalian predators are urgently required, as are scientific studies of the penguins to help increase their breeding success rate. Most importantly, we need to cut fossil fuel emissions to reduce global warming, which is likely to increase ENSO events.

Galapagos penguins
feed on the rich fuh stocks around the Galapagos Islands. The small, dapper bird has large flippers and feet that hey it dissipate body heat.

Galapagos penguin Spheniscus mendiculus

• Family: Spheniscidae
• World population: Fluctuates greatly; currently estimated at 1,200 individuals
• Distribution: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Habitat: Breeds on low-lying areas of coastal, volcanic desert, rarely more than 55 yards (50 rm inland; feeds around upwellings of cool, nutrient rich inshore waters
• Diet: Schools of ocean fish, including sardines and mullet. Possibly crustaceans
• Breeding: Breeds at any time, in small colonies or singly, when food supply is adequate; nests in lava tubes, rock crevices, or caves, at least partly shaded from the sun; 2 white eggs laid per breeding attempt; pair shares incubation that lasts 5-6 weeks; young leave nest at 8.5-9 weeks
• Size: Length: 19-21 in (48-53 cm); height: 14 in (35 cm). Weight: average 3.8-5.7 lb (1.7-2.6 kg)
• Form: Small with black head; white stripes on face; black to brownish back and tail; chin and underparts white; variable pattern of black spots and irregular black bands on breast; flippers brown-black above, white below; male more boldly marked. Juveniles have grayish upperparts and lack distinctive face pattern
• Related endangered species: Nine other penguin species are threatened, including African penguin (Spheniscus demersus); Humboldt penguin (S. humboldti); erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sdaten), Snares penguin (E. robustus)

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One of the rarest of the world’s birds of prey, the Philippine eagle is in a precarious situation. Its small and rapidly declining population is threatened by forest destruction and fragmentation. The Philippine eagle is a flagship species for wildlife conservation on four of the Philippine group of islands. Predictions of its imminent extinction have been made since the 1960s, but the species hangs on in the face of immense odds. Conservationists believe that most of the population is equally distributed between the large islands of Luzon and Mindanao (an estimated 105 pairs), while the smaller islands of Samar and Leyte house only an estimated eight pairs between them. However, these figures are based mostly on forest-cover data, and more precise information on numbers is not available. The Philippine eagle is a huge and powerful predator. It waits on a perch high in the rain forest canopy, looking and listening for the slightest movement or sound that betrays prey beneath. Its relatively short, rounded wings and long tail equip it for weaving deftly among the trees. It often begins a hunt at the top of a hillside and works its way down; it starts the process again when it reaches the bottom. The Philippine eagle was once known as the monkey-eating eagle. Although it eats various species of monkey, it more often feeds on two cat-sized mammals: the flying lemur and the palm civet. It is likely that the eagle is also an opportunistic hunter, taking different prey according to its availability and abundance. Each pair hunts in a large territory of about 23 to 38 square miles (60 to 100 sq. km). As in other eagle species, the pairs mate for life.

Lost Forest

As with so many other animal species, the main threat facing the Philippine eagle is the relentless destruction of its habitat. Every year some of the remaining primary forest on the islands is felled for timber: The great dipterocarp (tall hardwood) trees growing there are a major source of tropical timber for the rest of the world. When the loggers leave, settlers who practice “slash-and-burn” cultivation frequently move in. Slash-and-burn agriculture produces poor-quality, weed-infested grassland with bamboo or other scrub in place of a rich forest and is of little value to the eagles.

With the increasing numbers of people moving into the forests, it is probable that only 3,560 square miles (9,220 sq. km) of forest remain. Even national parks are severely affected; in Mount Apo National Park, for instance, over 50 percent of the original forest has disappeared. Other threats facing the Philippine eagle include hunting by local people for food or trophies and, until recently, the capture of young for sale to zoos and the cage-bird trade. Plans for mining operations have also caused concern. There is evidence that the eagles accumulate pesticides from their prey in their body, a factor that is likely to affect their breeding success-a serious problem in a species that produces only one young every two years, at most.

Last Hope

Over the past 30 to 40 years various conservation initiatives have been launched to assure the future of the Philippine eagle. Plans include protective legislation, surveys, captive breeding, public awareness programs, and a sustainable agriculture project designed to improve conditions for both eagles and local people. However, relatively little is still known of the bird’s ecology, and the work has been hampered at intervals by natural disasters and serious political unrest, as well as by the difficult nature of the remote habitats the eagle favors.

