3-1-2016 HONG KONG - CHINESE HWAMEI (Garrulax canorus)

The Chinese hwamei or melodious laughingthrush (Garrulax canorus ) is a passerine bird of eastern Asia in the family Leiothrichidae. The name "hwamei" comes from the Chinese 画眉 (huà-méi) means "painted eyebrow" referring to the distinctive marking around the bird's eyes. The species is a popular cagebird because of its attractive song.

It is 21 to 25 cm long with broad, rounded wings and a fan-shaped tail. The plumage is mostly reddish-brown with dark streaks on the crown, back and throat. There is a white ring around the eye which extends backwards as a white stripe. The bill and feet are yellowish. Birds on Hainan Island (L. c. owstoni ) are paler below and more olive-coloured above. The Taiwan hwamei is greyer and more streaked and lacks the white markings on the head.

The song is a loud, clear, varied whistling with regular repetition and imitations of other birds. The call is a rasping whistle or rattle.

The nominate subspecies G. c. canorus occurs across south-eastern and central China and in northern and central Vietnam and Laos. The race G. c. owstoni is found on Hainan.

G. c. canorus has been introduced to Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and Hawaii. In the Hawaiian Islands it was introduced in the early 20th century and now occurs in both native forest and man-made habitats. It is common on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island but less so on Oahu and Molokai.

The bird inhabits scrubland, open woodland, secondary forest, parks and gardens up to 1800 metres above sea level. It is common in much of its range and is not considered a threatened species.

It is a skulking bird which is often very difficult to see. It typically feeds on the ground among leaf litter, foraging for insects and fruit. It usually occurs in pairs or in small groups.

The breeding season lasts from May to July. A large cup-shaped nest is built up to two metres above the ground in a tree or bush or amongst undergrowth. Two to five blue or blue-green eggs are laid.

3-1-2016 KOWLOON PARK, HONG KONG - GREATER FLAMINGO (Phoenicopterus roseus)

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo inhabits Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. They occur in relatively shallow water bodies, such as saline lagoons, salt pans, large alkaline or saline lakes, and estuaries. Breeding takes place on sandbanks, mudflats, sandy or rocky islands, or open beaches.

Greater flamingos are very social. They travel in groups numbering up to thousands and they communicate by using visual and auditory cues. Greater flamingos are partially dispersive and migratory. They are traveling constantly, seeking areas with enough resources to sustain the whole flock, especially during the mating season. Greater flamingos keep their chicks together in crèches. Adults supervising crèches tend to act in a hostile way toward hatchlings if their own young are not in that crèche. Greater flamingos are diurnal, feeding during the day. Being bottom feeders, they rely on water levels that are low, and they move to new areas to find appropriate feeding conditions. They often bathe in fresh shallow water and preen their feathers to remove salt from them. They are not territorial birds but during breeding season they do defend their nests.

Greater flamingos are serially monogamous birds, forming pair bonds that remain together only for a single breeding season. They breed in dense colonies numbering up to 20,000 or more pairs. They perform spectacular group displays of courtship, involving ritualized preening, synchronized wing-raising, and head-flagging, where they raise their necks and beaks and turn their heads from side to side. Breeding seasons vary with location, occurring in some areas at irregular intervals, following the rains. Nest-building is done in pairs. A single chalky-white egg is laid, rarely two. Both parents share the incubation of 27-31 days. After several days of being brooded by both parents, the chick joins a crèche with many other chicks. Both parents feed the chick, with the typical milk that is secreted in the adults' upper digestive tract. Chicks fledge between 65 and 90 days after hatching and become reproductively mature between 4 and 6 years of age.

Greater flamingos are threatened by human disturbance and lowering water levels, which increases the salinity of sites where they feed and so can affect food resources, or cause thick soda deposits which can harm the legs of chicks. The potential effects of climate change on rainfall and sea level may therefore impact breeding sites seriously in the future. Further threats to greater flamingos include disease, pollution, lead poisoning (from the ingesting of lead shot), and habitat loss as a result of industrial and harbor development or drainage of the wetlands for agriculture. Large numbers of greater flamingos in Egypt are shot or captured for sale in markets, and the collection of eggs remains a threat in some areas, such as Algeria.

