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Swainson's Thrush

Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus ), also called Ol ive-backed Thrush , is a medium-sizedthrush. This species is 1618 cm in length , and has the white-dark-white underwing patterncharacteristic of Catharus thrushes. Swainson's Thrush was named after William Swainson , an

English ornithologist.The breeding habitat of Swainson's Thrush is coniferous woods with dense undergrowth acrossCanada , Alaska and the northern United States , also deciduous wooded areas on the Pacific coastof North America.

These birds migrate to southern Mexico and as far south as Argentina. The coastal subspeciesmigrate 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 ) andthen travel southwards via Florida to winter from Panama to Bolivia. Swainson's Thrush is avery rare vagrant to western Europe. It has also occurred as a vagrant in northeast Asia. [1]

This species may be displaced by the Hermit Thrush where their ranges overlap. Possibly , thelatter 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.

Description

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. Birdsin 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.

Diet

They forage on the forest floor , also in trees. Swainson's Thrushes mainly eat insects , fruits and berries [2]. They make a cup nest on a horizontal tree branch.

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N orthern Pintai l

The Pintai l or N orthern Pintai l ( An as acuta ) is a widely occurring duck which breeds in thenorthern 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 nogeographical subspecies if the possibly conspecific Eaton's Pintail is considered to be a separate

species.This is a fairly large duck , with a long pointed tail that gives rise to the species' English andscientific names. The male has a very distinctive brown , grey and white appearance , whereas thefemale has mainly light brown plumage and a shorter tail. The male's call is a mellow whistle , whereas the female quacks like a Mallard.

The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands which nests on the ground , often some distancefrom water. It feeds by dabbling for plant food and adds small invertebrates to its diet during thenesting season. It is highly gregarious when not breeding , forming large mixed flocks with other species of duck.

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 threatenedglobally.

Description

The Northern Pintail is a fairly large duck with a wingspan of 23.628.2 centimetres (9.3 11.1 in ). The male is 5976 centimetres (2330 in ) in length and weighs 4501360 grammes (1 3 lb ), and therefore is considerably larger than the female , which is 5164 centimetres (2025 in )

long and weighs 4541135 grammes (12.5 lb ).[9]

The male in breeding plumage has achocolate-brown head and white breast with a white stripe extending up the side of the neck. Itsupperparts and sides are grey , but elongated grey feathers with black central stripes are drapedacross the back from the shoulder area. The vent area is yellow , contrasting with the black underside of the tail ,[8] which has the central feathers elongated to as much as 10 centimetres(4 in ). The bill is bluish and the legs are blue-grey. [10]

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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 males; it is still easily identified by its shape , long neck , and long grey bill.

F eeding

The Pintail feeds by dabbling and upending in shallow water for plant food mainly in the eveningor at night , and therefore spends much of the day resting. [8] Its long neck enables it to take fooditems from the bottom of water bodies up to 30 centimetres (1 ft ) deep , which are beyond thereach of other dabbling ducks like the Mallard. [10]

The winter diet is mainly plant material including seeds and rhizomes of aquatic plants , but thePintail sometimes feeds on roots , grain and other seeds in fields , though less frequently thanother An as ducks. [10] During the nesting season , this bird eats mainly invertebrate animals , including aquatic insects , molluscs and crustaceans. [9]

H ealth

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 , butnesting females in particular may be surprised by large carnivores such as bobcats. [9] Large birdsof 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. [17]

It is susceptible to a range of parasites including Cryptosporidium , Giardia , tapeworms , blood parasites and external feather lice ,[18][19][20][21] and is also affected by other avian diseases. It isoften the dominant species in major mortality events from avian botulism and avian cholera ,[22] and can also contract avian influenza , the H5N1 strain of which is highly pathogenic andoccasionally infects humans. [23]

The Northern Pintail is a popular species for game shooting because of its speed , agility , andexcellent eating qualities , and is hunted across its range. [24][25] Although one of the world's mostnumerous ducks ,[15] 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. [26]

This species' preferred habitat of shallow water is naturally susceptible to problems such asdrought or the encroachment of vegetation , but this ducks habitat might be increasingly

threatened by climate change. [15] Populations are also affected by the conversion of wetlands andgrassland to arable crops , depriving the duck of feeding and nesting areas. Spring planting meansthat many nests of this early breeding duck are destroyed by farming activities ,[27] and aCanadian study showed that more than half of the surveyed nests were destroyed by agriculturalwork such as ploughing and harrowing. [28]

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B ar-tai led Godwit

The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica ) is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds onArctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical

regions of the Old World. [2] 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.

