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Saturday, 24 June 2023

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - GREY CROWNED CRANE (Balearica regulorum)


The grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), also known as the African crowned crane, golden crested crane, golden crowned crane, East African crane, East African crowned crane, African crane, Eastern crowned crane, Kavirondo crane, South African crane and crested crane, is a bird in the crane family, Gruidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa, and is the national bird of Uganda.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - AUSTRALIAN KING PARROT (Alisterus scapularis)


The Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion of the continent, including eucalyptus wooded areas in and directly adjacent to subtropical and temperate rainforest. They feed on fruits and seeds gathered from trees or on the ground.

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - DIARD'S TROGON (Harpactes diardii)


Diard's trogon (Harpactes diardii) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Apalodermatinae is the African subfamily consisting of one genus, Apaloderma. The Asian subfamily is Harpactinae and contains two genera, Harpactes and Apalharpactes.

Males are black headed and breasted with a pink breast line. Females are brown headed and breasted with pink under parts. Diard's trogon eats caterpillars, beetles, stick-insects, locustids and other Orthoptera, and fruits.

The breeding times of Diard's trogon range from February to August: February to mid-May in Malaysia, Mid-May to August in Borneo.
 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - GOLDEN PHEASANT (FEMALE) (Chrysolophus pictus)


The female (hen) is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage similar to that of the female common pheasant. She is darker and more slender than the hen of that species, with a proportionately shorter tail (half her 60–80 cm (24–31 in) length). The female's breast and sides are barred buff and blackish brown, and the abdomen is plain buff. She has a buff face and throat. Some abnormal females may later in their lifetime get some male plumage. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow.

Both males and females have yellow legs and yellow bills.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - RED AND GREEN MACAW (Ara chloropterus)

The red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus), also known as the green-winged macaw, is a large, mostly-red macaw of the genus Ara.

This is the largest of the genus Ara, widespread in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America. However, in common with other macaws, in recent years there has been a marked decline in its numbers due to habitat loss and illegal capture for the parrot trade.

 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - PESQUET'S PARROT (Psittrichas fulgidus)

A large, primitive parrot of lower-montane, foothill and nearby lowland primary forest. Unparrotlike, long, pointy head. Black colour with pale brown edges to the chest feathers. Bright red belly, rump and wing feathers, showing as broad red bars across the wing in flight. Appears nomadic according to fruiting of fig trees and flies in pairs or small groups with a distinctive flight. Palm Cockatoo is a similar size, but lacks the Pesquet’s red in the wing. A raucous and rasping call.

Pesquet's parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus), also known as the Dracula parrot or as the vulturine parrot (leading to easy confusion with Pyrilia vulturina from Brazil), is the only member of its genus. It is endemic to hill and montane rainforest in New Guinea.

Its feathers are highly prized. This, combined with high prices in aviculture, has resulted in overhunting. Habitat loss also presents an ongoing problem.

 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - RADJAH SHELDUCK (Tadorna radjah)


The radjah shelduck inhabits the mangrove forests and coastline of New Guinea (West Papua and Papua New Guinea) and Australia, and some of the Moluccas in eastern Indonesia. In Australia, its primary range is coastal, tropical northern Australia, extending as far south as central Queensland, west through the upper regions of the Northern Territory (including Kakadu National Park) to the Kimberley in Western Australia. The radjah shelduck is listed as a protected bird in all the states of Australia, and penalties are enforced for harming or disturbing them.

The species prefers the salty waters of mangrove flats and paperbark tree swamps, but will visit all manner of brackish and freshwater swamps, lagoons, lakes, estuaries, river deltas, and billabongs further inland during the wet season.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - LITTLE BLACK CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)

The little black cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It is common in smaller rivers and lakes throughout most areas of Australia and northern New Zealand, where it is known as the little black shag. It is around sixty centimetres long, and is all black with blue-green eyes.

The little black cormorant ranges from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia (but excluding Sumatra) and New Guinea (including the D'Entrecasteaux Islands) and throughout Australia. It is found in New Zealand's North Island. It is a predominantly freshwater species, found in bodies of water inland and occasionally sheltered coastal areas. It is almost always encountered in or near water.


More gregarious than other cormorants, the little black cormorant can be found in large flocks. Groups sometimes fly in V formations.

The little black cormorant feeds mainly on fish, and eats a higher proportion of fish than the frequently co-occurring little pied cormorant, which eats more decapods. A field study at two storage lakes, Lake Cargelligo and Lake Brewster, in south-western New South Wales found that the introduced common carp made up over half of its food intake. 



2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - MAGPIE GOOSE (Anseranas semipalmata)

The magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is the sole living representative species of the family Anseranatidae. This common waterbird is found in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. As the species is prone to wandering, especially when not breeding, it is sometimes recorded outside its core range. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred. Due to their importance to Aboriginal people as a seasonal food source, as subjects of recreational hunting, and as a tourist attraction, their expansive and stable presence in northern Australia has been "ensured [by] protective management".


