Friday, 5 November 2021
5-11-2021 MARXUQUERA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH (Carduelis carduelis)
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The European goldfinch, or simply goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), is a small, vibrant passerine bird belonging to the finch family. This charming avian species is adorned with a striking red face, encircled by black markings near the eyes, and a black-and-white head. The back and flanks exhibit a warm buff or chestnut brown, while the wings are black with a prominent yellow bar. The tail is black, and the rump is a contrasting white. Males and females are similar in appearance, though the male boasts a slightly more extensive red mask.
Upon closer inspection, one can discern the male goldfinch by its larger, more vivid red mask that extends just beyond the eye. The female's red face does not reach past the eye, and her shoulder feathers are brown, as opposed to the male's black. The bill is ivory-colored, long, and pointed, and the tail is forked. Juveniles can be identified by their plain heads and greyer backs, but the yellow wing stripe is a clear indicator of their species.
The European goldfinch favors open, partially wooded lowlands and is a resident in the milder western parts of its range. In colder regions, it migrates to escape the harsh weather.
Thursday, 4 November 2021
2-11-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - TAWNY COCKROACH (Ectobius pallidus)
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Ectobius pallidus, the tawny cockroach, is a species of non-cosmopolitan cockroach in the family Ectobiidae. It occurs in southern England, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Portugal; in North Africa: Algeria and Tunisia. It is now known to be introduced into North America.
Subspecies include:
Ectobius pallidus chopardi Adelung, 1917
Ectobius pallidus minor Ramme, 1923
Ectobius pallidus pallidus (Turton, 1806) – type
Ectobius pallidus punctulatus (Fieber, 1853)
Wednesday, 3 November 2021
Tuesday, 2 November 2021
24-10-2021 ATTICA ZOO ATHENS, GREECE - YELLOW BIBBED LORY (Lorius chlorocercus)
The yellow-bibbed lory (Lorius chlorocercus) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the southern Solomon Islands.
The yellow-bibbed lory is 28 cm (11 in) long. It is mostly red with black on top of head and green wings. It has a yellow transverse band on upper chest and a crescent-shaped black patch on each side of neck. It has blue/green thighs and dark-grey legs. It has an orange-red beak, dark-grey eyerings, and orange irises. Under its wings the bird has blue feathers.
The yellow-bibbed lory is endemic to the eastern Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
Yellow-bibbed Lories mimic a wide range of sounds, including the human voice, in other words they are 'talking parrots'. Providing a permit is obtained, it is exempt from export prohibition under the Solomon Islands Wildlife Protection and Management Act (1998).
The Yellow-bibbed Lory (Lorius chlorocercus) is a colorful parrot endemic to the southern Solomon Islands. Highly prized for their vibrant red body, green wings, black cap, and yellow bib, these active 11-inch (28 cm) birds are primarily nectarivores that thrive in both primary rainforests and modified habitats.
Key Facts & Characteristics
Physical Traits: They feature a striking orange-red beak, bright orange irises, a black cap, purple-blue thighs, and a distinct yellow bib underneath a black neck streak.
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Diet: In the wild, they consume nectar, pollen, fruit, buds, and small insects. In captivity, they require a specialized wet/dry nectar diet and are known to be enthusiastic chewers of wooden fixtures.
Lifespan: They typically live between 15 and 25 years, though some captive specimens can live up to 30 years.
Behavior: Known to have a soft, relatively quiet voice compared to other parrots, they are playful, highly active, and possess a solid capacity for mimicking human speech.
Conservation Status: Listed as Least Concern, they have stable populations within their limited range.
24-10-2021 ATTICA ZOO ATHENS, GREECE - HOODED PARROT (Psephotus dissimilis)
The hooded parrot (Psephotellus dissimilis) is a species of parrot native to the Northern Territory in Australia. It is found in savannah and open woodland and is one of two extant species in its genus that breed in termite mounds. It has declined from much of its original range.
An Australian endemic, the hooded parrot inhabits to semi-arid areas of northeast Northern Territory, and is separated from the golden-shouldered parrot by the Carpentarian faunal barrier.
