tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47332807103537951372024-02-06T20:39:22.413-08:00Bird Flightbird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-12193772129256918392012-05-30T04:26:00.000-07:002011-05-30T07:39:21.760-07:00bird flight pet birds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/2011/05/coming-soon.html"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qvnpJokmeb5vB-bRftiZitBBvqAJKo7gw09-j_ODwjfy0OxGp3dwz1o9-J5TVrdNYcbvnMeSktd7vJ-Z8Qbm0T9UI696dpko1gOh3s6FZYQhv7aEeX4VaWJSfiC7CnvY3VcwkA1mcqg/s320/bird+flight+pet+birds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Bird Flight Pet Birds </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Continue to bird flight</span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/2011/04/bird-flight-all-about-birds-flights-and.html"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZNVyWp5CDv4YMntEpNUul5TrSrlEJKCSV02_hdGlVOqM8CYwF9vCaJmIpICxE0pKFYClS95ZvdqkDCLj1mLdkDWYLXb1Sq-T4xzLYqrN08OYmJVKNSizIzD34HycFHA7n7XNeT4Xksw/s320/bird+flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-61708793235738939922011-07-20T18:29:00.000-07:002011-05-25T09:55:52.841-07:00Bird Flight All About Birds Flights and More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><strong>Bird Flight All About Birds Flights and More</strong></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Cuckoo</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Cuckoo"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJEXTkC19vBDJj0Qm1MVbX29WGsYV7b0Ex_-pCielLmPBbSdNsTQEiwOZdmpvznJVf0hT0AwRMI8NJ0Y_dbuBVZnDB81aHmcyCJ-LN1Lx0KSoYAyFJNatxkPEbekKOjsKV33maoqIknY/s320/cuckoo.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Arctic Tern</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Arctic%20Tern"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzB1sLeb0SbQkwI7kWGaklR-ORQlBvhwoqFwHU5xcz0nQLF3FqH0O77pNjAvX-GvL4qrCsmlbhJ6sOmIEpxRyMlzN2kGJenG8_zqxgR_3UESD-06iyNU924Rq-G0EL-COzJiSVzW6DQg/s320/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
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</span></strong></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Bar-tailed Godwit</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Bar-tailed%20Godwit"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Bar-tailed%20Godwit"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5WPUkgnXKJr2ZldEBcF8sX7L5pDyFDrBxUKtvdtuohfAOmb5Xcv5fIaFYbsFzT8ZaikZ4uuL0Rtnv3WrOQCrINeZChUQfhQKV3uNrrYDDiW7hLfNvv8iUcMe2oHXdZadM36LI8U0jdY/s320/Bar-tailed+Godwit+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Black-tailed Godwit</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Black-tailed%20Godwit"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7ZrPyWc4XLdv3hLpDxlFlKJwVCbZqL9m7LfsdhWyslqNrXgg8qjXyJLiNaMUPt6nj6K9Cwyl5rT5BZMHyiNNCGYebOaPEk4zN7m7bvjFKVBliY6nsUqMarTeHrwOy9o-YACCFT9T5R4/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black-winged Stilt</span></b></span></span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20winged%20stilt"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2ezJpEHN270DZ8S0L15sYZDd2OyWZytuEfrxHRZRsUrNVvaxASZV9oQiUfc6ViyS4LQKFApaRXXjfoXDT5YHXFYK_oRWuYG7YQl18ggF-GFx588eEu_2-a1xz3covSyhwVOUxXyETRo/s320/Black+winged+Stilt+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
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</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bluethroat</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/2011/05/bluethroat.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimF8YV7jZHP3sz_5HMJrFwFQyzGiFPYa-j1MjNmPFy-0Ptsveuk9Kg3sFRhMAlvG6p7dzaA7HgjKy-GPc41MOpwsl_jK6XWTxkV58PYvHVsygyyVeFP3zihCzSKVz1_6uKM2RKHX4-SFA/s1600/Bluethroat2.jpg" /></a></span></b></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Cedar Waxwing</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Cedar%20Waxwing"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF5EtIOuXubqiS29rE7PM8lEaZ7VvHKxwoqC-vBUZ4IyscV90iTn4PGYPTzj-UH2c5oKRZt7YL9yJIRai5PvETjQ3NdGFqMPjgZ91LJiGboOvwDuuGdX9hyp1XpusBpvx5grhWBmNEXQ/s320/Cedar+Waxwing3.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
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</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Common Teal</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Common%20Teal"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBp755xLHRXTDNsauVHLOa6oqKggzL_S9V-L24cZvQzwA4VqrcYtggL91GKHtqhd8NtLI25-JcRZAeF7EunkVCJHmPhOPfV-4jiHiGX3ZDNe2a1ucCLRp47njdd18_vJY9w8HKVIdBVk/s320/Common+Teal+1.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b><br />
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</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Eurasian Wigeon</b></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Eurasian%20Wigeon"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gAxLrLxBx5jUKHpYZkv0NJoYkpf7UlHnHmVAQT3bikaV8or-vPDU_vCnoksz_pM1xHh_md44XUfslbIf5kT7dVW2cO-D8-FgM7qRNIzJ58pad1TaNARLnrlYM6o8mILog7rIgphhP7A/s320/Eurasian+Wigeon+5+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
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</b></span></span></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">European Roller</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/European%20Roller"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-UObIRMrsNhW4YP25p7vm4Zfjbmf1WrPYUyfJSJ4ly4BucRqUrkTuqleRLG1bwgUh3qGbtZ3uzgjZTdde3VHVYBRJGRjDQgni9Ng3m9v7YCkbqSaeHVla7nN_xM5zeQcUnI_f3NsaQ4/s320/European+Roller3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Golden Oriole</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Golden%20Oriole"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mZegjnrlVRec-JXXwTD2SIkRsQUv9hH3hNHF7cC834DQjmNujWSLshujUfzqM1H_5ipaahQhc2bfa2NPB4RUNGhN6SYsUSDG6iZIj6Nis1nE-X1Q_2OKR-DMwjtgYjNvamtRgZO-TNQ/s320/The+Golden+Oriole1.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great White Pelican</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Great%20White%20Pelican"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlbaq05Uwd76xae7NEYBqhTdVo-W-2TdlCzOOSFoKs5N9tob_ijQZE2XvqxRpjGD-baMZX5jXl_a7xldtSHy37-Go0I97qdlbCltzm50DnbgQEe51BvTUrvPqHtfQrHb1dRLBYSeO9yg/s320/Rosy+Pelican+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b></div><div style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>Greater Flamingo</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Greater%20Flamingo"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYktKDNJGV0P2rpzDFr4NPhuG_gtimITQWUqDMizcH8R0DAYxeNscaWYFbnQlHzgmKv7Vop8-DGZrrMuaa5ujTL2s_W48kU3tc2zwdo6BGGywDF5yIlO4Rhoe8MDqts-9AY-L4TEmSmWs/s320/Greater+Flamingo+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Hoopoe</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Hoopoe"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5lm52DXM1zg0QixjGPlq_WwrS0ehbdoVYBDUSuUsTSd6StpCjmk63-VAwFGUJo3LQ4MiWE6vEauichmCfQ_VyCdTadVZ2BcpDa4X19T1CJP4zDYEr9CJLxWFyyTalmoAIEbWd9PyxZQ/s320/Hoopoe+bird-flight.blogspot.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Northern Pintail </strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Northern%20Pintail"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlcuQ5Xe7pp_-QfrsC4CMCq_VfGJ_ndpRp73gLlGJj7qvlIYAWuPwZ7XidnrhrfvyBLUYlX0YflKJ2Toka7cH9E3eKgwrHJQGPaQXFrdGVMxgxlE8rGlXnJngDdnhbHemEJlud52pXxM/s320/Northern+pintail+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ortolan Bunting</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Ortolan%20Bunting"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPhljm3wQ6cBFJDIjNQE2vt0R4r5lz0e45YslAfsFANtYmt6XwX9xP6mUz9Ch2wnhuQSlvithsKFMSTj4qvH9hhMy9FHitnupwCdJnKFZirCWtQIqdwLInlBXq7zMnjrMOYLKE4vDk6s/s320/Ortolan+Bunting1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Partridges</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Partridges"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHvdtU2sTrBBCGdoKTxlWKwGcRzP59aAQoKO9EQWe7Y6G2mxpr_UEWKkxJJnPHEKJWiSIY5Au53yvNaJJW62ViH4qzV8dLblV6ELP48nTCVb3pHccReg5qawuhGHuwPCQr4nrobvkvOo/s320/Partridges1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Quail</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Quail"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4FHCo4stmdBTui4u5Z8fY09x3NrgjK9YG7zkq43YheR4kCeI1O9HKp_C25ePewUENFjp23MsWBsYqzFn3Qozd6Uj2bLUzEplb0avZjNXaKGbtGCQGzIOww2aQ4vKg7z9uYF_D8VnB3E/s320/Quail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ruff</span></b></span></span></b></span><br />
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</span></b></span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Siberian Crane</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Siberian%20Crane"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9C5WrFwFfoRBAqfxt8jcQ-zrpCtxo4XyUb8EFTC4LMJzXDHYcOrnIgJGV0TWcy5DD-BjwckqApnhYo2duAHl565eyR4n1D-AEragOgEfiXNiNwr9Ob08xksJnA0Vw75_X17Sy3QhiDRc/s320/Siberian+Cranes4.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Spotted Redshank</span></b></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Spotted%20Redshank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGnQKZq4rELPj3FTL0W7Zvue2ru0HPvb3ubi5IMvaPGzDB5FJSKTWaAVwVRPZLI66hLxUhqwOjYU8gs3ZZ-xjedax8N94KtVnYNmD-qFrLaLXqXIItyN3Zvkt-WDLEouhJhALh1K6hdc/s1600/spotted+redshank+9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Spotted Sandpiper</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Spotted%20Sandpiper"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAFEu7cj7SbyekcJ-XXTU5iCxDhT35lWTEcJ10Nj-CGXd04emGt3yO4SkoMmZcO3dDeEKluBiAyTNXGV9bun0Iz_6bZc_v-g574ACGDcTAPbhJfHFjPHMceEyql_f0Gs1eeEkrsV_v0E/s320/spotted+Sandpiper+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Starling</span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/2011/05/starling.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0d45AESxhUV2SnWYkM-x9DyRemaPBvVar5lLLGWXM0XYBylDeWL7urswl9agcvvIojhO6lGC0iyzBTIVkfogunrSiZUmYfspMdP5t5G7br8-C93aEOfuhzF5jFPuLSELNoALLGQ2vss/s320/Starling+3.jpg" width="281" /></a></span></span></div></div><div align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Stone-curlew</span></b></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Stone-Curlew"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjFOA4Asm0BMB8-rODunJTUZOT_il6T7DLgNvDGlc3ERTuj09BumE3xQRcxVVAdX0y62OnGTlGRnDC9y03SxpmVWY_-slCU8vTfIdkLp8GFsnAyNwWc52JaYfx_1KPHDhD3bTxVKzlWo/s320/Stone-curlew3.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Swainson's Thrush</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Swainson%27s%20Thrush"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjOzLBWA9ETay547b6G9IoNw-JpPG6vtNPmVj1LxLKca-Yi7ls7Vv4wcYZ5TD13-Q0dWEOqZiq9HVZogaiqmc1PWG7XTN137gYK4Qt4BXlCF_offx5NugQhUojPcSZK0xoW8WcuviAl4/s320/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+4+bird-flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Turtle Dove</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Turtle%20Dove"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIBy4je3EALc12qn8l3GRv1R1xTIJp1xjRXfA4T-HwDknyfbMeaFEhloBPHJgdkpDWl23C126WMRB4Cz_Pt2mwR5XZ5ETpFD-O-7Cz_GAzurffkFTXf6DzAdkRdkk1_uBcf6gqEyLHpQ/s320/turtle_dove1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Wagtail</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Wagtail"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCmgFaYF78KZHalsj_p3mAk1k2mVor0AxDDksJSvwaEDcl57MHkT3p8ju_KUvqeTOWDUdB8X1yPv5zlXN5Vo5oUdTq0QrysAjqTMKai1r4XIvm3NJPilh7rFIuO1fwZyrV9ytH9Jt2fA/s320/Wagtail1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><b>Wood Sandpiper</b></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Woodland Kingfisher</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/search/label/Woodland%20Kingfisher"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvW2mJohh-RBY1zKJgQ-s6iThtXj01L_fEpNePFTXYHWS1IDF3IJ88lAMzmw-wAxfiMBhEbEjioHA3Krvh0i7oUNfgmLGNmgvbWPC-tBfd1DhyHWZ4hbMisIjxHeYQMInPd9vPe-jhOE/s320/Woodland+Kingfisher+4+bird-flight_blogspot_com.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-90351734750894368562011-05-30T07:21:00.001-07:002011-05-30T07:22:15.872-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><b>Coming Soon </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qvnpJokmeb5vB-bRftiZitBBvqAJKo7gw09-j_ODwjfy0OxGp3dwz1o9-J5TVrdNYcbvnMeSktd7vJ-Z8Qbm0T9UI696dpko1gOh3s6FZYQhv7aEeX4VaWJSfiC7CnvY3VcwkA1mcqg/s1600/bird+flight+pet+birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qvnpJokmeb5vB-bRftiZitBBvqAJKo7gw09-j_ODwjfy0OxGp3dwz1o9-J5TVrdNYcbvnMeSktd7vJ-Z8Qbm0T9UI696dpko1gOh3s6FZYQhv7aEeX4VaWJSfiC7CnvY3VcwkA1mcqg/s320/bird+flight+pet+birds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-13018553745629343942011-05-25T09:52:00.000-07:002011-05-26T08:20:52.186-07:00Bluethroat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Pk_RvqkqMQ6hvKOaz5x3wqGm2MaaWHKSW7_pMhp0IECIrevJDcv48TP5ExbuT2QDu4iZK6XPXZCjDCkVRleNsJst5y9vvAlE6izvrf7lwC3xDXWpayuVkisDAQTlTd-NKeURMtBuGe0/s1600/Bluethroat7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Pk_RvqkqMQ6hvKOaz5x3wqGm2MaaWHKSW7_pMhp0IECIrevJDcv48TP5ExbuT2QDu4iZK6XPXZCjDCkVRleNsJst5y9vvAlE6izvrf7lwC3xDXWpayuVkisDAQTlTd-NKeURMtBuGe0/s1600/Bluethroat7.jpg" /></a>he Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European species, are often called chats.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_86Y2tPwHp3twyJMsdIfknH5D-UtqvVdCXC4Z-s6NtrobUbaERCUBSU5zEGbzG3xOmzoZzVm47gkf1tl497f3DkR0P9U32Y_d_32ZbkQmrHmEjvhylCb-0O4A4rSWQ29N0y3DG3Nu9g/s1600/Bluethroat+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_86Y2tPwHp3twyJMsdIfknH5D-UtqvVdCXC4Z-s6NtrobUbaERCUBSU5zEGbzG3xOmzoZzVm47gkf1tl497f3DkR0P9U32Y_d_32ZbkQmrHmEjvhylCb-0O4A4rSWQ29N0y3DG3Nu9g/s200/Bluethroat+1.jpg" width="200" /></a>It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in wet birch wood or bushy swamp in Europe and Asia with a foothold in western Alaska. It nests in tussocks or low in dense bushes. It winters in north Africa and India.<br />
The Bluethroat is similar in size to the European Robin at 13–14 cm. It is plain brown above except for the distinctive black tail with red side patches. It has a strong white supercilium. The male has a blue bib edged below with successive black, white and rust coloured borders. Some races, such as L. svecica svecica (Red-spotted Bluethroat) of northern Eurasia, have a red spot in the centre of the blue bib.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5907IXWy0FbN-eq6U7df-TZler4wluJSYSTJA6zWU0nGetLa9HMLmWZFhcL29MgB9A3JoD_56uwgE4cpx5znc8W1RCBE8kYLkUgWbmquyIs1sdNWDo_Dn5v5I7eoWhpD3XnPhhrPkb0/s1600/Bluethroat6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5907IXWy0FbN-eq6U7df-TZler4wluJSYSTJA6zWU0nGetLa9HMLmWZFhcL29MgB9A3JoD_56uwgE4cpx5znc8W1RCBE8kYLkUgWbmquyIs1sdNWDo_Dn5v5I7eoWhpD3XnPhhrPkb0/s320/Bluethroat6.jpg" width="320" /></a>Others, such as L. svecica cyanecula (White-spotted Bluethroat) of southern and central Europe, have a white spot in the centre of the blue bib. L. svecica magna in Turkey has no central spot.<br />
Females of all races usually have just a blackish crescent on an otherwise cream throat and breast. Newly fledged juveniles are freckled and spotted dark brown above.<br />
Despite the distinctive appearance of the males, recent genetic studies show only limited variation between the forms, and confirm that this is a single species.<br />
The male has a varied and very imitative song . Its call is a typical chat “chack” noise.<br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-49573017670324705872011-05-24T03:10:00.000-07:002011-05-24T15:37:03.506-07:00Starling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">European Starling</span></b><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NXja5U1uL0yCqxmaLUzPEuUB8PhLVci1_M1VbPn-qGJYvIiGJ0BjhodUlZIFYrURTKX1SINcwPHZxYPiIfYuLBzGv7tBPyNLuZpLQ6FcT6kIx3faFNrLTIJmx-dM0EDe7CbcXyRDtd0/s1600/Starling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NXja5U1uL0yCqxmaLUzPEuUB8PhLVci1_M1VbPn-qGJYvIiGJ0BjhodUlZIFYrURTKX1SINcwPHZxYPiIfYuLBzGv7tBPyNLuZpLQ6FcT6kIx3faFNrLTIJmx-dM0EDe7CbcXyRDtd0/s320/Starling.jpg" width="320" /></a>The European Starling, Common Starling or just Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae.<br />
This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia. It is resident in southern and western Europe and southwestern Asia, while northeastern populations migrate south and west in winter to these regions, and also further south to areas where it does not breed in Iberia and north Africa. It has also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, North America, and South Africa.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Taxonomy</b></span><br />
In the genus Sturnus, the European Starling is the type species, the one with all the typical characteristics of its genus. It is in this genus that the terrestrial feeding technique of open-bill probing is most advanced; the technique involves prying into the ground by inserting and opening the bill as a way of searching for hidden food items. European Starlings have the physical traits that enable them to use this feeding technique, which has undoubtedly helped the species spread far and wide.<br />
Along with Sturnus vulgaris, the Sturnus genus includes a number of species which are apparently more-or-less distantly related, but some contend that if the taxonomy is to be based on natural evolutionary grouping, then only the European and Spotless Starling ought to be grouped together.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP46UkkiAz6_EHh1xpqGBPcm6cJNIuZNxBxdyhA-WAJxnfl0kyKFI8KVt-Sxu_MG0wQk7nW9oZnzk2YCWwuknBf53t7-gVofBe-AfzCjV67figwIHaPAUYZuT103dKqiyTSWHPREuvc0w/s1600/Starling+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP46UkkiAz6_EHh1xpqGBPcm6cJNIuZNxBxdyhA-WAJxnfl0kyKFI8KVt-Sxu_MG0wQk7nW9oZnzk2YCWwuknBf53t7-gVofBe-AfzCjV67figwIHaPAUYZuT103dKqiyTSWHPREuvc0w/s320/Starling+9.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is among the most familiar of birds in temperate regions. It is 19–22 cm long, with a wingspan of 37–42 cm and a weight of 60–90 g. The plumage is shiny black, glossed purple or green, and spangled with white, particularly strongly so in winter. Adult male European Starlings are less spotted below than adult females. The throat feathers are long and loose, and used as a signal in display. Juveniles are grey-brown, and by their first winter resemble adults though often retain some brown juvenile feathering especially on the head in the early part of the winter. The legs are stout, pinkish-red. The bill is narrow conical with a sharp tip; in summer, it is yellow in females, and yellow with a blue-grey base in males, while in winter, and in juveniles, it is black in both sexes. Moulting occurs once a year, in late summer after the breeding season is finished; the fresh feathers are prominently tipped white (breast feathers) or buff (wing and back feathers). The reduction in the spotting in the breeding season is achieved by the white feather tips largely wearing off. Starlings walk rather than hop. Their flight is quite strong and direct; they look triangular-winged and short-tailed in flight.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKE8rXxsryjklr3mXAgxUJbK6Z5lt0xkVhG4miNK0nR0AgZ6i75bGEM5N3OmzxXT1sV9a7FNZt95ptTR3YHfRlblIwolHrNg98Q8rmBO4t8cHhSf93-EFPWADVqnjv-idjQQ7sXF2Q3A/s1600/Starling+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKE8rXxsryjklr3mXAgxUJbK6Z5lt0xkVhG4miNK0nR0AgZ6i75bGEM5N3OmzxXT1sV9a7FNZt95ptTR3YHfRlblIwolHrNg98Q8rmBO4t8cHhSf93-EFPWADVqnjv-idjQQ7sXF2Q3A/s320/Starling+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Confusion with other species is only likely in Iberia, the western Mediterranean and northwest Africa in winter, when it has to be distinguished from the closely related Spotless Starling, which, as its name implies, has less spotting on its plumage. The Spotless Starling can also be diagnostically distinguished at close range by its longer throat feathers. At a more basic level, adult male European Blackbirds can easily be distinguished by more slender body shape, longer tail, and behaviour; they hop instead of walking and do not probe for food with open bills. In flight, only the much paler waxwings share a similar flight profile.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Voice</span></b><br />
The Common Starling is a noisy bird uttering a wide variety of both melodic and mechanical-sounding sounds, including a distinctive "wolf-whistle". Starlings are mimics, like many of its family. In captivity, Starlings will learn to imitate all types of sounds and speech earning them the nickname "poor-man's Myna".<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GtQCHD1TuHo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Songs are more commonly sung by males, although females also sing. Songs consist of a mixture of mimicry, clicks, wheezes, chattering, whistles, rattles, and piping notes. Besides song, 11 other calls have been described, including a Flock Call, Threat Call, Attack Call, Snarl Call, and Copulation Call. Birds chatter while roosting and bathing—making a great deal of noise that can frustrate local human inhabitants. Even when a flock of starlings is completely silent, the synchronized movements of the flock make a distinctive whooshing sound that can be heard hundreds of meters away.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Distribution and habitat</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFShhrrfgKBdw0XDJhmRssspOq8rXNG-O_a4g45Y0hmaeD7pL5IxnR4gTpAWQCVsokQccurudaQvC3oEu9uMdjxBtuBO-H35Qt2hm4g4V8jsICBKJE-ufilS865nkonHFt5iVDzTnM4b8/s1600/Starling+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFShhrrfgKBdw0XDJhmRssspOq8rXNG-O_a4g45Y0hmaeD7pL5IxnR4gTpAWQCVsokQccurudaQvC3oEu9uMdjxBtuBO-H35Qt2hm4g4V8jsICBKJE-ufilS865nkonHFt5iVDzTnM4b8/s320/Starling+5.jpg" width="213" /></a>European Starlings prefer urban or suburban areas where artificial structures and trees provide adequate nesting and roosting sites. They also commonly reside in grassy areas where foraging is easy—such as farmland, grazing pastures, playing fields, golf courses, and airfields. They occasionally inhabit open forests and woodlands and more rarely in shrublands such as the Australian heathland. European Starlings rarely inhabit dense, wet forests (i.e. rainforests or wet sclerophyll forests). Common starlings have also adapted to coastal areas, where they nest and roost on cliffs and forage amongst seaweed. Their ability to adapt to a large variety of habitats has allowed for their dispersal and establishment throughout the world—resulting in a habitat range from coastal wetlands to alpine forests, from sea level to 1900 meters above sea level.<br />
Widespread throughout the northern hemisphere, the European Starling is native to Eurasia and is found throughout Europe, northern Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), northern India, Nepal, the Middle East (including Syria, Iraq, and Iraq), and north-western China. Furthermore, it has been introduced to and successfully established itself in New Zealand, Australia, North America, Fiji, and several Caribbean islands. As a result, it has also been able to migrate to Thailand, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. In Australia, European Starlings are referred to as the Common Starling, and are present throughout the southeast, although some isolated populations have been observed in northern and Western Australia. They are prevalent throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and scattered sites in the southeastern part of Western Australia.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Behaviour</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiLfZ-mxBvR6CO1AojvQVkRHYIe6usYXyFuE2M_BQNmaePkgoOjxLsZ9LacRiNzhq-15UU4I_rZfkljgNACIBGirI2D14vWD48YTRAHzChAnio7M_Owj09sA8qIlmKrCLGeMGhD4EIwA/s1600/Starling+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiLfZ-mxBvR6CO1AojvQVkRHYIe6usYXyFuE2M_BQNmaePkgoOjxLsZ9LacRiNzhq-15UU4I_rZfkljgNACIBGirI2D14vWD48YTRAHzChAnio7M_Owj09sA8qIlmKrCLGeMGhD4EIwA/s320/Starling+7.jpg" width="282" /></a>It is a highly gregarious species in autumn and winter. Flock size is highly variable, with huge flocks providing a spectacular sight and sound usually occurring near roosts. These huge flocks often attract birds of prey such as Merlins or Sparrowhawks. Flocks form a tight sphere-like formation in flight, frequently expanding and contracting and changing shape, seemingly without any sort of leader. Very large roosts, exceptionally up to 1.5 million birds, can form in city centres, woodlands, or reedbeds, causing problems with their droppings. These may accumulate up to 30 cm deep, killing trees by their chemical concentration; in smaller amounts, the droppings are, however, beneficial as a fertiliser, and therefore woodland managers may try to move roosts from one area of a wood to another to spread the benefit and avoid large toxic deposits.<br />
Huge flocks of more than a million Starlings are observed just before sunset in spring in southwestern Jutland, Denmark. There they gather in March until northern Scandinavian birds leave for their breeding ranges by mid-April. Their flocking creates complex shapes against the sky, a phenomenon known locally as sort sol ("Black Sun"). To witness this spectacle, the best place are the seaward marshlands (marsken in Danish) of Tønder and Esbjerg municipalities between Tønder and Ribe.<br />
Flocks of anything from five to fifty thousand Starlings form in areas of the UK just before sundown during mid winter. These flocks are commonly called a Starling "Moot".<br />