The magpie goose is found in a variety of open wetland areas such as floodplains and swamps, where they wade and swim. They eat mostly vegetation such as dry grass blades, grass seeds, spike rush bulbs and wild rice.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - KOMODO DRAGON (Varanus komodoensis)

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 m (9.8 ft), and weighing up to 70 kg (150 lb).

As a result of their size, Komodo dragons are apex predators, and dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Komodo dragons' group behavior in hunting is exceptional in the reptile world. The diet of Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa (Rusa timorensis), though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. Komodo dragons also occasionally attack humans.

Mating begins between May and August, and the eggs are laid in September; as many as 20 eggs are deposited at a time in an abandoned megapode nest or in a self-dug nesting hole. The eggs are incubated for seven to eight months, hatching in April, when insects are most plentiful. Young Komodo dragons are vulnerable and dwell in trees to avoid predators, such as cannibalistic adults. They take 8 to 9 years to mature and are estimated to live up to 30 years.

Komodo dragons were first recorded by Western scientists in 1910. Their large size and fearsome reputation make them popular zoo exhibits. In the wild, their range has contracted due to human activities, and is likely to contract further from the effects of climate change; due to this, they are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. They are protected under Indonesian law, and Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to aid protection efforts.

Even seemingly docile dragons may become unpredictably aggressive, especially when the animal's territory is invaded by someone unfamiliar. In June 2001, a Komodo dragon seriously injured Phil Bronstein, the then-husband of actress Sharon Stone, when he entered its enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo after being invited in by its keeper. Bronstein was bitten on his bare foot, as the keeper had told him to take off his white shoes and socks, which the keeper stated could potentially excite the Komodo dragon as they were the same colour as the white rats the zoo fed the dragon. Although he survived, Bronstein needed to have several tendons in his foot reattached surgically.


 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - LITTLE PIED CORMORANT (Microcarbo melanoleucos)


The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (Microcarbo melanoleucos) is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the subantarctic. It is a small short-billed cormorant usually black above and white below with a yellow bill and small crest, although a mostly black white-throated form predominates in New Zealand. Three subspecies are recognised. Until recently most authorities referred to this species as Phalacrocorax melanoleucos.


The species ranges across New Zealand, from Stewart Island to Northland, and across mainland Australia (although not in the arid interior of the west of the country) and Tasmania. It is also present in Papua New Guinea, Palau, Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. In eastern Indonesia, the little pied cormorant's range includes Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, and Western New Guinea, with non-breeding birds recorded in Java, Bali, and once off the coast of East Kalimantan. Widespread and common, it lives near bodies of water such as swamps, lakes, lagoons, estuaries and the coastline.


The little pied cormorant is a benthic feeder, i.e. it finds its prey on the sea floor. It is a solitary feeder, normally diving in relatively shallow water, often near the shore. Dive times are short, around 15 to 20 seconds, with recovery times on the surface of 5 to 10 seconds unless prey are being swallowed. It takes a variety of fish prey but an unusually high proportion (nearly 30% by weight on average, and up to 80% in some individuals) of crustaceans. In New Zealand waters it is most often seen preying on the local flounder and other small flatfish. Eels and insect larvae are also consumed. These are brought to the surface to be swallowed: the bird will sometimes put a fish down on the surface of the water in order to re-orient it and swallow it head first. Because of this habit, they suffer some kleptoparasitism from red-billed gulls.

29-5-2023 TABIN WILDLIFE RESERVE, BORNEO - WHISKERED TREE SWIFT (Hemiprocne comata)


The whiskered treeswift (Hemiprocne comata) is a species of bird in the family Hemiprocnidae. It is the smallest of 4 species in genus Hemiprocne and is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. 

Friday, 23 June 2023

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - COMMON PALMFLY BUTTERFLY (Elymnias hypermnestra),


2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - MALAYAN EGGFLY BUTTERFLY (Hypolimnas anomala)


This species is present as various subspecies in South East Asia (Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia). It especially occurs in lowlands and tropical rainforests, wastelands, hill parks and natural reserves.

Hypolimnas anomala, commonly known as the Malayan eggfly or crow eggfly, is a species of eggfly. 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - LADY AMHERST'S PHEASANT (MALE) (Chrysolophus amherstiae)

Lady Amherst's pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khrusolophos, "with golden crest". The English name and amherstiae commemorates Sarah Amherst, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828. Lady Amherst's pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.


The species is native to southwestern China and far northern Myanmar, but has been introduced elsewhere. Previously, a self-supporting feral population was established in England, the stronghold of which was in West Bedfordshire. Lady Amherst first introduced the ornamental pheasant on her estates, near the Duke of Bedford's Woburn Abbey, where the birds were also shot for game and interbred. Although the introduced British populations are believed to have been extinct since 2015, occasional sightings of the species have occurred in subsequent years; a Lady Amherst's pheasant was photographed in Staplegrove, Taunton in May 2020, and subsequently, in early March 2021, a Lady Amherst's pheasant was spotted in a garden in Scotland.