The Philippine eagle perches high up in the rainforest canopy, watching for prey. Plans for its conservation include a campaign to foster national pride in the bird. If duct is successful, the eagle may yet avoid extinction in the wild.

Philippine eagle (monkey eating eagle)
Pithecophaga jefferyi

• Family: Accipitridae
• World population: 350-650 birds; possibly only 226 mature adults
• Distribution: Philippine islands of Luzon, Leyte, Mindanao, and Samar
• Breeding: Female lays 1 white egg m huge stick nest high in canopy of tall tree, usually on an epiphytic fern (one that grows on another plant). Both sexes incubate for about 9 weeks; eaglet fledges after about 5 months; remains dependent on parents for another year or more
• Habitat: Primary dipterocarp (hardwood) rain forest on steep slopes; sometimes lives among secondary growth and gallery forest along riverbanks and floodplains. Occurs from the lowlands to 5,900 ft (1,800 m)
• Related endangered species: New Guinea harpy eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae); harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja)
• Size: Length: 34-40 in (86-102 cm); wingspan: about 6.5 ft (2 m). Weight: 10.3-17.6 Ib (4.7-8 kg)
• Form: Huge eagle with large, arched, powerfully hooked blue bill. Dark area around eyes (which have pale blue-gray irises) contrasts with buff crown and nape; long, spiky, black-streaked feathers form scruffy crest; cheeks, throat, underparts, and underwings white; upperparts and upperwings dark brown; legs and feet yellow
• Diet: Tree-dwelling mammals such as flying lemurs, palm civets, monkeys, and flying squirrels; also tree-dwelling birds, including hornbills, owls, and hawks; bats, monitor lizards, and snakes

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As well as taking them straight from the trees, the birds also feed on the palm nuts where they have fallen on the ground. On ranchlands where cattle are raised they can take advantage of concentrations of palm nuts that remain undigested in cowpats. The cattle digest the soft, fleshy mesocarp surrounding each nut, thereby saving the birds the effort. Although birds in northeastern Brazil nest on remote cliff crevices, most hyacinth macaws need suitable nesting trees if they are to breed. In the Pantanal only a few of the trees grow big enough to have developed large hollows in which the birds can conceal their nests from predators. However, such big trees and big birds are so prominent that local people cannot fail to be aware of the nest sites. Sometimes, trappers return year after year to steal chicks, while other long-established nesting trees are felled or burned by landowners clearing the land for cattle; both scenarios spell disaster for the hyacinth macaws. Habitat in the Gerais region is being rapidly converted to mechanized agriculture, cattle ranches, and exotic tree plantations.

Illegal Trade

During the period between 1970 and 1980 huge numbers of young hyacinth macaws were taken from their nests and sold to dealers or middlemen, who then sold them on to private collectors in the United States, Europe, Japan, and other countries. Some illegal trade still exists. An equal but persistent demand for captive macaws within Brazil and the taking of birds for feather headdresses or food adds to the problem, despite Brazilian legislation protecting the species. Estimates suggest that up to 10,000 hyacinth macaws may have been taken from the wild in the 1980s alone. In 1987 the situation regarding international trade was judged but for a while this had the unfortunate effect of Stimulating even greater demand by unscrupulous dealers and collectors willing to pay $8,000 or more for each bird. Recent efforts to save the hyacinth macaw have included studies of its ecology, an investigation into trade in the bird, and the establishment of nest boxes. Most encouragingly, many ranch owners in the Pantanal and Gerais regions no longer allow trapping on their properties.

The hyacinth macaw is a slow breeder animal species, taking about fine months from egg laying to, fledging (the time when the young start to fly). The birds rarely succeed in rearing more than one of the usual two chicks.

HYACINTH MACAW DATA PANEL
Hyacinth macaw (hyacinthine macaw, blue macaw, black macaw)
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus

• Family:Psittacidae
• World population: 2,500-10,000 individual in Brazil; perhaps fewer than 100 in Bolivia; small numbers in Paraguay
• Distribution: Three main areas of interior Brazil: on the southern side of the Amazon in the northeast; the Gerais region of central Brazil; the seasonally flooded Pantanal region of the Upper Rio Paraguay basin, just extending into eastern Bolivia and northern Paraguay
• Habitat: Lightly wooded areas, especially where clumps of trees are mixed with open grassland or swamps
• Size: Length: 35-39 in (90-100 cm)
• Form: Bird of great size with huge, hooked black bill; long, narrow wings; long tail; cobalt-blue plumage, purple on wings and tail, blackish on underwings and undertail
• Diet: Mainly nuts of various palm trees; fruit, including figs; occasionally water snails; liquid from unripe palm fruits
• Breeding: Usually in dry season; 2 (rarely 1 or 3) eggs laid; incubation 3-4 weeks, fledging about 3.5 months
• Related endangered species: tear’s macaw (Anodorhynchus leari); glaucous macaw (A. glaucus); Spix’s macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii); blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis); military macaw (A. militaris); red-fronted macaw (A. rubrogenys)

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The mainland populations of the unique brown kiwi found only in New Zealand-have suffered huge declines in the 20th century, mainly due to plundering by introduced predators. With its shaggy, hairlike plumage, a plump, round body, a lack of visible tail or wings, and an ability to track down food in the dead of night, kiwis resemble nocturnal mammals rather than typical birds. Like many mammals, they also rest and shelter their young in burrows and mark their boundaries with strong-smelling droppings; the bristly modified feathers at the base of the bill serve as whiskers for feeling in the dark. Isolated for millions of years on New Zealand-where there are no native mammals except bats-the brown kiwi has occupied a niche that elsewhere would be filled by a mammal. Kiwis are the smallest living ratites-a group of flightless birds that includes the ostrich, rheas, cassowaries, and the emu, none of which are nocturnal. Until recently ornithologists recognized three species of kiwi: the little spotted kiwi, the brown kiwi, and the great spotted kiwi. Genetic research has led to the brown kiwi being split into two distinct species, the brown kiwi and the tokoeka of a few areas in South Island. The Maori name kiwi comes from the shrill call of males, which punctuates the night, especially during the breeding season.

Long-Term Decline

Brown kiwis were once widespread throughout North Island and the northern part of South Island. Although they were hunted by the Maori-who had colonized New Zealand from the Pacific by the 12th century this probably had little effect on overall numbers. It was not until the European settlers arrived in the mid 19th century that persecution of the birds began in earnest, as hunters tried to satisfy the demand for kiwi plumage by the clothing trade. A law banning the hunting, capture, or killing of kiwis was passed in 1908, but the pace of land clearance for agriculture and settlements destroyed much of the kiwi’s forest habitat. The birds’ fate was further sealed by the introduction of predatory mammals such as cats, dogs, and stoats. As a result of the combined threats, large scale losses of brown kiwis occurred. Researchers think that numbers of brown kiwis have fallen by at least 90 percent over the last 100 years and continue to decline at about 6 percent every year (in studied sites).

This represents the halving of the population each decade. However, the species’ overall decline is probably below 80 percent, thanks to the stability of the populations introduced to islands where predators are removed-and also to effective predator control in mainland sites. The main threat facing the brown kiwi is still introduced predators, especially since it evolved with no native predators. At least 94 percent of kiwi chicks die before they reach breeding age (about 14 months for males and two years for females). Half of this mortality is due to predation. The other main cause of decline is the clearance of native forest, which threatens small, isolated populations. Many kiwis also used to die in traps set to catch predators or possums; animals reached plague proportions in some areas. Today this is avoided by raising traps above the ground so that the kiwis do not stumble upon them.

Conservation

Conservationists have an accurate picture of kiwi populations thanks to an intensive, nationally coordinated program of monitoring. By culling introduced predators and by removing eggs and hand-rearing the young to an age when they can fend off attacks, key populations have been helped. Continued protection is needed to save the brown kiwi.

DATA PANEL
Brown kiwi
Apteryx mantelli

• Family: Apterygidae
• World population: About 35,000 birds
• Distribution: North Island in Northland; Coromandel Peninsula from Gisborne to northern Ruahine Range, and Tongariro to Taranaki. Introduced to Little Barrier, Kawau, and Pounui Islands. Isolated population on Okarito, South Island, may be a separate species with Critical status
• Habitat: Subtropical and temperate forests; regenerating forest, shrubland, pine plantations, and pastureland
• Size: Length: 16 in (40 cm) Weight: male 3-6.5 lb (1.4-3 kg); female 4.5-8 lb (2-3.8 kg)
• Form: Bird the size of a small dog; small head; long, slightly downcurved bill with bristles at base; long neck (usually drawn in); rotund body covered with coarse, hairlike plumage that is dark gray-brown with red-brown streaks; rudimentary wing stubs in plumage; strong legs; 4 toes on each foot
• Diet: Invertebrates in soil and leaf litter, especially earthworms, spiders, and insects; also fruit, seeds, and leaves
• Breeding: Female lays 1 or 2 very large eggs in August-September in burrow or natural cavity; egg(s) incubated by male for 11-12 weeks, chick(s) independent at 14-20 days; fully grown by 20 months
• Related endangered species: Great spotted kiwi (Apteryx haastii); little spotted kiwi (A. owenii); tokoeka (A. australis)