3-1-2016 KOWLOON PARK, HONG KONG - GREATER FLAMINGO (JUVENILE) (Phoenicopterus roseus)

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo inhabits Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. They occur in relatively shallow water bodies, such as saline lagoons, salt pans, large alkaline or saline lakes, and estuaries. Breeding takes place on sandbanks, mudflats, sandy or rocky islands, or open beaches.

Greater flamingos are very social. They travel in groups numbering up to thousands and they communicate by using visual and auditory cues. Greater flamingos are partially dispersive and migratory. They are traveling constantly, seeking areas with enough resources to sustain the whole flock, especially during the mating season. Greater flamingos keep their chicks together in crèches. Adults supervising crèches tend to act in a hostile way toward hatchlings if their own young are not in that crèche. Greater flamingos are diurnal, feeding during the day. Being bottom feeders, they rely on water levels that are low, and they move to new areas to find appropriate feeding conditions. They often bathe in fresh shallow water and preen their feathers to remove salt from them. They are not territorial birds but during breeding season they do defend their nests.

Greater flamingos are serially monogamous birds, forming pair bonds that remain together only for a single breeding season. They breed in dense colonies numbering up to 20,000 or more pairs. They perform spectacular group displays of courtship, involving ritualized preening, synchronized wing-raising, and head-flagging, where they raise their necks and beaks and turn their heads from side to side. Breeding seasons vary with location, occurring in some areas at irregular intervals, following the rains. Nest-building is done in pairs. A single chalky-white egg is laid, rarely two. Both parents share the incubation of 27-31 days. After several days of being brooded by both parents, the chick joins a crèche with many other chicks. Both parents feed the chick, with the typical milk that is secreted in the adults' upper digestive tract. Chicks fledge between 65 and 90 days after hatching and become reproductively mature between 4 and 6 years of age.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN (Copsychus saularis)

The Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis ) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. These birds are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds.

The Oriental magpie-robin is 19 cm (7.5 in) long, including the long tail, which is usually held cocked upright when hopping on the ground. It is similar in shape to the smaller European robin, but is longer-tailed. The male has black upperparts, head, and throat apart from a white shoulder patch. The underparts and the sides of the long tail are white. Females are greyish black above and greyish white. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts and heads.

Oriental magpie-robins are resident breeders in tropical southern Asia from Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and eastern Pakistan, eastern Indonesia, Thailand, south China, Malaysia, and Singapore. They inhabit open woodlands, mangroves, and cultivated areas often close to human habitations.

3-1-2016 HONG KONG - SPOTTED DOVE (Spilopelia chinensis)

The ground color of this long and slim dove is rosy buff below shading into grey on the head and belly. There is a half collar on the back and sides of the neck made of black feathers that bifurcate and have white spots at the two tips. The median coverts have brown feathers tipped with rufous spots in the Indian and Sri Lankan subspecies which are divided at the tip by a widening grey shaft streak. The wing feathers are dark brown with grey edges. The center of the abdomen and vent are white. The outer tail feathers are tipped in white and become visible when the bird takes off. The male and the female are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and do not acquire the neck spots until they are mature.

Spotted doves are widely distributed in southern Asia, from Sri Lanka and India, east to south China, and southwest Asia. These birds are often found near human habitation, and they live in mountains, open woodlands, scrub, farmland, gardens, and urban areas. In India, they prefer moister regions.

Spotted doves are usually seen in small flocks or pairs, foraging on the ground or perching in trees and on telephone wires. They have a rapid, powerful, and direct flight, but when leaving a perch to feed on the ground, they often glide down quietly. When not displaying, they will perch and call 'cuk cuk coorrr', the female’s call being quieter. Mated birds will preen each other (called allopreening), especially around their head and neck. Any aggressive behavior is usually accompanied by a threatening 'kirr' call, and this can escalate into a physical confrontation involving the slapping of wings. When disturbed, the Spotted dove rises quickly and heads for leafy cover.

Spotted doves are monogamous breeders. This means that both the male and the female have only one partner. They breed throughout the year, with most activity being from September to December. A male will perform a display flight, a steep rising flight accompanied by loud wing-clapping. When he gets to about 30 or 40 m in the air, he spreads his wings and tail and glides back down to a perch. He will also walk in front of a female, fluffing up the black and white patch on his neck, while bowing his head up and down. The adults build the nest together in a bush or tree, near an open area. The nest is a platform of loosely combined twigs, grasses, and roots. 1 or 2 slightly glossy white eggs are laid. Incubation is for around 14 to 16 days, by both parents. The altricial chicks are covered sparsely with pale down when they hatch. For the first week, their parents look after them continuously. Young fledge when they are about 2 weeks old, and their parents immediately begin a new clutch.

