2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - RED CRESTED POCHARD (MALE) (Netta rufina)

The red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) is a large diving duck. The scientific name is derived from Greek Netta "duck", and Latin rufina, "golden-red" (from rufus, "ruddy"). Its breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and it extends from the steppe and semi-desert areas on the Black Sea to Central Asia and Mongolia, wintering in the Indian Subcontinent and Africa. It is somewhat migratory, and northern birds winter further south into north Africa.

The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange head, red bill and black breast. The flanks are white, the back brown, and the tail black. The female is mainly a pale brown, with a darker back and crown and a whitish face. Eclipse males are like females but with red bills. They are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as common pochards. They feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants, and typically upend for food more than most diving ducks.

A wheezing veht call can be given by the male. Series of hoarse vrah-vrah-vrah calls can also be heard from females.

Red-crested pochards build nests by the lakeside among vegetation and lay 8–12 pale green eggs. The birds' status in the British Isles is much confused because there have been many escapes and deliberate releases over the years, as well as natural visitors from the continent. However, it is most likely that they are escapees that are now breeding wild and have built up a successful feral population. They are most numerous around areas of England including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and also spotted in Leicestershire.

A diving duck of larger lakes and reservoirs, especially with fringing reeds. Male striking and unmistakable with large, rounded, rusty-orange head, long red bill, and black breast. Female rather drab but distinctive: dirty buff overall with pale cheeks, dark face, and rounded brown cap. In flight, both sexes show a thick white wing stripe and whitish underwings. Feeds mainly by dabbling and upending. A common feature of waterfowl collections in European town and city parks.

4-2-2024 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - DOUBLE STRIPED PUG MOTH (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata)

The double-striped pug (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a widespread and common species, being found throughout the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa.

This is a variable species but always easy to recognize due to the two prominent dark fascia across each forewing which give the species its common name. The forewing ground colour ranges from light to dark reddish brown. The crosslines are distinct. The inner margin of the pale white sub-marginal line bears black marks. The hindwings are pale grey with darker fringes, darker lines and a small black discal spot. There is a dark band across the basal segments of the abdomen. The wingspan is 15–19 mm.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BONTEBOK (Damaliscus pygargus)

The bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. D. pygargus has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (D. p. pygargus), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the blesbok (D. p. phillipsi) occurring in the Highveld.

The bontebok is related to the common tsessebe.

The bontebok is a tall, medium-sized antelope. They typically stand 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in) high at the shoulder and measure 120 to 210 cm (47 to 83 in) along the head and body. The tail can range from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in). Body mass can vary from 50 to 155 kg (110 to 342 lb). Males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The bontebok is a chocolate brown colour, with a white underside and a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, although there is a brown stripe across the white near the eyes in most blesbok. The bontebok also has a distinctive white patch around its tail (hence the Latin name), while this patch is light brown/tan in the blesbok. The horns of the bontebok are lyre-shaped and clearly ringed. They are found in both sexes and can reach a length of half a metre.

Blesbok live in the Highveld, where they eat short grasses, while bontebok are restricted to the coastal Fynbos and the Renosterveld. They are diurnal, though they rest during the heat of the day. Herds contain only males, only females, or are mixed, and do not exceed 40 animals for bontebok or 70 for blesbok.

Bontebok are not good jumpers, but they are very good at crawling under things. Mature males form territories and face down other males in displays and occasionally fight them.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - SOUTH AFRICAN SHELDUCK (FEMALE) (Tadorna cana)

The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck (Tadorna cana) is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a common species native to southern Africa.

This is a 64 cm (25 in) long bird which breeds mainly in Namibia and South Africa. In the austral winter, many birds move north-east from the breeding range to favoured moulting grounds, where sizable concentrations occur.

This species is mainly associated with lakes and rivers in fairly open country, breeding in disused mammal holes, usually those of the aardvark. Pairs tend to be very nomadic when not in breeding season.

20-3-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - ARROWROOTS (Goeppertia loeseneri)

Goeppertia loeseneri (syn. Calathea loeseneri), the Brazilian star calathea, is a species of plant belonging to the Marantaceae family. It is native to Peru, northern Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador. It can grow to a height of 1.2m (4 feet).

Goeppertia loeseneri is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant with star-shaped pink flowers outside its native range.