Starlings are hunted by birds of prey, including the Peregrine Falcon and Brown Falcon. However, in the 1970s the consumption of chemically treated (DDT) crops by the starlings which were subsequently eaten by Peregrine Falcons caused a dangerous build-up of the toxin in the falcon. As a result, lower reproductive success was observed as a result of thinner eggshells and a build-up of organochlorine residues in eggs.<br />
European Starling nests are especially vulnerable to predators such as stoats, foxes, and humans. Common Mynas are also a threat, as they often evict eggs, nestlings, and adult starlings from their nests.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Feeding</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuLZpj2NheFkSkrzGYOz5ZLX5QNGIQqoJo4zXePV98UdZDJtl5V0bxnZLqqvLO5oGn1mFZ0RC97zVtk2NXYS6Qo0dmfDtclpL7cQOfonyr45Mb3Oi_sTq1X7mmCreYHQ3GkzmlH0QOak/s1600/Starling+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuLZpj2NheFkSkrzGYOz5ZLX5QNGIQqoJo4zXePV98UdZDJtl5V0bxnZLqqvLO5oGn1mFZ0RC97zVtk2NXYS6Qo0dmfDtclpL7cQOfonyr45Mb3Oi_sTq1X7mmCreYHQ3GkzmlH0QOak/s1600/Starling+6.jpg" /></a>The European Starling is insectivorous, and typically consumes insects including caterpillars, moths, and cicadas, as well as spiders. While the consumption of invertebrates is necessary for successful breeding, starlings are omnivorous and can also eat grains, seeds, fruits, nectars, and garbage, if the opportunity arises. There are several methods by which they forage for their food; but for the most part, they forage from or near the ground, taking insects from or beneath the surface of the soil. Generally, starlings prefer foraging amongst short-cropped grasses and are often found between and on top of grazing animals out to pasture. Large flocks forage together, in a practice called “roller-feeding”: where the birds at the back of the flock continually fly to the front of the flock as they forage so that every bird has a turn to lead (1957). The larger the flock, the nearer individuals are to one another while foraging. Flocks often forage in one place for some time, and return to previous successfully foraged sites.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Courtship</span></b><br />
Unpaired males begin to build nests in order to attract single females. Males often decorate the nest with ornaments (such as flowers) and fresh green material which the female later disassembles upon accepting him as a mate . The males sing throughout much of the construction and even more so when a female approaches his nest. Following copulation, the male and female continue to build the nest. Common nesting locations include inside hollowed trees, buildings, tree stumps, and man-made nest-boxes. Nests are typically made out of straw, dry grass, twigs and inner lining made up of feathers, wool, and soft leaves. Construction typically takes 4 to 5 days and may continue through incubation. Fresh herbs are added to nests and work as insect repellent.<br />
Starlings are both monogamous and polygamous; although broods are generally brought up by one male and one female, occasionally the pair may have an extra helper. Pairs may be part of a larger colony, in which case several other nests may occupy the same or nearby trees.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Breeding</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rleLLeRt7c-1FMfFf_r9xyHxguQahvj-AIQYjn4CtuY1Y6qpyxmP3CP0c5hFJNStcTt_howBlu5RpUthr0ocaBgtU61yVggq0qKX6V9T-ap1FN-ccXmUTbKq-PxC00CVMMDGatV5OEg/s1600/Starling+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rleLLeRt7c-1FMfFf_r9xyHxguQahvj-AIQYjn4CtuY1Y6qpyxmP3CP0c5hFJNStcTt_howBlu5RpUthr0ocaBgtU61yVggq0qKX6V9T-ap1FN-ccXmUTbKq-PxC00CVMMDGatV5OEg/s320/Starling+4.jpg" width="320" /></a>The breeding season begins in early spring and summer. In Australia, eggs are typically laid from late September to late November but the range extends from late July to December. Following copulation, female European Starlings will lay an egg on a daily basis over a period of several days. If an egg is lost during this time period, she will lay another egg to replace it. The eggs (4-5) are small elliptical blue (and occasionally white) eggs that commonly have a glossy appearance to them. Incubation lasts 13 days, although the last egg laid may take 24 hours longer than the first to hatch. Both parents share the responsibility of sitting on top of the eggs. However, the female spends more time incubating the eggs than the male, and is the only parent to do so at night (while the male returns to the communal roost). The young are born blind and naked. They develop light fluffy down within 7 days of hatching and sight within 9 days. Nestlings remain in the nest for 3 weeks, where they are fed continuously by both their parents. Fledglings continue to be fed by their parents for 1–2 weeks. Pairs can raise up to three broods per breeding season, frequently reusing and relining the same nest. Within two months, most juveniles have molted and gained their first basic plumage. Juveniles acquire their adult plumage the following year.<br />
Intraspecific brood parasites are common in European Starling nests. Female "floaters" (unpaired females during the breeding season) present in colonies often lay eggs in another pair's nest. Additionally, fledglings have been reported to invade their previous nests or neighboring nests and evicting the new brood.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Videos</span></b><br />
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</span></b></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-58728281675510893102011-05-24T02:34:00.000-07:002011-05-24T02:35:26.111-07:00Spotted Redshank<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Spotted Redshank</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span><br />
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The Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. It is an Arctic bird, breeding across northern Scandinavia and northern Asia. It is a migratory species, wintering around the Mediterranean, the southern British Isles, France, tropical Africa, and tropical Asia, usually on fresh or brackish water. It is an occasional vagrant in Australia and North America.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGnQKZq4rELPj3FTL0W7Zvue2ru0HPvb3ubi5IMvaPGzDB5FJSKTWaAVwVRPZLI66hLxUhqwOjYU8gs3ZZ-xjedax8N94KtVnYNmD-qFrLaLXqXIItyN3Zvkt-WDLEouhJhALh1K6hdc/s1600/spotted+redshank+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGnQKZq4rELPj3FTL0W7Zvue2ru0HPvb3ubi5IMvaPGzDB5FJSKTWaAVwVRPZLI66hLxUhqwOjYU8gs3ZZ-xjedax8N94KtVnYNmD-qFrLaLXqXIItyN3Zvkt-WDLEouhJhALh1K6hdc/s1600/spotted+redshank+9.jpg" /></a>It is 29–33 cm long. It is black in breeding plumage, and very pale in winter. It has a red legs and bill, and shows a white oval on the back in flight. Juveniles are grey-brown finely speckled white above, and have pale, finely barred underparts. It nests on open boggy taiga, laying four eggs in a ground scrape. The call is a creaking whistle teu-it (somewhat similar to the call of a Roseate Tern), the alarm call a kyip-kyip-kyip. Like most waders, it feeds on small invertebrates.<br />
The Spotted Redshank is replaced as a breeding bird further south by the Common Redshank, which has a shorter bill and legs, and is brown and white above with some dark patterning below, becoming somewhat lighter-toned in winter.<br />
Taxonomically, it forms a close-knit group with the Greater Yellowlegs and the Greenshank, which among them show all the basic leg and foot colours of the shanks, demonstrating that this character is paraphyletic (Pereira & Baker, 2005). These three species are the largest shanks apart from the Willet, which is altogether more robustly built.<br />
The Spotted Redshank is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">From The RSPB: </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Overview</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWK-1t2agWb0ghKeEdE8EvvF4flEBr_-wO21aW0zEdJfnqZRFGvtQMclr_xoKMR6-YiN8Gvm8mshiqBCTGDS9aO1aRgtJSUN34syPnez1C3VqqKx9yolfq5-HSOB5fGk_jnPWDDA4nIE8/s1600/spotted+redshank+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWK-1t2agWb0ghKeEdE8EvvF4flEBr_-wO21aW0zEdJfnqZRFGvtQMclr_xoKMR6-YiN8Gvm8mshiqBCTGDS9aO1aRgtJSUN34syPnez1C3VqqKx9yolfq5-HSOB5fGk_jnPWDDA4nIE8/s320/spotted+redshank+10.jpg" width="320" /></a>The spotted redshank is a medium sized elegant wading bird, slightly larger than a redshank. In summer plumage the adults are almost entirely black, save for some white `spotting' on the wings, a white `wedge' on the back showing clearly in flight, and a barred tail. In winter they have a grey back, and paler under parts, with a more prominent eye stripe than a redshank and lacking a redshank's white wing bars. They migrate from northern European across and northern Siberian breeding areas, to winter in Europe, Africa, China and South-east Asia. They are a relatively scarce wintering species in the UK, with over half the population found at fewer than ten sites, making them an Amber List species.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7aY4j0g0pigzf5q7SSFle6kVqctai5zxIf8DPAoUc-E2RupXuhGc8wgFUZ1MgBehUWf8xl5yZZcZ6l8g1L21O8RftEJtMxo4zcy7aWqmYFLxM3HB6Z8rhLtLTkn1E85Swj8-pdgI8I8/s1600/spotted+redshank+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7aY4j0g0pigzf5q7SSFle6kVqctai5zxIf8DPAoUc-E2RupXuhGc8wgFUZ1MgBehUWf8xl5yZZcZ6l8g1L21O8RftEJtMxo4zcy7aWqmYFLxM3HB6Z8rhLtLTkn1E85Swj8-pdgI8I8/s320/spotted+redshank+5.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Where to see them</b></span><br />
In winter on coastal wetland sites, especially in North Kent and Essex, Hampshire and West Wales.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">When to see them</span></b><br />
Southward migration takes place in July and August with most birds passing through the UK in September. Wintering birds remain until April and May.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">What they eat</span></b><br />
Insect larvae, shrimps and worms<br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-14492154249080591592011-05-19T04:29:00.000-07:002011-05-19T08:46:38.337-07:00Black-tailed Godwit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7ZrPyWc4XLdv3hLpDxlFlKJwVCbZqL9m7LfsdhWyslqNrXgg8qjXyJLiNaMUPt6nj6K9Cwyl5rT5BZMHyiNNCGYebOaPEk4zN7m7bvjFKVBliY6nsUqMarTeHrwOy9o-YACCFT9T5R4/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7ZrPyWc4XLdv3hLpDxlFlKJwVCbZqL9m7LfsdhWyslqNrXgg8qjXyJLiNaMUPt6nj6K9Cwyl5rT5BZMHyiNNCGYebOaPEk4zN7m7bvjFKVBliY6nsUqMarTeHrwOy9o-YACCFT9T5R4/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Black-tailed Godwit</span></b><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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The Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the Limosa genus, the godwits. There are three subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest in breeding plumage and dull grey-brown winter coloration, and distinctive black and white wingbar at all times.<br />
Its breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed Godwits spend winter in areas as diverse as Australia, western Europe and west Africa. The species breeds in fens, lake edges, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs and uses estuaries, swamps and floods in winter; it is more likely to be found inland and on freshwater than the similar Bar-tailed Godwit. The world population is estimated to be 634,000 to 805,000 birds and is classified as Near Threatened.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2IkqKgCSyVkrWF3eSsqxkRnmvBJIp_bpBEux_W-HRnmCyPUt79GIHUNO8kDVPtk9PUCXJ-imggYgp61Xe2865RwTPn5ZOp0Kp-eKGPT6AHTuJwNuD6uGZe2bJWBTT8urxUDvcnzlv3c/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2IkqKgCSyVkrWF3eSsqxkRnmvBJIp_bpBEux_W-HRnmCyPUt79GIHUNO8kDVPtk9PUCXJ-imggYgp61Xe2865RwTPn5ZOp0Kp-eKGPT6AHTuJwNuD6uGZe2bJWBTT8urxUDvcnzlv3c/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+7.jpg" width="256" /></a>The Black-tailed Godwit is a large wader with long bill (7.5 to 12 cm long), neck and legs. During the breeding season, the bill has a yellowish or orange-pink base and dark tip; the base is pink in winter. The legs are dark grey, brown or black. The sexes are similar, but in breeding plumage, they can be separated by the male's brighter, more extensive orange breast, neck and head. In winter, adult Black-tailed Godwits have a uniform brown-grey breast and upperparts (in contrast to the Bar-tailed Godwit's streaked back). Juveniles have a pale orange wash to the neck and breast.<br />
In flight, its bold black and white wingbar and white rump can be seen readily. When on the ground it can be difficult to separate from the similar Bar-tailed Godwit, but the Black-tailed Godwit's longer, straighter bill and longer legs are diagnostic. Black-tailed Godwits are similar in body size and shape to Bar-taileds, but stand taller.<br />
It measures 42 cm from bill to tail with a wingspan of 70–82 cm. Males weigh around 280 g and females 340 g. The female is around 5 % larger than the male, with a bill 12-15% longer.<br />
The most common call is a strident weeka weeka weeka. A study of Black-tailed Godwits in the Netherlands found a mortality rate of 37.6 % in the first year of life, 32 % in the second year, and 36.9 % thereafter.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Distribution and habitat</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV1nGqREUILZGX6BFQmIpZRrVS_iFe8mI6Xbo3uFDnMy8PsZ-lRaLvnxscQUMGwpZO18qUZ17IYG_5mmRekvDpaSeH05aCe1Oa2Z12eT6JAo5PpXgllav0c5cNUTUz4UqPP3SUi58Ktk/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCV1nGqREUILZGX6BFQmIpZRrVS_iFe8mI6Xbo3uFDnMy8PsZ-lRaLvnxscQUMGwpZO18qUZ17IYG_5mmRekvDpaSeH05aCe1Oa2Z12eT6JAo5PpXgllav0c5cNUTUz4UqPP3SUi58Ktk/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Black-tailed Godwits have a discontinuous breeding range stretching from Iceland to the far east of Russia. Their breeding habitat is river valley fens, floods at the edges of large lakes, damp steppes, raised bogs and moorlands. An important proportion of the European population now uses secondary habitats: lowland wet grasslands, coastal grazing marshes, pastures, wet areas near fishponds or sewage works, and saline lagoons. Breeding can also take place in sugar beet, potato and rye fields in the Netherlands and Germany.<br />
In spring, Black-tailed Godwits feed largely in grasslands, moving to muddy estuaries after breeding and for winter. On African wintering grounds, swamps, floods and irrigated paddy fields can attract flocks of birds. In India, inland pools, lakes and marshes are used, and occasionally brackish lakes, tidal creeks and estuaries.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRkn8PSsqWPiEeXMRM7mjKGeTIov34QvvONxf9sUgG_5kaK3prao_G2bi2bUz-2rwzWWHm6_0USFfOEU5ppTd2suh5z7J1ZLiSjHOmaaG9uYgkZddkFeBiAqAjjLGsRo4m1etLmXzWWA/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRkn8PSsqWPiEeXMRM7mjKGeTIov34QvvONxf9sUgG_5kaK3prao_G2bi2bUz-2rwzWWHm6_0USFfOEU5ppTd2suh5z7J1ZLiSjHOmaaG9uYgkZddkFeBiAqAjjLGsRo4m1etLmXzWWA/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit.jpg" width="281" /></a>Godwits from the Icelandic population winter mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands, though some fly on to Spain, Portugal and perhaps Morocco. Birds of the limosa subspecies from western Europe fly south to Morocco and then on to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. Birds from the eastern European populations migrate to Tunisia and Algeria, then on to Mali or Chad. Young birds from the European populations stay on in Africa after their first winter and return to Europe at two years old. Asian Black-tailed Godwits winter in Australia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.<br />
Black-tailed Godwits are much more likely to be found on inland wetlands than the more coastal Bar-tailed Godwit. They migrate in flocks to western Europe, Africa, south Asia and Australia. Interestingly, although this species occurs in Ireland and Great Britain all year-round, they are not the same birds. The breeding birds depart in autumn, but are replaced in winter by the larger Icelandic race. These birds occasionally appear in the Aleutian Islands and, rarely, on the Atlantic coast of North America.<br />
There is an estimated global population of between 634,000 to 805,000 birds and estimated range of 7,180,000 square kilometres. In 2006 BirdLife International classified this species as Near Threatened due to a decline in numbers of around 25% in the previous 15 years. It is also among the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Behaviour</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Breeding</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbabugXLYnKoqyQ82bnq8VZ4nHWCDgIoC0lOD2ko2c6tmf7ZZebJGdtiGypg8kwb4YzJDIhE1I6TIi0QY3AwM_XkuNYkH34aGRwl6JGhqBA6lGyMbWq_7g8c55BJS87noPCN0bZpRC9cU/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbabugXLYnKoqyQ82bnq8VZ4nHWCDgIoC0lOD2ko2c6tmf7ZZebJGdtiGypg8kwb4YzJDIhE1I6TIi0QY3AwM_XkuNYkH34aGRwl6JGhqBA6lGyMbWq_7g8c55BJS87noPCN0bZpRC9cU/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Black-tailed Godwits are mostly monogamous; although it was not recorded in a four-year study of 50-60 pairs, bigamy was considered "probably frequent". A study of the Icelandic population showed that despite spending winter apart, pairs are reunited on their breeding grounds within an average of three days of each other. If one partner does not arrive on time, 'divorce' occurs. They nest in loose colonies. Unpaired males defend a temporary territory and perform display flights to attract a mate. Several nest scrapes are made away from the courtship territory, and are defended from other godwits. Once eggs are laid, an area of 30–50 metres around the nest is defended. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, usually in short vegetation. The eggs may be hidden with vegetation by the incubating parent.<br />
The single brood of three to six eggs, coloured olive-green to dark brown, measure 55 x 37 mm and weigh 39 g each (of which 6% is shell). Incubation lasts 22–24 days and is performed by both parents. The young are downy and precocial and are brooded while they are small and at night during colder weather. After hatching, they are led away from the nest and may move to habitats such as sewage farms, lake edges, marshes and mudflats. The chicks fledge after 25–30 days.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRAdzTPC16okcj3VZuEx6FMyykb8nQcVUC2LFRGjoxe3c-8ZglNY_stmUtZLCpyywdrsJEtz3Mo9mnd4dtyLKZD_0SuG6QH689OQTs1cdZ6Ca0FLeXhaRgqgEkTEQ2ukOxukpIrZLBM0/s1600/Black+tailed+Godwit+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRAdzTPC16okcj3VZuEx6FMyykb8nQcVUC2LFRGjoxe3c-8ZglNY_stmUtZLCpyywdrsJEtz3Mo9mnd4dtyLKZD_0SuG6QH689OQTs1cdZ6Ca0FLeXhaRgqgEkTEQ2ukOxukpIrZLBM0/s320/Black+tailed+Godwit+6.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Food and feeding</span></b><br />
They mainly eat invertebrates, but also aquatic plants in winter and on migration. In the breeding season, prey includes include beetles, flies, grasshoppers, dragonflies, mayflies, caterpillars, annelid worms and molluscs. Occasionally, fish eggs, frogspawn and tadpoles are eaten. In water, the most common feeding method is to probe vigorously, up to 36 times per minute, and often with the head completed submerged. On land, Black-tailed Godwits probe into soft ground and also pick prey items from the surface.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Relationship to humans</span></b><br />
In Europe, Black-tailed Godwits are only hunted in France, with the annual total killed estimated at 6,000 to 8,000 birds. This puts additional pressure on the western European population, and the European Commission has a management plan in place for the species in its member states. In England, Black-tailed Godwits were formerly much prized for the table. Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682) said: "[Godwits] were accounted the daintiest dish in England and I think, for the bignesse, of the<br />
biggest price." Old names included <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Blackwit</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Shrieker</span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Barker </span>and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Jadreka Snipe</span>. The Icelandic name for the species is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Jaðrakan.</span><br />
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</span></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-14747211876906232352011-05-19T04:08:00.001-07:002011-05-19T08:47:10.300-07:00Eurasian Wigeon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Eurasian Wigeon</b></span><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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The Wigeon or Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope, previously Mareca penelope) is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Anas. It is common and widespread within its range. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Description</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrzgajzJOeWHbsJDjPqJvmAJMDq1ii4U-fiD9P96y_s2EuWlKPnjhBQs9JEGHGQQSoKV6xkU1poAqUvxmKPYL_8KCjqVmMR1pOlDz1Yx-6l_9G6hlhsaABibD_jpM3InuT4XFjvF3Et0/s1600/Eurasian+Wigeon+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrzgajzJOeWHbsJDjPqJvmAJMDq1ii4U-fiD9P96y_s2EuWlKPnjhBQs9JEGHGQQSoKV6xkU1poAqUvxmKPYL_8KCjqVmMR1pOlDz1Yx-6l_9G6hlhsaABibD_jpM3InuT4XFjvF3Et0/s320/Eurasian+Wigeon+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This dabbling duck is 42–50 centimetres (17–20 in) long with a 71–80 centimetres (28–31 in) wingspan, and a weight of 1.5 pounds (680 g). The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a black rear end and a dark green speculum and a brilliant white patch on upper wings, obvious in flight or at rest. It has a pink breast, white belly, and a chestnut head with a creamy crown. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female. The female is light brown, with plumage much like a female American Wigeon. It can be distinguished from most other ducks, apart from American Wigeon, on shape. However, that species has a paler head and white axillaries on its underwing. The female can be a rufous morph with a redder head, and a gray morph with a more gray head.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Distribution</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Tfctlc_UFoIpFqtRZuGYWmX1YQKUCue6SKoNpcMV8RqAMW6mpxNFZx6Y1WD9QclHC7-ki4VS31ELz2ng4C8Me4_kspvHlTGpcqghcHhAbNA__QBQXGTI3EVyZCNlI2EjadHOZHICHg/s1600/Eurasian+Wigeon+7+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Tfctlc_UFoIpFqtRZuGYWmX1YQKUCue6SKoNpcMV8RqAMW6mpxNFZx6Y1WD9QclHC7-ki4VS31ELz2ng4C8Me4_kspvHlTGpcqghcHhAbNA__QBQXGTI3EVyZCNlI2EjadHOZHICHg/s320/Eurasian+Wigeon+7+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" width="320" /></a>It breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. It is the Old World counterpart of North America's American Wigeon. It is strongly migratory and winters further south than its breeding range. It migrates to southern Asia and Africa. In Great Britain and Ireland the Eurasian Wigeon is common as a winter visitor, but scarce as a breeding bird in Scotland, the Lake District, the Pennines and occasionally further south, with only a handful of breeding pairs in Ireland. It can be found as an uncommon winter visitor in the United States on the mid-Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is a rare visitor to the rest of the United States except for the Four Corners and the southern Appalachians.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Behaviour and habitat</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjun0d0NkQTm2_YJsf267jilh1RxMiyU_ZNlY328QmW8rRjNtIfUbVloP5pMvdzW3710_emi9dHDICNDbbTzf76zGjHdPqay_S75YXR1YlEoxQuFMIYsS3zNuQsKlVyvMaaMyHbwrQBQUE/s1600/Eurasian+Wigeon+6+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjun0d0NkQTm2_YJsf267jilh1RxMiyU_ZNlY328QmW8rRjNtIfUbVloP5pMvdzW3710_emi9dHDICNDbbTzf76zGjHdPqay_S75YXR1YlEoxQuFMIYsS3zNuQsKlVyvMaaMyHbwrQBQUE/s320/Eurasian+Wigeon+6+bird+flight+bolg+spot+birds+flights.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Eurasian Wigeon is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing, which it does very readily. It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. It is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks. They will join with flocks of the American Wigeon in the United States, and they also hybridize with them. This is a noisy species. The male has a clear whistle that sounds like: "pjiew pjiew", whereas the female has a low growl : "rawr".<br />
The Eurasian Wigeon is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Its conservation status is Least Concern. In China eurasian wigeons are considered at delicacy.<br />
