Sunday, 12 December 2021
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - GENTOO PENGUIN (Pygoscelis papua)
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The gentoo penguin (/ˈdʒɛntuː/ JEN-too) (Pygoscelis papua) is a penguin species (or possibly a species complex) in the genus Pygoscelis, most closely related to the Adélie penguin (P. adeliae) and the Chinstrap penguin (P. antarcticus). The earliest scientific description was made in 1781 by Johann Reinhold Forster with a type locality in the Falkland Islands. The species calls in a variety of ways, but the most frequently heard is a loud, trumpeting call, emitted with the head thrown back.
The application of "gentoo" to the penguin is unclear. Gentoo was an Anglo-Indian term to distinguish Hindus from Muslims. The English term may have originated from the Portuguese gentio ("pagan, gentile"). Some speculate that the white patch on the bird's head was thought to resemble a turban.
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It may also be a variation of another name for this bird, "Johnny penguin", with Johnny being the English counterpart of the Spanish nickname Juanito and sounding vaguely like gentoo. The Johnny rook, a predator, is likely named after the Johnny penguin.
The specific name papua is a misnomer; in the original description, Johann Reinhold Forster, a naturalist who had circumnavigated the world with Captain James Cook, mistakenly assumed that the species occurred in Papua (New Guinea), the closest gentoos being over 6,000 km (3,700 mi) to the south (on Macquarie Island). No penguins are found in New Guinea. Others trace the error to a "possibly fraudulent claim" in 1776 by French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat, who also alleged a Papuan location for the king penguin despite never having been to the island himself.
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The gentoo penguin is easily recognised by the broad, white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. It has pale whitish-pink, webbed feet and a relatively long tail – the most prominent tail of all penguin species. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. As the gentoo penguin waddles along on land, its tail sticks out behind, sweeping from side to side, hence the scientific name Pygoscelis, which means "rump-tailed".
Gentoo penguins can reach a length of 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in), making them the third-largest species of penguin after the emperor penguin and the king penguin. Males have a maximum weight around 8.5 kg (19 lb) just before moulting and a minimum weight of about 4.9 kg (11 lb) just before mating. For females, the maximum weight is 8.2 kg (18 lb) just before moulting, but their weight drops to as little as 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) when guarding the chicks in the nest. Birds from the north are on average 700 g (1.5 lb) heavier and 10 cm (3.9 in) longer than the southern birds. Southern gentoo penguins reach 75–80 cm (30–31 in) in length. They are the fastest underwater swimmers of all penguins, reaching speeds up to 36 km/h (22 mph). Gentoos are well adapted to frigid and harsh climates.
Saturday, 11 December 2021
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN MOORHEN (Gallinula chloropus)
The common moorhen, known scientifically as Gallinula chloropus, is a bird of the rail family, Rallidae. It is a bird of striking appearance, with a mix of black and brown plumage, a white under-tail, and white streaks along its flanks. Its legs are a vibrant yellow, and it sports a distinctive red frontal shield. The bill is a matching red with a yellow tip. Juveniles are a duller brown and do not have the red shield.
Adult moorhens can be identified by their red frontal shield, which has a rounded top and fairly parallel sides. The tailward margin of the red unfeathered area is smoothly curved. Their yellow legs and the combination of their black and brown plumage with white markings make them quite distinctive. The young are browner and lack the red shield, making them less conspicuous.
The common moorhen is found in a variety of wetland habitats, including marshes, ponds, canals, and lakes that are rich in vegetation. It is also known to inhabit city parks with suitable water bodies.
This species has a broad distribution across many parts of the Old World. It is not found in polar regions or many tropical rainforests but is otherwise widespread, often being the most common rail species in its range.
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - WESTERN CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis ssp. ibis)
The western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the cattle egret), but some (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.
It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Western cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the cattle egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.
The adult cattle egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.
