Sunday, January 12, 2025

THE GALAPAGOS HAWK

 undefined Adult on Santa Fe Island

 

The Galápagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) is a large hawk endemic to most of the Galápagos Islands.


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Juvenile

The Galapágos hawk is similar in size to the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and the Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni) of North America, but the size is variable across the islands as is recorded for many animals native to the Galapágos. They appear to be somewhat more heavily built than those well-known mainland species, and going on average weights, this species is the second heaviest Buteo in the Americas, behind only the ferruginous hawk. The Galapágos hawk can range from 45 to 58 cm (18 to 23 in) in length from beak to tail with a wingspan of 116 to 140 cm (46 to 55 in).[2] The smallest hawk sizes recorded are on Marchena Island, where males average 844 g (1.861 lb) and females average 1,223 g (2.696 lb). Intermediate in size are the hawks of Santiago Island, on which males weigh an average of 963 g (2.123 lb) while females average 1,295 g (2.855 lb). The largest known are the hawks on Española Island, which are amongst the largest Buteo known anywhere, with males averaging 1,137 g (2.507 lb) and females averaging 1,578 g (3.479 lb).[3] The adult hawk has various coloring within the species.

The adult Galapagos hawk is generally a sooty brownish-black color; the crown being slightly blacker than the back. Its feathers of the mantle are partially edged with paler brown, grey, or buff, with their white bases showing to some extent. Their tail coverts are also barred with white. The tail itself is silvery grey above, with about ten narrow black bars; below it is quite pale. The wing feathers are paler on inner webs, barred with white. Below it has indistinct rufous edges to the feathers of the flanks and lower abdomen. The under-tail coverts are barred with white. Under-wing coverts are black, contrasting with the pale bases of the wing quills. The eyes are brown, the beak greyish black, paler at its base which is known as the 'cere', legs, and feet are yellow. The male hawk is smaller than the female hawk, as with many birds of prey.[4]

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Galapagos hawk in flight.

The young hawks however appear quite different from the adults in that they are well camouflaged with an overall brown appearance with varying amounts of striping below and paler mottling above. Their eyes are light grey-brown, and the beak is black, blue-grey at its base. The cere is grey-green, the feet pale yellow-green. When the immature plumage becomes badly worn, the pale areas become almost white.[4]

The Galapágos hawk has broad wings and a broad tail. It is an apex predator and possesses excellent vision. Their young appear different from adults because they are darker and have camouflage which aids them in remaining protected from potential predators until they are fully grown.

Galapagos Hawk: The Ultimate Guide - Operation Migration


This hawk lives mainly on insects such as locusts and giant centipedes, as well as racer snakes (Alsophis spp.), lava lizards (Microlophus albemarlensis), and both native and introduced species of rodents, including Galápagos rice rats (Aegialomys galapagoensis), house mice (Mus musculus), and black rats (Rattus rattus).[4][5] It is not uncommon for it to take marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Most of the marine iguana prey are mainly hatchlings and juveniles but occasionally adults, especially nesting females.[6][7] The Galapagos hawk can kill relatively large individuals, which can weigh at least equal to the hawk's own weight or even heavier.[8][9] Hatchlings of tortoise, sea turtle, and land iguanas are additionally taken, as well as young of Galápagos sea lions, feral pigs, and goats.[5][10][11] Arboreal prey include Galapagos Doves (Zenaida galapagoensis), Galapagos Mockingbirds (Mimus parvulus), and Darwin's finches (Geospiza spp. & Camarhynchus spp.), from their egg to full-grown adults.[5] This predator has also been observed to take seabirds such as Audubon's Shearwaters (Puffinus lherminieri), and eggs and nestlings of swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus furcatus).[12][13] Regular predation on blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) nestlings, which can weigh around 1280g, has been reported.[14] Aside from live prey, carrions are additionally taken, from dead seals to fish scraps.[4]