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</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Spotted Sandpiper</b></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius syn. Actitis macularia) is a small shorebird, 18–20 cm long. Together with its sister species, the Common Sandpiper (A. hypoleucos) they make up the genus Actitis. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may settle down with breeders of the other species and hybridize.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguztxNyfFT5GTRlOA3Wwbk4Et4hlY9tiH5elRCTM9-MUgE8lFB5mzp0BX4s4tiXYrv8IyfLwOlYDjo-EE-9nQso85tN1OvtDbYTDQJSMeFvrWG0eITlXalFTtC5dLoqhecUgTQlPjOIj4/s1600/spotted+Sandpiper+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguztxNyfFT5GTRlOA3Wwbk4Et4hlY9tiH5elRCTM9-MUgE8lFB5mzp0BX4s4tiXYrv8IyfLwOlYDjo-EE-9nQso85tN1OvtDbYTDQJSMeFvrWG0eITlXalFTtC5dLoqhecUgTQlPjOIj4/s320/spotted+Sandpiper+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Their breeding habitat is near fresh water across most of Canada and the United States. They migrate to the southern United States and South America, and are very rare vagrants to western Europe. These are not gregarious birds and are seldom seen in flocks.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI3qTz1c6OTfV8qUK-Wv-mBZB8wLCigszt3YjAI1YvmkHaF91m6b4TkpcbLHIKD6eBjFIAgpn_YQkQsfN4os9T7yFPI1zYmYudwGDqoPzavdwgjagzO7SZRlcJXh4pLzjelCFVc4lkPg/s1600/spotted+Sandpiper+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI3qTz1c6OTfV8qUK-Wv-mBZB8wLCigszt3YjAI1YvmkHaF91m6b4TkpcbLHIKD6eBjFIAgpn_YQkQsfN4os9T7yFPI1zYmYudwGDqoPzavdwgjagzO7SZRlcJXh4pLzjelCFVc4lkPg/s200/spotted+Sandpiper+6.jpg" width="200" /></a>Adults have short yellowish legs and an orange bill with a dark tip. The body is brown on top and white underneath with black spots. Non-breeding birds, depicted below, do not have the spotted underparts, and are very similar to the Common Sandpiper of Eurasia; the main difference is the more washed-out wing pattern visible in flight and the normally light yellow legs and feet of the Spotted Sandpiper. The Actitis species have a distinctive stiff-winged flight low over the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAFEu7cj7SbyekcJ-XXTU5iCxDhT35lWTEcJ10Nj-CGXd04emGt3yO4SkoMmZcO3dDeEKluBiAyTNXGV9bun0Iz_6bZc_v-g574ACGDcTAPbhJfHFjPHMceEyql_f0Gs1eeEkrsV_v0E/s1600/spotted+Sandpiper+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAFEu7cj7SbyekcJ-XXTU5iCxDhT35lWTEcJ10Nj-CGXd04emGt3yO4SkoMmZcO3dDeEKluBiAyTNXGV9bun0Iz_6bZc_v-g574ACGDcTAPbhJfHFjPHMceEyql_f0Gs1eeEkrsV_v0E/s320/spotted+Sandpiper+7.jpg" width="320" /></a>Spotted Sandpipers nest on the ground. During each summer breeding season, females may mate with and lay clutches for more than one male, leaving incubation to them. Male parents of first clutches may father chicks in later male's clutchs, probably due to sperm storage within female reproductive tracts, which is common in birds. Females that fail to find additional mates usually help incubate and rear chicks. "Prior to incubation, blood plasma concentrations of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone are substantially higher in males than in females" and these levels plummet 25-fold in males as incubation proceeds. Additionally, mated females have testosterone concentrations that are 7 times higher than those of unmated females.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These birds forage on ground or water, picking up food by sight. They may also catch insects in flight. They eat insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. As they forage, they can be recognized by their constant nodding and teetering.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-47008938223913538162011-05-15T11:08:00.000-07:002011-05-15T11:08:53.012-07:00Wood Sandpiper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;"><b>Wood Sandpiper</b></span><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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The Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola, is a small wader. This Eurasian species is the smallest of the shanks, which are mid-sized long-legged waders of the family Scolopacidae.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description and systematics</span></b><br />
It resembles a longer-legged and more delicate Green (T. ochropus) or Solitary Sandpiper (T. solitaria) with a short fine bill, brown back and longer yellowish legs. It differs from the first of those species in a smaller and less contrasting white rump patch, while the Solitary Sandpiper nas no white rump patch at all.<br />
However, it is not very closely related to these two species. Rather, its closest relative is the Common Redshank (T. totanus), and these two share a sister relationship with the Marsh Sandpiper (T. stagnatilis). These three species are a group of smallish shanks with red or yellowish legs, a breeding plumage that is generally subdued light brown above with some darker mottling and with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast and neck.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Ecology</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUREG5khkeh0AcawRieWWgTdFhxpK83EpxcbWqq-equUp1FCtdbv9cGD4a31TSIS2a5Sn2PHoxQbWO5TvFO1b_esb5IGGtGG05RRrbJFEFLqhKAJYFVHFSHx3a7mGEsWmdOxbN4QKIZw/s1600/Wood+Sandpiper+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUREG5khkeh0AcawRieWWgTdFhxpK83EpxcbWqq-equUp1FCtdbv9cGD4a31TSIS2a5Sn2PHoxQbWO5TvFO1b_esb5IGGtGG05RRrbJFEFLqhKAJYFVHFSHx3a7mGEsWmdOxbN4QKIZw/s320/Wood+Sandpiper+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Wood Sandpiper breeds in subarctic wetlands from the Scottish Highlands across Europe and Asia. They migrate to Africa and southern Asia, particularly India. Vargant birds have been seen as far into the Pacific as the Hawaiian Islands. In Micronesia it is a regular visitor to the Marianas Islands (where flocks of up to 32 birds are reported) and Palau; it is recorded on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands about once per decade. This species is encountered in the western Pacific region between mid-October and mid-May<br />
This bird is usually found on freshwater during migration and wintering. They forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud, and mainly eat insects and similar small prey. T. glareola nests on the ground or uses an abandoned old tree nest of another bird, such as the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris).<br />
The Wood Sandpiper is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.<br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-46476064774115019482011-05-15T08:14:00.000-07:002011-05-15T08:16:40.170-07:00Great White Pelican<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Rosy Pelican</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Great White Pelican</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"></span></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Great White Pelican</span></b></div><br />
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<div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></div><div style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus also known as the Eastern White Pelican or White Pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and in Africa in swamps and shallow lakes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Description</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlbaq05Uwd76xae7NEYBqhTdVo-W-2TdlCzOOSFoKs5N9tob_ijQZE2XvqxRpjGD-baMZX5jXl_a7xldtSHy37-Go0I97qdlbCltzm50DnbgQEe51BvTUrvPqHtfQrHb1dRLBYSeO9yg/s1600/Rosy+Pelican+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlbaq05Uwd76xae7NEYBqhTdVo-W-2TdlCzOOSFoKs5N9tob_ijQZE2XvqxRpjGD-baMZX5jXl_a7xldtSHy37-Go0I97qdlbCltzm50DnbgQEe51BvTUrvPqHtfQrHb1dRLBYSeO9yg/s320/Rosy+Pelican+6.jpg" width="320" /></a>Great White Pelicans are large birds with mass of 10 kg (22 lbs), 160 cm (63 in) long and with a 280 cm (110 inch) wingspan. It differs from the Dalmatian Pelican, the only larger species of pelican, by its pure white, rather than greyish-white, plumage, a bare pink facial patch around the eye and pinkish legs. Males are larger than females, and have a long beak that grows in a downwards arc, as opposed to the shorter, straighter beak of the female. Immature birds are grey and have dark flight feathers. In flight, it is an elegant soaring bird, with the head held close to and aligned with the body by a downward bend in the neck. In breeding condition the male has pinkish skin on is face and the female has orangery skin.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great White Pelican is well adapted for aquatic life. The short strong legs and webbed feet propel it in water and aid the rather awkward takeoff from the water surface. Once aloft, the long-winged pelicans are powerful fliers, however, and often travel in spectacular V-formation groups. The pelican's pouch is simply a scoop. As the pelican pushes its bill underwater, the lower bill bows out, creating a large pouch which fills with water and fish. As the bird lifts its head, the pouch contracts, forcing out the water but retaining the fish. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zpy66mK-5R5cREvV6Me2zExEGT1DKs13_VOOTKoEA-cinW3TGM5h_Kzyh-2h0s_Ftx6R3K8l70Iu8U3r4ZP6LQSb6Z1vheSu1ip65ebpxLvQEmqUZfPPkta3K_j2BTirMoxp1gA6b5o/s1600/Rosy+Pelican+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zpy66mK-5R5cREvV6Me2zExEGT1DKs13_VOOTKoEA-cinW3TGM5h_Kzyh-2h0s_Ftx6R3K8l70Iu8U3r4ZP6LQSb6Z1vheSu1ip65ebpxLvQEmqUZfPPkta3K_j2BTirMoxp1gA6b5o/s1600/Rosy+Pelican+5.jpg" /></a>A group of 6 to 8 great white pelicans will gather in a horseshoe formation in the water to feed together. They dip their bills in unison, creating a circle of open pouches, ready to trap every fish in the area. Large numbers of these pelicans breed together in colonies. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The female lays 2 to 4 eggs. Nest location varies with some populations making stick nests in trees and others, such as those in Africa, nesting exclusively in scrapes on the ground lined with grass, sticks, feathers and other material. The young are cared for by both parents.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Distribution and habitat</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pair in breeding condition in Walvis Bay, Namibia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well scattered groups occur from the eastern Mediterranean through to Vietnam and south to South Africa. Sedentary populations are found year-round in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert although these are patchy, occurring mainly in coastal, estuarine areas and around very large inland water bodies. Migratory populations are found from Eastern Europe to Kazakstan during the breeding season and from northeast Africa through Iraq to north India in the winter. More than 50% of Great White Pelicans breed in the Danube Delta in Romania.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Behaviour</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The diet of the Great White Pelican consists mainly of fish.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Each pelican needs about 1.4 kg of fish every day. This corresponds to around 28 million kilograms of fish every year consumed at the largest colony of Great White Pelicans, on Tanzania’s Lake Rukwa, with almost 75000 birds.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui_Tj-qdfpNCxgaLYlLwZkBoD79Cee3ZDsJYkNsd_EJLWMyn7pVHIJrFdTNJuwwUX1pkLPfuRdBLpjtl4d10FnaHta2ARZoGOYn92vnIOoRNRzq5yEv2YdpzDoKzsWxNDxwfcRvW1qFw/s1600/Rosy+Pelican+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui_Tj-qdfpNCxgaLYlLwZkBoD79Cee3ZDsJYkNsd_EJLWMyn7pVHIJrFdTNJuwwUX1pkLPfuRdBLpjtl4d10FnaHta2ARZoGOYn92vnIOoRNRzq5yEv2YdpzDoKzsWxNDxwfcRvW1qFw/s320/Rosy+Pelican+4.jpg" width="320" /></a> Pelicans are not restricted to fish, however, and are often opportunistic foragers. In some situations they eat chicks of other birds, such as the well documented case off the southwest coast of South Africa. Here breeding Pelicans from the Dassen Island colony predate chicks up to 2 kg from the Cape Gannet colony on Malgas Island. Great White Pelicans also eat crustaceans, tadpoles and even turtles. They readily accept handouts from humans, and a number of unusual items have been recorded in their diet. During periods of starvation, pelicans also eat seagulls and ducklings. The gulls are held under water and drowned before being eaten headfirst. Pelicans will also rob other birds of their prey.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Relationships with humans</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoHQ7fqnilNQGK3y0qFMZMxm1k37aD4za7h1-5Uz0UvzlMzH-52xptJMWxR2c-jO8ijMH8sUpUx-3TA7mbu_mHXcpiyrxv0Mo20pB2kOgxt_7Us4h4jB9QSTxZcHbeIdJTSt93sDix8U/s1600/Rosy+Pelican+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoHQ7fqnilNQGK3y0qFMZMxm1k37aD4za7h1-5Uz0UvzlMzH-52xptJMWxR2c-jO8ijMH8sUpUx-3TA7mbu_mHXcpiyrxv0Mo20pB2kOgxt_7Us4h4jB9QSTxZcHbeIdJTSt93sDix8U/s320/Rosy+Pelican+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Today, because of overfishing in certain areas, White Pelicans are forced to fly long distances to find food. Great white pelicans are exploited for many reasons. Their pouch is used to make tobacco bags, Their skin is turned into leather, the guano is used as fertiliser, and the fat of young pelicans is converted into oils for traditional medicine in China and India. Human disturbance, loss of foraging habitat and breeding sites, and pollution are all contributing to the decline of the Great White Pelican.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great White Pelican is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.The great white pelican is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List 2006 and is listed on Appendices I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species. It is listed on Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats and on Annex I of the EC Birds Directive.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This species is often kept in captivity, in zoos or in semi-wild colonies such as that in St. James's Park, London. The ancestors of this colony were originally given to Charles II by the Russian Ambassador in 1664 which initiated the tradition of ambassadors donating the birds.</span><br />
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</span></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-58280964832055972011-05-15T07:33:00.003-07:002011-05-15T07:33:41.406-07:00Cedar Waxwing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Cedar Waxwing</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">The Cedar Waxwing</span></b></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">The Cedar Wax</span></b></span></span></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskw_1XP9op7lkER_7Zonn-S9Qt3WYy5JN63fDoHlMelJctiSeVYQPQZg5ce1VG7kX0pWCOP2qsnQrr70OGRgeWQ4K8bcwHmkHcrQrIctHymRVvMSpotB-QhSMdjfWTGCDinGDR99v8Zw/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskw_1XP9op7lkER_7Zonn-S9Qt3WYy5JN63fDoHlMelJctiSeVYQPQZg5ce1VG7kX0pWCOP2qsnQrr70OGRgeWQ4K8bcwHmkHcrQrIctHymRVvMSpotB-QhSMdjfWTGCDinGDR99v8Zw/s320/Cedar+Waxwing1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Cedar Waxwing</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span><br />
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The Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF5EtIOuXubqiS29rE7PM8lEaZ7VvHKxwoqC-vBUZ4IyscV90iTn4PGYPTzj-UH2c5oKRZt7YL9yJIRai5PvETjQ3NdGFqMPjgZ91LJiGboOvwDuuGdX9hyp1XpusBpvx5grhWBmNEXQ/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF5EtIOuXubqiS29rE7PM8lEaZ7VvHKxwoqC-vBUZ4IyscV90iTn4PGYPTzj-UH2c5oKRZt7YL9yJIRai5PvETjQ3NdGFqMPjgZ91LJiGboOvwDuuGdX9hyp1XpusBpvx5grhWBmNEXQ/s320/Cedar+Waxwing3.jpg" width="295" /></a>Cedar waxwings are approximately 6–7 in (15–18 cm) long and weigh roughly 30 grams. They are smaller and more brown than their close relative, the Bohemian Waxwing (which breeds farther to the north and west).<br />
These birds' most prominent feature is a small cluster of bright red feathers on the wings, a feature they share with the Bohemian Waxwing (but not the Japanese Waxwing). The tail is typically yellow or orange depending on diet. Birds that have fed on berries of introduced Eurasian honeysuckles while growing tail feathers will have darker orange-tipped tail-feathers. Adults have a pale yellow belly. Immature birds are streaked on the throat and flanks, and often do not have the black mask of the adults.<br />
During courtship the male and female will sit together and pass small objects back and forth, such as flower petals or an insect. Mating pairs will sometimes rub their beaks together affectionately.<br />
The flight of waxwings is strong and direct, and the movement of the flock in flight resembles that of a flock of small pale European Starlings.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Vocalizations</b></span><br />
The calls of these birds include very high-pitched whistles and buzzy trills often represented as see or sree.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Seasonal movements</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmZOdP9FxA1p2ux3KHUmEevuamfaZEnd32GXxEnByYEpml-2ggb6bM545w4D9QDkwo8mMxugqctD7QNw3IVcQzAOjz2yx0EM2jPPQ1VNHBcCt4q7rjD0igNLaBoK4NswlmCIZZ3IS1_U/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmZOdP9FxA1p2ux3KHUmEevuamfaZEnd32GXxEnByYEpml-2ggb6bM545w4D9QDkwo8mMxugqctD7QNw3IVcQzAOjz2yx0EM2jPPQ1VNHBcCt4q7rjD0igNLaBoK4NswlmCIZZ3IS1_U/s320/Cedar+Waxwing4.jpg" width="320" /></a>Outside the breeding season, Cedar Waxwings often feed in large flocks numbering hundreds of birds. This species is irruptive, with erratic winter movements, though most of the population migrates farther south into the United States and beyond, sometimes reaching as far as northern South America. They will move in huge numbers if berry supplies are low. Rare vagrants have reached western Europe, and there are two recorded occurrences of Cedar Waxwing sightings in Great Britain. Individual Bohemian Waxwings will occasionally join large winter flocks of Cedar Waxwings.<br />
In winter, these birds can be very confident and will come into gardens for berry bushes and trees and to drink from fountains or bird baths.<br />
Cedar waxwings fly at 25 miles per hour and fly at an altitude of 2000 ft.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Diet</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KWvEaHjgai635dFa-CyV-ahv6ybvTzkGh7pWvxMXpuPf2J5GJDW8_JRLVRqp3BmlDIlDgqukeDrpT0R8RFFqov1oMUCN4mGJYPCoVfOSyiFexMbFu0GuwFBpKs4IOwcELOKRPpvMzEM/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KWvEaHjgai635dFa-CyV-ahv6ybvTzkGh7pWvxMXpuPf2J5GJDW8_JRLVRqp3BmlDIlDgqukeDrpT0R8RFFqov1oMUCN4mGJYPCoVfOSyiFexMbFu0GuwFBpKs4IOwcELOKRPpvMzEM/s320/Cedar+Waxwing6.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Cedar Waxwing eats berries and sugary fruit year-round, with insects becoming an important part of the diet in the breeding season. Its fondness for the small cones of the Eastern Redcedar (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">a kind of juniper</span>) gave this bird its common name.<br />
When the end of a twig holds a supply of berries that only one bird at a time can reach, members of a flock may line up along the twig and pass berries beak to beak down the line so that each bird gets a chance to eat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitplKkQxlojmhM8rHHVDubXQBJQpwlv_GinfbfOZ9R5HwnKbym3Y1g70H6jbShmwjPtfuVKd9acHatnUVpO2YLNOhNudVTxcidnJw8l8rFNQjQ7_SOhkDyB6Dmr8n36NnALIGaTiyBolw/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitplKkQxlojmhM8rHHVDubXQBJQpwlv_GinfbfOZ9R5HwnKbym3Y1g70H6jbShmwjPtfuVKd9acHatnUVpO2YLNOhNudVTxcidnJw8l8rFNQjQ7_SOhkDyB6Dmr8n36NnALIGaTiyBolw/s200/Cedar+Waxwing2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Habitat</b></span><br />
Preferred habitat consists of trees at the edge of wooded areas, or "open" forests, especially those that provide access to berry sources as well as water. Waxwings are attracted to the sound of running water, and love to bathe in and drink from shallow creeks. In urban or suburban environments, waxwings often favor parkland with well-spaced trees; golf courses, cemeteries, or other landscaping with well-spaced trees; bushes that provide berries; and a water source, including fountains or birdbaths, is always a big plus. If you have a love for these birds, you will want to have berry bushes near you.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Nesting</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMMe-x7Tzdz9u34sz8beDvTprNekrzwYnw4XPSfizdifWe4r6KWs_tDwZ_RMTPcebzGSy8XPlXsr61-bPHAc8jZG8aepv7NTwYHR8QYsGzNnAAyiw4IbWUJm6ZnVKfjCRwZ8Pob8yB9A/s1600/Cedar+Waxwing5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqMMe-x7Tzdz9u34sz8beDvTprNekrzwYnw4XPSfizdifWe4r6KWs_tDwZ_RMTPcebzGSy8XPlXsr61-bPHAc8jZG8aepv7NTwYHR8QYsGzNnAAyiw4IbWUJm6ZnVKfjCRwZ8Pob8yB9A/s320/Cedar+Waxwing5.jpg" width="294" /></a>The nest is a loose open cup built with grass and twigs, lined with softer materials and supported by a tree branch averaging 2 to 6 meters above ground but, at times, considerably higher. The outer diameter of the nest is approximately 12 cm to 16 cm.<br />
During courtship, the pair may pass a flower petal or insect back and forth repeatedly. Usually 5 or 6 eggs are laid and the female incubates them for 12 to 16 days. The eggs are oval shaped with a smooth surface and very little, if any, gloss. The egg shells are of various shades of light or bluish grey with irregular, dark brown spots or greyish-brown splotches. Both parents build the nest and feed the young. Typically, there are two broods during the mating season. Young leave the nest about 14 to 18 days after hatching.<br />
Cedar Waxwings are also known as the Southern Waxwing, Canada Robin, Cedar Bird, Cherry Bird, or Recellet.<br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-26861464430233663072011-05-15T07:33:00.002-07:002011-05-15T07:33:37.032-07:00Common Teal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBp755xLHRXTDNsauVHLOa6oqKggzL_S9V-L24cZvQzwA4VqrcYtggL91GKHtqhd8NtLI25-JcRZAeF7EunkVCJHmPhOPfV-4jiHiGX3ZDNe2a1ucCLRp47njdd18_vJY9w8HKVIdBVk/s1600/Common+Teal+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBp755xLHRXTDNsauVHLOa6oqKggzL_S9V-L24cZvQzwA4VqrcYtggL91GKHtqhd8NtLI25-JcRZAeF7EunkVCJHmPhOPfV-4jiHiGX3ZDNe2a1ucCLRp47njdd18_vJY9w8HKVIdBVk/s320/Common+Teal+1.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Common Teal</span><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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The Common Teal or Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Common Teal is often called simply "the teal" due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range. The bird gives its name to the blue-green colour teal.<br />
It is a highly gregarious duck outside the breeding season and can form large flocks. It is commonly found in sheltered wetlands and feeds on seeds and aquatic invertebrates.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Description</b></span><br />
The Common Teal is the smallest dabbling duck alive (with an exception of the Bufflehead ducks) at 34–43 cm (13–17 in) length and with an average weight of 360 g (13 oz) in drake (males) and 340 g (12 oz) in hens (females). The wings are 17.5-20.4 cm (6.9-8.0 in) long, yielding a wingspan of 53–59 cm (21–23 in). The bill measures 3.2–4 cm (1.3-1.6 in) in length, and the tarsus 2.8-3.4 cm (1.1-1.3 in).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z6I10shae4Upsk-qwZ49y_lHnP96bCE6Bp8y3yq135aVwAJs1xAFZy7gbQqzkz_qjsfde99qISrOHNMztsmRisXklVVLFP60aCZ8-zAFFBP7RusFs3uVvpK5l0gormT1WPfzFkj7Lws/s1600/Common+Teal+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z6I10shae4Upsk-qwZ49y_lHnP96bCE6Bp8y3yq135aVwAJs1xAFZy7gbQqzkz_qjsfde99qISrOHNMztsmRisXklVVLFP60aCZ8-zAFFBP7RusFs3uVvpK5l0gormT1WPfzFkj7Lws/s320/Common+Teal+6.jpg" width="320" /></a>From a distance, the drakes in nuptial plumage appear grey, with a dark head, a yellowish behind, and a white stripe running along the flanks. Their head and upper neck is chestnut, with a wide and iridescent dark green patch of half-moon- or teardrop-shape that starts immediately before the eye and arcs to the upper hindneck. The patch is bordered with thin yellowsh-white lines, and a single line of that colour extends from the patch's forward end, curving along the base of the bill. The breast is buff with small round brown spots. The center of the belly is white, and the rest of the body plumage is mostly white with thin and dense blackish vermiculations, appearing medium grey even at a short distance. The outer scapular feathers are white, with a black border to the outer vanes, and form the white side-stripe when the bird is in resting position. The primary remiges are dark greyish brown; the speculum feathers are iridescent blackish-green with white tips, and form the speculum together with the yellowish-white tips of the larger upperwing coverts (which are otherwise grey). The underwing is whitish, with grey remiges, dense dark spotting on the inner coverts and a dark leading edge. The tail and tail coverts are black, with a bright yellowish-buff triangular patch in the center of the coverts at each side.<br />
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In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the hen; it is more uniform in colour, with a dark head and vestigial facial markings. The hen itself is yellowish-brown, somewhat darker on wings and back. It has a dark greyish-brown upper head, hindneck, eyestripe and feather pattern. The pattern is dense short streaks on the head and neck, and scaly spots on the rest of the body; overall they look much like a tiny Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) hen when at rest. The wings are coloured similar to the drake's, but with brown instead of grey upperwing coverts that have less wide tips, and wider tips of the speculum feathers. The hen's rectrices have yellowish-white tips; the midbelly is whitish with some dark streaking.<br />