The cattle egret has undergone one of the most rapid and wide reaching natural expansions of any bird species. It was originally native to parts of Southern Spain and Portugal, tropical and subtropical Africa and humid tropical and western Asia. In the end of the 19th century it began expanding its range into southern Africa, first breeding in the Cape Province in 1908. Cattle egrets were first sighted in the Americas on the boundary of Guiana and Suriname in 1877, having apparently flown across the Atlantic Ocean. It was not until the 1930s that the species is thought to have become established in that area.
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - COMPASS JELLYFISH (Chrysaora hysoscella)
Chrysaora hysoscella, the compass jellyfish, is a common species of jellyfish that inhabits coastal waters in temperate regions of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea. In the past it was also recorded in the southeastern Atlantic, including South Africa, but this was caused by confusion with close relatives; C. africana, C. fulgida and an undescribed species tentatively referred to as "C. agulhensis".
It is a true jellyfish displaying radial symmetry with distinct brown markings shaped like elongated V's on its bell. C. hysoscella adults are highly susceptible to the parasite Hyperia medusarum, but this has had no significant effects on the population. This organism has a benthic polyp stage before developing into a pelagic adult medusae. Compass jellyfish consume a variety of marine invertebrates and plankton and are preyed on by very few. C. hysoscella contribute to the global issue of jellyfish overpopulation which is concerning to humans for various reasons including recreational interference, economic turmoil for fishing communities, and depleted fish resources.
As an adult, the bell of the compass jellyfish typically has a diameter of 15–25 cm (5.9–9.8 in). It usually has 16 brown elongated V-shaped markings on the translucent yellow-white bell. The markings surround a central brown spot and resemble the face of a compass, hence the common name compass jellyfish. Juveniles on the other hand lack the compass pattern, they appear white and polka dotted with a reddish fringe on the edge of their bell.
It is usually colored yellowish white, with some brown. Its 24 tentacles are arranged in eight groups of three. Each tentacle has stinging cells for capturing prey and defense from predators. A sense organ is located between each group of tentacles, which can perceive changes in light and helps the jellyfish determine and maintain its position in the water column. It has 4 oral arms that can be distinguished from the tentacles because the arms are noticeably longer and have a folded, frilly appearance. These arms are used to facilitate transfer of captured prey from the tentacles to the mouth which is between the oral arms at the center of the underside of the bell.
The compass jellyfish is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, including the Celtic, Irish, North and Mediterranean Seas. They inhabit these waters mostly at the top of the water column, and although they inhabit shallow water, they move up and down in the water column often ranging from surface waters to just above the seabed. They are rarely found deeper than 30 m from the surface.
Compass jellyfish are carnivores, consuming other marine invertebrates and plankton.They feed on a variety of benthic and pelagic organisms including but not limited to: dinoflagellates, copepods, crustacean eggs, larval fish, and chaetognaths. They stun and capture their prey with stinging cells on their tentacles. The oral arms facilitate movement of captured prey into the oral opening. Compass jellyfish have very few predators. They are known to be consumed by the leatherback sea turtle and ocean sunfish.
Like other Scyphozoans, Chrysaora hysoscella undergo metamorphosis as the organism develops and experiences a polyp and then medusa form. Females release planular larvae which swim to find a suitable place to settle. The planulae attach to a benthic substrate and develop into a sessile polyp which releases immature medusae through asexual reproduction called strobilation. Chrysaora hysoscella function as a male upon maturity and then develop female gametes, meaning this organism is protandrously hermaphroditic.
Friday, 10 December 2021
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - CHILOE WIGEON (Mareca sibilatrix)
The Chiloé wigeon (Mareca sibilatrix), also known as the southern wigeon, is one of three extant species of wigeon in the genus Mareca of the dabbling duck subfamily. This bird is indigenous to the southern part of South America, including the Chiloé Archipelago, from which it gets its name. In its native range, it is called the pato overo ("piebald duck") or pato real ("royal duck"), although the latter name also refers to the Muscovy in the wild. Its specific epithet, sibilatrix, means 'whistler', referring to the bird's call.