Spotted doves are vulnerable to habitat loss from human developments, and also to agricultural herbicides and trapping in some countries for the pet trade.

3-1-2016 CENTRAL, HONG KONG - WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba)

Small terrestrial bird (about 18 cm or 7 in) with a characteristic long black tail, constantly wagging. Grey upperparts, white underparts and black wings with white stripes. Black head (throat and nape) and white face (forehead and flanks of the face). Black legs and bill.

Present in different types of habitats, most of them linked to water. Wet meadows, farmlands, coastal shores, banks, reservoirs, lagoons, temporary ponds, parks and gardens and even the urban environment.

Species present in the province all year round mostly as a wintering bird, although there are individuals which come to breed during the summer months and also birds in migratory passage. It breeds from April with up to three layings of 4 to 6 eggs. Nest in hollows of slopes and banks. Insectivore that forages actively, pecking on the ground, and in groups. Very linked to the ground and walker with a typical swing of the tail.

The White Wagtail is one of the most common and characteristic winter birds. It has a very long tail, which is constantly wagged up and down when it walks. It has a very distinctive undulating flight, but it is often seen on bare ground looking for insects. At dusk, hundreds of White Wagtails gather in the city centres to roost in big trees.

4-4-2016 MARJAL DE GANDIA, VALENCIA - EURASIAN COOT (Fulica atra)

The Eurasian coot (Fulica atra), also known as the Common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North Africa. Similar-looking coot species are found throughout the world, with the largest variety of coot species living in South America.

The Eurasian coot is 36–38 cm (14–15 in) in length with a wing-span of 70–80 cm (28–31 in); males weigh around 890 g (31 oz) and females 750 g (26 oz). It is largely black except for the white bill and frontal shield (which gives rise to the phrase "as bald as a coot", in use as early as 1430). As a swimming species, the coot has partial webbing on its long strong toes. The sexes are similar in appearance.

Population size

7.9-9.75 Mlnlnn

Life Span

9-15 years

Weight

750-890

goz

g oz 

Length

36-38

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

70-80

cminch

cm inch 

The juvenile is paler than the adult, has a whitish breast, and lacks the facial shield; the adult black plumage develops when about 3–4 months old, but the white shield is only fully developed at about one year old.

Eurasian coots breed in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. They have recently expanded their range into New Zealand. These birds are residents in the milder parts of their range only performing nomadic movements; however, populations from much of Asia migrate further south and west in winter as the waters freeze. Eurasian coots inhabit freshwater lakes, ponds, pools, creeks, rivers and river deltas, marshes, freshwater meadows, flooded grasslands, and freshwater, and saline lagoons.

Eurasian coots are much less secretive than most of the rail family, and frequently swim on open water or walk across waterside grasslands. They are quite aggressive birds, and strongly territorial during the breeding season, and both parents defend their nesting site. During the non-breeding season, they may form large flocks, possibly related to predator avoidance. Eurasian coots are reluctant to fly and when taking off run across the water surface with much splashing. They do the same, but without actually flying, when traveling a short distance at speed in territorial disputes or on land to escape from intruders. As with many rails, their weak flight does not inspire confidence, but on migration, usually at night, they can cover surprisingly large distances. When swimming they bob their heads, and make short dives from a little jump. When fighting other waterbirds (especially other coots), Eurasian coots attack by charging their opponent and striking them with their long legs. When feeding, these birds graze on land or in the water. In the water, they may upend in the fashion of a mallard or dive in search of food. Eurasian coots are noisy and have a wide repertoire of crackling, explosive, or trumpeting calls, often given at night.