Though this species has disappeared from most of its original range, it remains common in protected areas. The hooded parrot is evaluated as Least Concern on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The diet consists mainly of seeds, berries and vegetables.
The hooded parrot digs cavities in termite mounds. It generally chooses conical termite mounds, only successful in flat two dimensional mounds if it digs at the edge rather than on the face of the mound. Excavation takes around three weeks. The tunnel is roughly horizontal and around 50 to 80 cm long.
Breeding takes place once or twice a year between April and August. The female lays four or five white, slightly shiny eggs that are 21 long by 19 mm wide.
The hooded parrot has a close ecological relationship with the moth species Trisyntopa neossophila. The female moth lays eggs in the parrot nesting cavity, so that the eggs hatch at the same time as the baby hooded parrots. The moth larvae live in small tunnels at the base of the cavity and emerge to eat the dark material of parrot feces, leaving the white uric acid deposits. They build a silk layer across the base of the cavity to protect themselves from chicks. They pupate in the cavity walls once the juvenile parrots leave the nest.
2-11-2021 LLUTXENT, VALENCIA - MARVEL OF PERU (Mirabilis jalapa)
Mirabilis jalapa, the marvel of Peru or four o'clock flower, is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis plant, and is available in a range of colors. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa (or Xalapa) is the state capital of Veracruz in México. Mirabilis jalapa was cultivated by the Aztecs for medicinal and ornamental purposes.
The flowers usually open from late afternoon or at dusk (namely between 4 and 8 o'clock), giving rise to one of its common names. Flowers then produce a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance throughout the night, then close in the morning. New flowers open the following day. It arrived in Europe in 1525. Today, it is common in many tropical regions and is also valued in Europe as a (not hardy) ornamental plant. It is the children's state flower of Connecticut under the name of Michaela Petit's Four O'Clocks.
It is a perennial, herbaceous, bushy plant that reaches stature heights of mostly 1 meter, rarely up to 2 meters, in height. It may also be grown as an annual, especially in the temperate zone. The single-seeded fruits are spherical, wrinkled and black upon maturity, having started out greenish-yellow. The stems are thick, full, quadrangular with many ramifications and rooting at the nodes. The posture is often prostrate.
Monday, 1 November 2021
1-11-2021 LLUXENT, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MANTIS (MALE) (Mantis religiosa)
The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) is a large hemimetabolic insect in the family of the Mantidae ('mantids'), which is the largest family of the order Mantodea (mantises). Their common name praying mantis is derived from the distinctive posture of the first pair of legs that can be observed in animals in repose. It resembles a praying attitude. Both males and females have elongated bodies with two pairs of wings. The most striking features that all Mantodea share are a very mobile, triangular head with large compound eyes and their first pair of legs (the 'raptorial legs'), which is highly modified for the efficient capture and restraint of fast-moving or flying prey.
In Germany, M. religiosa is listed as Gefährdet on the German Red List on the basis of an assessment from 1998. It is not supposed to be caught or held as a pet. At a global level, it is assessed by the IUCN as least concern.
The great variation in the coloration of M. religiosa from different shades of yellow, brown, green, and sometimes black has been the cause of numerous hypotheses and studies for over 100 years. However, no generally accepted answer about reason, benefit, or mechanism of the coloration or the change of coloration has been found.
Di Cesnola observed in 1904 that green mantids were found on fresh green grass, whereas brown individuals seemed to prefer brown grass burned by the sun. When forced to change the location as to no longer match their coloration, almost all the ‘not matching’ animals were killed by predators such as birds. This indicates a camouflaging purpose of the coloration.
Przibram also observed in 1907 that a change in temperature can trigger a change in coloration: animals that hatched in a cold environment turned green after moulting when heat and sunlight were provided. Without the change in temperature and only a change in the color of the background, no change in coloration occurred. This finding contradicts with Di Cesnola, who claims to have observed the animals within the same time and location (and therefore the same temperature).
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