Hunting in groups of two or three, the hawks soar at a height of 50 to 200 m (160 to 660 ft) in the sky. When one of the birds spots prey or a rotting carcass, they signal to the other members. The dominant hawk of the group feeds from the prey until it is satisfied, as the other hawks in the family group submissively wait their turn to feed. It prefers to perch on a lava outcrop or high branch when hunting, yet it also spends some of its time on the ground.[15]

Fearless of man, the young especially being quite curious, often wandering around human camps and scavenging for scraps of food. In 1845, Charles Darwin wrote:

A gun is here almost superfluous; for with the muzzle I pushed a hawk out of the branch of a tree...

undefinedA possible breeding pair of adults on Santa Fe Island.

Because the seasons of the island are unchanging due to the close proximity of the equator, there is no regular mating season. Mating occurs a few times a day on a nearby perch or in flight. It begins when males make fake attacks on the female from behind by dive-bombing her, and then the male follows the female as she descends to the trees below.[15] While males tend to be monogamous, the females will occasionally mate with up to seven different males during the mating season. Throughout the entire nesting period, the female and all of her males take turns protecting the nest, incubating the eggs, and even participating in the feeding with no apparent dominance order.[16] Nests are built low in trees, on lava ledges, or even on the ground at times. Used for many years and nesting periods, they become quite large, sometimes even four feet in diameter. Stick structures are lined with grass, bark, clumps of leaves, or other available soft materials.[2][4]

 The Galápagos Hawk: A Symbol of Strength and Survival in the Enchanted  Islands | Galápagos Conservancy

 

The mating pair is together for the majority of the time at the prime of the egg-laying season and usually stays close to the nesting site. The nest is maintained constantly with fresh, green twigs. Usually, one to three green-white colored eggs are laid, though clutches with 3 eggs are unusual.[16] Usually, only one youngster is reared from each nest, but polyandrous groups are more successful than monogamous pairs, though each polyandrous male produces fewer young per year than monogamous males.[17] Young hawks leave the nest around 50–60 days after hatching. Juvenile hawks will not enter the territorial breeding areas until they reach the age of three, becoming sexually mature.[2]

Galapagos hawk - Galapagos Conservation Trust

The call of the Galapágos hawk is a series of short screams similar to the call of the red-shouldered hawk that has been described as a "keer, keeu," or an inflected "kwee". Especially noisy during mating season, their call softens to a "kilp, kilp, kilp".[4]

Status

A young Galapagos hawk.

Although the exact number of these birds is unknown, there are believed to be only around 150 mating pairs in existence today. This statistic has improved slightly from past years, but it is far from the abundance they were found in on all the islands of Galápagos when they were discovered. Due to human disturbance to their natural habitat, a dwindling food supply because of new predators introduced to the islands, and persecution by humans, they are now extinct on the islands of Baltra, Daphne Major, Floreana, San Cristóbal, and North Seymour.

Galapagos Hawk Courtship | Mating and Nesting Habits

The study of mtDNA haplotypes of the Galapágos hawk and its closest relative, Swainson's hawk, indicates that the former's ancestors colonized the islands approximately 300,000 years ago, making the birds the most recent native species arrival known. By contrast, Darwin's finches are estimated to have arrived some 2–3 million years ago.[18]

 Galapagos Hawk - Buteo galapagoensis - Observation.org

 Galapagos Hawk - The Hawks of the Galapagos Islands

 

 

 The Ultimate Galápagos Islands Wildlife Guide

 

 

 

 