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Peregrine breeds in North America and northern Eurasia but usually migrates to southern climes for the winter, including Southeast Asia and Australia. Some populations are resident year round. Reaching recorded speeds of up to 150 km/h, the peregrine is the world’s fastest bird. As a raptor, or bird of prey, it has been valued for centuries, not only for its sleek beauty, but also because it can be trained by falconers to catch birds and mammals. The peregrine is found in many parts of the world and its habitat is varied: it even nests on the ledges of city skyscrapers. Its name comes from the Latin word wanderer and reflects the birds ability to migrate up to 1600 km to spend winter in a warmer climate.

Incredible Sky Diver

Peregrines are famous for their daring aerial stunts, including the characteristic stoop, a powerful dive in which the falcon is though to be capable of reaching speeds of over 400 km/h. The birds highly manoeurable wings, with their sharply pointed tips, are designed for flight precision. However, while peregrines are extremely agile, they do not soar like other raptors which have broader wings. Peregrines also differ from other raptors in that they do not build their own nests: they use tree cavities, rock ledges or abondoned stick nests. When excited, they bob their heads and pump their tail up and down. they are noisiest when they are hunting or breeding.

Part of body

• plumage – shade varies from region to region
• excellent eyesight – enable prey to be seen from a great height
• long, pointed wings – beat deeply in flight, angling closely to the body during a dive
• lethal weapon – the hooked bill is used for tearing flesh. A notch helps to deliver a clean
• bite to the back of the neck, severing the preys spinal cord

Statistics

• status – locally comman
• lenght – 34-50 cm. Females up to 30% larger than males
• weight – 0.5-1.5 kg
• wing span – 80-119 cm
• plumage – sexes alike
• migration – partial migrant
• mating season – mid-spring
• sexual maturity – 2 years
• incubation period – 29-32 days
• number of eggs – 2-6
• diets – waterfowl, shore birds, small to medium inland birds, such as pigeons
• lifespan – about 18 years

Myth or fact

in Ancient Egypt, the peregrine was worshipped as an incarnation of one of the children of horus, god of the sun. An image of the falcon was often placed on canopic jars, which were used to store a person’s internal organs after mummification. Occassionally, pet peregrines were mummified along with their master. This was a sign of their superior status.

[tags]animals, birds, peregrine[/tags]

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Barn owl are found in all continents with the exception of Antartica. They have a very wide range of habitats, but they generally prefer open spaces and warm and tempere climates. With its ghostly white, heart shaped face, solemn eyes and wide wingspan, the barn owl patrols open garssland at night noiselessly hunting prey. More nocturnal than most owls, this striking and adaptable bird is probably the most widespread of all land birds, found on every continent except Antarctica. It is the farmer’s friend, killing rodents such as mice. Ironically, though, modern farming practices have caused the owl’s decline in some areas.

Mates for life

Once barn owls mate, they usually remain partners for life. The male starts courtship by calling and chassing after the female. He performs a display flight, including loud wing claps, and feed her. No effort is made to build or line a nest: instead, the pair use an old tree hollow, cave or old building such as a barn, hence their name. The female lays her eggs in a dark cavity and incubates them. Each egg is laid two or three days apart, so they hatch at different times. The older chicks, called owlets, are fed first, leading to starvation of the younger ones when food is scarce; the older owlets then eat their dead siblings, assuring their survival.

