Ruddy Kingfisher

Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda.

Ruddy Kingfisher Halcyon coromanda.


A morning only in haunts I last haunted last fall: among handfuls of Yellow-rumped Flycatchers, Black-naped Orioles, Greater-spotted, White-backed and Pygmy Woodpeckers, 3 Japanese Wagtails, 2 Dollarbirds, a Daurian Redstart and a pair of Hobbies, highlight was a pair of Ruddy Kingfishers.

Ruddy-breasted Crake

The Ruddy-breasted Crake (Porzana fusca), or Ruddy Crake, is a waterbird in the rail and crake family Rallidae.

In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Its breeding habitat is swamps and similar wet areas across south Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to south China, Japan and Indonesia. It has been recorded as a vagrant from the Australian territory of Christmas Island. This crake nests in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation, laying 6-9 eggs. It is mainly a permanent resident throughout its range, but some northern populations migrate further south in winter.
The Ruddy-breasted Crake is about 22-23 cm long. The body is flattened laterally to allow easier passage through the reeds or undergrowth. It has long toes and a short tail. Coloring includes a pale brown back and chestnut head and underparts, with white barring on the flanks and undertail. The bill is yellowish, and the eyes, legs, and feet are red.
The sexes are similar, but juveniles are dark brown with some white spotting.
These birds probe in mud or shallow water and also pick up food by sight. They forage for shoots, berries and insects, as well as large snails, which they eat by using their bills to peck through the hard shell.
Ruddy-breasted Crakes are territorial, but are quite secretive, hiding amongst grassy shrubs and bushes when disturbed.

Bird of Paradise

Blue Bird of Paradis:

The Blue Bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea rudolphi, is a medium-sized with a bluish-white bill, dark brown iris, grey legs, broken white eye-ring and bright blue wings. The male is adorned with violet blue and cinnamon flank plumes and two long ribbon-like tail feathers. The female has a chestnut brown below.

The Blue Bird-of-paradise is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is distributed to mountain forests of southeastern New Guinea. ITIS recognizes only one subspecies, but additional subspecies margaritae and ampla have been described. The male is polygamous and performs a breathtaking courtship display. But unlike all other Paradisaea species, he performs solitary with attending female nearby. In display, the male hangs from a branch upside down. The black oval with red margin at the centre of his chest is rhythmically enlarged and contracted. His violet blue plumes spread out in a fan, swaying its body back and forth while the central tail feathers form two impressive arches down to either side. Throughout his performance he vocalizes softly in a low but harsh vibrating voice.

Regarded by some ornithologists as the loveliest of all birds, the Blue Bird-of-paradise was discovered by Carl Hunstein in 1884. The scientific name commemorates the ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, small population size and hunting in some areas for its highly prized plumes, the rare Blue Bird-of-paradise is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Goldies Bird of Paradise:

The Goldie's Bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea decora is a large, approximately 33 cm long, olive-brown bird-of-paradise. The male has a yellow and dark green plumage with a lavender grey breast, yellow iris and grey colored bill, mouth and feet. It is adorned with large crimson ornamental flank plumes and two long tail wires. The male is distinguished from other Paradisaea species by its lavender grey breast plumage. Unadorned female has an olive-brown plumage with cinnamon-brown below.

Endemic to Papua New Guinea, the Goldie's Bird-of-paradise is distributed in the hill forests of Fergusson and Normanby Island of the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, eastern Papuan Islands. The diet consists mainly of fruits.

The name commemorates the Scottish collector Andrew Goldie, who discovered the bird in 1882.Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and overhunting in some areas, the Goldie's Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Hawaii’s Endangered Birds

Hawaii’s Endangered Birds: Wake Up, Already!

 

 

I’m as surprised as anyone to find myself turning into a bird watcher—it’s a short walk from where I am to high-waisted cargo pants, a vest full of pockets and a pair of binoculars that will allow me to see well into the next county. (I kid, I kid. Bird watchers come in all shapes, sizes and victims of fashion.) My affection for all things avian is why I was saddened to read the report on Hawaii’s failing bird population.