The Chiloé wigeon has a body length of 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 in) and a wingspan of 75 to 86 cm (30 to 34 in). The wing length is about 25 cm (9.8 in) and the weight is approximately 800 g (28 oz).[2][3]
This bird has an iridescent green-blue cap on its head, and a bluish gray bill with a black tip. The cheeks and forehead are white, the eyes are dark brown, and there is a white auricular patch. The neck and occipital part of the head are black. The breast is barred black and white and the plumage of the wings is gray and white. The flanks of males are rust colored, and light brown on females. The legs and feet are gray.
Sexual dimorphism is relatively subtle in this species of wigeon. Males are usually somewhat larger and heavier, and with somewhat brighter plumage and more strongly pronounced iridescence of the cap. Apart from these features, it can be difficult to distinguish the two sexes. Juveniles resemble adult birds, but the rust coloring on the flanks is diminished or absent.
This duck is indigenous to the southern part of South America, where it is found on freshwater lakes, marshes, shallow lagoons and slow flowing rivers. Vagrants have been observed in South Georgia, South Orkney and the South Shetland Islands.
It breeds primarily in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. The northern border of the breeding range is in Argentina at 36° S and Chile at 40° S. It also breeds sparingly in the Falkland Islands. It migrates to southeastern Brazil for the winter.
It was first introduced to Europe in 1870; it soon bred in zoos.
Because the Chiloé wigeon is widely distributed and has a large, stable wild population, it is categorized as least concern by the IUCN.
The Chiloé wigeon displays a variety of behaviors depending on habitat. It is an omnivore, feeding predominantly on aquatic plants and grass, and occasionally coastal algae.
This monogamous species breeds in the austral spring, between September and December. Pairs inhabit very small breeding territories, building their nests in grasses and under bushes. The female lays eight to ten white or cream-colored eggs. After a gestation period of approximately 24–25 days the ducklings are born. The father helps raise the ducklings; however, he leaves the family after the offspring molt.
Captive hybrids with the Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica) have been described
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - SCARLET IBIS (Eudocimus ruber)
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The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it unmistakable. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, and its Tupi–Guarani name, guará, is part of the name of several municipalities along the coast of Brazil.
This medium-sized wader is a hardy, numerous, and prolific bird, and it has protected status around the world. Its IUCN status is Least Concern. The legitimacy of Eudocimus ruber as a biological classification, however, is in dispute. Traditional Linnaean taxonomy classifies it as a unique species, but some scientists have moved to reclassify it as a subspecies of a more general American ibis species, along with its close relative, the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus).
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The range of the scarlet ibis is very large, and colonies are found throughout vast areas of South America and the Caribbean islands. Native flocks exist in Brazil; Colombia; French Guiana; Guyana; Suriname; and Venezuela, as well as the islands of the Netherlands Antilles, and Trinidad and Tobago. Flocks gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mud flats, shoreline and rainforest. Outlying colonies have been identified in the coastal areas of the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo (for example in the Santos-Cubatão mangroves of the Baixada Santista district), Paraná and Santa Catarina. In recent years, bird colonies can be seen as far south as in the coastal areas of Joinville and the island of São Francisco do Sul.
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - EURASIAN WIGEON (FEMALE) (Mareca penelope)
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (Mareca penelope), also known as the widgeon or wigeon, is one of three extant species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus Mareca. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
This dabbling duck is 42–52 cm (17–20 in) long with a 71–80 cm (28–31 in) wingspan, and a weight of 500–1,073 g (1–2 lb). The breeding male has grey flanks and back, with a black rear end, a dark green speculum and a brilliant white patch on upper wings, visible in flight or at rest. It has a pink breast, white belly, and a chestnut head with a creamy crown. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female. The female is light brown, with plumage similar to that of a female American wigeon. It can be distinguished from most other ducks, apart from American wigeon, by its shape. However, that species has a paler head and white axillaries on the underwings. The female can be a rufous morph with a redder head, and a gray morph with a grayer head.
Thursday, 9 December 2021
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - DEMOISELLE CRANE (Anthropoides virgo)
The demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China. There is also a small breeding population in Turkey. These cranes are migratory birds. Birds from western Eurasia will spend the winter in Africa while the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter in the Indian subcontinent. The bird is symbolically significant in the culture of India, where it is known as Koonj or Kurjaa.