Part of bodies

• long powerfull legs – cushion impact of hunting and landing and are covered in white feathers
• tail feathers – help to stabilize the bird as it swoops down on its prey
• hooked beak – for tearing meat
• wings – are rounded in shape
• large, forward-looking eyes to gather all available light and judge distance
• tear streaks – run diagonally from eyes down to beak
• asymmetrical ears – allow the owl to pinpoint prey in darkness
• neck turns 270 degree – to compensate for fact that the owls eyes only look forward, not sideways

Statistics

• status – comman
• lenght – 29-44 cm
• wingspan – 107 cm
• weight – 300-650 g
• migration – partial seasonal migrant
• plumage – sexes a like
• sexual maturity – 1-2 years
• breeding season – spring in temperate regions; year round in tropics
• incubation period – 33 days
• number of eggs – 4-7; exceptionally 15
• breeding interval – 6 to 12 months; temperate regions; 3 months, tropics.
• diet – small birds and mammals
• lifespan – up to 10 years

Related species

Barn owls, along with bay owls, are separately classified from other owls. They make up the tytonidae family, which has about 15 members. They include the sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa) from Australia and surrounding countries and the African grass owl (T.capensis). About 35 subspecies of the barn owl have been identified. All have a light-coloured or white heart-shaped face with large, dark eyes but they differ slightly in factors such as size and colour.

[tags]owl, animals, bird[/tags]

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This owl is found near the Arctic Circle in Greenland and the northern tundra regions of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. It will migrate south when food is scarce. Supremely quiet and controlled, the snowy owl swoops, undetected, towards its next meal, often using only its extra sensitive hearing to pin point prey. The biggest and most powerful bird of the far north, the snowy owl is a skilled and versatile hunter in a harsh habitat. It is well equipped, too, with dense plumage to insulate it against the intense cold-even its feet are feathered.

A Hollow Home

Courtship begins in early May: the male performs flying displays and often presents the female with a dead lemming. Instead of building a nest, she scrapes a hollow in the soil on a hummock with a good surrounding view. The breeding cycle is linked to the size of the lemming population, its main prey. Eggs are laid singly every few days, with the last egg laid a few days before the first one hatches. Theoldest chick is fed first and so grows stronger, its future secure. Younger ones are fed as supplies allow.

Part of body

• large yellow eyes – set at front help the owl to judge striking distance accurately
• long broad wings – allow the owl to fly powerfully, close to ground level or accelerating rapidly after prey
• long, curved claws – enable the owl to catch and kill prey. Dense feet feathers provide insulation

Statistics

• status – common
• social unit – solitary; pairs in breeding season
• lenght – 55-70 cm
• wingspan – 142-162 cm
• weight – 1-2.5 kg
• migration – partial migrant
• plumage – sexes differ
• sexual maturity – 3-5 years
• breeding season – May-early september
• incubation period – 30-33 days
• number of eggs – 2-17; everage 5-7
• diet – small mammals (lermming, heres, rabbits), seabirds, carrion
• lifespan – 8-10 years

Myth or fact

The inuit regard snowy owls as mystic creatures, potential helpers for people in trouble. A Native American tale tells how this owl came to be. A girl was turned by magic into a long billed brd. Frightened, she flew about wildly and collided with a rock wall. The impact flattened her long bill-creating the first snowy owl.

[tags]snowy owl, bird, animal, species[/tags]

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4. secretary bird
5. Lovebird

Small, swift and active, kingfishers are also highly territorial: they defend their fishing grounds fiercely from rivals because they need to eat almost two-thirds of their body weight in fish every day. When contesting territory, kingfishers perform a ritual display perched some distance from each other. Usually the dispute is resolved without combat but sometimes they will lock beaks and attemp to drown each other. Flying attacks and aerial chases are common. The kingfisher has a distintive loud, shril call, which sounds like “cheeeee’. it roosts in dense cover near water, arriving after dark and leaving just before dawn.

Part of body

• A membrane – automatically covers the eye when the bird dives underwater
• polarizing filters – on the eye cut out reflections, co the bird can see into the water
• bill – is long and black; females have red on the lower mandible
• throat – is white
• ear tufts – are white
• underside – is amber
• leg and feet – are small and orange
• tail – short and stubby

statistics

• status – common
• social unit – solitary; mating pairs stay together during breeding season
• lenght – 16 cm
• weight – 35 g
• wingspan – 30-33 cm
• plumage – sexes alike
• migrant – partial seasonal migrant
• breeding period – march in europe; August in Southeast Asia
• sexual maturity – 2 years
• number of eggs – 5-8 eggs
• incubation – 19-21 days
• diet – small fish, amphibians, molluscs, insects,.
• lifespan – up to 20 years

Myth of fact

According to medieval myth, the kingfisher used to be grey but after the biblical flood, it flew over the sun to reach heaven and scan the waters. As a result, its breast was burnt red and it back turned as blue as the sky.

Related posts:

1. Atlantic Puffin
2. Raggiana
3. Barn Swallow
4. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
5. Comman Peafowl