THE PLEURODIRA

 My Favorite Pet of All Time Was an African Sulcata Tortoise

The Pleurodira are one of the two living suborders of turtles, the other being the Cryptodira. The division between these two suborders represents a very deep evolutionary divide between two very different types of turtles. The physical differences between them, although anatomical and largely internal, are nonetheless significant, and the zoogeographic implications of them are substantial. The Pleurodira are known more commonly as the side-necked turtles and the name Pleurodira quite literally translates to side neck, whereas the Cryptodira are known as hidden-necked turtles.[6] The Pleurodira turtles are currently restricted to freshwater habitats in the Southern Hemisphere, largely to Australia, South America, and Africa. Within the Pleurodira, three living families are represented: Chelidae, also known as the Austro-South American side-necked turtles, the Pelomedusidae, also known as the African mud terrapins, and the Podocnemididae, also known as the American side-neck river turtles.[6][7] However, they are a cosmopolitan clade across the Cretaceous and Cenozoic, and even occurred in marine environments across the world.[8][9]

Definition and description

 Adult female Chelodina longicollis from Booderee National Park, Jervis... |  Download Scientific Diagram

 

 

 The Pleurodira are identified by the method with which they withdraw their heads into their shells. In these turtles, the neck is bent in the horizontal plane, drawing the head into a space in front of one of the front legs. A larger overhang of the carapace helps to protect the neck, which remains partially exposed after retraction. This differs from the method employed by a cryptodiran, which tucks its head and neck between its forelegs, within the shell.

 

 Loggerhead Sea Turtle | Bournemouth Oceanarium

The different methods of bending the neck require completely different anatomies of the cervical vertebrae. All extant turtles studied so far have eight vertebrae in the neck.[10] In the Pleurodira, these vertebrae are narrow in cross-section and spool-shaped with biconvex centra on one or more of the cervicals.[10] These centra act as a double joint, allowing a large degree of sideways movement and providing a means of folding the neck onto itself in the lateral plane. Conversely, in the Cryptodira, the neck bones are wide and flat. The biconvex centra in some of the cryptodiran cervicals allow the neck to fold onto itself in the vertical plane.[10]

Pleurodirans also differ from cryptodirans in the emarginations of their skulls. Skull emargination provides room and anchorage for the jaw muscles. The connection points and the position of the emarginations relate to different bones of the skull.

Another difference is in the arrangement of the bones of the shell and the scutes overlaying them. Pleurodiran turtles have 13 scutes on the plastron of the shell, whereas cryptodiran turtles have only 12. The extra scute is called the intergular and is at the front of the plastron between the gular scutes. Pelomedusid turtles also possess mesoplastra, further differentiating this group.

 Sea Turtles | Smithsonian Ocean

Family: Chelidae

 turtle | Species, Classification, & Facts | Britannica

One of the three families that still lives in this suborder is the family Chelidae. This family contains 14 genera with a total of 61 species, and they are distributed among Australia, New Guinea, and South America.[7] This group of Testudines characteristically have dorsoventrally flattened skulls and shells and are known for long snake like necks.[7]

This family is unique for having a specially adapted strategy for catching prey. While the majority of the family Chelidae are omnivores there are 17 species that are carnivores.[7] Those carnivores are Chelus fimbratus and species of the Chelodina genus.[7] This special strategy is referred to as a gape-suck mechanism.[7][11] This mechanism is when the turtle first opens its mouth little by little at first. Then, when the turtle is within striking range of the prey, it will open its mouth completely sucking in water at such a rate that the current into its mouth is too strong for prey to escape and engulf the prey within 0.004 seconds.[11] This strategy also circumvents issues to quick capture of underwater prey. These issues include: resistance to rapid movement in water, pressure-waves due to rapid strike, and rapid water intake when feeding.[11]

 Parasites in Turtles - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery,  Management, Cost

Taxonomy

 Related image | Pet lizards, Reptiles, Tortoises

 Sea Turtle Fact Sheet | Blog | Nature | PBS


 Turtles vs. Tortoises - C.S.W.D

 REPTILES. Testudines 341 species Turtles: Testudines Joyce et al Pleurodira  Cryptodira Testudines. - ppt download

 

 

 



THE LANNER FALCON

 Lanner falcon - Lake District Wildlife Park

The lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus) is a medium-sized bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It prefers open habitat and is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season. A large falcon, it preys on birds and bats.[2] Most likely either the lanner or peregrine falcon was the sacred species of falcon to the ancient Egyptians,[3] and some ancient Egyptian deities, like Ra and Horus, were often represented as a man with the head of a lanner falcon.