Description

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 7080 cm. Males average smaller than females but with muchoverlap; males weigh 190400 g , while females weigh 260630 g; there is also some regionalvariation in size (see subspecies , below ). The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark billwith a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck , breast and belly are unbroken brick redin breeding plumage , off white in winter. The back is mottled grey. [2][4]

It is distinguished from the Black-tailed Godwit by its barred , rather than wholly black , tail and alack of white wing bars. The most similar species is the Asiatic Dowitcher.

Diet

It forages by probing in mudflats or marshes. It may find insects by sight in short vegetation. Iteats mainly insects and crustaceans , but also parts of aquatic plants.

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A rctic Tern

The A rctic Tern ( S terna paradisaea ) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has acircumpolar 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 stronglymigratory , seeing two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds alonga winding route to the oceans around Antarctica and back , a round trip of about 70 ,900 km (c.44,300 miles ) each year. [3] This is by far the longest regular migration by any known animal. TheArctic Tern flies as well as glides through the air , performing almost all of its tasks in the air. Itnests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle ); once it has finished nestingit takes to the sky for another long southern migration.

Arctic Terns are medium-sized birds. They have a length of 3339 cm (1315 in ) and awingspan of 7685 cm (2630 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 andcrown (streaked white ), and white cheeks. The grey mantle is 305 mm , and the scapulars arefringed brown , some tipped white. The upper wing is grey with a white leading edge , and thecollar 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.

Arctic Terns are long-lived birds , with many reaching thirty years of age. They eat mainly fishand small marine invertebrates. The species is abundant , with an estimated one millionindividuals. 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.

R eproduction

Breeding begins around the third or fourth year. [13] Arctic Terns mate for life , and in most cases , return to the same colony each year. [14] Courtship is elaborate , especially in birds nesting for thefirst time. [15] Courtship begins with a so-called "high flight" , where a female will chase the male

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to a high altitude and then slowly descend. This display is followed by "fish flights" , where themale will offer fish to the female. Courtship on the ground involves strutting with a raised tailand lowered wings. After this , both birds will usually fly and circle each other. [15]

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.[15]

Breeding takes place in colonieson coasts , islands and occasionally inland on tundra near water. It often forms mixed flocks withthe Common Tern. It lays from one to three eggs per clutch , most often two. [8]

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 smallto cause serious injury , it is still capable of drawing blood. [5] Other birds can benefit from nestingin an area defended by Arctic Terns.

The nest is usually a depression in the ground , which may or may not be lined with bits of grassor similar materials. The eggs are mottled and camouflaged. [8] Both sexes share incubation

duties. The young hatch after 2227 days and fledge after 2124 days.[8]

If the parents aredisturbed and flush from the nest frequently the incubation period could be extended to as longas 34 days.

Griffon Vu l ture

The Griffin Vu lture (Gyps fulvus ) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey familyAccipitridae.

The Griffin Vulture is 93110 cm (3743 in ) long with a 230269 cm (91106 in ) wingspan , andit weighs between 6 and 13 kg (13.2 and 29 lb ). Hatched naked , it is a typical Old World vulturein appearance , with a very white bald head , very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has awhite neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flightfeathers.

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Like other vultures it is a scavenger , feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which itfinds by soaring over open areas , often moving in flocks. It grunts and hisses at roosts or whenfeeding on carrion.

It breeds on crags in mountains in southern Europe , north Africa , and Asia , laying one egg.Griffon Vultures may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident.