5-2-2024 GENOVES, VALENCIA - EURASIAN KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus)

The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In the United Kingdom, where no other kestrel species commonly occurs, it is generally just called "kestrel".

This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. It has colonized a few oceanic islands, but vagrant individuals are generally rare; in the whole of Micronesia for example, the species was only recorded twice each on Guam and Saipan in the Marianas.

5-2-2024 GENOVES, 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.

In the 15th century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as robin redbreast, which was eventually shortened to robin. As a given name, Robin is originally a smaller form of the name Robert. The term robin is also applied to some birds in other families with red or orange breasts. These include the American robin (Turdus migratorius, a thrush) and the Australasian robins of the family Petroicidae, the relationships of which are unclear.

Other older English names for the bird include ruddock and robinet. In American literature of the late 19th century, this robin was frequently called the English robin.

20-3-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - PHALAENOPSIS TYPE DENDROBIUMS (Section Phalaenanthe)

Dendrobium section Phalaenanthe is a section of the genus Dendrobium.

Plants in this section have compact stems with leaves at the apex and long arching inflorescence.

Plants from this section are found in Australia and New Guinea.

20-3-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - ANTELOPE TYPE DENDROBIUMS (Genus Dendrobium)

Spatulata is a section of plants with 538 observations

20-3-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - PAPILIONANTHE (Genus Papilionanthe)

Papilionanthe (abbreviated Ple). is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia, southern China, and the Indian Subcontinent.

20-3-2015 BOTANICAL GARDENS, SINGAPORE - VANDA ALLIANCE ORCHID (Subtribe Aeridinae)

In the botanical classification of plants, Aeridinae Pfitzer (formerly Sarcanthinae) is a subtribe of the tribe Vandeae (Family Orchidaceae) whose representatives all have a monopodial growth habit and do not possess pseudobulbs.

This subtribe is a monophyletic group within Vandeae, and it contains more than 1,300 species in 103 genera, including about 208 (38%) hybrid genera. They occur mostly in Asia with a few in Africa. They are distinguished from the other subtribes of Vandeae by having an entire rostellum, a relatively small spur formed by the lip, and four (or two) pollinia.

Some of the genera it contains have some of the largest and most spectacular flowers in the whole of the orchid family. Also included in this subtribe are some of the most economically important genera in the horticultural trade, such as Phalaenopsis and Vanda.

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - SNOWY OWL (MALE) (Bubo scandiacus)

The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle, which are quite distinct from other extant owls. One of the largest species of owl, it is the only owl with mainly white plumage. Males tend to be a purer white overall while females tend to more have more extensive flecks of dark brown. Juvenile male snowy owls have dark markings that may appear similar to females until maturity, at which point they typically turn whiter. The composition of brown markings about the wing, although not foolproof, is the most reliable technique to age and sex individual snowy owls.

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - PARROT'S BEAK (Heliconia psittacorum)

Heliconia psittacorum (parrot's beak, parakeet flower, parrot's flower, parrot's plantain, false bird-of-paradise) is a perennial herb native to the Caribbean and South America. It is considered native to French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. It is reportedly naturalized in Gambia, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Lesser Antilles. It is often cultivated as a tropical ornamental plant in regions outside its native range.

The flower has both male parts (anthers) and female parts (stigma and pistil), also referred to as a monoecious angiosperm. 

4-2-2024 VILLALONGA RESERVOIR, VALENCIA - COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus collybita)

The common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic.

It is a migratory passerine which winters in southern and western Europe, southern Asia and north Africa. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are now treated as full species. The female builds a domed nest on or near the ground, and assumes most of the responsibility for brooding and feeding the chicks, whilst the male has little involvement in nesting, but defends his territory against rivals, and attacks potential predators.

A small insectivorous bird, it is subject to predation by mammals, such as cats and mustelids, and birds, particularly hawks of the genus Accipiter. Its large range and population mean that its status is secure, although one subspecies is probably extinct.

4-2-2024 MARJAL DE XERESA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN GREAT CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo)

The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), known as the black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. The genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός (phalakros, "bald") and κόραξ (korax, "raven"), and carbo is Latin for "charcoal".

It breeds in much of the Old World, Australia, and the Atlantic coast of North America.