Eurasian coots are monogamous and for pairs. They construct a bulky nest that either floats on the water or is built in shallow water on a low or barely submerged stump or log, making a neat, large bowl. It is constructed of plant stems and leaves with a lining of finer material. Normally concealed in vegetation the nest can sometimes be placed in the open. It is built by both parents with the male collecting most of the material which is incorporated by the female. The clutch usually contains between 6 and 10 smooth and slightly glossy buff-colored eggs that are covered with black or dark brown speckles. The eggs are incubated by both parents and hatch after 21 to 24 days. The chicks are precocial and leave the nest shortly after hatching. The young are brooded by the female for the first 3 to 4 days during which time food is brought by the male.

The male also builds one or more platforms that are used for roosting and brooding the chicks. On leaving the nest, the brood is sometimes split up with each parent taking care of a separate group. The young can feed themselves when they are around 30 days and fledge at 55 to 60 days. Eurasian coots normally only have a single brood each year but in some areas such as Britain, they will sometimes attempt a second brood. They first breed when they are 1-2 years old.

The main threats to this species include hunting, poisoning, pollution, and loss of habitat.

Population number

According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Eurasian coot is around 7,950,000-9,750,000 individuals or 5,300,000-6,500,000 mature individuals. The European population is estimated at 945,000-1,550,000 pairs or 1,890,000-3,090,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.

4-4-2016 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - COAL TIT (Periparus ater)

The Coal tit (Periparus ater) is a small passerine bird widespread and common resident breeder throughout the temperate to subtropical Palearctic, including North Africa.

The Coal tit has a distinctive large white nape spot on its black head. The head, throat, and neck of the adult are glossy blue-black, setting off the off-white sides of the face (tinged grey to yellow depending on subspecies) and the brilliant white nape; the white tips of the wing coverts appear as two wingbars. The underparts are whitish shading through buff to rufous on the flanks. The bill is black, the legs lead-colored, and the irides dark brown. The young birds are duller than the adults, lacking gloss on the black head, and with the white of nape and cheeks tinged with yellow.

Coal tits are found throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They are all-year residents throughout almost all range, making only local movements in response to particularly severe weather; only the Siberian birds have a more regular migration. Coal tits prefer humid conifer forests but also frequent shrubland, conifer plantations, gardens, and urban areas.

Coal tits are social birds and often form small flocks in winter with other tits. They resemble other tits in acrobatic skill and restless activity, though they more frequently pitch on a trunk, and in little hops resemble a treecreeper. Coal tits are active during the day spending most of their time searching for food trees. They also visit gardens to feed on a variety of foods put out, particularly sunflower seeds. While searching for food, Coal tit flocks keep contact with incessant short 'dee' or 'see-see' calls. Their song is a strident 'if-he, if-he, if-he', heard most frequently from January to June, but also in autumn. The song resembles that of the Great tit, but much faster and higher in pitch. North African birds also have a 'currr' call similar to that of the European crested tit which is not found in Africa.

3-4-2016 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - GREATER FLAMINGO (JUVENILE) (Phoenicopterus roseus)

The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. The Greater flamingo was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo, but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species.

Greater flamingos have an attractive coloration and appearance. Their feathers are pinkish/white, the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. They have long pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes and long pink legs. The male is bigger than the female, and juveniles have a gray-brown coloration, with some pink on their underparts, tail and wings, with the legs and beak being mainly brown.

The Greater flamingo inhabits Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and the Indian subcontinent. They occur in relatively shallow water bodies, such as saline lagoons, salt pans, large alkaline or saline lakes, and estuaries. Breeding takes place on sandbanks, mudflats, sandy or rocky islands, or open beaches.

Greater flamingos are very social. They travel in groups numbering up to thousands and they communicate by using visual and auditory cues. Greater flamingos are partially dispersive and migratory. They are traveling constantly, seeking areas with enough resources to sustain the whole flock, especially during the mating season. Greater flamingos keep their chicks together in crèches. Adults supervising crèches tend to act in a hostile way toward hatchlings if their own young are not in that crèche. Greater flamingos are diurnal, feeding during the day. Being bottom feeders, they rely on water levels that are low, and they move to new areas to find appropriate feeding conditions. They often bathe in fresh shallow water and preen their feathers to remove salt from them. They are not territorial birds but during breeding season they do defend their nests.