S tatus in Europe

y In Italy , the species survived only in Sardinia , but was re-introduced in a few other areas of the peninsula. As a result , several specimens been spotted again in August 2006 on the Gran Sassomassif (central Italy ).y In Croatia , a colony of Griffon Vultures can be found near the town of Beli on the island of

Cres[1]

. There they breed at lower elevations , with some nests just 10 m above sea level.Therefore , contact with people is common. The population makes frequent incursions in theSlovenian territory , especially in the mountain Stol above Kobarid.y In Cyprus , there is a colony at Episkopi , in the south of the island.y Colonies of Griffon Vultures can be found in northern Israel , especially in the Golan Heightswhere a large colony breeds at Gamla , and in the Carmel Mountains and the Negev desert , wherereintroduction projects are being carried out at breeding centers in the Carmel and Negev.y In Greece , there are nearly 1000 birds. On Crete they can be found in most mountainous areas , sometimes in groups of up to 20.y Griffon Vultures have been re-introduced successfully into the Massif Central in France; about500 are now found there.

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R uby-throated Hummingbird

The Ruby -throated H umm ing b ird ( Ar chilochus colub r is), is a small hummingbird. It is the only species of

hummingbird that regularly nests east of the Mississippi River in North America.

Description

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is 79 cm long with an 811 cm wingspan , and weighs about 3g. Adults are metallic green above and greyish white below , with near-black wings. Their bill islong , straight and very slender.

The adult male , shown in the photo , has a ruby red throat patch which may appear black in somelighting , and a dark forked tail. The female has a dark rounded tail with white tips and generallyno throat patch , though she may sometimes have a light or whitish throat patch.

The male is smaller than the female , and has a slightly shorter beak. A molt of feathers occursonce per annum , and begins during the autumn migration.

Diet

Nectar from flowers and flowering trees , as well as small insects and spiders , are its main food. Itmay 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 longextendendable tongue , and catch insects on the wing or gleen them from flowers , leaves , bark , and even from spider's webs.

Young birds are fed insects for protein since nectar is an insufficient source of protein for thegrowing birds. [3]

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C edar Waxwing

The Cedar Waxwing (B ombycilla ced r o r um ) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing familyof passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and

the northern United States.

Description

Cedar waxwings are approximately 67 in (1518 cm ) in length 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 ).

These birds' most prominent feature is a small cluster of bright red feathers on the wings , afeature they share with the Bohemian Waxwing (but not the Japanese Waxwing ). The tail istypically 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 oftendo not have the black mask of the adults.

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.

Diet

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 EasternRedcedar (a kind of juniper ) gave this bird its common name.

When the end of a twig holds a supply of berries that only one bird at a time can reach , membersof 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.

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Wood land Kingfisher

Description

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 confusionwith Mangrove Kingfisher.

However , the lores are dark , creating a dark stripe through the eye (the stripe does not extendthrough 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 inManrgove Kingfisher ). The inner webs of the base of the flight feathers are white , creating anindistinct 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.

F ood

It hunts from an exposed perch , often on a dead branch of a tree , or perches quietly in semi-shadewhile seeking food. The prey is mainly a wide variety of large insects , but also other arthropods , snakes , fish and frogs.

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R ainbow B ee-eater

TheR

ainbowB

ee-eater , Me

rops or n

atus , is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Me ropida e . It is the only species of Me ropida e found in Australia.

Description

Rainbow bee-eaters are brilliantly colored birds that grow to be 7 to 8 inches in length , includingthe elongated tail feathers. The upper back and wings are green in color , and the lower back andunder-tail coverts are bright blue. The undersides of the wings and primary flight feathers are redand tipped with black , and the tail is black to deep violet. The rainbow bee-eater's two central tailfeathers are longer than the other tail feathers , and are longer in the female rainbow bee-eatersthan in the males. The crown of the head , the stomach and breast , and the throat are pale

yellowish in color , and the rainbow bee-eater has a black bib and a black stripe through its redeye.

Diet

Rainbow bee-eaters mostly eat flying insects , but , as their name implies , they have a real tastefor bees. Rainbow bee-eaters are always watching for flying insects , and can spot a potentialmeal up to 150 feet away. Once it spots an insect a bee-eater will swoop down from its perch andcatch it in its long , slender , black bill and fly back to its perch. Bee-eaters will then knock their

prey against their perch to subdue it. Even though rainbow bee-eaters are actually immune to thestings of bees and wasps , upon capturing a bee they will rub the insect's stinger against their

perch to remove it , closing their eyes to avoid being squirted with poison from the ruptured poison sac. Bee-eaters can eat several hundred bees a day , so they are obviously resented by beekeepers , but their damage is generally balanced by their role in keeping pest insects such aslocusts , hornets , and wasps under control.