This is a very common and widespread bird species. It feeds on the sea, in estuaries, and on freshwater lakes and rivers. Northern birds migrate south and winter along any coast that is well-supplied with fish.

In Serbia, the cormorant lives in Vojvodina. However, after 1945 many artificial lakes were formed in Serbia; some of them became potential habitats for cormorants. Currently, on the Lake Ćelije, formed in 1980, there is a resident colony of cormorants, who nest there and are present throughout the year, except January–February 1985 and February 2012 when the lake surface was completely frozen.

The type subspecies, P. c. carbo, is found mainly in Atlantic waters and nearby inland areas: on western European coasts and east across the Palearctic to Siberia and to North Africa, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland; and on the eastern seaboard of North America. The subspecies P. c. novaehollandiae is found in Australian waters.

 

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - AFRICAN SPOONBILL (Platalea alba)

The African spoonbill (Platalea alba) is a long-legged wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

It lives in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water and nests in colonies in trees or reedbeds. They usually don't share colonies with storks or herons. The African spoonbill feeds in shallow water, and fishes for various fish, molluscs, amphibians, crustaceans, insects and larvae. The animal uses its open bill to catch foods by swinging it from side-to-side in the water, which catches foods in its mouth. Long legs and thin, pointed toes enable it to walk easily through varying depths of water.

The African spoonbill is almost unmistakable through most of its range. The breeding bird is all white except for its red legs and face and long grey spatulate bill. It has no crest, unlike the common spoonbill. Immature birds lack the red face and have a yellow bill. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched.

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - INDIAN PEAFOWL (MALE) (Pavo cristatus)

The Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are referred to as peahens, although both sexes are often referred to colloquially as a "peacock".

Indian peafowl display a marked form of sexual dimorphism. The peacock is brightly coloured, with a predominantly blue fan-like crest of spatula-tipped wire-like feathers and is best known for the long train made up of elongated upper-tail covert feathers which bear colourful eyespots. These stiff feathers are raised into a fan and quivered in a display during courtship. Despite the length and size of these covert feathers, peacocks are still capable of flight. Peahens lack the train, have a white face and iridescent green lower neck, and dull brown plumage. The Indian peafowl lives mainly on the ground in open forest or on land under cultivation where they forage for berries, grains but also prey on snakes, lizards, and small rodents. Their loud calls make them easy to detect, and in forest areas often indicate the presence of a predator such as a tiger. They forage on the ground in small groups and usually try to escape on foot through undergrowth and avoid flying, though they fly into tall trees to roost.

 The function of the peacock's elaborate train has been debated for over a century. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin found it a puzzle, hard to explain through ordinary natural selection. His later explanation, sexual selection, is widely but not universally accepted. In the 20th century, Amotz Zahavi argued that the train was a handicap, and that males were honestly signalling their fitness in proportion to the splendour of their trains. Despite extensive study, opinions remain divided on the mechanisms involved.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - CAPE PORCUPINE (Hystrix africaeaustralis)

The Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa.

Cape porcupines are the largest rodents in Africa and also the world's largest porcupines. Cape porcupines are amongst the largest living rodents in the world; a few other rodents appear to be larger in body mass such as the capybara and the Eurasian and North American beavers. They are similar in appearance to, the slightly smaller and close relatives, the crested porcupines. They can most easily be distinguished from them by the presence of a band of short white spines along the midline of the rump. Indian porcupines are almost the same size on average as well, being slightly heavier on average than crested porcupine but slightly lighter than Cape porcupines. 

Cape porcupines measure 63 to 81 centimetres (25 to 32 inches) long from the head to the base of the tail, with the tail adding a further 11–20 centimetres (4.3–7.9 inches). They weigh from 10 to 24 kilograms (22 to 53 pounds), with exceptionally large specimens weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb); males and females are not significantly different in size. The average weight of males from Zimbabwe was 16.9 kg (37 lb) and while the average for females there was 18.4 kg (41 lb) while in the Orange river valley of South Africa males averaged 12.3 kg (27 lb) and females averaged 13 kg (29 lb).