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Immatures are coloured much like hens, but have a stronger pattern. The downy young are coloured like in other dabbling ducks: brown above and yellow below, with a yellow supercilium. They are recognizable by their tiny size however, weighing just 15 grams (about half an ounce) at hatching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzIkeYYUIOXcxiiyXU_xiNzcRsTync-SjkAhY-i8Men39ATbGJO8b__jIvGo4ah7WBldpEDABUU8yMqrljE4HY3iYWp1KIfBEBodu6vGriCsf1PjkDptQAKP4b1lT0Bwpu8t84CdlcR8/s1600/Common+Teal+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzIkeYYUIOXcxiiyXU_xiNzcRsTync-SjkAhY-i8Men39ATbGJO8b__jIvGo4ah7WBldpEDABUU8yMqrljE4HY3iYWp1KIfBEBodu6vGriCsf1PjkDptQAKP4b1lT0Bwpu8t84CdlcR8/s320/Common+Teal+5.jpg" width="320" /></a>The drake's bill is dark grey, in eclipse plumage often with some light greenish or brownish hue at the base. The bill of hens and immatures is pinkish or yellowish at the base, becoming dark grey towards the tip; the grey expands basewards as the birds age. The feet are dark grey in males and greyish olive or greyish-brown in females and immatures. The iris is always brown.<br />
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This is a noisy species. The male whistles cryc or creelycc, not loud but very clear and far-carrying. The female has a feeble keh or neeh quack.<br />
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Males in nuptial plumage are distinguished from Green-winged Teals by the horizontal white scapular stripe, the lack of a vertical white bar at the breast sides, and the quite conspicuous light outlines of the face patch, which are indistinct in the Green-winged Teal drake. Males in eclipse plumage, females and immatures are best recognised by their small size, calls, and the speculum; they are hard to tell apart from the Green-winged Teal however.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Taxonomy</span></b><br />
The Common Teal belongs to the "true" teals, a group of small Anas dabbling ducks closely related to the Mallard (A. platyrhynchos) and its relatives; that latter group in fact seems to have evolved from a true teal. It forms a superspecies with the Green-winged Teal and the Speckled Teal (A. flavirostris). A proposed subspecies, A. c. nimia of the Aleutian Islands, differs only in slightly larger size; it is probably not distinct.<br />
Whether the Common and Green-winged teals are to be treated as one or two species is still being reviewed by the AOU, while the IUCN and BirdLife International separate them nowadays.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZh6Qjc5IHyBzSmJJnKjGSB5ySKv-qKAQqrs0M5k0Ab8hdh0rplMqRV5f9_iefsCW0dLjtLBIJR4pYyJXBxbDF5lu3j6H-ZGcz0AF2NrdWYY1q0rbwUk5rL7eB96L0T5hKtG6EKyGDoU/s1600/Common+Teal+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZh6Qjc5IHyBzSmJJnKjGSB5ySKv-qKAQqrs0M5k0Ab8hdh0rplMqRV5f9_iefsCW0dLjtLBIJR4pYyJXBxbDF5lu3j6H-ZGcz0AF2NrdWYY1q0rbwUk5rL7eB96L0T5hKtG6EKyGDoU/s320/Common+Teal+4.jpg" width="320" /></a> Despite the almost identical and highly apomorphic nuptial plumage of their males, which continues to puzzle scientists (see the Green-winged Teal page for a discussion of the species' phylogeny), they seem well distinct species, as indicated by a wealth of behavioural, morphological and molecular data.<br />
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The Common Teal was first scientifically named by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 edition of Systema naturae. His Latin description reads: [Anas] macula alarum viridi, linea alba supra infraque oculos – "a duck with green speculum, a white line above and below the eyes" – and his primary reference was the bird's description in his earlier work Fauna Svecica.<br />
In fact, the description he used in Systema Naturae was the name under which the bird went in the Fauna Svecica, demonstrating the value of his new binomial nomenclature by compressing the long-winded names formerly used in biological classification into much simpler scientific names like Anas crecca. Linnaeus also noted in his description that earlier authors had already written about the Common Teal at length: Conrad Gessner had described it in the Historiae animalium as the anas parva ("small duck") among his querquedulae ("teals"); Ulisse Aldrovandi had called it phascade or querquedula minor ("lesser teal"), and was duly referenced by Francis Willughby who named the species querquedula secunda Aldrovandi ("the second teal of Aldrovandus". John Ray may be credited with formally introducing the name "Common Teal", while Eleazar Albin called it simply "the teal". As regards the type locality Linnaeus simply remarked that it inhabits freshwater ecosystems in Europe.<br />
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The specific name of Linnaeus is onomatopoetic, referring to the male's characteristic call which was already discussed by Linnaeus' sources. Thus, the scientific name of the Common Teal – unchanged since Linnaeus' time – translates as "duck that makes cryc"; common names like the Bokmål krikkand, Danish krikand and German Krickente mean the same.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Distribution and habitat</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCFzxjCwx0h0g7Jo2zrR0hKdqF0Yo1CN11ntAcsDwQZ2T0ibgRqUuawNaCalDywqnvpUgnNDRsjh0dXdgcfIsKEIcS6zajMJLTyn8dy-_YrjRj4ZHJGfrcXHjm1p6hmAWHVEpUIDbP_A/s1600/Common+Teal+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCFzxjCwx0h0g7Jo2zrR0hKdqF0Yo1CN11ntAcsDwQZ2T0ibgRqUuawNaCalDywqnvpUgnNDRsjh0dXdgcfIsKEIcS6zajMJLTyn8dy-_YrjRj4ZHJGfrcXHjm1p6hmAWHVEpUIDbP_A/s320/Common+Teal+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Common Teal breeds across northern Eurasia and mostly winters well south of its breeding range. However, in the milder climate of temperate Europe, the summer and winter ranges overlap. For example, in the United Kingdom a small summer population breeds, but far greater numbers of Siberian birds arrive in winter. In the Caucasus region, western Asia Minor, along the northern shores of the Black Sea, and even on the south coast of Iceland and on the Vestmannaeyjar, the species can be encountered all year, too.<br />
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In winter, there are high densities around the Mediterranean – including the entire Iberian Peninsula and extending west to Mauretania –, on Japan and Taiwan, as well as in South Asia. Other important wintering locations include almost the entire length of the Nile Valley, the Near East and Persian Gulf region, the mountain ranges of northern Iran, and South Korea and continental East and Southeast Asia. More isolated wintering grounds are Lake Victoria, the Senegal River estuary, the swamps of the upper Congo River, the inland and sea deltas of the Niger River, and the central Indus River valley.<br />
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Vagrants have been seen in inland Zaire, Malaysia, on Greenland, and on the Marianas, Palau and Yap in Micronesia; they are regularly recorded on the North American coasts south to California and South Carolina.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3uhSyUoekTDZ_3gS2JvnlTYS9dYe30Tayc4Sl6_Jh14kGIrncyU_n3b5H97w8w9moIvSEIeO2_xbr0yQvTmu6tpxz7_YAfa-02kcSgm_-kbTEOGgjzlx-zi9K66_Dh91SCa2S1K2cn4/s1600/Common+Teal+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3uhSyUoekTDZ_3gS2JvnlTYS9dYe30Tayc4Sl6_Jh14kGIrncyU_n3b5H97w8w9moIvSEIeO2_xbr0yQvTmu6tpxz7_YAfa-02kcSgm_-kbTEOGgjzlx-zi9K66_Dh91SCa2S1K2cn4/s320/Common+Teal+3.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>Altogether, the Common Teal is much less common than its American counterpart, though still very plentiful. Its numbers are mainly assessed by counts of wintering birds; some 750,000 are recorded annually around the Mediterranean and Black Seas, 250,000 in temperate western Europe, and more than 110,000 in Japan. In 1990 and 1991, a more detailed census was undertaken, yielding over 210,000 birds wintering in Iran, some 109,000 in Pakistan, about 77,000 in Azerbaidzhan, some 37,000 in India, 28,000 in Israel, over 14,000 in Turkmenistan and almost 12,000 in Taiwan. It appears to be holding its own currently, with its slow decline of maybe 1-2% annually in the 1990s – presumably mainly due to drainage and pollution of wetlands – not warranting action other than continuing to monitor the population and possibly providing better protection for habitat on the wintering grounds. The IUCN and BirdLife International classify the Common Teal as a Species of Least Concern, unchanged from their assessment before the split of the more numerous A. carolinensis.<br />
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The Common Teal is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Behaviour</b></span><br />
This dabbling duck is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks. In flight, the fast, twisting flocks resemble waders; despite its short legs, it is also rather nimble on the ground by ducks' standards. In the breeding season, it is a common inhabitant of sheltered freshwater wetlands with some tall vegetation, such as taiga bogs or small lakes and ponds with extensive reedbeds. In winter, it is often seen in brackish waters and even in sheltered inlets and lagoons along the seashore.<br />
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The Common Teal usually feeds by dabbling, upending or grazing; it may submerge its head and on occasion even dive to reach food. In the breeding season it eats mainly aquatic invertebrates, such as crustaceans, insects and their larvae, molluscs and worms. In winter, it shifts to a largely granivorous diet, feeding on seeds of aquatic plants and grasses, including sedges and grains. Diurnal throughout the breeding season, in winter they are often crepuscular or even nocturnal feeders.<br />
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It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. The pairs form in the winter quarters and arrive on the breeding grounds together, starting about March. The breeding starts some weeks thereafter, not until May in the most northernly locations.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3BZvzM7Vo9Cc1pGROe2EjeRENSzZNYKd0BZ5DOwqkf5NdJPd0jg36SxZX5gIebr5vFc5cKH4MWxi6Eh38LAgnJmB3llfTDfGz7HiCtChufFW8kzc_bgrSAbsjm7iJBDDqnUJGSEY95o/s1600/Common+Teal+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3BZvzM7Vo9Cc1pGROe2EjeRENSzZNYKd0BZ5DOwqkf5NdJPd0jg36SxZX5gIebr5vFc5cKH4MWxi6Eh38LAgnJmB3llfTDfGz7HiCtChufFW8kzc_bgrSAbsjm7iJBDDqnUJGSEY95o/s320/Common+Teal+7.jpg" width="320" /></a> The nest is a deep hollow lined with dry leaves and down feathers, built in dense vegetation near water. After the females have started laying, the males leave them and move away for shorter or longer distances, assembling in flocks on particular lakes where they moult into eclipse plumage; they will usually encounter their offspring only in winter quarters. The clutch may consist of 5-16 eggs, but usually numbers 8-11; they are incubated for 21–23 days.<br />
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The young leave the nest soon after hatching and are attended by the mother for about 25–30 days, after which they fledge. The drakes and the hens with young generally move to the winter quarters separately. After the first winter, the young moult into adult plumage. The maximum recorded lifespan – though it is not clear whether this refers to the Common or the Green-winged Teal – was over 27 years, which is rather high for such a small bird.</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-26405310354054483892011-05-15T07:33:00.001-07:002011-05-15T07:33:21.846-07:00Black winged Stilt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_owYWJeciC6npMPaagg2PGiv6-i1rkjWi4iOgZYsJoOH2ttzJVLsAXckgLf1c9tGa1_Felgu7vTNyTVZG0Yw4eHwxrhyNP0E_IYqPGO3yXAPP8tilWweKWTZ4EmcIrPK8t3Y_XpMrifw/s1600/Black+winged+Stilt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_owYWJeciC6npMPaagg2PGiv6-i1rkjWi4iOgZYsJoOH2ttzJVLsAXckgLf1c9tGa1_Felgu7vTNyTVZG0Yw4eHwxrhyNP0E_IYqPGO3yXAPP8tilWweKWTZ4EmcIrPK8t3Y_XpMrifw/s320/Black+winged+Stilt+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Black-winged Stilt</span></b><br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
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he Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family (Recurvirostridae). Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbWqtcCrmxwnDVrwMb7eqivQko0j5yOtzaKiBgdjmmZ0853SYxxI-pKY54S21dqjG18X_76c-kM1kCsaqow-4ZrLszhQqRRuaTM7ob1gc1Y2py3B7pm4ONue9A5OkMm9rqXyP-iJAsgw/s1600/Black+winged+Stilt+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbWqtcCrmxwnDVrwMb7eqivQko0j5yOtzaKiBgdjmmZ0853SYxxI-pKY54S21dqjG18X_76c-kM1kCsaqow-4ZrLszhQqRRuaTM7ob1gc1Y2py3B7pm4ONue9A5OkMm9rqXyP-iJAsgw/s320/Black+winged+Stilt+8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Adults are 33–36 cm long. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter.<br />
Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Taxonomy and systematics</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16P-9lBM7SxmfEIR86skrCxJyv2TChFKC6pv2XZy-ItmA9wFqyLs_EVYhlIF_ITnZ8DCBQiXl5iAN4QWHMhWY2x1gtyASlCQ2Ng49Lapnrhyphenhyphen6KXSVadoVxEszVjFfope_RuUQJwnnPuU/s1600/Black+winged+Stilt+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16P-9lBM7SxmfEIR86skrCxJyv2TChFKC6pv2XZy-ItmA9wFqyLs_EVYhlIF_ITnZ8DCBQiXl5iAN4QWHMhWY2x1gtyASlCQ2Ng49Lapnrhyphenhyphen6KXSVadoVxEszVjFfope_RuUQJwnnPuU/s320/Black+winged+Stilt+6.jpg" width="320" /></a>The taxonomy of this bird is still somewhat contentious. Some believe that there are as many as five distinct species; others consider some or all of these to be subspecies. In addition, two dubious subspecies are also sometimes listed, but not as independent species.<br />
In the most extensive circumscription, with one species and 5-7 subspecies, this bird is often called Common Stilt. The name Black-winged Stilt on the other hand can specifically refer to the Old World nominate subspecies. The commonly accepted taxa are:<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Black-winged Stilt proper,</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2ezJpEHN270DZ8S0L15sYZDd2OyWZytuEfrxHRZRsUrNVvaxASZV9oQiUfc6ViyS4LQKFApaRXXjfoXDT5YHXFYK_oRWuYG7YQl18ggF-GFx588eEu_2-a1xz3covSyhwVOUxXyETRo/s1600/Black+winged+Stilt+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2ezJpEHN270DZ8S0L15sYZDd2OyWZytuEfrxHRZRsUrNVvaxASZV9oQiUfc6ViyS4LQKFApaRXXjfoXDT5YHXFYK_oRWuYG7YQl18ggF-GFx588eEu_2-a1xz3covSyhwVOUxXyETRo/s200/Black+winged+Stilt+4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> Himantopus himantopus himantopus or H. himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) – including proposed subspecies meridionalis (S Africa) and ceylonensis (Sri Lanka)<br />
W Europe and Mediterranean region to Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia; localized breeder in East Asia (e.g. Taiwan) but more widespread during winter; has become a regular migrant to the Marianas and Saipan and sometimes is seen on other islands in western Micronesia (e.g. Koror, Ngeriungs Islet and Peleliu of Palau) since the late 20th-century. NW populations migrate south to Africa in winter.<br />
Head and neck vary from all-white to white with all-black cap and hindneck, usually with white band across upper back. Sometimes vestigial open black chest band.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">Black-necked Stilt,</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7npXOGh1NHVJv-zKblqmLecssWZtN636ymb6jDLx1cG0ToKJfTZWCYMjo8VaockMzslUzaSfPxq9kKM8nGYyFvn1Zuq2_w9EENY99lJNyh93312a-xE3-ajQIX09aW00kzgbpAi-NKw/s1600/Black+necked+Stilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7npXOGh1NHVJv-zKblqmLecssWZtN636ymb6jDLx1cG0ToKJfTZWCYMjo8VaockMzslUzaSfPxq9kKM8nGYyFvn1Zuq2_w9EENY99lJNyh93312a-xE3-ajQIX09aW00kzgbpAi-NKw/s200/Black+necked+Stilt.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> Southern North America through Central America and Caribbean to N Peru and NE Brazil. Northernmost populations migrate south in winter. Intergrades with White-backed Stilt in C Brazil.<br />
Head and neck always white with black cap down to the eyeline, white spot above eye, black hindneck. Usually no white band across upper back. Often vestigial open black chest band.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">White-backed Stilt,</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtQ-0WfDCcpvmu7ss7jVGyydKSRyxx8Vm6gyHSzvcfyzg_jrE3uH5SZsdoYmRGLjbpkxumH-8o_iqlwBA1r7a9rYoNRXW8juVy2MZa-MOqxC2Q4F7kHzeJ1gjOB4kGUBJ-M1il2ruu2E/s1600/White+backed+Stilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtQ-0WfDCcpvmu7ss7jVGyydKSRyxx8Vm6gyHSzvcfyzg_jrE3uH5SZsdoYmRGLjbpkxumH-8o_iqlwBA1r7a9rYoNRXW8juVy2MZa-MOqxC2Q4F7kHzeJ1gjOB4kGUBJ-M1il2ruu2E/s200/White+backed+Stilt.jpg" width="200" /></a>South America from C Peru and N Chile to SE Brazil and south to SC Argentina. Intergrades with Black-necked Stilt in C Brazil.<br />
Head and neck usually white with black hindneck and a black line from the nape to the eye. Usually has open black chest band and a white band across upper back.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Pied Stilt, </b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8mLaqHut9aQqy5MGbInvL-dxXPapPA_FlDQLYZ_qoktCbaFAoCfQQo_Na9RaCQXazU9I13LZd09eztyMo6ma8ztJiSq7sa998MKhWpUKy2wfCZGxptm9yzpWyYVPCJvkXFNsEgG3LN8/s1600/Pied+Stilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8mLaqHut9aQqy5MGbInvL-dxXPapPA_FlDQLYZ_qoktCbaFAoCfQQo_Na9RaCQXazU9I13LZd09eztyMo6ma8ztJiSq7sa998MKhWpUKy2wfCZGxptm9yzpWyYVPCJvkXFNsEgG3LN8/s200/Pied+Stilt.jpg" width="200" /></a>Java to New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. Southern population winter in the Philippines region.<br />
Head usually all-white, neck white, black behind and with open black chest band. Usually a white band across upper back.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Hawaiian Stilt, </b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy__-gtVsjYIJWDZz6Yd-2HPcy9MhWiu5XRxDxJ4nNiGawtaUZuqCM_QI_oe1TsEONcaN4c30z8FMVLWmPuCbM_YOsz5UaiweNZHFYkeMaXXXgKIexWbvosGTtxc68HrbK_Jpgv5lAl_U/s1600/Hawaiian+Stilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy__-gtVsjYIJWDZz6Yd-2HPcy9MhWiu5XRxDxJ4nNiGawtaUZuqCM_QI_oe1TsEONcaN4c30z8FMVLWmPuCbM_YOsz5UaiweNZHFYkeMaXXXgKIexWbvosGTtxc68HrbK_Jpgv5lAl_U/s200/Hawaiian+Stilt.jpg" width="200" /></a>Hawaiian Islands, where it is the only breeding shorebird<br />
Generally similar to Black-necked Stilt, but black on head and neck more extensive, usually extending below the eye.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Pics</span><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRaxBOM4080YmxtgfIUziTE7PNt2l2YgNL_fd7wjSIC0dGBE0Rkvq4UFjKrQLmsXrVCPCOPCpOLRStUBtilKQXhFqJflUi0fr_WixUlvUWeisYvxwBH5yqc_VH6Y671Msa_i7beGpycA/s1600/Black+winged+Stilt+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRaxBOM4080YmxtgfIUziTE7PNt2l2YgNL_fd7wjSIC0dGBE0Rkvq4UFjKrQLmsXrVCPCOPCpOLRStUBtilKQXhFqJflUi0fr_WixUlvUWeisYvxwBH5yqc_VH6Y671Msa_i7beGpycA/s320/Black+winged+Stilt+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-84541239769846587502011-05-15T07:33:00.000-07:002011-05-15T07:33:07.040-07:00Ruff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XBn8Be_SuHSvEH8WMbJlCTdGJNoTfqrDcSmrG0tpQruSpp0InJwKv1WspbBprflvL6nDBTg9azWlJmOIsSxcJD2R8iZaGYn-roU-tnR3r1HnN5TQtMDC1T4O5J51KQdqy6Do054qLbM/s1600/Ruff+bird+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XBn8Be_SuHSvEH8WMbJlCTdGJNoTfqrDcSmrG0tpQruSpp0InJwKv1WspbBprflvL6nDBTg9azWlJmOIsSxcJD2R8iZaGYn-roU-tnR3r1HnN5TQtMDC1T4O5J51KQdqy6Do054qLbM/s1600/Ruff+bird+2.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Ruff</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-87ZM0hjyIBRQHDO37Hnot9FpMPzdSVF3KsQa4uBlIpmj9Kg_WvcIKzxgqnd-bFkfO2QKKBsf3mWK1RFA0bvLBYDwYIim2oHXBtQUXAvhAmO0JO_rhHrbO2_P8o4jQSBLBmJ7-_Tkcwc/s1600/Ruff+bird+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-87ZM0hjyIBRQHDO37Hnot9FpMPzdSVF3KsQa4uBlIpmj9Kg_WvcIKzxgqnd-bFkfO2QKKBsf3mWK1RFA0bvLBYDwYIim2oHXBtQUXAvhAmO0JO_rhHrbO2_P8o4jQSBLBmJ7-_Tkcwc/s320/Ruff+bird+4.jpg" width="274" /></a><br />
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The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia. It is usually considered to be the only member of its genus, and the Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are its closest relatives.<br />
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The Ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display. The female has one brood per year and lays four eggs in a well-hidden ground nest, incubating the eggs and rearing the chicks, which are mobile soon after hatching, on her own. Predators of wader chicks and eggs include mammals such as foxes, feral cats and stoats, and birds such as large gulls, corvids and skuas.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4OAsIbEoyFP0mTLKK9xtYFVncE6ovwCh1Ma6SoukC__AwPH9daiqGQK3p0QNn9XLcAif9n-8pTZ__uOLeH-FQ13hsphS_IZh_xaLZLjUtn9KBEivom9cINUkKeu1LE0-3q5YbYTyf3c/s1600/Ruff+bird+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4OAsIbEoyFP0mTLKK9xtYFVncE6ovwCh1Ma6SoukC__AwPH9daiqGQK3p0QNn9XLcAif9n-8pTZ__uOLeH-FQ13hsphS_IZh_xaLZLjUtn9KBEivom9cINUkKeu1LE0-3q5YbYTyf3c/s320/Ruff+bird+9.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The Ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter. Classified as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List criteria, the global conservation concerns are relatively low because of the large numbers that breed in Scandinavia and the Arctic. However, the range in much of Europe is contracting because of land drainage, increased fertiliser use, the loss of mown or grazed breeding sites, and over-hunting. This decline has seen it listed in the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Description</b></span><br />
The Ruff has a distinctive gravy boat appearance, with a small head, medium-length bill, longish neck and pot-bellied body. It has long legs that are variable in colour but usually yellow or orange. In flight, it has a deeper, slower wing stroke than other waders of a similar size, and displays a thin, indistinct white bar on the wing, and white ovals on the sides of the tail . This species shows sexual dimorphism. Although a small percentage of males resemble females, the typical male is much larger than the female and has an elaborate breeding plumage. He is 29–32 cm (11.4–12.6 in) long with a 54–60 cm (21.25–23.6 in) wingspan, and weighs about 180 g (6.4 oz). In the May-to-June breeding season, the typical male's legs, bill and warty bare facial skin are orange, and he has distinctive head tufts and a neck ruff. These ornaments vary on individual birds, being black, chestnut or white, with the colouring solid, barred or irregular. The grey-brown back has a scale-like pattern, often with black or chestnut feathers, and the underparts are white with extensive black on the breast. The extreme variability of the main breeding plumage is thought to have developed to aid individual recognition in a species that has communal breeding displays, but is usually mute.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPJDCMkJgLz9FljnQa5mZAYZmWTP3qEeqs5_blLyZE8aU4B4ViQT4kTbWD8opqchHLd41Hz4NXJQjqPbucjsPlVt9GWYeFD-cB5xbFBt9fR5VZcpqXCEeZi99XWEvNHijJCVBFftsC1M/s1600/Ruff+bird+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPJDCMkJgLz9FljnQa5mZAYZmWTP3qEeqs5_blLyZE8aU4B4ViQT4kTbWD8opqchHLd41Hz4NXJQjqPbucjsPlVt9GWYeFD-cB5xbFBt9fR5VZcpqXCEeZi99XWEvNHijJCVBFftsC1M/s320/Ruff+bird+7.jpg" width="320" /></a>Outside the breeding season, the typical male's head and neck decorations and the bare facial skin are lost and the legs and bill become duller. The upperparts are grey-brown, and the underparts are white with grey mottling on the breast and flanks.<br />
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The female, or "reeve", is 22–26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) long with a 46–49 cm (18.1–19.32 in) wingspan, and weighs about 110 g (3.9 oz). In breeding plumage, she has grey-brown upperparts with white-fringed, dark-centred feathers. The breast and flanks are variably blotched with black. In winter, her plumage is similar to that of the male, but the sexes are distinguishable on size. The plumage of the juvenile Ruff resembles the non-breeding adult, but has upperparts with a neat, scale-like pattern with dark feather centres, and a strong buff tinge to the underparts.<br />
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Typical adult male Ruffs start to moult into the main display plumage before their return to the breeding areas, and the proportion of birds with head and neck decorations gradually increases through the spring. Second-year birds lag behind full adults in developing breeding plumage. They have a lower body mass and a slower weight increase than full adults, and perhaps the demands made on their energy reserves during the migration flight are the main reason of the delayed moult.<br />
