27-10-2016 BEIJING, CHINA - SAKER FALCON (Falco cherrug)

The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a large species of falcon. This species breeds from central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula, northern Pakistan and western China. The saker falcon is the second fastest bird in level flight after the white-throated needletail swift, capable of reaching 150 km/h (93 mph). It is also the 3rd fastest animal in the world overall after the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle, with all three species capable of executing high speed dives known as “swooping”, in excess of 320 km/h (200 mph). The saker falcon is the national bird of Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia.

27-10-2016 BEIJING, CHINA - MANDARIN DUCK (MALE) (Aix galericulata)

The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is closely related to the North American Wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. 'Aix' is an Ancient Greek word that was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and 'galericulata' is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap, or bonnet. Mandarin ducks, called yuan-yang by the Chinese, are featured often in Oriental art and regarded as symbols of conjugal fidelity and affection.

Adult males are striking and unmistakable, with a red bill, a large white crescent above their eyes, and a reddish face with "whiskers". Their breasts are purple with double vertical white bars and their flanks are red and have two orange "sails" in the rear. During molting, the males resemble the females but their red bill is their point of difference. The females' bills are pinkish and they are much less colorful than males. They are pale beige with a thin white flank stripe and a white underbody and have a white eye-ring from where a stripe runs to the back of their heads.

Mandarin ducks breed in eastern Siberia, Japan, and China, and winter in Japan and southern China. In Britain, there is a small number of these birds in a free-flying population, stemming from the release of captive-bred ducks. Mandarin ducks prefer to breed in the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. In winter, they may occur in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While these ducks prefer fresh water, they may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In their introduced European range, they live in a more open habitat than in their native range, around the edges of lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby.

Mandarin ducks find food in as well as out of the water. They may feed by dabbling or walking on land. They forage among debris on banks, at the water’s edge, and while swimming, occasionally up-ending when seeking deeper submerged food. They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day. Mandarin ducks are social birds outside the breeding season and will gather in flocks, sometimes of more than 60. They are agile flyers, using strong, rapid wing beats, and can rise steeply from the water’s surface or land into the air. The male makes a nasal whistling, a grunting sound, and a bark, while the female makes a soft call.

Mandarin ducks are monogamous and pair bonds may continue for many seasons. The courtship display of this species is very impressive, including mock drinking and shaking. It is the female who chooses the site for the nest but the male goes with her to find it. The nest is in a hole up to 30 feet off the ground in a tree. 9 to 12 white oval eggs are laid at daily intervals during April and May. Incubation is just by the female and is for 28 to 30 days. The eggs hatch within several hours of each other and when all the ducklings are hatched, their mother calls them from the ground and they crawl out of the hole and jump, to land unhurt on the ground and head to the nearest feeding ground. After 40-45 days when they can fly, they leave and join a new flock. Mandarin ducks become mature at one year of age.

Formerly abundant, Mandarin duck populations in their native countries in the Far East have declined as a result of habitat destruction (mainly logging), as well as overhunting.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Mandarin duck population size is around 65,000-66,000 individuals. National population estimates include: in China: 100-10,000 breeding pairs and fewer than 50 wintering individuals; in Taiwan: fewer than 100 breeding pairs and fewer than 50 wintering individuals; in Korea: 100-10,000 breeding pairs, and in Japan: 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs plus 1,000-10,000 wintering individuals. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) resource, the total breeding population in the UK is 2,300 pairs and the wintering population is 7,000 birds. Overall, currently, Mandarin ducks are classified as Least Concern (LC), but their numbers today are decreasing.

27-10-2016 BEIJING, CHINA - MANDARIN DUCK (FEMALE) (Aix galericulata)

The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is closely related to the North American Wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. 'Aix' is an Ancient Greek word that was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and 'galericulata' is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap, or bonnet. Mandarin ducks, called yuan-yang by the Chinese, are featured often in Oriental art and regarded as symbols of conjugal fidelity and affection.