They are heavily-built animals, with stocky bodies, short limbs, and an inconspicuous tail. The body is covered in long spines up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in length, interspersed with thicker, sharply pointed, defence quills up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, and with bristly, blackish or brownish fur. The spines on the tail are hollow, and used to make a rattling sound to scare away predators. An erectile crest of long, bristly hairs runs from the top of the head down to the shoulders. The spines and quills cover the back and flanks of the animal, starting about a third of the way down the body, and continuing onto the tail. The quills have multiple bands of black and white along their length, and grow from regularly spaced grooves along the animal's body; each groove holding five to eight quills. The remainder of the animal, including the undersides, is covered with dark hair.

The eyes and ears are relatively small, and the mobile whiskers are short. The feet have five clawed toes, although the first toes on the forefeet are vestigial. Females have two pairs of teats.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - COMMON HAMERKOP (Scopus umbretta ssp. umbretta)

The hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) is a medium-sized wading bird. It is the only living species in the genus Scopus and the family Scopidae. The species and family was long thought to sit with the Ciconiiformes but is now placed with the Pelecaniformes, and its closest relatives are thought to be the pelicans and the shoebill. The shape of its head with a long bill and crest at the back is reminiscent of a hammer, which has given this species its name after the Afrikaans word for hammerhead. It is a medium-sized waterbird with brown plumage. It is found in Africa, Madagascar and Arabia, living in a wide variety of wetlands, including estuaries, lakesides, fish ponds, riverbanks, and rocky coasts. The hamerkop is a sedentary bird that often shows local movements.

The hamerkop takes a wide range of prey, mostly fish and amphibians, but shrimps, insects and rodents are taken too. Prey is usually hunted in shallow water, either by sight or touch, but the species is adaptable and will take any prey it can. The species is renowned for its enormous nests, several of which are built during the breeding season. Unusually for a wading bird the nest has an internal nesting chamber where the eggs are laid. Both parents incubate the eggs, and raise the chicks.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - FOSSA (Cryptoprocta ferox)

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox; /ˈfɒsə/ or /ˈfuːsə/; Malagasy: [ˈfusə̥]) is a slender, long-tailed, cat-like mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the carnivoran family Eupleridae.

The fossa is the largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar and has been compared to a small cougar, as it has convergently evolved many cat-like features. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and weigh between 5.5 and 8.6 kg (12 and 19 lb), with the males larger than the females. It has semi-retractable claws (meaning it can extend but not retract its claws fully) and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down trees head-first, and also support jumping from tree to tree. A larger relative of the species, Cryptoprocta spelea, probably became extinct before 1400.

The species is widespread, although population densities are usually low. It is found solely in forested habitat, and actively hunts both by day and night. Over 50% of its diet consists of lemurs, the endemic primates found on the island; tenrecs, rodents, lizards, birds, and other animals are also documented as prey. Mating usually occurs in trees on horizontal limbs and can last for several hours. Litters range from one to six pups, which are born altricial (blind and toothless). Infants wean after 4.5 months and are independent after a year. Sexual maturity occurs around three to four years of age, and life expectancy in captivity is 20 years. The fossa is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. It is generally feared by the Malagasy people and is often protected by their fady taboo. The greatest threat to the fossa is habitat destruction.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BEARDED BARBET (Lybius dubius)

The bearded barbet (Pogonornis dubius) is an African barbet. Barbets are birds with a worldwide tropical distribution, although New World and Old World barbets are placed in different families. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.

The bearded barbet was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the puffbirds in the genus Bucco and coined the binomial name Bucco dubius. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "doubtful" or "dubious". John Latham had earlier included the species in his work A General Synopsis of Birds and had written "This bird inhabits the Coast of Barbary, and if of doubtful genus". Both Gmelin and Latham based their description on "Le Barbican" that had been described and illustrated in 1780 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon. The bearded barbet is now placed with 12 other barbets in the genus Lybius that was introduced in 1783 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

This is a conspicuous, large barbet at 26 centimetres (10 in) in overall length. It is fairly plump, with a short neck, large head and a shortish tail. The adult has a black crown, back, tail and breast band. The throat and belly are red and there is a yellow eye patch. The rump is white. The massive bill is very thick and yellow, and the well developed clump of bristles at its base give the species its name. Sexes are similar. The call is a growling scrawk.

The bearded barbet is a common resident breeder in tropical west Africa. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit, although the young are fed on insects. It is found in well-wooded areas with plentiful fig trees. It will enter gardens for fruit.

