BIRDWALKERMONDAY WILDLIFE BLOG

This Blog contains Wildlife, Plants and Bird Photos from Walks, Safaris, Birding Trips and Vacations. Most of the pictures have been taken with my Nikon P900 and P950X cameras. Just click on any image for a larger picture. On the right column under the Blog Archive are the entries by date. Below that under Animal categories all the diffent species of Animals, Birds, Insects and Plants contained in the website are listed. Clicking on any entry will show all the entries for that species.

Friday, 29 October 2021

29-10-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - IBERIAN GREEN FROG (Pelophylax perezi)

The Perez's frog (Pelophylax perezi), also known as Iberian waterfrog, Iberian green frog or Coruna frog, is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is native to southern France, Portugal, Spain, and has been introduced to the Canary and Balearic Islands, Madeira, the United Kingdom, and the Azores. In the Iberian Peninsula it is widespread and common.

Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, sandy shores, arable land, and urban areas. It is not considered threatened by the IUCN.

A medium-sized, stout frog; snout-vent length is usually from 40 to 70 mm, but sometimes is longer than 10 cm (Docampo and Milagrosa-Vega 1988; González de la Vega 1988). The head is as long as wide, with prominent eyes located in dorsal position very close to each other. The tympanum is well marked, about 1/2 to 3/4 the eye diameter (Salvador and García-París 2001). Toes have well developed webbing. Skin is either smooth or slightly rough, with well-formed dorsolateral folds.

The dorsal coloration is very variable, usually green but also brown or grayish to dark gray. They usually show a vertebral stripe, mostly yellow or green. Two irregular rows of dark, rectangular spots are present on both sides of the vertebral stripe. These spots are also present on the rear limbs, sometimes forming a banded pattern. Some individuals lack both the spots and the vertebral stripe. Ventrally they are white with a variable number of dark spots. Males are smaller than females and have stronger forelimbs. They have gray vocal sacs than can be appreciated even when they are not in use.

Tadpoles grow up to 111 mm total length (Salvador 1985), but usually measure between 60-70 mm (Barbadillo et al. 1999). The spiracle is sinistral and the anus open on the right side of the base of the tail. Marginal papillae are absent from the upper side of the mouth. Denticles are arranged in a variable number of single rows (Llorente et al. 1994), but the most common formula is 2(2)/3(1). The dorsal fin is low, starting at the level of the spiracle. The tip of the tail is pointed. Ground coloration is green or light brown, with small, dark dots. These dots are denser and larger in the tail fin. The tail presents a typical pattern with three longitudinal dark stripes. The ventral coloration is white.

Thursday, 28 October 2021

24-10-2021 ATTICA ZOO ATHENS, GREECE - GOLDEN BREASTED STARLING (Lamprotornis regius)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145110-Lamprotornis-regius

24-10-2021 ATTICA ZOO ATHENS, GREECE - CROWNED LAPWING (Vanellus coronatus)

The crowned lapwing (Vanellus coronatus), or crowned plover, is a bird of the lapwing subfamily that occurs contiguously from the Red Sea coast of Somalia to southern and southwestern Africa. It is an adaptable and numerous species, with bold and noisy habits. It is related to the more localized black-winged and Senegal lapwings, with which it shares some plumage characteristics.

The crowned lapwing is easily recognized by its combination of brown and white colours, with most tellingly, a black crown intersected by an annular white halo. Adults are noisy and conspicuous.

Males measure on average 3% larger than females. Juveniles are dull versions of adults, vermiculated on the wings and mantle, the legs yellowy rather than red and the bill lacking the red base.

Crowned lapwings prefer short, dry grassland which may be overgrazed or burnt, but avoid mountains. In higher-rainfall areas such as parts of Zambia and Zimbabwe, they occur mainly as dry-season visitors. In dry regions of northern Botswana, however, they are attracted in large numbers when good rainfall occurs. In southern Africa their highest concentrations are to be found in the dry central Kalahari region.

Crowned lapwings and the more localized black-winged lapwings sometimes associate and do not show mutual aggression, even within breeding territories. Different crowned lapwing males do however posture aggressively when nesting territories are established. The loser in an encounter assumes a special posture to signal his defeat.

Bare-part colours of males brighten in the breeding season. Different types of display flights lure the female to the defended territory. A female accepting the male and territory will follow the male during his display flight. Mates may be retained for life. Egg-laying is timed to precede the rainy season and most incubating is done by the female. The male assists only on hot days, when he either incubates or shades the nest.

Their diet consists of a variety of insects, but termites and ants form an important component. These insects are often extracted from the dung of large mammals. They feed mainly by surface pecking as opposed to digging.