The Bali Mynah

The Bali Mynah
 

The Bali Mynah is distributed and endemic to the island of Bali, where it is the island's only surviving endemic species.  This rare bird was discovered in 1910 and is one of the world's most critically endangered birds.   In fact, it has been hovering immediately above extinction in the wild for several years.

The last stronghold of the species is at Bali Barat National Park; about 1,000 individuals are believed to be held in captivity legally.  In fact, the Bali Starling is so much in danger that that national park has been set up just for the Bali Starling's survival.

Male and female Bali mynahs look alike, having beautiful white feathers, black tipped wings and tails, and a bright powder blue crescent of skin around the eyes. Their heads are topped off by a lacy white crest of feathers. They are about the size of cardinals.

he Bali Starling is listed in Appendix I of CITES. Trade even in captive-bred specimens is strictly regulated and the species is not generally available legally to private individuals. However, experienced aviculturalists may become affiliated with the captive-breeding program, allowing them to legally keep this species.

Poaching and timber harvesting are among the greatest threat to the survival of the Bali mynah in the wild. Conservation initiatives enacted over the past two decades to have been ineffective in increasing this species numbers in the wild.

Female great curassow

Female great curassow
The return of endangered birds
and animals is wonderful.

Red tailed black cockatoo

Red tailed black cockatoo



Following on from last week's WW post about a really noisy winged visitor ... this week I'd like to introduce another loud and raucous visitor to our garden.  We see them quite regularly throughout the year ... well, we generally hear their harsh grating shrieks first!!

They're mainly arboreal and love foraging in the canopies of the Eucalyptus and Acacia trees.

This is the magnificent Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo.  There are four sub-species of this bird, but it is Calyptorhynchus banksi macrorhynchus that is quite a common sight across western, northern and eastern Australia.  While both the male and the female have a short crest, a stubby beak and a long tail ... there are some differences.  

The male is jet black, with a broad band of bright red in his tail and a dark grey beak.

The female is duller black, with yellow speckles on the head and breast, and yellow patches in her tail. Her beak is whitish in colour.

A female will lay two eggs but only one young ever grows up to leave the hollow in a tree in which the eggs are laid.

Around here, we usually only see these birds in small groups of males and females.  Further out west, they can be spotted in flocks of over 1000 birds.   There is a common 'bush myth' here in Oz ... no, nothing to do with the ex-President of the US ... it's all about these beautiful black birds.  Apparently if you see three of the these cockatoos together ... that means rain is three days away.  If you're travelling in the outback and you see two thousand ... yes ... that's how many day until the next rain!  I'm not sure where these massive flocks of cockatoos are finding food out there, when there's supposed to be drought for months on end!

Another interesting fact about these beauties ... some of these birds have been known to live for 100 years in captivity.  In the wild, they can live to around 20 years.

There are a couple of other bloggers who have also posted interesting posts that fit in with the Wildlife on Wednesday theme ... so please check them out!

Orange-Bellied Parrot

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange-Bellied Parrot

Photograph courtesy David Boyle via The World's Rarest Birds

This "touching image" of two orange-bellied parrots won the category for critically endangered migrating birds, according to a World's Rarest Birds contest statement.
The small parrot breeds only in southwestern Tasmania (see map) and migrates to southeastern Australia in the winter, where agriculture and development are crowding out its habitat. Probably fewer than 150 animals remain in the wild, according to BirdLife International.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) or Redbird is a North American bird in the cardinal family. It is found from southern Canada through the eastern United States from Maine to Texas and south through Mexico to northern Guatemala and Belize. It can also be found on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is found in woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps. The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23 centimeters (8.3–9 in). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. It displays sexual dimorphism in its coloration; the male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit.

Golden Pheasant

Golden Pheasant

The Golden Pheasant or “Chinese Pheasant”, (Chrysolophus pictus) is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The adult male is 90-105 cm in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. It is unmistakable with its golden crest and rump and bright red body. The deep orange “cape” can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers all of the face except its bright yellow eye, with a pinpoint black pupil.