The bearded barbet forms social groups of 4-5 birds and pairs or groups roost together in a tree cavity. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2 white eggs.

3-2-2024 RIO SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN HOOPOE (Upupa epops)

The Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) is the most widespread species of the genus Upupa. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow downcurved bill. Its call is a soft "oop-oop-oop".

The Eurasian hoopoe is native to Europe, Asia and the northern half of Africa. It is migratory in the northern part of its range. Some ornithologists treat the African and Madagascar hoopoes its subspecies. In 2008, the Eurasian hoopoe was elected as the national bird of Israel. 

3-2-2024 RIO SERPIS GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN KESTREL (Falco tinnunculus)

The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In the United Kingdom, where no other kestrel species commonly occurs, it is generally just called "kestrel".

This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. It has colonized a few oceanic islands, but vagrant individuals are generally rare; in the whole of Micronesia for example, the species was only recorded twice each on Guam and Saipan in the Marianas. 

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BLACK BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

The black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), formerly called the black-bellied tree duck, is a whistling duck that before 2000 bred mainly in the southernmost United States, Mexico, and tropical Central to south-central South America. It can be found year-round in much of the United States. It has been recorded in every eastern state and adjacent Canadian province. Since it is one of only two whistling duck species native to North America, it is occasionally just known as the "whistling duck" or "Mexican squealer" in the southern USA.

The black-bellied whistling duck is a mid-sized waterfowl species. Length ranges from 47 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in), body mass from 652 to 1,020 g (1.437 to 2.249 lb), and wingspan ranges from 76 to 94 cm (30 to 37 in). It has a long pink bill, long head and longish legs, pale gray head and mostly gray-brown plumage. The belly and tail are black, and the body plumage, back of the neck and cap are a rich chestnut brown. The face and upper neck are gray, and they sport a thin but distinct white eye-ring. The extensive white in the wings is obvious in flight, less so on the ground; it is formed by the secondary remiges while the primaries are black; the wing coverts are brown. Males and females look alike; juveniles are similar but have a gray bill and less contrasting belly.

The wing bar is unique among whistling ducks. When on the ground, it may be hard to discern the light flanks present in many of these waterfowl. The fulvous whistling duck (D. bicolor) is the only sympatric whistling duck that shows such a whitish flank stripe, and it differs from the black-bellied by having dark wings and a lighter belly rather than the other way around. Juvenile D. autumnalis are quite similar to the young of the white-faced whistling duck (D. viduata), which have a darker bill and no white wing patch; even when sitting they never seem to show white along the sides, as their thin white vertical barring on the black flanks is very indistinct.

As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistling waa-chooo call.

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - SUN PARAKEET (Aratinga solstitialis)

The sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis), also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly golden-yellow plumage, orange-flushed underparts and face, and green and blue-tipped wings and tails. Sun conures are very social birds, typically living in flocks. They form monogamous pairs for reproduction, and nest in palm cavities in the tropics. Sun conures mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, nuts, and insects. Conures are commonly bred and kept in aviculture and may live up to 30 years. This species is currently threatened by loss of habitat and trapping for plumage or the pet trade. Sun conures are now listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sun conures live in a relatively small region of northeastern South America - the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. They also occur as vagrants to coastal French Guiana. Their status in Venezuela is unclear, but recent sightings from the southeast near Santa Elena de Uairén have been reported. They may occur in Amapá or far northern Pará (regions where the avifauna generally is very poorly documented), but this remains to be confirmed. Populations found along the Amazon River in Brazil are now known to belong to the sulphur-breasted parakeet.

Sun conures are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. They are widely reported as occurring within dry savanna woodlands and coastal forests, but recent sightings suggest they mainly occur at altitudes less than 1200 m, at the edge of humid forests growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and cross more open savannah habitats only when traveling between patches of forest. Sun conures have been seen in shrublands along the Amazon riverbank, as well as forested valleys and coastal, seasonally flooded forests. These conures usually inhabit fruiting trees and palm groves.

19-3-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - RED FAN PARROT (Deroptyus accipitrinus)

The red-fan parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus), also known as the hawk-headed parrot, is a New World parrot hailing from the Amazon Rainforest. It is the only member of the genus Deroptyus.