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Ruffs of both sexes have an additional moult stage between the winter and final summer plumages, a phenomenon also seen in the Bar-tailed Godwit. Before developing the full display finery with coloured ruff and tufts, the males replace part of their winter plumage with striped feathers. Females also develop a mix of winter and striped feathers before reaching their summer appearance. The final male breeding plumage results from the replacement of both winter and striped feathers, but the female retains the striped feathers and replaces only the winter feathers to reach her summer plumage. The striped prenuptial plumages may represent the original breeding appearance of this species, the male's showy nuptial feathers evolving later under strong sexual selection pressures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0Y790Eo5CFCNgMg5v6m9dWomRIrJV_6TQKjyC9i-SfHl6igtYxztNNQxYiceSccOpQjrW-2KADN4qKXbUJ0JUDAFETBB0TosUp1xeUNz13VZR_UW3H7-3pc2hyLjvHt97ulmlpIITpE/s1600/Ruff+bird+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0Y790Eo5CFCNgMg5v6m9dWomRIrJV_6TQKjyC9i-SfHl6igtYxztNNQxYiceSccOpQjrW-2KADN4qKXbUJ0JUDAFETBB0TosUp1xeUNz13VZR_UW3H7-3pc2hyLjvHt97ulmlpIITpE/s320/Ruff+bird+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Adult males and most adult females start their pre-winter moult before returning south, but complete most feather replacement on the wintering grounds. In Kenya, males moult 3–4 weeks ahead of the females, finishing before December, whereas females typically complete feather replacement during December and early January. Juveniles moult from their first summer body plumage into winter plumage during late September to November, and later undergo a pre-breeding moult similar in timing and duration to that of the adults, and often producing as brightly coloured an appearance.<br />
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Two other waders can be confused with the Ruff. The juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a little smaller than a juvenile female Ruff and has a similar rich orange-buff breast, but the Ruff is slimmer with a longer neck and legs, a rounder head, and a much plainer face. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper also resembles a small juvenile Ruff, but even the female Ruff is noticeably larger than the sandpiper, with a longer bill, more rotund body and scaly-patterned upperparts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg262rf-IOl-zXMeClaOLCTze0XmFWcGvJ-xhikymZ0ZncvZpXdbgmxfzErhKlUTq4YFSu392V0LBtSyKQsu5khRFzMNq8aoYVU1cC_a0NP3jORyzyOMwRU1DgFY2puQW3feOXDZSzuJ2k/s1600/Ruff+bird+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg262rf-IOl-zXMeClaOLCTze0XmFWcGvJ-xhikymZ0ZncvZpXdbgmxfzErhKlUTq4YFSu392V0LBtSyKQsu5khRFzMNq8aoYVU1cC_a0NP3jORyzyOMwRU1DgFY2puQW3feOXDZSzuJ2k/s320/Ruff+bird+8.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Distribution and habitat</b></span><br />
The Ruff is a migratory species, breeding in wetlands in colder regions of northern Eurasia, and spends the northern winter in the tropics, mainly in Africa. Some Siberian breeders undertake an annual round trip of up to 30,000 km (18,500 mi) to the West African wintering grounds. There is a limited overlap of the summer and winter ranges in western Europe. The Ruff breeds in extensive lowland freshwater marshes and damp grasslands. It avoids barren tundra and areas badly affected by severe weather, preferring hummocky marshes and deltas with shallow water. The wetter areas provide a source of food, the mounds and slopes may be used for leks, and dry areas with sedge or low scrub offer nesting sites. A Hungarian study showed that moderately intensive grazing of grassland, with more than one cow per hectare (2.5 acres), was found to attract more nesting pairs. When not breeding, the birds use a wider range of shallow wetlands, such as irrigated fields, lake margins, and mining subsidence and other floodlands. Dry grassland, tidal mudflats and the seashore are less frequently used. The density can reach 129 individuals per square kilometre (334 per square mile), but is usually much lower.<br />
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The Ruff breeds in Europe and Asia from Scandinavia and Great Britain almost to the Pacific. In Europe it is found in cool temperate areas, but over its Russian range it is an Arctic species, occurring mainly north of about 65°N. The largest numbers breed in Russia (more than 1 million pairs), Sweden (61,000 pairs), Finland (39,000 pairs) and Norway (14,000 pairs). Although it also breeds from Britain east through the Low Countries to Poland, Germany and Denmark, there are fewer than 2,000 pairs in these more southerly areas.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPecnULs7zJpuhj5ZOOxBrLYBM3NRPbcdaToP8DLf1IXjwdrXBpfnI1VBDAJ-foUqZSxmHhHr5NHSz-yNJCX5SYdjUuv2GayAWgSE_2ctuWG7ec1igMas8-A-1Jk9_xsi9-5JsD_gDQw/s1600/Ruff+bird+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPecnULs7zJpuhj5ZOOxBrLYBM3NRPbcdaToP8DLf1IXjwdrXBpfnI1VBDAJ-foUqZSxmHhHr5NHSz-yNJCX5SYdjUuv2GayAWgSE_2ctuWG7ec1igMas8-A-1Jk9_xsi9-5JsD_gDQw/s320/Ruff+bird+5.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is highly gregarious on migration, travelling in large flocks that can contain hundreds or thousands of individuals. Huge dense groups form on the wintering grounds; one flock in Senegal contained a million birds. A minority winter further east to Burma, south China, New Guinea and scattered parts of southern Australia, or on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe. In Great Britain and parts of coastal western Europe, where the breeding and wintering ranges overlap, birds may be present throughout the year.Non-breeding birds may also remain year round in the tropical wintering quarters. The Ruff is an uncommon visitor to Alaska (where it has occasionally bred), Canada and the contiguous states of the US, and has wandered to Iceland, Central America, northern South America, Madagascar and New Zealand. It has been recorded as breeding well south of its main range in northern Kazakhstan, a major migration stopover area.<br />
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The male, which plays no part in nesting or chick care, leaves the breeding grounds in late June or early July, followed later in July by the female and juveniles. Males typically make shorter flights and winter further north than females; for example, virtually all wintering Ruffs in Britain are males, whereas in Kenya most are females. Many migratory species use this differential wintering strategy, since it reduces feeding competition between the sexes and enables territorial males to reach the breeding grounds as early as possible, improving their chances of successful mating. Male Ruffs may also be able to tolerate colder winter conditions because they are larger than females.<br />
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Birds returning north in spring across the central Mediterranean appear to follow a well-defined route. Large concentrations of Ruffs form every year at particular stopover sites to feed, and individuals marked with rings or dye reappear in subsequent years. The refuelling sites are closer together than the theoretical maximum travel distance calculated from the mean body mass, and provide evidence of a migration strategy using favoured intermediate sites. The Ruff stores fat as a fuel, but unlike mammals, uses lipids as the main energy source for exercise (including migration) and, when necessary, keeps warm by shivering; however, little research has been conducted on the mechanisms by which they oxidise lipids.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Behaviour</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mating</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrHcPT6DsONYiPnw4rLCRI_AdrZypacpazh3WIGIMDF-7_ONolzpmRt7fVrFYZkTS7Um7nc0o6Exi74wu0OM2Rw_QxI_lPvA1s6QbOLlvxVS30BRnzCN5IIJOebNKxulBRoKgFg7Qz9U/s1600/Ruff+bird+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrHcPT6DsONYiPnw4rLCRI_AdrZypacpazh3WIGIMDF-7_ONolzpmRt7fVrFYZkTS7Um7nc0o6Exi74wu0OM2Rw_QxI_lPvA1s6QbOLlvxVS30BRnzCN5IIJOebNKxulBRoKgFg7Qz9U/s320/Ruff+bird+3.jpg" width="320" /></a>Males display during the breeding season at a lek in a traditional open grassy arena. The Ruff is one of the few lekking species in which the display is primarily directed at other males rather than to the females, and it is among the small percentage of birds in which the males have well-marked and inherited variations in plumage and mating behaviour. There are three male forms: the typical territorial males, satellite males which have a white neck ruff, and a very rare, recently discovered variant with female-like plumage. The territorial males, about 84% of the total, have strongly coloured black or chestnut ruffs and stake out and occupy small mating territories in the lek. They actively court females and display a high degree of aggression towards other resident males; 5–20 territorial males each hold an area of the lek about 1 m (1 yd) across, usually with bare soil in the centre. They perform an elaborate display that includes wing fluttering, jumping, standing upright, crouching with ruff erect, or lunging at rivals. They are typically silent even when displaying, although a soft gue-gue-gue may occasionally be given.<br />
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Territorial males are very site-faithful; 90% return to the same lekking sites in subsequent seasons, the most dominant males being the most likely to reappear. Site-faithful males can acquire accurate information about the competitive abilities of other males, leading to well-developed dominance relationships. Such stable relationships reduce conflict and the risk of injury, and the consequent lower levels of male aggression are less likely to scare off females. Lower-ranked territorial males also benefit from site fidelity since they can remain on the leks while waiting for the top males eventually to drop out.<br />
Satellite males, about 16% of the total number, have white or mottled ruffs and do not occupy territories; they enter leks and attempt to mate with the females visiting the territories occupied by the resident males. Resident males tolerate the satellite birds because, although they are competitors for mating with the females, the presence of both types of male on a territory attracts additional females. Females also prefer larger leks, and leks surrounded by taller plants, which give better nesting habitat.<br />
The behaviour and appearance for an individual male remain constant through its adult life, and are determined by a simple genetic polymorphism. It was originally thought that the difference between the two types of males was due to a sex-linked genetic factor, but in fact the genetic locus relevant for the mating strategy is located on an autosome, or non-sex chromosome. That means that both sexes can carry the two different forms of the gene, not just males. The non-territorial female does not normally show evidence of its genetic type, but when females are given testosterone implants, they display the male territorial behaviour corresponding to their genotype. Territorial plumage and behaviour are inherited as recessive characteristics.<br />
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Although satellite males are on average slightly smaller and lighter than residents, the nutrition of the chicks does not, as previously thought, influence mating strategy; rather, the inherited mating strategy influences body size. Resident-type chicks will, if provided with the same amount of food, grow heavier than satellite-type chicks. Satellite males do not have to expend energy to defend a territory, and can spend more time foraging, so they do not need to be as bulky as the residents; indeed, since they fly more, there would be a physiological cost to additional weight.<br />
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A third type of male was first described in 2006; this is a permanent female mimic, the first such reported for a bird. About 1% of males are small, intermediate in size between males and females, and do not grow the elaborate breeding plumage of the territorial and satellite males, although they have much larger internal testes than the ruffed males. This cryptic male, or "faeder" (Old English "father") obtains access to mating territories together with the females, and "steals" matings when the females crouch to solicit copulation. The faeder moults into the prenuptial male plumage with striped feathers, but does not go on to develop the ornamental feathers of the normal male. As described above, this stage is thought to show the original male breeding plumage, before other male types evolved. A faeder can be distinguished in the hand by its wing length, which is intermediate between those of displaying males and females. Despite their feminine appearance, the faeders migrate with the larger 'normal' lekking males and spend the winter with them.<br />
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The faeders are sometimes mounted by independent or satellite males, but are as often "on top" in homosexual mountings as the ruffed males, suggesting that their true identity is known by the other males. Females never mount males. Preliminary research results suggest that the faeder characteristics are genetically controlled by a single dominant gene. Females often seem to prefer copulations with faeders to copulations with normal males, and normal males also copulate with faeders (and vice versa) more often with females. The homosexual copulations may attract females to the lek, like the presence of satellite males.<br />
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Not all mating takes place at the lek, since only a minority of the males attend an active lek. As alternative strategies, males can also directly pursue females ("following") or wait for them as they approached good feeding sites ("intercepting"). Males switched between the three tactics, being more likely to attend a lek when the copulation rate the previous day was high or when fewer females were available after nesting had started. Lekking rates were low in cold weather early in the season when off-lek males spent most of their time feeding.<br />
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The level of polyandry in the Ruff is the highest known for any avian lekking species and for any shorebird. More than half of female Ruffs mate with, and have clutches fertilised by, more than one male, and individual females mate with males of both main behavioural morphs more often than expected by chance. In lekking species, females can choose mates without risking the loss of support from males in nesting and rearing chicks, since the males take no part in raising the brood anyway. In the absence of this cost, if polyandry is advantageous, it would be expected to occur at a higher rate in lekking than among pair-bonded species.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Nesting and survival</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj6dUzqle8uSB6X1MUg7nIsBLyRxcDdZOBQd2ntHMNtiPRdTnkC01P7xPu72yziTavQhFxETk6OsN4gG_dctpjw-2HaTaSYUr9q8LAfBRIZBMz-OMiNlgEoSwTlLYp_-TnXKd4MBgMhA/s1600/Ruff+bird+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj6dUzqle8uSB6X1MUg7nIsBLyRxcDdZOBQd2ntHMNtiPRdTnkC01P7xPu72yziTavQhFxETk6OsN4gG_dctpjw-2HaTaSYUr9q8LAfBRIZBMz-OMiNlgEoSwTlLYp_-TnXKd4MBgMhA/s320/Ruff+bird+6.jpg" width="320" /></a>The nest is a shallow ground scrape lined with grass leaves and stems, and concealed in marsh plants or tall grass up to 400 m (400 yd) from the lek. Nesting is solitary, although several females may lay in the general vicinity of a lek. The eggs are slightly glossy, green or olive, and marked with dark blotches; they are laid from mid-March to early June depending on latitude.<br />
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The typical clutch is four eggs, each egg measuring 44 x 31 mm (1.7 x 1.2 in) in size and weighing 21.0 g (0.75 oz) of which 5% is shell. Incubation is by the female alone, and the time to hatching is 20–23 days, with a further 25–28 days to fledging. The precocial chicks have buff and chestnut down, streaked and barred with black, and frosted with white; they feed themselves on a variety of small invertebrates, but are brooded by the female. One brood is raised each year.<br />
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Predators of waders breeding in wet grasslands include birds such as large gulls, Common Raven, Carrion and Hooded Crows, and Great and Arctic Skuas; foxes occasionally take waders, and the impact of feral cats and stoats is unknown. Overgrazing can increase predation by making nests easier to find. In captivity, the main causes of chick mortality were stress-related sudden death and twisted neck syndrome. Adults seem to show little evidence of external parasites, but may have significant levels of disease on their tropical wintering grounds, including avian malaria in their inland freshwater habitats, and so they might be expected to invest strongly in their immune systems; however, a 2006 study that analysed the blood of migrating Ruffs intercepted in Friesland showed that this bird actually has unexplained low levels of immune responses on at least one measure of resistance. The Ruff can breed from its second year, and the average lifespan for birds that have passed the chick stage is about 4.4 years, although a Finnish bird lived to a record 13 years and 11 months.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Feeding</b></span><br />
The Ruff normally feeds using a steady walk and pecking action, selecting food items by sight, but it will also wade deeply and submerge its head. On saline lakes in East Africa it often swims like a phalarope, picking items off the surface. It will feed at night as well as during the day. When feeding, the Ruff frequently raises its back feathers, producing a loose pointed peak on the back; this habit is shared only by the Black-tailed Godwit.<br />
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During the breeding season, the Ruff’s diet consists almost exclusively of the adults and larva of terrestrial and aquatic insects such as beetles and flies. On migration and during the winter, the Ruff eats insects (including caddis flies, water-beetles, mayflies and grasshoppers), crustaceans, spiders, molluscs, worms, frogs, small fish, and also the seeds of rice and other cereals, sedges, grasses and aquatic plants. Migrating birds in Italy varied their diet according to what was available at each stopover site. Green aquatic plant material, spilt rice and maize, flies and beetles were found, along with varying amounts of grit. On the main wintering grounds in West Africa, rice is a favoured food during the later part of the season as the ricefields dry out.<br />
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Just before migration, the Ruff increases its body mass at a rate of about 1% a day, much slower than the Bar-tailed Godwits breeding in Alaska, which fatten at four times that rate. This is thought to be because the godwit cannot use refuelling areas to feed on its trans-Pacific flight, whereas the Ruff is able to make regular stops and take in food during overland migration. For the same reason, the Ruff does not physiologically shrink its digestive organs to reduce bodyweight before migrating, unlike the godwit.<br />
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</div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-14963931616701210932011-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:002011-05-15T07:26:47.011-07:00Ruby-throated Hummingbird<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYCKM8gWQ9-OMJ_wpi85FjbOVTKjTSD2uhPUzxD9SwAAov86-ZPtUUV9NhnAbtt3Smh48Pv7WOZhg03guRFt1FqSrigyPDvWzG4ps8kB569eYYDiJhuILJ82-jOOa0HGaFOeGm6rfeD4/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYCKM8gWQ9-OMJ_wpi85FjbOVTKjTSD2uhPUzxD9SwAAov86-ZPtUUV9NhnAbtt3Smh48Pv7WOZhg03guRFt1FqSrigyPDvWzG4ps8kB569eYYDiJhuILJ82-jOOa0HGaFOeGm6rfeD4/s320/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird2.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Ruby-throated Hummingbird</span></b><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><div>The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), is a small hummingbird. It is the only species of hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.</div><div>Description</div></div><div><br />
</div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMlrvXZYi-_hOU8R93cF5KVvX4oSn96RPuQyGhrRIKL3xcoMHEmPjFHfojiCY3TBuh26HlqqPr_bJvfnjDUKWWaFTuCgGm5AaLqpEDB1syxA5ZChyphenhyphenVQSm2cnhgciQYNBSdqNcc1BKHXI/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMlrvXZYi-_hOU8R93cF5KVvX4oSn96RPuQyGhrRIKL3xcoMHEmPjFHfojiCY3TBuh26HlqqPr_bJvfnjDUKWWaFTuCgGm5AaLqpEDB1syxA5ZChyphenhyphenVQSm2cnhgciQYNBSdqNcc1BKHXI/s320/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird3.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is 7–9 cm long with an 8–11 cm wingspan, and weighs about 3 g. Adults are metallic green above and greyish white below, with near-black wings. Their bill is long, straight and very slender.</div><div>The adult male, shown in the photo, has a ruby red throat patch which may appear black in some lighting, and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generally no throat patch, though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch.</div><div>The male is smaller than the female, and has a slightly shorter beak. A molt of feathers occurs once per annum, and begins during the autumn migration.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Habitat and range</b></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdN6ls8verY3fSk-dKfkuLcnKvaDOI4bgUfQKLQlnyekSO4ZQxSHYOpUYOEwoUPFr1rUMZ4Q-jOyP2z-JqLNC5Uj9hOkZY7vJdVur8tOQqIIG_HPSGTQShvwYEwGY9lerSOdTflleYx8/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdN6ls8verY3fSk-dKfkuLcnKvaDOI4bgUfQKLQlnyekSO4ZQxSHYOpUYOEwoUPFr1rUMZ4Q-jOyP2z-JqLNC5Uj9hOkZY7vJdVur8tOQqIIG_HPSGTQShvwYEwGY9lerSOdTflleYx8/s200/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird5.jpg" width="200" /></a>The breeding habitat is throughout most of eastern North America and the Canadian prairies, in deciduous and pine forests and forest edges, orchards, and gardens. The female builds a nest in a protected location in a shrub or a tree.</div><div>The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is migratory, spending most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America as far south as South America, and the West Indies. It breeds throughout the eastern United States, east of the 100th meridian, and in southern Canada in eastern and mixed deciduous forest.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Behaviour</b></span></div><div>Ruby-throated hummingbirds are solitary. Adults of this species typically only come into contact for the purpose of mating, and both males and females of any age aggressively defend feeding locations within their territory. The aggressiveness becomes most pronounced in late summer to early fall as they fatten up for migration. This is important because, as part of their migration, they must fly across the Gulf of Mexico - a feat which long confounded scientists, as a 500-mile, non-stop flight over water would seemingly require a caloric energy that far exceeds an adult hummingbird's body weight of 3 grams. However, researchers discovered the tiny birds can nearly double their body mass in preparation for their Gulf crossing. The additional mass, stored as fat, provides enough energy for the birds to achieve this amazing flight.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ci_kTyyPthYdtWDOQUwYKBrvYM0eok6O_mVebqIAkZ46V2rMiwoUkiXLx16um7exIKh7mFSc5rUQ0LAm3DX-PNWEX_H4RNdeVzMGG9xlgHfyQoDojw9ywHRqKVQlwnUT3mAXto186M8/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ci_kTyyPthYdtWDOQUwYKBrvYM0eok6O_mVebqIAkZ46V2rMiwoUkiXLx16um7exIKh7mFSc5rUQ0LAm3DX-PNWEX_H4RNdeVzMGG9xlgHfyQoDojw9ywHRqKVQlwnUT3mAXto186M8/s320/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird1.jpg" width="306" /></a>They feed frequently while active during the day and when temperatures drop, particularly on cold nights, they may conserve energy by entering hypothermic torpor.</div><div>Due to their small size, they are vulnerable to insect-eating birds and animals.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Flight</b></span></div><div>Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow the bird great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25-30% of their body weight, and they have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint. This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but fly backwards, and to hover in front of flowers as it feeds on nectar and insects.</div><div>During hovering, ruby-throated hummingbird wings beat 55x/s, 61x/s when moving backwards, and up to 75x/s when moving forward.