Adult males are striking and unmistakable, with a red bill, a large white crescent above their eyes, and a reddish face with "whiskers". Their breasts are purple with double vertical white bars and their flanks are red and have two orange "sails" in the rear. During molting, the males resemble the females but their red bill is their point of difference. The females' bills are pinkish and they are much less colorful than males. They are pale beige with a thin white flank stripe and a white underbody and have a white eye-ring from where a stripe runs to the back of their heads.

Mandarin ducks breed in eastern Siberia, Japan, and China, and winter in Japan and southern China. In Britain, there is a small number of these birds in a free-flying population, stemming from the release of captive-bred ducks. Mandarin ducks prefer to breed in the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. In winter, they may occur in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While these ducks prefer fresh water, they may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In their introduced European range, they live in a more open habitat than in their native range, around the edges of lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby.

Population size

65-66 Thou

Life Span

3-12 years

Weight

428-693

goz

g oz 

Length

41-49

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

65-75

cminch

27-10-2016 BEIJING, CHINA - EURASIAN TREE SPARROW (MALE) (Passer montanus)

The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is asmall passerine bird that breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the Tree sparrow. It has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow.

The adult's crown and nape are rich chestnut, and there is a kidney-shaped black ear patch on each pure white cheek; the chin, throat, and the area between the bill and throat are black. The upperparts are light brown, streaked with black, and the brown wings have two distinct narrow white bars. The legs are pale brown, and the bill is lead-blue in summer, becoming almost black in winter. This sparrow is distinctive even within its genus in that it has no plumage differences between the sexes; the juvenile also resembles the adult, although the colors tend to be duller. Its contrasting face pattern makes this species easily identifiable in all plumages; the smaller size and brown, not grey, crown are additional differences from the male house sparrow. Adult and juvenile Eurasian tree sparrows undergo a slow complete molt in the autumn and show an increase in body mass despite a reduction in stored fat. The change in mass is due to an increase in blood volume to support active feather growth and generally higher water content in the body.

Population size

190-310 Mlnlnn

Life Span

3-13 years

Weight

24

goz

g oz 

Length

12.5-14

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

21

cminch

cm inch 

27-10-2016 BEIJING, CHINA - ORIENTAL MAGPIE (Pica serica)

The Oriental magpie (Pica serica ) is a species of magpie found from south-eastern Russia and Myanmar to eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and northern Indochina. It is also a common symbol of the Korean identity, and has been adopted as the "official bird" of numerous South Korean cities, counties and provinces. Other names for the Oriental magpie include Korean magpie and Asian magpie.

Compared to the Eurasian magpie, it is somewhat stockier, with a proportionally shorter tail and longer wings. The back, tail, and particularly the remiges show strong purplish-blue iridescence with few if any green hues. They are the largest magpies. They have a rump plumage that is mostly black, with but a few and often hidden traces of the white band which connects the white shoulder patches in their relatives.The Oriental magpie has the same call as the Eurasian magpie, albeit much softer.

25-1-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - PARADOXICAL KEELED MILLIPEDE (Anoplodesmus saussurii)

Anoplodesmus saussurii is a species of millipedes in the family Paradoxosomatidae. It was once thought endemic to Sri Lanka, but it was later found in Fiji and Mauritius.

It is about 21–33 mm in length. Adults are shiny dark brown to black in color. They are much largely aggregated species that can be found undercover of decaying litter layers in the agricultural and horticultural land areas and forests on humid soils. Mainly herbivores, they are known to eat any decaying and rotting leaves and vegetable parts, and even wood, decaying fish, and cow dung. After 20 to 25 days of copulation, female laid 200 to 400 eggs in earthen nests. One female may lay 2 to 4 times of egg masses in her lifetime. After seven moultings, stadia come out to surface after the onset of the rainy season.

Millipedes have two pairs of legs in each segment of their body, whereas centipedes have a pair per segment. That’s how you identify these harmless leaf litter-eating creatures from their more irritating family members. This yellow-striped dark leaf-mulcher, the Anoplodesmus saussurii, is a very efficient converter of leaf to soil, common across the tropics (being reported from Madagascar, Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brazil, USA, Martinique), and is said to have an Indian or Sri Lankan origin. Based on colour, it is sometimes mis-identified as the Harpaphe haydeniana, (which is found only in the Pacific coastal region of North America, from Alaska to California) or the Orthomorpha Weberi (which is rare, and has been found only in Bogor, in Java).