Greater flamingos are serially monogamous birds, forming pair bonds that remain together only for a single breeding season. They breed in dense colonies numbering up to 20,000 or more pairs. They perform spectacular group displays of courtship, involving ritualized preening, synchronized wing-raising, and head-flagging, where they raise their necks and beaks and turn their heads from side to side. Breeding seasons vary with location, occurring in some areas at irregular intervals, following the rains. Nest-building is done in pairs. A single chalky-white egg is laid, rarely two. Both parents share the incubation of 27-31 days. After several days of being brooded by both parents, the chick joins a crèche with many other chicks. Both parents feed the chick, with the typical milk that is secreted in the adults' upper digestive tract. Chicks fledge between 65 and 90 days after hatching and become reproductively mature between 4 and 6 years of age.

Greater flamingos are threatened by human disturbance and lowering water levels, which increases the salinity of sites where they feed and so can affect food resources, or cause thick soda deposits which can harm the legs of chicks. The potential effects of climate change on rainfall and sea level may therefore impact breeding sites seriously in the future. Further threats to greater flamingos include disease, pollution, lead poisoning (from the ingesting of lead shot), and habitat loss as a result of industrial and harbor development or drainage of the wetlands for agriculture. Large numbers of greater flamingos in Egypt are shot or captured for sale in markets, and the collection of eggs remains a threat in some areas, such as Algeria.

3-4-2016 RACO DE OLLA, VALENCIA - BLACK WINGED STILT (Himantopus himantopus)

Striking large black-and-white wader with a thin, straight bill and bright pink legs, found in wetlands with open shallow water throughout much of Africa and Eurasia, often in brackish habitats. Some populations are migratory, departing northerly breeding grounds for warmer southern regions. Often forms noisy colonies on bare ground near water. Essentially unmistakable throughout much of its range, but compare with Pied Stilt in parts of Southeast Asia. Feeds by wading in water, picking from the water surface with its needle-like bill. In flight, long pink legs stick out far beyond the tail. Calls loudly and stridently, especially when alarmed during the breeding season.

The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) is a widely distributed, very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family Recurvirostridae. Its scientific name, Himantopus himantopus, is sometimes used to generalize a single, almost cosmopolitan species. Alternatively, it is restricted to the form that is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa, which equals the nominate group of H. himantopus sensu lato. Meanwhile, the black-necked (H. mexicanus) and white-backed stilts (H. melanurus) both inhabit the Americas; the pied stilt (H. leucocephalus) ranges from Australasia and New Zealand. Today, most sources accept between one and four actual species. The taxonomic name Himantopus comes from Greek, meaning "strap-foot" or "thong-foot".

Population size

450-780 Thou

Life Span

10-20 years

Weight

165-205

goz

g oz 

Length

33-36

cminch

cm inch 

Wingspan

75

cminch

Adults are 33–36 cm (13–14 in) long, with long, pink legs, and a long, rather thin black bill. The birds are generally black above and white below, with a white head and neck (with a varying amount of black, species-dependent). Males have a black back, often with a greenish gloss or sheen. Females' backs have a brownish hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In populations where the top of the head is normally white (at least in winter), females tend to have less black on the head and neck the entire year-round, while males often have much more black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually grow all-white head feathers in winter. 

Immature birds are grey, instead of black, and have a markedly sandy hue on their wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight.

The breeding habitat of all these stilts is marshes, shallow lakes and ponds. Some populations are migratory and move to the ocean coasts in winter; those in warmer regions are generally resident or short-range vagrants. In Europe, the black-winged stilt is a regular spring overshoot vagrant north of its normal range, occasionally remaining to breed in northern European countries. Pairs successfully bred in Britain in 1987, and after a 27-year hiatus there were two instances of successful breeding in Southern England in 2014. 13 young were fledged in southern England in 2017.Four chicks were successfully fledged in northern England in 2022; this is believed to be the most northerly breeding success for the black-winged stilt.

These birds pick up their food from sand or water. They eat mainly insects and crustaceans.

Black-winged stilts are serially monogamous; they form pairs and maintain their bonds only during one breeding season. These birds may nest singly or in loose colonies and each pair defends vigorously their nest site and territory around it. The nest is a bare spot on the ground located near water. The female lays up to 4 eggs which are then incubated for about 3-4 weeks by both parents. Chicks hatch well-developed and can leave the nest within 24 hours. They fledge around 1 month after hatching and become independent 2-4 weeks later. Young Black-winged tilts become reproductively mature and start to breed when they are 1 or 2 years old.