It dwells in Brazil, Suriname, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, areas of northeast Peru, Venezuela, French Guiana and Guyana.

The red-fan parrot was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other parrots in the genus Psittacus and coined the binomial name Psittacus accipitrinus. Linnaeus based his description on the "hawk-headed parrot" that had been described and illustrated in 1751 by the English naturalist George Edwards in the fourth volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Linnaeus mistakenly specified the type locality as India. It was redesignated as Cayenne in French Guiana by Carl Hellmayr in 1905. The red-fan parrot is now the only species placed in the genus Deroptyus that was introduced in 1832 by the German naturalist Johann Wagler. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek derē meaning "neck" with ptuon meaning "fan". The specific epithet accipitrinus is from Latin and means "hawk-like".

The red-fan parrot possesses elongated neck feathers that can be raised to form an elaborate fan, which greatly increases the bird's apparent size, and is possibly used when threatened. It generally lives in undisturbed forest, feeding in the canopy on fruits. It has a dark brown face with white streaks, bare black patch round its brown eye, green wings, flanks and tail and red and blue barred breast.

The bird nests in holes in trees and stumps. Two to three eggs are normally laid, hatching after approximately 26 days. The young start to fledge in the wild at approximately 10 weeks old. Only two nests have been examined in the wild; both had one chick.

 

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - STRIPED HYENA (Hyaena hyaena)

The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus Hyaena. It is listed by the IUCN as near-threatened, as the global population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature individuals which continues to experience deliberate and incidental persecution along with a decrease in its prey base such that it may come close to meeting a continuing decline of 10% over the next three generations.

It is the smallest of the bone-cracking hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid-like characteristics lost in larger species, having a smaller and less specialised skull. Though primarily a scavenger, large specimens have been known to kill their own prey, and attacks on humans have occurred in rare instances. The striped hyena is a monogamous animal, with both males and females assisting one another in raising their cubs. A nocturnal animal, the striped hyena typically only emerges in complete darkness, and is quick to return to its lair before sunrise. Although it has a habit of feigning death when attacked, it has been known to stand its ground against larger predators in disputes over food.

The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as tzebua or zevoa, though it is absent in some Bible translations into English. Ancient Greeks knew it as γλάνος (glános) and ύαινα (húaina) and were familiar with it from the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. The striped hyena is the national animal of Lebanon.

2-2-2024 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BEARDED BARBET (Lybius dubius)

The bearded barbet (Pogonornis dubius) is an African barbet. Barbets are birds with a worldwide tropical distribution, although New World and Old World barbets are placed in different families. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.

The bearded barbet was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the puffbirds in the genus Bucco and coined the binomial name Bucco dubius. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "doubtful" or "dubious". John Latham had earlier included the species in his work A General Synopsis of Birds and had written "This bird inhabits the Coast of Barbary, and if of doubtful genus". Both Gmelin and Latham based their description on "Le Barbican" that had been described and illustrated in 1780 by the French polymath Comte de Buffon. The bearded barbet is now placed with 12 other barbets in the genus Lybius that was introduced in 1783 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

This is a conspicuous, large barbet at 26 centimetres (10 in) in overall length. It is fairly plump, with a short neck, large head and a shortish tail. The adult has a black crown, back, tail and breast band. The throat and belly are red and there is a yellow eye patch. The rump is white. The massive bill is very thick and yellow, and the well developed clump of bristles at its base give the species its name. Sexes are similar. The call is a growling scrawk.

The bearded barbet is a common resident breeder in tropical west Africa. It is an arboreal species of gardens and wooded country which eats fruit, although the young are fed on insects. It is found in well-wooded areas with plentiful fig trees. It will enter gardens for fruit.

The bearded barbet forms social groups of 4-5 birds and pairs or groups roost together in a tree cavity. It nests in a tree hole, laying 2 white eggs.

The Bearded Barbet is one of 43 species of barbets and tinkerbirds in the Family Lybiidae. Bearded Barbets are found in western and central Africa.

Bearded Barbets are plump and have a short neck and tail and a large head. Their crown, back, tail and breast band are black. Their throat and belly are red and the rump is white. They skin around their eyes is yellow and featherless. The bill is also yellow and large and is surrounded by black bristles. Barbets get their name from the bristles that fringe their bills. Both sexes are similar in appearance.