Darwin’s last work was his study of the transformation of a landscape by the action of earthworms. This was the founding study of what is now called bioturbation, the perturbing of soils by biological action. Mulching and home recycling of food waste uses earthworms, but gardens with their leaf litter, so useless to most animals, are turned over by millipedes. That’s why these yellow-striped dark leaf-mulchers are so common around gardens and urban areas, as well as in undisturbed ground. They are said to be extremely efficient at breaking down the detritus and recycling it into soil.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - JAVAN MYNA (Acridotheres javanicus)

The Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus ), also known as the white-vented myna, is a species of myna. It is a member of the starling family. It is native to Bali and Java. It has been introduced to other Asian countries, and as far away as Puerto Rico.

The Javan myna is mainly black. The wings are brownish-black, and the primaries have white bases. The undertail-coverts are white. There is a short crest on the forehead.Its beak, legs and feet are yellow. The eyes are lemon-yellow. The immature is browner. Its length is 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in). Its weight is about 100 g (3.5 oz).

The Javan myna is native to Bali and Java, and has been introduced to southeastern Thailand, southern Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, the Lesser Sundas, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Japan and Nepal. It is found in cities and cultivated areas.

The Javan myna is omnivorous and eats seeds, fruit, nectar, insects and human waste. It is often found in large groups. Its voice is similar to that of the common myna. It builds its nest in holes. The eggs are bluish-glaucous. Javan mynas are bold and not very afraid of humans. Javan mynas are kept in cages in Malaysia and Indonesia. The birds scavenge in groups, minimum two but usually three or more, with all except one feeding and one usually at a vantage point keeping a look out. If the bird that is keeping watch sees anything that might pose a threat, it alarms the group members with a high pitch tweet and they all flee the area swiftly.

he Javan Myna is often confused with other Myna species, mostly due to the inconsistent usage of the common names associated with the Acridotheres genus of ‘crested’ mynas. The Javan Myna, Great Myna (Acridotheres grandis) and Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellius) have all been referred to as the Crested Myna. Similarly the Javan Myna and Pale-bellied Myna (Acridotheres cinereus) have all been referred to as White-vented Myna, which is particularly confusing since most Acridotheres genus Mynas have white vents.

The adult Javan Myna is a medium sized bird measuring 24 to 25 cm in length. The head, crown and nape are black. The forehead feathers can be raised to form a short crest, although this is usually kept close to the cap. The mantle, back and rump are ashy black, whilst the chin, flanks and belly are slate grey, appearing slightly paler than the upper parts. The flight feathers are sooty black with a white wing patch. It has a white vent and the tail is black with a clean white underside. The bill is bright yellow with a small black patch at the lateral base of the lower mandible. The legs and feet are orange-yellow with slate-grey leg feathers. The eye has a thick yellow eye ring with a lemon-yellow iris. During flight two distinctive white patches can be seen on the underside of the wings.

There is no sexual dimorphism in adult birds.

Juvenile birds appear browner and have a very short brown frontal crest. The underparts are paler with a, sometimes, streaky appearance. Juvenile birds have white under tails similar to adults.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - BLACK NAPED ORIOLE (Oriolus chinensis)

The black-naped oriole (Oriolus chinensis) is a passerine bird in the oriole family that is found in many parts of Asia. There are several distinctive populations within the wide distribution range of this species and in the past the slender-billed oriole (Oriolus tenuirostris) was included as a subspecies. Unlike the Indian golden oriole which only has a short and narrow eye-stripe, the black-naped oriole has the stripe broadening and joining at the back of the neck. Males and females are very similar although the wing lining of the female is more greenish. The bill is pink and is stouter than in the golden oriole.

The black-naped oriole is distinguished from other species of oriole (which generally have yellow plumage) by a black stripe that extends from the eye to the nape of the neck. The female’s mantle is less bright, with a more olive tinge.