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 Adult Falco biarmicus feldeggi

 Lanner falcon, perched by FurLined on DeviantArt

The lanner falcon was described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1825 under the current binomial name Falco biarmicus.[4] The type locality is Caffraria and the Cape of Good Hope.[5] Falco is Late Latin for a "falcon", from falx, falcis "sickle". The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus had used the specific epithet biarmicus for the bearded reedling and Temminck clearly believed that the word meant "bearded" but it is likely that Linnaeus was using the Latinized form for Bjarmaland, a district in northern Russia.[6] The English word "lanner" is believed to come from the Old French lanier meaning "cowardly". The first recorded use of the word in English is from around 1400.[7]

This is presumably the oldest living hierofalcon species. Support for this assumption comes mainly from biogeography agreeing better with the confusing pattern of DNA sequence data in this case than in others. Nonetheless, there is rampant hybridization (like the perilanner) and incomplete lineage sorting which confounds the data to a massive extent; molecular studies with small sample sizes cannot yield reliable conclusions in the entire hierofalcon group.

In any case, the radiation of the entire living diversity of hierofalcons seems to have taken place in the Eemian interglacial at the start of the Late Pleistocene, a mere 130,000–115,000 years ago; the lanner falcons would thus represent the lineage that became isolated in sub-Saharan Africa at some time during the Riss glaciation (200,000 to 130,000 years ago) already.[8][9][10][11]

Bird of the Week: Lanner Falcon - by Jack Mirkinson

It is a large falcon, at 43–50 cm (17–20 in) length with a wingspan of 95–105 cm (37–41 in). Eurasian lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus feldeggi, also called Feldegg's falcon) have slate grey or brown-grey upperparts; most African subspecies are a paler blue grey above. The breast is streaked in northern birds, resembling greyish saker falcons, but the lanner has a reddish back to the head. Sexes are similar, but the browner young birds resemble saker falcons even more. However, sakers have a lighter top of the head and less clear head-side patterns. The lanner's call is a harsh "wray-e".

Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) · iNaturalist

Lanner falcons are predominantly located in open habitats and can range from the forest edge to the desert. However, they are most commonly found in open savannah and sour grasslands. In South Africa, they commonly inhabit the east of the country in grasslands and move into the Fynbos, Nama Karoo and Southern Kalahari during the non-breeding season.[13]

Despite this movement, they are not truly migratory birds, and are usually limited to local movements. These movements may be in response to seasonal rains and altitudes, where higher elevations are inhabited during breeding season, and lower elevations are inhabited out of breeding season.[13]

They are bred in captivity for falconry; hybrids with the peregrine ("perilanners") are also often seen. Merret (1666) claimed that the "lanar" lived in Sherwood Forest and the Forest of Dean in England; such populations would seem to have derived from escaped hunting birds of the nobility.[14] Edward I of England (reigned 1272-1307), who had a passion for falconry, owned at least one lanner.

In the wild, lanner falcon numbers are strongly and steadily declining in Europe as well as in the whole North Africa, though the species remains relatively common in parts of Africa. In the Degua Tembien mountains of Ethiopia, it was observed to contribute to controlling pest rodents.[15]

Lanner Falcon - Falco biarmicus - Observation.org

Females usually moult from September to January, after the nesting period is over. Whereas, males moult from November to May, once the chicks can hunt for themselves.[16]

Lanner Falcon - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Lanner falcons most commonly prey on other birds, including doves, pigeons and domestic chickens or fowls.[17] These falcons have also been seen to prey on small mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. In Africa and Israel, lanner falcons were observed as hunting bats.[2]

Lanner Falcons (Falco biarmicus) Information | Earth Life

It usually hunts by horizontal pursuit, rather than the peregrine falcon's stoop from a height, and takes mainly bird prey in flight. However, these raptors make use of a multitude of hunting styles, including stooping after soaring, attacking from a perch, attacking from a fast, low coursing flight and aerial attacks from a perch.[16] Lanner falcons also exhibit co-operative hunting with high success rate specifically when hunting jackdaws, where the use of visual contact is used to coordinate the chase.[18] Males most commonly make the initial attack, yet the prey is usually caught by the female.

Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus

Before the breeding season, both males and females show mutual soaring and flapping flight which are closely synchronized from April to June. Near nesting sites, pairs have also been seen to power-dive together.[16]

Once eggs are fledged, the female predominantly stays with and feeds the juveniles. However, the male takes over this role when the female needs to hunt. When the juveniles are about 25 days old, the female is commonly seen perched near the nest, but still spends a large amount of time in the nest with the juveniles. When the juveniles are about 39 days old, the female does not spend large amounts of time in the nest anymore and both the female and male are actively hunting.[16]

Blog | Page 9 of 9 | Nambiti Private Game Reserve

Lanner falcons usually nest on sheer cliff faces, and lay three or four eggs. They do not have strict nesting regulations and as a result are more common and do not show a patchy distribution. As a result they also make use of old crow nests and are sometimes seen nesting on pylons, trees and less steep cliff faces.[19]

Lanner Falcon Bird Facts (Falco biarmicus) | Birdfact

Lanner falcon have a laying period in July which suggests a strategy to fledge young before the heat and heavy rain of the summer as well as before the influx of migratory birds during December to February. This timing may improve foraging conditions for juveniles which can increase the success of breeding. Breeding success for these falcons is largely affected by environmental conditions.[20] The incubation period is thought to be 32 days and the nesting period to be 44 days. However, juveniles have been present near nests up  to ten weeks after fledgling.[16] The mean fledgling rate is 2.24 young per successful pair which is typical of large falcons, however, the mean number of individuals fledged overall per territorial pair is 1.3 which is low and may be due to the number of unproductive years towards the end of each territory's occupancy.[16]

Lanner Falcon – Holmen Birding Safaris

Lanner falcons are of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, yet they can still be negatively affected through anthropogenic process, directly and indirectly.

Direct anthropogenic threats to these raptors include nest robbery, vehicle collisions, electrocution from power lines and persecution. As chicks can barely fly when leaving the nest they are vulnerable and easy to catch, they are threatened by being captured for falconries and through being caught and killed by angry farmers as a result of these birds sometimes preying on domestic chickens.[16]

Indirect anthropogenic threats include loss of suitable habitats as a result of human expansion and the intensive use of pesticides for agriculture.[13]

  Non-breeding
  Possibly Extant (resident)

Thursday, January 9, 2025

THE BLUE- AND - YELLOW MACAW

 Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

Thursday, January 2, 2025

THE SOUTHERN BROWN KIWI

 Southern Brown Kiwi - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

The southern brown kiwi, tokoeka, or common kiwi[3] (Apteryx australis) is a species of kiwi from South Island of New Zealand. Until 2000 it was considered conspecific with the North Island brown kiwi, and still is by some authorities.

Brown Kiwi, New Zealand Native Endangered Birds🐓 Descubra o mundo dos  jogos online com tigor tigre

 Apteryx australis is based on Greek and Latin. Apteryx means "A-" without "pterux" wings, and "australis" from "auster" the south wind, and "-alis" relating to.[6] The southern brown kiwi belongs to the kiwi family and it is a ratite, and a member of the order Apterygiformes. Like all ratites, its sternum has no keel, it is flightless, and it has a distinctive palate.[3]

All the facts about kiwi, New Zealand's national bird – 1964 Mountain  Culture Journal

The holotype specimen of Apteryx australis Shaw (Nat. Miscell., 24,1813, pl1057) is held in the collections of National Museums Liverpool at World Museum, with accession number NML-VZ D180. The specimen was collected by Captain Barclay at Dusky Sound, South Island, New Zealand and came to the Liverpool national collection via the 13th Earl of Derby's collection which was bequeathed to the people of Liverpool.:

North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) • Rare Species

 

A specimen described as Apteryx occidentalis in 1893 is often considered a junior synonym of Apteryx owenii, but a study in 2002 indicated this may be a hybrid between Apteryx australis and Apteryx owenii.[9]

Toledo Zoo announces recent hatching of brown kiwi chick | The Blade

It has no preen gland, and its feathers have no aftershafts and no barbules. There are large vibrissae around its gape, and it has no tail, only a pygostyle. It has a length of 45 to 55 cm (18–22 in) and the female weighs 2.1 to 3.9 kg (4.6–8.6 lb) and the male weighs 1.6 to 2.8 kg (3.5–6.2 lb). Its bill is long and slender with a slight down-curve. Like other kiwis it is nocturnal. The colour of its plumage is rufous with some streaking.[3]
Kiwi Spotting | Southland, New Zealand

Southern brown kiwi communicate vocally to aid in defending their territory. They will also sing duets with each other, with the male shrill "kee-wee" or "kee-kee" and the females hoarse " kurr kurr".[7] Males are more vocal and they both call in an upright position with their legs stretched out and their bill pointing up.[3]

Southern Brown Kiwi - Japari Library, the Kemono Friends Wiki

 The southern brown kiwi has a long slender bill with lateral nostrils at the tip, which helps give them their keen sense of smell. They utilise this, more than sight and sound, to forage in dirt for invertebrates, including earthworms, beetle larvae, snails, crayfish,[10] spiders, centipedes, and orthoptera, as well as eels and amphibians.[11] Its gizzard is weak, and underutilised due to the lack of plant matter. Its caeca are long and narrow and aid in digestion.[3]

North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis mantelli) | Flickr

The southern brown kiwi, like all kiwi, has two functioning ovaries, however only the left oviduct functions, allowing eggs from both ovaries to pass through. It is a monogamous species and once paired up, they will defend their territories with warning calls. The size of their territory is between 4.9 and 43 hectares (12 and 106 acres). Nests are made in burrows, or sheltered beneath thick vegetation. The female lays 1–2 eggs, typically just 1, which the male incubates for 90 days. After a few days the chick will exit the nest and feed on its own, although it may stay around parents for a year. When not incubating eggs, they roost alone in sheltered places at ground level.[3]

Southern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis) · iNaturalist

 
 

Southern brown kiwi live in the South Island and Stewart Island. On the mainland (South Island) they live in Fiordland and Westland. Their range is temperate and sub-tropical forests, grassland, and shrubland, the denser the better.[3] They are widespread throughout Stewart Island where they also live on the sand dunes.[8]

Evening Kiwi Spotting at Mamaku Point with Ulva's Guided Walks | Activities  & Day Trips in Stewart Island - Rakiura, New Zealand

In 2000, after being recognised by IUCN, they were placed in the Vulnerable status group.[2] They have an occurrence range of 9,800 km2 (3,800 sq mi) and population of 27,000 was estimated in 1996.[8] Brush-tailed possums, Trichosurus vulpecula, and stoats, Mustela erminea, will eat the eggs, while stoats and cats will eat chicks and juveniles. Adults are also under threat as dogs, ferrets, and brush-tailed possums, attack them and the juveniles. The Stewart Island population is stable due to the lack of these predators,[2] however stoats may have colonised the island in 2000.[8]

Southern Brown Kiwi (Stewart I.) - eBird

 In 2018 a drought caused a poor breeding season for Haast tokoeka and killed three chicks; six were airlifted to Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin, and then on to a "creche" on Rona Island in Lake Manapouri, Fiordland.[13]

 

Southern Brown Kiwi - eBird

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The distribution of southern brown kiwi 

 

 Southern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis) · iNaturalist

 

 

Southern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis) · iNaturalist