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Diet</span></b></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f6-Ophm7m2c7qg5yhPYcKqtJmXBBKV5f5I0gN67qCu5vQ6a4OE82Ac945IAtt4NnZMRj-8-1I8s9MtAi504CKsuQaQl4xsrgwe3k0PTrzLjFilFWKhCXdLc73VyO8guIevYUZZFz2Q8/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f6-Ophm7m2c7qg5yhPYcKqtJmXBBKV5f5I0gN67qCu5vQ6a4OE82Ac945IAtt4NnZMRj-8-1I8s9MtAi504CKsuQaQl4xsrgwe3k0PTrzLjFilFWKhCXdLc73VyO8guIevYUZZFz2Q8/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird7.jpg" /></a>Nectar from flowers and flowering trees, as well as small insects and spiders, are its main food. Small arthropods are a more important part of adult hummingbirds' diet than has generally been recognized. Their diet may also occasionally include tree sap taken from sapsucker wells. Hummingbirds show a slight preference for red, tubular flowers as a nectar source. The birds feed from flowers using a long extendendable tongue, and catch insects on the wing or glean them from flowers, leaves, bark, and even from spider's webs.</div><div>Young birds are fed insects for protein since nectar is an insufficient source of protein for the growing birds</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Reproduction</span></b></div><div>Ruby-throated hummingbirds are thought to be polygynous. Polyandry and polygynandry may also occur. They do not form breeding pairs, and females provide all parental care.</div><div>Males arrive at the breeding area in the spring, and establish a territory before the females arrive. When the females return, males court females that enter their territory by performing courtship displays. They perform a “dive display” rising 8 – 10 feet above and 5 – 6 feet to each side of the female. If the female perches, the male begins flying in very rapid horizontal arcs less than 0.5 m in front of her. The male's wings may beat up to 200 times per second during these displays (the normal speed is 55-75 beats per second).</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN7UVkM-1WEDgHKOPn2IkB0jpg8dfBxSp03iDGs0n4ByCTxAPwmAm3l-zaDYEWNCOjz-KemDgs47rT15mEc8hYYoCNcbrXbvaDdviuhGlufCLimympB5eAY2lMLhyphenhyphenx0RVqaPY5aLBTYA/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN7UVkM-1WEDgHKOPn2IkB0jpg8dfBxSp03iDGs0n4ByCTxAPwmAm3l-zaDYEWNCOjz-KemDgs47rT15mEc8hYYoCNcbrXbvaDdviuhGlufCLimympB5eAY2lMLhyphenhyphenx0RVqaPY5aLBTYA/s320/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird6.jpeg" width="320" /></a>If the female is receptive to the male, she may give a call and assume a solicitous posture with her tail feathers cocked and her wings drooped. Preceding copulation, male and female face each other, alternately ascend about 10 feet and descend, eventually dropping to the ground and copulating.</div><div>The nest is constructed on a small, downward-sloping tree limb 10–20 feet above the ground. It is composed of bud scales, with lichen on the exterior, bound with spider's silk, and lined with plant down (often dandelion or thistle down). Old nests may be occupied for several seasons, but are repaired annually. The female constructs the nest, as the male has left by this point.</div><div>Females lay two white eggs about 12.9 by 8.5 millimeters in size, and produce 2, or occasionally 3 broods. They brood the chicks and feed them from 1 to 3 times every hour by regurgitation, usually while the female is hovering. When they are 22 to 25 days old, the young leave the nest.(0.5 x 0.3 in).</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><b>Vocalization</b></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKRzygoklrmfIkaK3GZbdJ1nf9eJm7esMfxqzf9vdpbbZDJ0ar6KzHpzKkHF3Tz282x7CnGnnZSPJ4roMUzKKDACsWsJ0I7U9BXN8Pjd62a6TmuwxkUTDYn6SQTN5kwoeHTGAyf5Wiu8/s1600/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKRzygoklrmfIkaK3GZbdJ1nf9eJm7esMfxqzf9vdpbbZDJ0ar6KzHpzKkHF3Tz282x7CnGnnZSPJ4roMUzKKDACsWsJ0I7U9BXN8Pjd62a6TmuwxkUTDYn6SQTN5kwoeHTGAyf5Wiu8/s200/Ruby-throated+Hummingbird4.jpg" width="200" /></a>The vocalizations of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are rapid, squeaky chirps, and are used primarily for threats. For example, males may vocalize to warn another male that has entered his territory.</div></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-81512557739978758072011-05-04T07:56:00.000-07:002011-05-04T07:58:20.987-07:00Arctic Tern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Arctic Tern</strong></span><br />
<div id="siteSub"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTGjewfXZYERJnK94B7_Qb0Ths9AD32SZPRb9UUPb5fV6xMvaahUimTSMGSKgTlx5Ur21rHA0VDRsH179NBZ0wdDkj5bYIV5BC1HxsJu_gdaS5aH7ZAx16b7kBiYCUxxIqvaDQEGo16o/s1600/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTGjewfXZYERJnK94B7_Qb0Ths9AD32SZPRb9UUPb5fV6xMvaahUimTSMGSKgTlx5Ur21rHA0VDRsH179NBZ0wdDkj5bYIV5BC1HxsJu_gdaS5aH7ZAx16b7kBiYCUxxIqvaDQEGo16o/s200/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com1.jpg" width="133" /></a>The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America (as far south as Brittany and Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds along a winding route to the oceans around Antarctica and back, a round trip of about 70,900 km (c. 44,300 miles) each year.This is by far the longest regular migration by any known animal. The Arctic Tern flies as well as glides through the air, performing almost all of its tasks in the air. It nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle); once it has finished nesting it takes to the sky for another long southern migration.<br />
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Arctic Terns are medium-sized birds. They have a length of 33–39 cm (13–15 in) and a wingspan of 76–85 cm (26–30 in). They are mainly grey and white plumaged, with a red beak (as long as the head, straight, with pronounced gonys) and feet, white forehead, a black nape and crown (streaked white), and white cheeks. The grey mantle is 305 mm, and the scapulae are fringed brown, some tipped white. The upper wing is grey with a white leading edge, and the collar is completely white, as is the rump. The deeply forked tail is whitish, with grey outer webs. The hindcrown to the ear-coverts is black.<br />
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Arctic Terns are long-lived birds, with many reaching thirty years of age. They eat mainly fish and small marine invertebrates. The species is abundant, with an estimated one million individuals. While the trend in the number of individuals in the species as a whole is not known, exploitation in the past has reduced this bird's numbers in the southern reaches of its range.</div><div> </div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYJPaYpWEHmJKx5BN12yQnaDkEooTkGDMFyYRr56LmncopZhNQBh-6o_W5yW8rd6m3Q99lBUQ3bC9RyLJ7dnTt3ilXnjNg3JRXn4GAPxjqsoOWZS6UALXlz0sjwy9ySpBCE1RdxCtemU/s1600/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYJPaYpWEHmJKx5BN12yQnaDkEooTkGDMFyYRr56LmncopZhNQBh-6o_W5yW8rd6m3Q99lBUQ3bC9RyLJ7dnTt3ilXnjNg3JRXn4GAPxjqsoOWZS6UALXlz0sjwy9ySpBCE1RdxCtemU/s320/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com6.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Distribution and migration</strong></span><br />
The Arctic Tern has a worldwide, circumpolar breeding distribution which is continuous; there are no recognized subspecies. It can be found in coastal regions in cooler temperate parts of North America and Eurasia during the northern summer. While wintering during the southern summer, it can be found at sea, reaching the southern edge of the Antarctic ice.The species' range encompasses an area of approximately ten million square kilometers.<br />
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The Arctic Tern is famous for its migration; it flies from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back again each year. This 19,000 km (12,000 mi) journey each way (measured point to point) ensures that this bird sees two summers per year and more daylight than any other creature on the planet. One example of this bird's remarkable long-distance flying abilities involves an Arctic Tern ringed as an unfledged chick on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK, in the northern summer of 1982, which reached Melbourne, Australia, in October 1982, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 mi) in just three months from fledging. Another example is that of a chick ringed in Labrador, Canada, on 23 July 1928. It was found in South Africa four months later.<br />
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Research using tracking devices attached to the birds was published in January 2010 and showed that the above examples are in fact not unusual for the species; eleven Arctic Terns that bred in Greenland or Iceland each covered 70,900 km on average in a year, with a maximum of 81,600 km. The difference from previous estimates was because the birds were found to take a meandering course to take advantage of prevailing winds. The average Arctic Tern lives about twenty years, and will travel about 2.4 million km (1.5 million mi).<br />
Arctic Terns usually migrate far offshore. Consequently, they are rarely seen from land outside the breeding season.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Description and taxonomy</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOvuWjhpJsiLtjD6YaMdktnbu2aRwJ7mT1V7cZihaN6dfhsflAdZfhXSWS9lDXa4j4cccS4qYXMcQy5oiXOtbcRFE8L0B48oE6NTo9QMcsezKN-1XL2lscQG5_hc9jPmCpF_7lM6Qmpc/s1600/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOvuWjhpJsiLtjD6YaMdktnbu2aRwJ7mT1V7cZihaN6dfhsflAdZfhXSWS9lDXa4j4cccS4qYXMcQy5oiXOtbcRFE8L0B48oE6NTo9QMcsezKN-1XL2lscQG5_hc9jPmCpF_7lM6Qmpc/s320/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com3.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The Arctic Tern is a medium-sized bird around 33–36 cm (13–15 in) from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail. The wingspan is 76–85 cm. The weight is 86–127 g (3.0–4.5 oz). The beak is dark red, as are the short legs and webbed feet. Like most terns, the Arctic Tern has high aspect ratio wings and a tail with a deep fork.<br />
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The adult plumage is grey above, with a black nape and crown and white cheeks. The upperwings are pale grey, with the area near the wingtip being translucent. The tail is white, and the underparts pale grey. Both sexes are similar in appearance. The winter plumage is similar, but the crown is whiter and the bills are darker.<br />
Juveniles differ from adults in their black bill and legs, "scaly" appearing wings, and mantle with dark feather tips, dark carpal wing bar, and short tail streamers. During their first summer, juveniles also have a whiter forecrown.<br />
The species has a variety of calls; the two most common being the alarm call, made when possible predators (such as humans or other mammals) enter the colonies, and the advertising call. The advertising call is social in nature, made when returning to the colony and during aggressive encounters between individuals. It is unique to each individual tern and as such it serves a similar role to the bird song of passerines, identifying individuals. Eight other calls have been described, from begging calls made by females during mating to attack calls made while swooping at intruders.<br />
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While the Arctic Tern is similar to the Common and Roseate Terns, its colouring, profile, and call are slightly different. Compared to the Common Tern, it has a longer tail and mono-coloured bill, while the main differences from the Roseate are its slightly darker colour and longer wings. The Arctic Tern's call is more nasal and rasping than that of the Common, and is easily distinguishable from that of the Roseate.<br />
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This bird's closest relatives are a group of South Polar species, the South American (Sterna hirundinacea), Kerguelen (S. virgata), and Antarctic (S. vittata) Terns. On the wintering grounds, the Arctic Tern can be distinguished from these relatives; the six-month difference in moult is the best clue here, with Arctic Terns being in winter plumage during the southern summer. The southern species also do not show darker wingtips in flight.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Reproduction</strong></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYjz6hcjiCB-0JnHD8cmiRxLKjiTpmqnQzD68c-XUnhWdt7nCnJ7LDcEBXAKNa-kWeWeywE7cMZtQM1-B86WvCsk4IRxkwRs1m6Gl-CarPuSt65snO7-Lh5vYIGBSoGy4UCu3Vj9quO8/s1600/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYjz6hcjiCB-0JnHD8cmiRxLKjiTpmqnQzD68c-XUnhWdt7nCnJ7LDcEBXAKNa-kWeWeywE7cMZtQM1-B86WvCsk4IRxkwRs1m6Gl-CarPuSt65snO7-Lh5vYIGBSoGy4UCu3Vj9quO8/s320/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com5.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
Breeding begins around the third or fourth year.Arctic Terns mate for life, and in most cases, return to the same colony each year.Courtship is elaborate, especially in birds nesting for the first time.Courtship begins with a so-called "high flight", where a female will chase the male to a high altitude and then slowly descend. This display is followed by "fish flights", where the male will offer fish to the female. Courtship on the ground involves strutting with a raised tail and lowered wings. After this, both birds will usually fly and circle each other.<br />
Both sexes agree on a site for a nest, and both will defend the site. During this time, the male continues to feed the female. Mating occurs shortly after this.Breeding takes place in colonies on coasts, islands and occasionally inland on tundra near water. It often forms mixed flocks with the Common Tern. It lays from one to three eggs per clutch, most often two.<br />
It is one of the most aggressive terns, fiercely defensive of its nest and young. It will attack humans and large predators, usually striking the top or back of the head. Although it is too small to cause serious injury, it is still capable of drawing blood. Other birds can benefit from nesting in an area defended by Arctic Terns.<br />
The nest is usually a depression in the ground, which may or may not be lined with bits of grass or similar materials. The eggs are mottled and camouflaged. Both sexes share incubation duties. The young hatch after 22–27 days and fledge after 21–24 days. If the parents are disturbed and flush from the nest frequently the incubation period could be extended to as long as 34 days.<br />
When hatched, the chicks are downy. Neither altricial nor precocial, the chicks begin to move around and explore their surroundings within one to three days after hatching. Usually, they do not stray far from the nest. Chicks are brooded by the adults for the first ten days after hatching.Both parents care for hatchlings. Chick diets always include fish, and parents selectively bring larger prey items to chicks than they eat themselves. Males bring more food than females. Feeding by the parents lasts for roughly a month before being weaned off slowly.After fledging, the juveniles learn to feed themselves, including the difficult method of plunge-diving. They will fly south to winter with the help of their parents.<br />
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Arctic Terns are long-lived birds that spend considerable time raising only a few young, and are thus said to be K-selected.The maximum recorded life span for the species is 34 years, although the average lifespan is about 20 years A study in the Farne Islands estimated an annual survival rate of 82%.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpKC0MSI9YbBnznvCgEbM_GGerUS33Ggg5pbd1uV4_PWWCwdLGCoCYticobxu4gYjioBVq_lmjXXqKmwmNs3JgxEybMfGbafoYI0qjGpO2PbXQwE0JpbYDAEiPSUQD9XipBgmfDVK3tQ/s1600/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpKC0MSI9YbBnznvCgEbM_GGerUS33Ggg5pbd1uV4_PWWCwdLGCoCYticobxu4gYjioBVq_lmjXXqKmwmNs3JgxEybMfGbafoYI0qjGpO2PbXQwE0JpbYDAEiPSUQD9XipBgmfDVK3tQ/s320/Arctic+Tern+bird-flight.blogspot.com7.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Ecology and behaviour</strong></span><br />
The diet of the Arctic Tern varies depending on location and time, but is usually carnivorous. In most cases, it eats small fish or marine crustaceans. Fish species comprise the most important part of the diet, and account for more of the biomass consumed than any other food. Prey species are immature (1–2 year old) shoaling species such as herring, cod, sandlances, and capelin. Among the marine crustaceans eaten are amphipods, crabs and krill. Sometimes, these birds also eat molluscs, marine worms, or berries, and on their northern breeding grounds, insects.<br />
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Arctic Terns sometimes dip down to the surface of the water to catch prey close to the surface. They may also chase insects in the air when breeding.It is also thought that Arctic Terns may, in spite of their small size, occasionally engage in kleptoparasitism by swooping at birds so as to startle them into releasing their catches.Several species are targeted—conspecifics, other terns (like the Common Tern), and some auk and grebe species.<br />
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While nesting, Arctic Terns are vulnerable to predation by cats and other animals. Besides being a competitor for nesting sites, the larger Herring Gull steals eggs and hatchlings. Camouflaged eggs help prevent this, as do isolated nesting sites. While feeding, skuas, gulls, and other tern species will often harass the birds and steal their food. They often form mixed colonies with other terns, such as Common and Sandwich Terns.<br />
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</div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-2237194834005190092011-05-04T07:17:00.000-07:002011-05-26T08:38:44.690-07:00Bar-tailed Godwit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: normal;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirue5uvzLcVEB-VW58HUYCXR2ENaUzNvRvErrgZcQnJHDmeT4WPggXh7XP5-ZAvfSOyYehJqd2pMUrmigZO2Pb6sul-qVppHwQwjt9b9Sw1vztN7dwgVVyNcRFKVjoNx4cGOqoDm0mrFg/s1600/Bar-tailed+Godwit+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirue5uvzLcVEB-VW58HUYCXR2ENaUzNvRvErrgZcQnJHDmeT4WPggXh7XP5-ZAvfSOyYehJqd2pMUrmigZO2Pb6sul-qVppHwQwjt9b9Sw1vztN7dwgVVyNcRFKVjoNx4cGOqoDm0mrFg/s200/Bar-tailed+Godwit+3.jpg" width="200" /></a>The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World. It makes the longest known non-stop flight of any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal, 11,680 kilometres (7,258 mi) along a route from Alaska to New Zealand.<br />
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</div><div></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Description</strong></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28pX5YrDZDA-KZUFVx9XWggdOU8yQBrSZdW3f25505NbMd3oG0tqZQ7f0_pGLLwIB1TfUaBJ2f31TCkBMRxUQWNN9cOIkkOdyLt4tykCTSi0xRdKzAfzgOaizQusf0xm2ozoW9LphWWU/s1600/Bar-tailed+Godwit+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28pX5YrDZDA-KZUFVx9XWggdOU8yQBrSZdW3f25505NbMd3oG0tqZQ7f0_pGLLwIB1TfUaBJ2f31TCkBMRxUQWNN9cOIkkOdyLt4tykCTSi0xRdKzAfzgOaizQusf0xm2ozoW9LphWWU/s320/Bar-tailed+Godwit+5.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a relatively short-legged species of godwit. The bill-to-tail length is 37–41 cm, with a wingspan of 70–80 cm. Males average smaller than females but with much overlap; males weigh 190–400 g, while females weigh 260–630 g; there is also some regional variation in size (see subspecies, below). The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark bill with a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck, breast and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, off white in winter. The back is mottled grey.<br />
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It is distinguished from the Black-tailed Godwit by its barred, rather than wholly black, tail and a lack of white wing bars. The most similar species is the Asiatic Dowitcher.</div><div>There are three subspecies, listed from west to east:<br />
Limosa lapponica lapponica (Linnaeus, 1758). Breeds from northern Scandinavia east to the Taymyr Peninsula; winters western coasts of Europe and Africa from the British Isles and the Netherlands south to South Africa, and also around the Persian Gulf. Smallest subspecies, males up to 360 g, females to 450 g.<br />
Limosa lapponica menzbieri Portenko, 1936. Breeds northeastern Asia from the Taymyr Peninsula east to the Kolyma River delta; winters southeastern Asia and Australia. Intermediate between the other two subspecies.<br />
Limosa lapponica baueri Naumann, 1836. Breeds far northeastern Asia east of the Kolyma River, and western Alaska; winters in Australia and New Zealand. Largest subspecies.</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfVjIEXv8aNFoU5U2wgSrF1rrZp4i06snh8Zbj6g19pOyVr95cPCOqyo5TeAKQvkYsMQB7u376AP_KBntb1HncVzJXxqXH1xMJolQ0sX8g2xxKUjS1_rbTXyaWH0uDUFPgyyPNnRZC9U/s1600/Bar-tailed+Godwit+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfVjIEXv8aNFoU5U2wgSrF1rrZp4i06snh8Zbj6g19pOyVr95cPCOqyo5TeAKQvkYsMQB7u376AP_KBntb1HncVzJXxqXH1xMJolQ0sX8g2xxKUjS1_rbTXyaWH0uDUFPgyyPNnRZC9U/s200/Bar-tailed+Godwit+4.jpg" width="200" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Diet</span></strong><br />
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It forages by probing in mudflats or marshes. It may find insects by sight in short vegetation. It eats mainly insects and crustaceans, but also parts of aquatic plants.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Breeding</strong></span><br />
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The Bar-tailed Godwit is a non-breeding migrant in Australia. Breeding take place each year in Scandinavia, northern Asia, and Alaska. The nest is a shallow cup in moss sometimes lined with vegetation. Both sexes share incubation of the eggs and care for the young.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Migrations</span></strong><br />
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The Bar-tailed Godwit migrates in flocks to coastal western Europe, Africa, South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, where the sub-species Limosa lapponica baueri is called Kūaka in Māori.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXL4-i7xXT5A-pSwkv0XC0QxELDF1iYNhLvzGy8ADzZe4nKqshJxRLYlhSpUEJ66Dv79D7ks97PrqviROniJSK_qEU9G6_0Gpo01akxrapBrBVfL65y8Iu_cFm7f1nA6YJAdJmnEsc_M/s1600/Bar-tailed+Godwit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXL4-i7xXT5A-pSwkv0XC0QxELDF1iYNhLvzGy8ADzZe4nKqshJxRLYlhSpUEJ66Dv79D7ks97PrqviROniJSK_qEU9G6_0Gpo01akxrapBrBVfL65y8Iu_cFm7f1nA6YJAdJmnEsc_M/s320/Bar-tailed+Godwit+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>It was shown in 2007 to undertake the longest non-stop flight of any bird. Birds in New Zealand were tagged and tracked by satellite to the Yellow Sea in China. According to Dr. Clive Minton (Australasian Wader Studies Group) "The distance between these two locations is 9,575 kilometres (5,950 mi), but the actual track flown by the bird was 11,026 kilometres (6,851 mi). This was the longest known non-stop flight of any bird. The flight took approximately nine days. At least three other Bar-tailed Godwits also appear to have reached the Yellow Sea after non-stop flights from New Zealand.<br />
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One specific female of the flock, nicknamed "E7", flew onward from China to Alaska and stayed there for the breeding season. Then on 29 August 2007 she departed on a non-stop flight from the Avinof Peninsula in western Alaska to the Piako River near Thames New Zealand, setting a new known flight record of 11,680 kilometres (7,258 mi). Stray birds from Europe and Asia occasionally appear on both North American coasts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Pintail</td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Northern Pintail</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span><br />
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The Pintail or Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator. Unusually for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies if the possibly con-specific Eaton's Pintail is considered to be a separate species.<br />
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This is a fairly large duck, with a long pointed tail that gives rise to the species' English and scientific names. The Northern Pintail's many names describe the male's two long black tail feathers, which in flight look like a single pin or twig (thus, the nickname sprig). These feathers are very distinctive, accounting for a quarter of the total length of the drake when in full plumage. Fast and graceful fliers, pintails are equipped with long wings, small heads, and long necks that seem built for streamlined aerodynamics. Both sexes have blue gray bills and gray legs and feet. The drake is more striking, having a thin white stripe running from the back of its chocolate-colored head down its neck to its mostly white undercarriage. The drake also has attractive gray, brown, and black patterning on its back and sides. The hen's plumage is more subtle and subdued, with drab brown feathers similar to those of other female dabblers. Hens make a coarse quack and the drakes a flute-like whistle.<br />
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The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands which nests on the ground, often some distance from water. It feeds by dabbling for plant food and adds small invertebrates to its diet during the nesting season. It is highly gregarious when not breeding, forming large mixed flocks with other species of duck.<br />