This bird occupies a vast habitat in Asia, with the exception of the semi-arid and desert areas of the western part of the continent. Populations in northern China and southern Siberia migrate to milder areas in winter, flying as far as the Indian subcontinent. Those in South Asia (Indochina, Indonesia and the Philippines) tend to be more sedentary.

The black-naped oriole lives in forests and plantations, plains, hills and mangroves.

It feeds on insects, larvae and fruit such as figs, papayas and mangoes, which is why fruit-growers often consider it to be a pest. Thanks to its beautiful song, it is often trapped and sold as a songbird. However, its wide distribution means this bird is not in any way threatened.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - ASIAN KOEL (MALE) (Eudynamys scolopaceu)

The Asian koel is a large and long-tailed cuckoo measuring 39–46 cm (15–18 in) and weighing 190–327 g (6.7–11.5 oz). The male of the nominate race is glossy bluish-black, with a pale greenish grey bill, the iris is crimson, and it has grey legs and feet. The female of the nominate race is brownish on the crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots. The underparts are whitish, but is heavily striped. The other subspecies differ in colouration and size. The upper plumage of young birds is more like that of the male and they have a black beak. They are very vocal during the breeding season (March to August in the Indian Subcontinent), with a range of different calls. The familiar song of the male is a repeated koo-Ooo. The female makes a shrill kik-kik-kik... call. Calls vary across populations.

The Asian koel is a bird of light woodland and cultivation. It is a mainly resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Iran, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to southern China and the Greater Sundas. They have great potential in colonizing new areas, and were among the pioneer birds to colonize the volcanic island of Krakatau. They first arrived in Singapore in the 1980s and became very common birds.

Some populations may make long-distance movements being found in places like Australia.

The Asian koel is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg in the nests of a variety of birds, including the jungle crow, and house crow. In Sri Lanka before 1880 it was only known to parasitize the jungle crow, later shifting to the house crow. A study in India found 5% of Corvus splendens and 0.5% of Corvus macrorhynchos nests parasitized.

The Asian koel is omnivorous, consuming a variety of insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates. Adults feed mainly on fruit. They will sometimes defend fruiting trees that they forage in and chase away other frugivores. They have been noted to be especially important in the dispersal of the sandalwood tree (Santalum album) in India. Large seeded fruits are sometimes quickly regurgitated near the parent tree while small seeded fruits are ingested and are likely to be deposited at greater distances from the parent tree. They have a large gape and are capable of swallowing large fruits including the hard fruit of palms such as Arenga and Livistona. They have been known to occasionally take eggs of small birds.

They feed on the fruits of Cascabela thevetia which are known to be toxic to mammals.

A number of parasites of the species have been described, including malaria-like protozoa, lice and nematodes.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - OLIVE BACKED SUNBIRD (MALE) (Cinnyris jugularis)

The olive-backed sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis ), also known as the yellow-bellied sunbird, is a species of sunbird found from Southern Asia to Australia.

They are small songbirds, at most 12 cm (4.7 in) long. In most subspecies, the underparts of both male and female are bright yellow, the backs are a dull brown colour. The forehead, throat and upper breast of the adult male is a dark, metallic blue-black. In the Philippines the males of some subspecies have an orange band on the chest, in Wallacea and northern New Guinea some subspecies have most of the underparts blackish, and in southern China and adjacent parts of Vietnam most of the underparts of the male are greyish-white.

The birds mate between the months of April and August in the Northern Hemisphere, and between August and January in the Southern Hemisphere. Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end.

After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take 2 weeks to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation. After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa dauurica)

Plain brown flycatcher with a large-eyed appearance. Note bright white eyering and unmarked throat and underparts. Appears shorter- and plainer-winged than other similar brownish flycatchers. Favors broadleaf forests; also found in more open habitats on migration and wintering grounds. Sallies from exposed perches; cocks tail and flicks wings when perched. Song comprises high buzzy trilling and whistles. Calls include dry rattling and chittering.

The Asian brown flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica ) is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The word Muscicapa comes from the Latin musca, a fly and capere, to catch. The specific dauurica refers to Dauria, an area of south-eastern Siberia named after a local nomadic tribe.