 

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - CHATTERING LORY (Lorius garrulus)

The chattering lory (Lorius garrulus) is a forest-dwelling parrot endemic to North Maluku, Indonesia. It is considered vulnerable, the main threat being from trapping for the cage-bird trade.

The race L. g. flavopalliatus is known as the yellow-backed lory.


The chattering lory is 30 cm (12 in) long. It is mostly red with an all-red head and an orange beak. The eyerings are grey and the irises are orange-red. The wings are mainly green and the angle of the wing is yellow. Its thighs are green. The tail is tipped with dark green. It has dark grey legs. It may or may not have a yellow area on its back depending on the subspecies.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - DUSKY LORY (Pseudeos fuscata)


The dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. Alternative common names are the white-rumped lory or the dusky-orange lory. It is found in New Guinea and the offshore islands of Batanta, Salawati and Yapen. They are also known as "banded lories" or "duskies".

The dusky lory is short-tailed parrot about 25 cm (10 in) long. It is mainly brown and has a whitish back and rump. It has two colour phases; the band across the upper chest together with its abdomen are either yellow or orange. The beak is dark orange and there is an area of bare orange skin at the base of its lower mandible. The irises are red and the legs are grey. The male and females are identical in external appearance. Juveniles are duller with a yellowish back and rump, yellowish-grey irises, and a beak that is yellow at the base and brown/black towards the tip.


The dusky lory's native range includes New Guinea below about 2500m in both the Indonesian (West Papua), and Papua New Guinean zones of the island. It is also native to the nearby Indonesian islands of Salawati and Yapen.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON (Goura victoria)

The Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) is a large, bluish-grey pigeon with elegant blue lace-like crests, maroon breast and red irises. It is part of a genus (Goura) of four unique, very large, ground-dwelling pigeons native to the New Guinea region. The bird may be easily recognized by the unique white tips on its crests and by its deep 'whooping' sounds made while calling. Its name commemorates the British monarch Queen Victoria.

The Victoria crowned pigeon is distributed in the lowland and swamp forests of northern New Guinea and surrounding islands. It usually occurs on areas that were former alluvial plains, including sago forests. Though typically found at or near sea level, occasionally birds of this species may venture up in the hills to an elevation up to about 3,000 feet. They fly from sea to tree every day.


Like other crowned pigeons, the Victoria crowned pigeon is a gregarious species. They usually travel in pairs or small parties as they search for food. They walk with an unhurried gait along the forest floor. Their food typically consists of fallen fruit. Birds of this species in captivity are particularly fond of eating figs. Seeds and invertebrates may occasionally supplement the diet. When disturbed, these birds fly straight up into the canopy or a large horizontal branch of a large forest tree. After being disturbed, they may remain on their perch for a considerable time engaging in contact calls and flicking their tails. In the wild, this species tends to be shier than the western crowned pigeon, but can still occasionally be quietly approached. The males regularly engage in aggressive displays to establish dominance. In these interactions, the pigeons puff up their chests and repeatedly raise their wings as if preparing to strike their opponent. They also make short dashes at each other and may actually hit one another, but rarely make contact and can be completely peaceful towards other males outside of the early mating season. 

21-6-2023 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - GREATER FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus roseus)

The adult greater flamingo is predominantly pale pink and white with an elongated neck, narrow wings and long pale pink legs. Primary and secondary flight feathers are black and the lesser and median wing coverts are a bright red in colour, contrasting with the remainder of the wing area which is pale pink. The bill is chunky, pink in colour and curving downwards to a black tip; the eyes are bright yellow. Males and females are identical in plumage colouring and patternation but the female is up to one fifth smaller overall. In flight the neck is extended forwards in a straight line and the legs assume an almost mirror image trailing backwards. Juveniles mostly lack the pinkish colour of the adult being mainly greyish brown overall with dark grey brown legs and bill and brownish wings and tail. Traces of pink may be seen on the underparts of young birds.


 

21-6-2023 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - GREATER FLAMINGO (JUVENILE) (Phoenicopterus roseus)


Flamingo chicks hatch with white-gray, downy feathers and straight bills. It takes several years for them to acquire their signature pink color and hook-shaped bills.

Flamingos and shrimp are actually both pink from eating algae that contains carotenoid pigments. Flamingos eat both algae and shrimp-like critters, and both contribute to their fabulous pinkness.

Does the word carotenoid look familiar? The root of this word is ‘carot’ because these same pigments are what make carrots orange! In fact, if you eat too many carrots (which we do not recommend) your skin will also turn an orange/pink shade!