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This duck's population is affected by predators, parasites and avian diseases. Human activities, such as agriculture, hunting and fishing, have also had a significant impact on numbers. Nevertheless, this species' huge range and large population mean that it is not threatened globally.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRr5EZUaEcGlX4Oou1HsfrqaHf_BQUUpokJwq11glcojjoIl5mkVoXlEFgE1MqLizOhJcbLlmfkIt5W7h9RrTDE6_DRPfxW85md-eItgXlMO_ZQ5a2aWNyEN8IU-766Toww6cjsfmhmw/s1600/Northern+pintail+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRr5EZUaEcGlX4Oou1HsfrqaHf_BQUUpokJwq11glcojjoIl5mkVoXlEFgE1MqLizOhJcbLlmfkIt5W7h9RrTDE6_DRPfxW85md-eItgXlMO_ZQ5a2aWNyEN8IU-766Toww6cjsfmhmw/s320/Northern+pintail+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Taxonomy</span></strong><br />
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This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Anas acuta The scientific name comes from two Latin words: anas, meaning "duck", and acuta, which comes from the verb acuere, which means "sharpen"; the species term, like the English name, refers to the pointed tail of the male.<br />
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Within the large dabbling duck genus Anas, the Northern Pintail's closest relatives are other pintails, such as the Yellow-billed Pintail (A. georgica) and Eaton's Pintail (A. eatoni). The pintails are sometimes separated in the genus Dafila (described by Stephens, 1824), an arrangement supported by morphological, molecular and behavioural data. The famous British ornithologist Sir Peter Scott gave this name to his daughter, the artist Dafila Scott.<br />
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Eaton's Pintail has two subspecies, A. e. eatoni (the Kerguelen Pintail) of Kerguelen Islands, and A. e. drygalskyi (the Crozet Pintail) of Crozet Islands, and was formerly considered conspecific with the northern hemisphere's Northern Pintail. Sexual dimorphism is much less marked in the southern pintails, with the male's breeding appearance being similar to the female plumage. Unusually for a species with such a large range, Northern Pintail has no geographical subspecies if Eaton's Pintail is treated as a separate species.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></strong><br />
Male in British Columbia, Canada <br />
The Northern Pintail is a fairly large duck with a wingspan of 23.6–28.2 centimetres (9.3–11.1 in). The male is 59–76 centimetres (23–30 in) in length and weighs 450–1360 grammes (1–3 lb), and therefore is considerably larger than the female, which is 51–64 centimetres (20–25 in) long and weighs 454–1135 grammes (1–2.5 lb).[10] The male in breeding plumage has a chocolate-brown head and white breast with a white stripe extending up the side of the neck. Its upperparts and sides are grey, but elongated grey feathers with black central stripes are draped across the back from the shoulder area. The vent area is yellow, contrasting with the black underside of the tail, which has the central feathers elongated to as much as 10 centimetres (4 in). The bill is bluish and the legs are blue-grey.<br />
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The adult female is mainly scalloped and mottled in light brown with a more uniformly grey-brown head, and its pointed tail is shorter than the male’s; it is still easily identified by its shape, long neck, and long grey bill.<br />
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In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake Pintail looks similar to the female, but retains the male upperwing pattern and long grey shoulder feathers. Juvenile birds resemble the female, but are less neatly scalloped and have a duller brown speculum with a narrower trailing edge.<br />
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The Pintail walks well on land, and swims buoyantly. It has a very fast flight, with its wings slightly swept-back, rather than straight out from the body like other ducks. In flight, the male shows a black speculum bordered white at the rear and pale rufous at the front, whereas the female's speculum is dark brown bordered with white, narrowly at the front edge but very prominently at the rear, being visible at a distance of 1600 metres (1 mi).<br />
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The male's call is a soft proop-proop whistle, similar to that of the Common Teal, whereas the female has a Mallard-like descending quack, and a low croak when flushed.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Distribution and habitat</span></strong><br />
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The Northern Pintail has been called the "nomads of the skies." due to their wide-ranging migrations. This dabbling duck breeds across northern areas of Eurasia south to about Poland and Mongolia, and in Canada, Alaska and the Midwestern United States. It winters mainly south of its breeding range, reaching almost to the equator in Panama, northern sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South Asia. Small numbers migrate to Pacific islands, particularly Hawaii, where a few hundred birds winter on the main islands in shallow wetlands and flooded agricultural habitats. Transoceanic journeys also occur: a bird that was caught and ringed in Labrador, Canada, was shot by a hunter in England nine days later,and Japanese-ringed birds have been recovered from six US states east to Utah and Mississippi. In parts of the range, such as Great Britain and the northwestern United States, the Pintail may be present all year.<br />
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The Northern Pintail's breeding habitat is open unwooded wetlands, such as wet grassland, lakesides or tundra. In winter, it will utilise a wider range of open habitats, such as sheltered estuaries, brackish marshes and coastal lagoons. It is highly gregarious outside the breeding season and forms very large mixed flocks with other ducks.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><strong>Behaviour</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong>Breeding</strong></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9shvAkaARsWuVS3t_z1eWFycUURVfHWH76Bf2-OIBlB3_3Upgt_BdW-hyHXM1JkRgYrM_Fy0e143irV1BSba4bo2JpP_jHc6ydeYaqOoQ9ZOdcFUZcnntCwuH9WH9EbKiyKT4OAib2o/s1600/Northern+pintail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9shvAkaARsWuVS3t_z1eWFycUURVfHWH76Bf2-OIBlB3_3Upgt_BdW-hyHXM1JkRgYrM_Fy0e143irV1BSba4bo2JpP_jHc6ydeYaqOoQ9ZOdcFUZcnntCwuH9WH9EbKiyKT4OAib2o/s320/Northern+pintail+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Both sexes reach sexual maturity at one year of age. The male mates with the female by swimming close to her with his head lowered and tail raised, continually whistling. If there is a group of males, they will chase the female in flight until only one drake is left. The female prepares for copulation, which takes place in the water, by lowering her body; the male then bobs his head up and down and mounts the female, taking the feathers on the back of her head in his mouth. After mating, he raises his head and back and whistles.<br />
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Breeding takes place between April and June, with the nest being constructed on the ground and hidden amongst vegetation in a dry location, often some distance from water. It is a shallow scrape on the ground lined with plant material and down. The female lays seven to nine cream-coloured eggs at the rate of one per day;[10] the eggs are 55 x 38 millimetres (2.2 x 1.5 in) in size and weigh 45 grammes (1.6 oz), of which 7% is shell.[16] If predators destroy the first clutch, the female can produce a replacement clutch as late as the end of July.<br />
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The hen alone incubates the eggs for 22 to 24 days before they hatch. The precocial downy chicks are then led by the female to the nearest body of water, where they feed on dead insects on the water surface. The chicks fledge in 46 to 47 days after hatching, but stay with the female until she has completed moulting.<br />
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Around three-quarters of chicks live long enough to fledge, but not more than half of those survive long enough to reproduce. The maximum recorded age is 27 years and 5 months for a Dutch bird, but the average life span for wild birds will be much shorter than this, and is likely to be similar to that of other wild ducks, such as the Mallard, at about two years.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Feeding</span></strong><br />
The Pintail feeds by dabbling and upending in shallow water for plant food mainly in the evening or at night, and therefore spends much of the day resting.[9] Its long neck enables it to take food items from the bottom of water bodies up to 30 centimetres (1 ft) deep, which are beyond the reach of other dabbling ducks like the Mallard.<br />
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The winter diet is mainly plant material including seeds and rhizomes of aquatic plants, but the Pintail sometimes feeds on roots, grain and other seeds in fields, though less frequently than other Anas ducks.During the nesting season, this bird eats mainly invertebrate animals, including aquatic insects, molluscs and crustaceans.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Health</span></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnXje_1dRh9gRFsk7gLLudT6nqZiNGK2GBkTJWqf5Frn7ZhqUwxw9gYOGm1yypBcvABcF1Z63-ICXia6-KYOgqDmHZNpXkshsE2KCYelBDxtZcYal98btUqS7O9l0fC0oHWmmK6nIT5c/s1600/Northern+pintail+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnXje_1dRh9gRFsk7gLLudT6nqZiNGK2GBkTJWqf5Frn7ZhqUwxw9gYOGm1yypBcvABcF1Z63-ICXia6-KYOgqDmHZNpXkshsE2KCYelBDxtZcYal98btUqS7O9l0fC0oHWmmK6nIT5c/s320/Northern+pintail+3.jpg" width="320" /></a>Pintail nests and chicks are vulnerable to predation by mammals, such as foxes and badgers, and birds like gulls, crows and magpies. The adults can take flight to escape terrestrial predators, but nesting females in particular may be surprised by large carnivores such as bobcats. Large birds of prey, such as Northern Goshawks, will take ducks from the ground, and some falcons, including the Gyrfalcon, have the speed and power to catch flying birds.<br />
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It is susceptible to a range of parasites including Cryptosporidium, Giardia, tapeworms, blood parasites and external feather lice, and is also affected by other avian diseases. It is often the dominant species in major mortality events from avian botulism and avian cholera, and can also contract avian influenza, the H5N1 strain of which is highly pathogenic and occasionally infects humans.<br />
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The Northern Pintail is a popular species for game shooting because of its speed, agility, and excellent eating qualities, and is hunted across its range. Although one of the world's most numerous ducks, the combination of hunting with other factors has led to population declines, and local restrictions on hunting have been introduced at times to help conserve numbers.<br />
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This species' preferred habitat of shallow water is naturally susceptible to problems such as drought or the encroachment of vegetation, but this duck’s habitat might be increasingly threatened by climate change.[16] Populations are also affected by the conversion of wetlands and grassland to arable crops, depriving the duck of feeding and nesting areas. Spring planting means that many nests of this early breeding duck are destroyed by farming activities, and a Canadian study showed that more than half of the surveyed nests were destroyed by agricultural work such as ploughing and harrowing.<br />
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Hunting with lead shot, along with the use of lead sinkers in angling, has been identified as a major cause of lead poisoning in waterfowl, which often feed off the bottom of lakes and wetlands where the shot collects. A Spanish study showed that Northern Pintail and Common Pochard were the species with the highest levels of lead shot ingestion, higher than in northern countries of the western Palearctic flyway, where lead shot has been banned. In the United States, Canada, and many western European countries, all shot used for waterfowl must now be non-toxic, and therefore may not contain any lead.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Status</span></strong><br />
The Northern Pintail has a large range, estimated at 28.4 million square kilometres (11 million sq mi), and a population estimated at 5.3–5.4 million individuals. It is therefore not believed to meet the IUCN Red List threshold criterion of a population decline of more than 30% in ten years or three generations, and is evaluated as Least Concern.<br />
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In the Palaearctic, breeding populations are declining in much of the range, including its stronghold in Russia, and are otherwise stable or fluctuating.<br />
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Pintails in North America at least have been badly affected by avian diseases, with the breeding population falling from more than 10 million in 1957 to 3.5 million by 1964. Although the species has recovered from that low point, the breeding population in 1999 was 30% below the long-term average, despite years of major efforts focused on restoring the species. In 1997, an estimated 1.5 million water birds, the majority being Northern Pintails, died from avian botulism during two outbreaks in Canada and Utah.<br />
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The Northern Pintail is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies, but it has no special status under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Swainson's Thrush</span></strong><br />
<div id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div><div></div><div></div><div>Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), also called Olive-backed Thrush, is a medium-sized thrush. This species is 16–18 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing pattern characteristic of Catharus thrushes. Swainson's Thrush was named after William Swainson, an English ornithologist.<br />
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The breeding habitat of Swainson's Thrush is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States, also deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coast of North America.<br />
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These birds migrate to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina. The coastal subspecies migrate down the Pacific coast of North America and winter from Mexico to Costa Rica, whereas the continental birds migrate eastwards within North America (a substantial detour) and then travel southwards via Florida to winter from Panama to Bolivia. Swainson's Thrush is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It has also occurred as a vagrant in northeast Asia.</div><div><br />
This species may be displaced by the Hermit Thrush where their ranges overlap. Possibly, the latter species adapts more readily to human encroachment upon its habitat. At least in the winter quarters, Swainson's Thrush tends to keep away from areas of human construction and other activity.</div><div></div><div><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Description</span></strong></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiMpW5nmRaCHQ7U8qqbZtnisu7sK8C9__hnNV3IAutJG2iLZeONK6lBQWsrHQRtVbPnaoridSocSaKRLOSJ2Zc_GPvay70M6Y_wZLDKaJahr60I5ZiJfG4Anj7C4XcSRp0Xt4P74gyAA/s1600/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+1+bird-flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiMpW5nmRaCHQ7U8qqbZtnisu7sK8C9__hnNV3IAutJG2iLZeONK6lBQWsrHQRtVbPnaoridSocSaKRLOSJ2Zc_GPvay70M6Y_wZLDKaJahr60I5ZiJfG4Anj7C4XcSRp0Xt4P74gyAA/s1600/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+1+bird-flight.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
Adults are brown on the upperparts. The underparts are white with brown on the flanks; the breast is lighter brown with darker spots. They have pink legs and a light brown eye ring. Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are more reddish-brown. This bird's song is a hurried series of flute-like tones spiralling upwards.</div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-Tzurc5gScmqwPVx2dRR2D31CVREdALFbf3FWISX9BXbRLbhciwYCGiCPxuV4UJzd9lI0HRjCrvhOsyJPpdpHUZvUJdReit3fp7DzXT30ajskKIWqda7d-DSTnUBx56hRjGxe9PYvyo/s1600/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+3+bird-flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-Tzurc5gScmqwPVx2dRR2D31CVREdALFbf3FWISX9BXbRLbhciwYCGiCPxuV4UJzd9lI0HRjCrvhOsyJPpdpHUZvUJdReit3fp7DzXT30ajskKIWqda7d-DSTnUBx56hRjGxe9PYvyo/s320/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+3+bird-flight.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Diet</strong></span><br />
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They forage on the forest floor, also in trees. Swainson's Thrushes mainly eat insects, fruits and berries. They make a cup nest on a horizontal tree branch.</div><div>Subspecies<br />
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Four subspecies are recognised, Cathartus ustulatus alame, C. u. swainsoni, C. u. ustulatus and C. u. oedicus. Subspecies Cathartus ustulatus alame and C. u. swainsoni summer east of the British Columbian Coast Mountains, the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada, and C. u. ustulatus and C. u. oedicus summer west of these ranges. There is a small area of overlap in the Coast Mountains. Recent molecular systematics work confirms that these two pairs of subspecies form two genetically distinct clades, referred to as the continental and coastal clades, which diverged during the Late Pleistocene era, probably about 10,000 years ago as the last ice age came to its end and habitats shifted across North America.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tFfRN_OqNLf3cOKw2Gex3lATmjOTxo_VX53lGg2DfJ0KCz0XDOCNW7ZrdZmTcvUtRC_S4EfQwwwvEmH4WEZJEBsbGRmp5EzqQ05_M4D9_d0W9orr1FdJfAua1EqJmGzk38_MHxpWX4g/s1600/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+4+bird-flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tFfRN_OqNLf3cOKw2Gex3lATmjOTxo_VX53lGg2DfJ0KCz0XDOCNW7ZrdZmTcvUtRC_S4EfQwwwvEmH4WEZJEBsbGRmp5EzqQ05_M4D9_d0W9orr1FdJfAua1EqJmGzk38_MHxpWX4g/s320/Swainson%2527s+Thrush+4+bird-flight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>The genetic differences between the subspecies, and the circuitous migratory route of the continental birds, strongly suggest that these species underwent a rapid range expansion following the end of the last ice age, with populations originally summering in the south-east of North America expanding their ranges northwards and westwards as the ice retreated. Details of the molecular genetic analysis support the hypothesis of rapid expansion of both coastal and continental populations. The current migratory routes of the continental birds, especially the western populations, are not optimal in ecological terms, and presumably represent an inherited, historical route pattern that has not yet adapted to the birds' modern population locations.<br />
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These results notwithstanding, analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 as well as nuclear β-fibrinogen intron 7 sequence data shows that Swainson's Thrush is the most ancient North American species of its genus; it is not closely related to other Catharus and the outward similarities with the other North American species are due to convergent evolution.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Woodland Kingfisher</span></strong><br />
<div id="siteSub">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div><div></div><div></div><div><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Description"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Description</span></span></h2>This is a medium-sized kingfisher, 20–23 cm in length. The adult has a bright blue back, wing panel and tail. Its head, neck and underparts are white, and its shoulders are black. The flight of the Woodland Kingfisher is rapid and direct. The large bill has a red upper mandible and black lower mandible. The legs are bright red. Some birds may have greyish heads, causing confusion with Mangrove Kingfisher.<br />
However, the lores are dark, creating a dark stripe through the eye (the stripe does not extend through the eye in Mangrove Kingfisher), and the underwing, primaries and secondaries are black with white underwing coverts (there is a black carpal patch on the white coverts in Manrgove Kingfisher). The inner webs of the base of the flight feathers are white, creating an indistinct white wingbar (white completely absent from wings in Mangrove Kingfisher). The breast is white (tends to be much greyer in Mangrove Kingfisher). The sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and have a brown bill.<br />
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Distribution_and_habitat"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Distribution and habitat</span></span></h2>The Woodland Kingfisher is widely distributed in tropical Africa south of the Sahara and from Pretoria northwards . This kingfisher is essentially resident within 8° of the equator, but northern and southern populations are migratory, moving into the equatorial zone in the dry season.<br />
It is a common species of a variety of wooded habitats with some trees, especially Acacias, including around human habitation. Although it is a "kingfisher", it prefers drier habitats in more traditional woodland and can be far from water. It is often solitary but can occur in small groups.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm5-IqgKr6f-Rn8CXQVY0eVO6VX2Omu2P7sF1IEoUOs8MjQ3MDQ27Z-djP8eJ6cBZ_6OVYRQP-eUxjNYDIJrkmF6d2NLl1oZBqNxbjIoR8Ols70YGOIX9NAVmkMS8EqSve9NVnlVayq8/s1600/Woodland+Kingfisher++3+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUm5-IqgKr6f-Rn8CXQVY0eVO6VX2Omu2P7sF1IEoUOs8MjQ3MDQ27Z-djP8eJ6cBZ_6OVYRQP-eUxjNYDIJrkmF6d2NLl1oZBqNxbjIoR8Ols70YGOIX9NAVmkMS8EqSve9NVnlVayq8/s320/Woodland+Kingfisher++3+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Behaviour"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Behaviour</span></span></h2>The Woodland Kingfisher is aggressively territorial, attacking intruders including humans. It has a striking display in which the wings are spread to show the white linings.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Breeding</span></span></strong><br />
The nest is a tree hole excavated by a woodpecker or barbet. A single clutch of three round white eggs is typical.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxMpM-cT0pjsjZoGFJp2JcuLCcKpNORXmftofrj3vVVS4SySMQDJuBzj9QLKx7SLmZr9RN-IreZmWhtTb-VWCvf6l5-ukluYx8zIIvbAcyIYGvHNjs6l8bmIEv6bB9Nib5B5xGOk1-Z4/s1600/Woodland+Kingfisher+2+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxMpM-cT0pjsjZoGFJp2JcuLCcKpNORXmftofrj3vVVS4SySMQDJuBzj9QLKx7SLmZr9RN-IreZmWhtTb-VWCvf6l5-ukluYx8zIIvbAcyIYGvHNjs6l8bmIEv6bB9Nib5B5xGOk1-Z4/s320/Woodland+Kingfisher+2+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Food"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Food</span></span></h3>It hunts from an exposed perch, often on a dead branch of a tree, or perches quietly in semi-shade while seeking food. The prey is mainly a wide variety of large insects, but also other arthropods, snakes, fish and frogs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fj9ktWKqxdr9E8ZQXp31U_NodLHB_xz1533QWlIhY-X_o9oAckE73pDrFuRnAaPjAu6pgfQSGbS3zJdEQmBGPLyeuAu-nsVLkO8z5Aj6mls2rcgEvXbLkBGWIGOQQ-veOoRv7f9qgAA/s1600/Woodland+Kingfisher+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fj9ktWKqxdr9E8ZQXp31U_NodLHB_xz1533QWlIhY-X_o9oAckE73pDrFuRnAaPjAu6pgfQSGbS3zJdEQmBGPLyeuAu-nsVLkO8z5Aj6mls2rcgEvXbLkBGWIGOQQ-veOoRv7f9qgAA/s320/Woodland+Kingfisher+bird-flight.blogspot.com.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Call"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Call</span></span></h3>The call of this noisy kingfisher is a loud trill.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Videos</span></strong></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9BfcyShgnqg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-32102022936909414682011-05-03T11:43:00.000-07:002011-05-26T08:23:27.706-07:00Bird migration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-takedown-notice-search/"><img alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Takedown Notice Infringement Search Tool" border="0" height="16" src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-234x16.gif" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." width="234" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Bird migration</span><br />
.. Mysterious behavior .. It is a world that contains many marvels<br />
Total bird species in the world (8600 to 9016) species, Concentrated mostly in the tropical forests of South America<br />
The number of species that breed around (2500) type.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Including «1700» type breed in the State of Colombia alone ..</div><div><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">What is the meaning of immigration</span><br />
Immigration in the broad sense: the transmission of large numbers of birds from one place to another ..<br />