This is an insectivorous species which breeds in Japan, eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. It is migratory and winters in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia.

The correct specific epithet for this species is disputed.

This species is 13 cm (5.1 in) long, including the cocked tail. It is similar in shape to the larger spotted flycatcher, but is relatively longer-tailed. The dark bill is relatively large and broad-based.The adult has grey-brown upperparts, which become greyer as the plumage ages, and whitish underparts with brown-tinged flanks. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts, head and breast.

The Asian brown flycatcher is an extremely rare vagrant to Western Europe. Records have come from Britain, Denmark, and Sweden, and in addition, there are unproven claims from Ireland, Faeroe, and Norway.

Resembling a small Spotted Flycatcher, this is an extremely rare visitor from Siberia, where it breeds in scrub habitats before migrating to wintering grounds that are thought to extend as far south as the Philippines.

Asian brown flycatcher is a common bird found in open woodland and cultivated areas. It nests in a hole in a tree, laying four eggs which are incubated by the female.

The male Asian brown flycatcher sings a simple melodic song during courtship.

This bird is parasitised by the chewing louse Philopterus davuricae.

25-10-2016 SINGAPORE - SUNDA PYGMY WOODPECKER (Dendrocopos moluccensis)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/792950-Yungipicus-moluccensis

A common visitor to urban areas and forests in Singapore. Often found singly or in pairs rapidly moving up trees. Found from ground right up into the topmost branches of trees on dead branches.

22-10-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Great Britain and Ireland, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. It is found across Europe, east to Western Siberia and south to North Africa; it is sedentary in most of its range except the far north.

It is about 12.5–14.0 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length; the male and female are similar in colouration, with an orange breast and face lined with grey, brown upper-parts and a whitish belly.

28-8-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - GREY HERON (Ardea cinerea)

The Grey Heron is a distinctive species with grey, black, and white plumage. It is often seen along rivers or lake margins, or standing in flooded fields.

In flight their large size, impressive wingspan, long legs, and folded neck give them an unmistakable silhouette. Largely silent away from colonies, flight is sometimes accompanied by a harsh ‘kraank’ call.

Grey Herons gather to nest in treetop sites called heronries, some of which have been occupied for many decades. These have been monitored in the UK since 1928 through the Heronries Census. Overall the UK's breeding population has increased, with numbers peaking in the early 2000, but with some more recent declines.

25-8-2015 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - COMMON KINGFISHER (FEMALE) (Alcedo atthis)

The Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is a small kingfisher widely distributed across Eurasia and North Africa. It is amongst the most colorful birds but despite its extraordinary colors, sometimes the Common kingfisher is difficult to see when it is in a dappled shade, and its colors are also not very obvious in flight. Furthermore, due to its shy nature, the Common kingfisher often remains hidden from a human's eye.

The Common kingfisher has the typical short-tailed, dumpy-bodied, large-headed, and long-billed shape. The adult male of the western European subspecies, A. a. ispida has green-blue upperparts with pale azure-blue back and rump, a rufous patch by the bill base, and a rufous ear patch. It has a green-blue neck stripe, white neck blaze and throat, rufous underparts, and a black bill with some red at the base. The legs and feet are bright red. The female is identical in appearance to the male except that her lower mandible is orange-red with a black tip. The juvenile is similar to the adult but with duller and greener upperparts and paler underparts. Its bill is black, and the legs are also initially black. Feathers are moulted gradually between July and November with the main flight feathers taking 90-100 days to moult and regrow. Some that moult late may suspend their moult during cold winter weather.

Despite its brightly-coloured plumage, the Kingfisher can be a challenging bird to spot when perched on a waterside branch. More often than not you will be first alerted to its presence by its piping call.

Widely distributed on lowland rivers and still-waters, the Kingfisher is a species whose fortunes have waxed and waned. Numbers are impacted by severe winter weather, and this may be the main driver of change, but changing water quality and availability of favoured prey may also play a role.

Kingfishers may move away from their breeding territories during the winter months, including to more coastal sites, in order to reduce the impacts of poor winter weather on fishing opportunities.