The demoiselle crane lives in a variety of different environments, including desert areas and numerous types of grasslands (flooded, mountain, temperate and tropical grassland) which are often within a few hundred metres of streams or lakes. However, when nesting, they prefer patchy areas of vegetation which is tall enough to conceal them and their nests, yet short enough to allow them look out for predators whilst incubating their eggs.
Demoiselle cranes have to take one of the toughest migrations in the world. In late August through September, they gather in flocks of up to 400 individuals and prepare for their flight to their winter range. During their migratory flight south, demoiselles fly like all cranes, with their head and neck straight forward and their feet and legs straight behind, reaching altitudes of 16,000–26,000 feet (4,900–7,900 metres). Along their arduous journey they have to cross the Himalayan mountains to get to their over-wintering grounds in India. Many die from fatigue, hunger and predation from golden eagles. Simpler, lower routes are possible, such as crossing the range via the Khyber Pass. However, their presently preferred route has been hard-wired by countless cycles of migration. At their wintering grounds, demoiselles have been observed flocking with common cranes, their combined totals reaching up to 20,000 individuals. Demoiselles maintain separate social groups within the larger flock. In March and April, they begin their long spring journey back to their northern nesting grounds.
In Khichan, Rajasthan in India, villagers feed the cranes on their migration and these large congregations have become an annual spectacle.
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - LITTLE EGRET (Egretta garzetta)
The Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, is a dainty heron adorned in pure white plumage. It is characterized by a slender black beak, long black legs, and, notably in the western race, yellow feet. This elegant bird is a sight to behold with its graceful neck and poised stance.
Adult Little Egrets measure between 55–65 cm in length with a wingspan of 88–106 cm, and weigh 350–550 g. Their plumage is predominantly white, though some may exhibit bluish-grey coloration. Breeding adults boast ornate nape plumes reaching about 150 mm, along with distinctive feathers on the breast and elongated scapulars. The bill and lores are black, with greenish-grey skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye, which houses a yellow iris. Legs are black with contrasting yellow feet, though juveniles may have greenish-black legs and duller feet. The subspecies E. g. nigripes is distinguished by yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet.
The Little Egret frequents a variety of wetland habitats, from the shores of lakes and rivers to marshes and coastal regions. It is often found in open environments, such as mangroves, swamps, mudflats, and sandy beaches, as well as human-altered landscapes like rice fields.
The species has a broad breeding distribution across warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. Northern populations are migratory, wintering in Africa and southern Asia, while others remain as permanent residents in warmer areas.
9-12-2021 CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, VALENCIA - BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax)
The Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world. These birds have a stocky appearance as if hunched over, the head tucked down into the shoulders, and they are usually seen with this posture. They are most active at dusk or at night when their ghostly forms fly from their daytime roosts to the wetlands where they forage.
Adult birds have a black crown and back with the remainder of the body white or grey, red eyes, and short yellow legs. They have pale gray wings and white under parts. Two or three long white plumes, erected in greeting and courtship displays, extend from the back of the head. The sexes are similar in appearance although the males are slightly larger. Black-crowned night herons do not fit the typical body form of the heron family. They are relatively stocky with shorter bills, legs, and necks than their more familiar cousins, the egrets and "day" herons. Their resting posture is normally somewhat hunched but when hunting they extend their necks and look more like other wading birds. Immature birds have dull grey-brown plumage on their heads, wings, and backs, with numerous pale spots. Their underparts are paler and streaked with brown. The young birds have orange eyes and duller yellowish-green legs.
Black-crowned night herons are social throughout the year, often associating with other species. In the winter, they roost together. A migrating species, it will fly at night and rest during the day. Black-crowned night herons feed by standing still at the water's edge and waiting to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They also engage in bait fishing; luring or distracting fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range - a rare example of tool use among birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes. Young leave their perches to huddle in the nest when it is cold. Black-crowned night herons are territorial and will defend their feeding and nesting territories. Their normal call sounds like 'qua,' 'quak,' or 'quark.' Such calls are most often made during flight or when perching.
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