Mass movements of birds between two places apart »<br />
In many legends that these birds come down from heaven<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Why do birds migrate</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span>No definitive answer to this question, but the migration of birds is instinctive .. <br />
The scholars differed as to know the reasons that some of them attributed to the change in temperature<br />
and lack of food, and some of them due to it is «instinctively» ..<br />
Where birds return to old nests in the summer after a winter on the basis that all birds<br />
originating in the original tropical, and some are looking for regions where there are more economical <br />
sources of food and migratory birds are able to survive and to maintain the kinds of extinction ..<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWFt3wO0KeVxipCX51xMLmfLkV8is_9-UFabcrxu8Yq2mQhQlYKttmJ2wny_WgyQ37-j7BIEO_hA3ozlFoBbeJIdCAYNxaCjlx6hecFGAUTK8V_7P_0WHDKUiDpcgLHlmw94AZK-MojM/s1600/migration+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWFt3wO0KeVxipCX51xMLmfLkV8is_9-UFabcrxu8Yq2mQhQlYKttmJ2wny_WgyQ37-j7BIEO_hA3ozlFoBbeJIdCAYNxaCjlx6hecFGAUTK8V_7P_0WHDKUiDpcgLHlmw94AZK-MojM/s1600/migration+2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">How is the migration of birds</span><br />
Some birds migrate during the day and this can be seen ..This species have the power during flight. <br />
And pick up some of their own food during flight .. Such as «geese - Falcons - ducks - Swallow» <br />
There are birds migrate at night and these types of low capacity in the aviation and cowardly<br />
where feel safe when they start under the cover of darkness and the birds pick their own food during <br />
the day at a stop or a trip day as short as the «turtule dove - Alassao- quail - Algarora or« bee » and others,<br />
there are some birds migration to get out of their nests high in the mountains to the lower slopes and valleys<br />
at the onset of winter, these species cut only short distances.<br />
What is the heights of bird<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Kp3y3nXw0exJIjwDLgE5b3uMfWWlJLFouzAd58M5zWJ1vbwv6t9qdic1I3fhgqwQPiyhaGpcX9l7wMf3wLELSnHcxDSZn3ev4ZP4cCoi73my2vRxGtLMBvNbLRAfRyC-nWHwiVv-3wY/s1600/Bird+migration+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Kp3y3nXw0exJIjwDLgE5b3uMfWWlJLFouzAd58M5zWJ1vbwv6t9qdic1I3fhgqwQPiyhaGpcX9l7wMf3wLELSnHcxDSZn3ev4ZP4cCoi73my2vRxGtLMBvNbLRAfRyC-nWHwiVv-3wY/s320/Bird+migration+3.jpg" width="320" /></a>Recent studies have shown that some birds reach a height «5000» feet and only a small number of flocks<br />
of migratory birds are rarely more than to rise «3000»feet.<br />
That most of the flight - especially at night - less than half of this rise and there are <br />
types of swans - ducks - geese »reaches a height of« 8000 »to the« 9000 »feet ..<br />
And some Waterbirds up to «12 000» <br />
The speed during the flight, most birds fly at speeds of «20-40» miles per hour, <br />
and there are many discrepancies among them, <br />
atmosphere and height, affect on speed and there is little birds have more speed than (100) Miles per hour ..<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Flight planning </span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQT_PHcfZwMzW4Bm_xq0a5zdfrKtpssufnTp7czK8NfMgu6iGogRRC2L1jUo-RVEz1nLPnlFWrq2XGH_umXpM7OgG42a6PkkuoJ0NAnZS0XZMtViW8YeQ_qK6ESrKO1lGPEJDSmCaVDE/s1600/Bird+migration+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQT_PHcfZwMzW4Bm_xq0a5zdfrKtpssufnTp7czK8NfMgu6iGogRRC2L1jUo-RVEz1nLPnlFWrq2XGH_umXpM7OgG42a6PkkuoJ0NAnZS0XZMtViW8YeQ_qK6ESrKO1lGPEJDSmCaVDE/s1600/Bird+migration+2.jpg" /></a>Birds have their own world, flying in an orderly, and often change the composition during<br />
the flight and then return the assembly once again behind the bird takes a specific process of leadership. <br />
They behave as one way to go and come back and take large birds responsibility to teach their young<br />
through the migration experience has shown that birds had enormous ability to identify trends and despite<br />
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the fact that immigration is closely linked to the change in the length of the day, temperature, humidity, direction of the wind and physical composition, <br />
including the accumulation of fat in the body of the bird in preparation for the flight that need to be more energy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-takedown-notice-search/"><img alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Takedown Notice Infringement Search Tool" border="0" height="16" src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-234x16.gif" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." width="234" /></a></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-75207636394516143262011-04-19T08:42:00.000-07:002011-04-19T17:55:14.415-07:00Greater Flamingo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJTiP8xRsIkVWlYAARhXQUrG7x_ApwsOpAtmjbf4jqKRPDG6mrjfehwt3tkpxhxo5jhjtDYFbBtIVG0WXJP99GBM-ZYJewRtfHNX-l5LclTSAlREtw5YsabRRbQ0P47f7mFcvabjziyM/s1600/Greater+Flamingo+4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
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<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Greater Flamingo</b></span></span></div></div><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</b></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJTiP8xRsIkVWlYAARhXQUrG7x_ApwsOpAtmjbf4jqKRPDG6mrjfehwt3tkpxhxo5jhjtDYFbBtIVG0WXJP99GBM-ZYJewRtfHNX-l5LclTSAlREtw5YsabRRbQ0P47f7mFcvabjziyM/s1600/Greater+Flamingo+4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597322735979592322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJTiP8xRsIkVWlYAARhXQUrG7x_ApwsOpAtmjbf4jqKRPDG6mrjfehwt3tkpxhxo5jhjtDYFbBtIVG0WXJP99GBM-ZYJewRtfHNX-l5LclTSAlREtw5YsabRRbQ0P47f7mFcvabjziyM/s400/Greater+Flamingo+4.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe (including Spain, Sardinia, Albania, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, and the Camargue region of France). Some populations are short distance migrants, and records north of the breeding range are relatively frequent; however, given the species' popularity in captivity whether these are truly wild individuals is a matter of some debate. A single bird was seen on North Keeling Island (Cocos (Keeling) Islands) in 1988. Greater Flamingo is the state bird of Gujarat, India.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the largest species of flamingo, averaging 110–150 cm (43–60 in) tall and weighing 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lbs). The largest male flamingoes have been recorded at up to 187 cm (74 in) tall and 4.5 kg (10 lbs). It is closely related to the American Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo, with which it has sometimes been considered conspecific, but that treatment is now widely seen (e.g., by the American and British Ornithologists' Union) as incorrect and based on a lack of evidence.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bill is pink with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking.</span></span></div><div style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lifespan</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The oldest known greater flamingo, a resident of the Adelaide Zoo in Australia, is at least 77 years old. The bird's exact age is not known; however, he was already a mature adult when he arrived in Adelaide in 1933, and he is still there as of 2011.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Habitat</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bird resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water. Using its feet the bird stir up the mud, then sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms and mollusks.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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</span></span></div></div></div></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-47319357066318205562011-04-19T08:17:00.000-07:002011-04-19T08:40:54.027-07:00Siberian Crane<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; font-size: small; ">Bird Flight All About Birds Flights and More</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w9ZXrcWICE7KXOZkBP3dokwPcus1IHDl3XCTJxD82Sml8DK0RFkeFqlhfg5D-Jq2GkxxpUHk1iCM1GGMMClfKCmAWmjw9E1KBKc8O223W0hmZzORdcSV2hz2dKAWPxw_QQs8c9WR2GU/s1600/Siberian+Cranes4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiv0LYfoZt5tAAeK3g2j4IGwUFNx2Iw60yHOMuQj-qMWkrfhgzduCwJeJmrE5NIlOuyV4BtkWIauXikLzxzsPh8xzjA2sHfny_n6IAnTI5znT8YZQ1fKbXk71CtEN_hGo4bLNMKDkYYQ/s1600/Siberian+Cranes1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Siberian Crane</span></b><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; ">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; "><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: normal; "><br /></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; line-height: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiv0LYfoZt5tAAeK3g2j4IGwUFNx2Iw60yHOMuQj-qMWkrfhgzduCwJeJmrE5NIlOuyV4BtkWIauXikLzxzsPh8xzjA2sHfny_n6IAnTI5znT8YZQ1fKbXk71CtEN_hGo4bLNMKDkYYQ/s400/Siberian+Cranes1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597314559001291026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; line-height: normal; "><br /></span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; line-height: normal; "><br /></span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; font-family: sans-serif; ">The <b>Siberian Crane</b> (<i><b>Grus leucogeranus</b></i>) also known as the <b>Siberian White Crane</b> or the<b>Snow Crane</b>, is a <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">bird</span></a> </span>of the family Gruidae, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_(bird)" title="Crane (bird)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">cranes</span></a>. They are distinctive among the cranes, adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their black <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_feather" title="Flight feather" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">primary</span></a> </span>feathers that are visible in flight and a naked red face, with two breeding populations in the Arctic tundra of western and eastern Russia. They eastern populations <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_migration" title="Bird migration" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">migrate</span></a> during winter to China while the western population winters in Iran and formerly, in India. Among the cranes, they make the longest distance migrations. Their populations, particularly those in the western range have declined drastically in the 20th century due to hunting along their migration routes and habitat degradation. The world population was estimated in 2010 at about 3200 birds, mostly belonging to the eastern population with about 95% of them wintering in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poyang_lake" class="mw-redirect" title="Poyang lake" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Poyang lake</span></a> basin in China, a habitat that may be altered by the <span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Three Gorges Dam</span></a>.</span></span></span></span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b>Description </b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Adults of both sexes have a pure white plumage except for the black primaries, alula and primarycoverts.The forecrown, face and side of head is bare and brick red, the bill is dark and the legs are pinkish. The iris is yellowish. Juveniles are feathered on the face and the plumage is dingy brown. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species. The call is very different from the trumpeting of most cranes and is a goose-like high pitched whistling toyoya. They are about <b>4.9-8.6 kg (10.8-19 lbs)</b> in weight and stand about <b>140 cm (55 in) </b>tall with a <b>210–230 cm (83–91 in)</b> wing span. Males are on average larger than females.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Feeding</span></b></div><div style="font-size: small; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "> These cranes feed mainly on plants although they are omnivorous. In the summer grounds they feed on a range of plants including the roots of hellebore (Veratrum misae), seeds of Empetrum nigrum as well as small rodents (lemmings and voles), earthworms and fish. They were earlier thought to be predominantly fish eating on the basis of the serrated edge to their bill, but later studies suggest that they take animal prey mainly when the vegetation is covered by snow. They also swallow pebbles and grit to aid in crushing food in their crop. In their wintering grounds in China, they have been noted to feed to a large extent on the submerged leaves of Vallisneria spiralis.[15] Specimens wintering in India have been found to have mainly aquatic plants in their stomachs. They are however noted to pick up beetles and birds eggs in captivity.</div><div style="font-size: small; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; "><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b>Breeding</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> Siberian Cranes return to the Arctic tundra around the end of April and beginning of May. The nest is usually on the edge of lake in boggy ground and is usually surrounded by water. Most eggs are laid in the first week of June when the tundra is snow free. The usual clutch is two eggs, which are incubated by the female after the second egg is laid. The male stands guard nearby. The eggs hatch in about <b>27 to 29 days.</b> The young birds fledge in about 80 days. Usually only a single chick survives due to aggression between young birds. The population increase per year is less than 10%, the lowest recruitment rate among cranes. Their success in breeding may further be hampered by disturbance from reindeer and sometimes dogs that accompany reindeer herders. Captive breeding was achieved by the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo after numerous failed attempts. Males often killed their mates and captive breeding was achieved by artificial insemination and the hatching of eggs by other crane species such as the Sandhill and using floodlights to simulate the longer daylengths of the Arctic summer.</span></span></div></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="line-height: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Migration</span></b></div><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px; "> This species breeds in two disjunct regions in the arctic tundra of Russia; the western population along the Ob in Yakutia and western Siberia. It is a long distance migrant and among the cranes, makes the longest migrations. The eastern population winters on the Yangtze River and Lake Poyang in China, a western population formerly wintered at Keoladeo National Park, India but was extirpated, the last crane in this population was observed in 2002. The west and the western population in Fereydoon Kenar in Iran</div><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w9ZXrcWICE7KXOZkBP3dokwPcus1IHDl3XCTJxD82Sml8DK0RFkeFqlhfg5D-Jq2GkxxpUHk1iCM1GGMMClfKCmAWmjw9E1KBKc8O223W0hmZzORdcSV2hz2dKAWPxw_QQs8c9WR2GU/s1600/Siberian+Cranes4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w9ZXrcWICE7KXOZkBP3dokwPcus1IHDl3XCTJxD82Sml8DK0RFkeFqlhfg5D-Jq2GkxxpUHk1iCM1GGMMClfKCmAWmjw9E1KBKc8O223W0hmZzORdcSV2hz2dKAWPxw_QQs8c9WR2GU/s400/Siberian+Cranes4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597317201331497538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 400px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7rblAcCZgT52fWnfqeUAF5YNwwnxHo9joQM_MQ_mdfTTqGAc-cpaXsY8a7Egu51UZc7wX-5jugS-3TASOUcIYSj75OllN7Ni79jRveP_otU2rPO4V29P_JV9Zze2OGGiqNuoT1rHFx0/s1600/Siberian+Cranes3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7rblAcCZgT52fWnfqeUAF5YNwwnxHo9joQM_MQ_mdfTTqGAc-cpaXsY8a7Egu51UZc7wX-5jugS-3TASOUcIYSj75OllN7Ni79jRveP_otU2rPO4V29P_JV9Zze2OGGiqNuoT1rHFx0/s400/Siberian+Cranes3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597317199591649938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 298px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbvkA229FBiJ0MOiUzJg0KjRzWlFkf5sjxxV_owObQgHtkG7edMV0ma9iVf5XRCaTcaTPZ6n4MA2aY1oV9cZfquoXBxq5mOwGQH6OM3qtFAE1XCNZ3-bqQr878MnPbW8EFj6t9kevgPQ/s1600/Siberian+Cranes2%255D.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbvkA229FBiJ0MOiUzJg0KjRzWlFkf5sjxxV_owObQgHtkG7edMV0ma9iVf5XRCaTcaTPZ6n4MA2aY1oV9cZfquoXBxq5mOwGQH6OM3qtFAE1XCNZ3-bqQr878MnPbW8EFj6t9kevgPQ/s400/Siberian+Cranes2%255D.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597317196316234066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 242px; " /></a></span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sm1x4bMF7yo?hl=ar&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sm1x4bMF7yo?hl=ar&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></span></div></span></span></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4733280710353795137.post-7545150478344042942010-06-24T06:46:00.000-07:002011-04-16T18:47:34.620-07:00Turtle Dove<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-size: small; ">Bird Flight All About Birds Flights and More</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-size: small; "><br /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7BKa12GZNM0oODBKVEUejgf-dKhhW0PXqaL1DYId2PY6b2slu5kBEpSuJyCsOHN22o0OhjDwBlxi4U6zBD9sgd6dsrFE7eTZAViwW1N6Dbq88915cjFhHX95eT43nYBC-tFd1tMsNOY/s1600/turtle_dove1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7BKa12GZNM0oODBKVEUejgf-dKhhW0PXqaL1DYId2PY6b2slu5kBEpSuJyCsOHN22o0OhjDwBlxi4U6zBD9sgd6dsrFE7eTZAViwW1N6Dbq88915cjFhHX95eT43nYBC-tFd1tMsNOY/s400/turtle_dove1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479689721115397330" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-copyright-protection/"><img src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-88x31.gif" alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." border="0" width="88" height="31" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Turtle Dove </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Streptopelia turtur </span><br /><br />a member of the bird family Columbidae which includes the doves and pigeons.<br />Beautiful bird, with a lithe body,<br />Perches parts of the body of this bird color Chestnut pale red and brown with a black dots at the tip of wing<br />Dark color with white and black lines on a few aspects of the neck and a distinctive red eyes While if you look at the lower parts with a light pink color<br />Most of the feathers under the tail is black with white, a sign that this bird is known by envy when flying , feet dyed red.<br />Male and female are similar in form<br /><br />This dove lived a major part of Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and the Canary Islands<br />Since the mid-1970, it has become such a strong degradation of passes, where its numbers have been decreasing<br />The reasons for this declines are habitat destruction and the use of pesticides and over-fishing <a name="sg_0" href="javascript:void(0);" class="" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', 'along the line of', 302, 17, 0, 238488176, 'along-32the-32line-32of');"></a>along the line of flight <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="cerr" name="sg_1" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', 'Immigration', 327, 11, 1, 140444896, 'Immigration');"></a> immigration.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-copyright-protection/"><img src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-88x31.gif" alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." border="0" width="88" height="31" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food</span></span><br />This dove can be fed on seeds as a source of food in spite of that the dove also eat live food such as worms.<br />All kinds of migratory birds open appetite to eat strangely before the migration season about a month and do not wait until lack of food fly,<br />Otherwise, it will not be able to cut such distances without the necessary energy.<br />Begins to consume large quantities of food in order to build a strong body can continue to journey Immigration<br />Therefore, we see a fat chunky grease.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-copyright-protection/"><img src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-88x31.gif" alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." border="0" width="88" height="31" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;" id="result_box" class="short_text"><span style="background-color: rgb(230, 236, 249);" title=""></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Breeding</span></span><br /><span id="result_box" class="medium_text"><span style="" title="">Dove nesting in a low place in one of the trees and lay two white eggs and chicks out after about 14 days of incubation.<br /></span><span title="">Produced in the summer season from about 4 to 6 </span></span><span id="result_box" class="medium_text"><span style="" title=""> chicks .<br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-copyright-protection/"><img src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-88x31.gif" alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." border="0" width="88" height="31" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" name="sg_0" href="javascript:void(0);" class="cerr" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', 'Immigration', 0, 11, 0, 140444896, 'Immigration');"></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Immigration </span></span><br />Birds migrate to search for better living conditions and atmosphere for rest and relaxation .. And also for mating and reproduction<br />Migratory birds pass twice of the Arabian Peninsula:<br />Go in the <a class="" name="sg_1" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', '9', 210, 1, 1, 254411184, '-57');"></a>9 months to be in Europe and Central Asia and migrate before winter in Sudan, Somalia, and pass on coastal areas.<br />Either in <a class="" name="sg_2" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', '4', 335, 1, 2, 254411104, '-52');"></a>4 opposite from the Sudan to Europe and Asia, where the leaves free and looking for the moderate states in the air and brackish cooling slightly.<br /><br />A quiet early in the morning does not move very much, but in the afternoon, and be warned, it is sensitive to the slightest movement.<br />Fly and rise in the liver of heaven, so keep a low profile.<br />And snaps into place more than a day where he begins to fly on the same day,<br />and cut <a name="sg_0" href="javascript:void(0);" class="cerr" onclick="submit_bot('suggram', 'between', 283, 7, 0, 138415056, 'between');"></a>between 80 to 90 km per night.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.copyscape.com/dmca-copyright-protection/"><img src="http://banners.copyscape.com/images/cs-wh-88x31.gif" alt="Protected by Copyscape DMCA Copyright Detector" title="Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page." border="0" width="88" height="31" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lNlznJC7_C_xZaou_id_FzjC8EuQtjRl_DI2JDlGQtDej4d7ryS3OLFFF77aN4MyAUr5J4FU94Xd6mm2V9XJY_fJIrg_M0wYPLMs6hp6l4OglOCfta_BaPkUADG6NSOuyRr3BfXaGjA/s1600/turtle_dove2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lNlznJC7_C_xZaou_id_FzjC8EuQtjRl_DI2JDlGQtDej4d7ryS3OLFFF77aN4MyAUr5J4FU94Xd6mm2V9XJY_fJIrg_M0wYPLMs6hp6l4OglOCfta_BaPkUADG6NSOuyRr3BfXaGjA/s400/turtle_dove2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479689716189178818" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCZVbk90xqew2xprZy-zyEAWDdEppLB_i4C9MQjYNSrDcOTTrC00h_R3jV9joPUE2fNT6p90gxeVY8zlnttuXf5ptlD-9g63TSjyT_pDCCLUXwH3vDWJg17a6ihVi-pJaEvskHfwVBoE/s1600/turtle_dove3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCZVbk90xqew2xprZy-zyEAWDdEppLB_i4C9MQjYNSrDcOTTrC00h_R3jV9joPUE2fNT6p90gxeVY8zlnttuXf5ptlD-9g63TSjyT_pDCCLUXwH3vDWJg17a6ihVi-pJaEvskHfwVBoE/s400/turtle_dove3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479689711851336018" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLP7A5X8lmjQ-X4eVKK3IrHOcZ4Z9LkoPHhTRlogNbx7f8tH2kV-apIkRgCpFRDky5l1vmBW56TbT68BudYN4bf64F7ZkD3p1WPJ0uujvxbd574n0rYo9laxeUhtU2ltfWHWAkpBnbttw/s1600/turtle_dove4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 366px; height: 340px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLP7A5X8lmjQ-X4eVKK3IrHOcZ4Z9LkoPHhTRlogNbx7f8tH2kV-apIkRgCpFRDky5l1vmBW56TbT68BudYN4bf64F7ZkD3p1WPJ0uujvxbd574n0rYo9laxeUhtU2ltfWHWAkpBnbttw/s400/turtle_dove4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479689278704572178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Videos<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Bxou2hUyIw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-Bxou2hUyIw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/88CN3fnRKBg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/88CN3fnRKBg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://bird-flight.blogspot.com/">Home</a></span></span></div>bird flighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13792852077434502228noreply@blogger.com