Search for Nabang on a map of China – it’s actually on the finish of a street. As ordinary, birds appear to love these off-the-way locations greatest – eBird lists 337 species based mostly on a bit of extra than simply 100 checklists. It’s also considered one of these locations the place the native police appear to be allowed to make up their very own guidelines – which can result in restrictions for foreigners. Going with a Chinese language buddy or information is thus advisable.
Whereas the HBW describes the bulbul household as “typically reasonably plain”, I discover them normally fairly engaging, although in an understated approach that won’t attraction to the flashiness-seeking HBW authors. A number of examples: the Ashy Bulbul …
… Black Bulbul …
… and the Gray-eyed Bubul.
One very annoying side of the HBW is that of their search field, they appear to require you to place in precisely the one species identify they suppose is the one acceptable one. So if for instance, you search for Asian Pied Starling, you get “No matches” regardless that that is the precise identify used on a number of different fowl pages and in lots of fowl guides. Solely by wanting up the Latin identify first you will see that there’s a HBW entry for the species titled Indian/Javan/Siamese Pied Myna.
Really, it seems that (as hinted at by the clumsy HBW species identify) this isn’t truly one however three species, considered one of which (Java) might be already extinct within the wild (the miserable title of the study is “Newly described species is already extinct within the wild”).
Given the situation, those proven in my images ought to be the Indian Myna.
It’s form of laborious to discover a motive to incorporate an amazing tune about same-sex marriage in a weblog on Nabang birds. I’m paralyzed simply occupied with do it. “Analysis Paralysis”, Jen Cloher. “Now the kangaroos are ingesting from the pool” (Jen is from Australia).
The Vinous-breasted Starling seems like a superb subject for an formidable Ph.D. scholar, because the HBW notes “its biology, together with nesting ecology, is poorly recognized, with no devoted research, and a lot of the comparatively scant printed info is drawn from anecdotal observations”.
It appears fairly engaging, too.
And spending a while in Nabang ought to be good too, although in all probability not an choice for foreigners (I as soon as received advised by the native police to go away the place, with the bizarre rationale that “the place isn’t secure for foreigners”).
The identify Drongo comes from the language of Madagascar, the place it’s used for an area species – the phrase is now used to call a complete fowl household. Apparently, in Australian slang “drongo” additionally means an incompetent or silly particular person, which is seemingly derived from the identify of an Australian racehorse of the Nineteen Twenties which persistently completed final or close to final (source). Australian readers, are you able to affirm or dispute?
The Black Drongo is a quite common member of the household. In a single study, the fowl used electrical energy strains as a perch in 63% of all hunts, which makes me surprise how the fowl survived earlier than there have been energy strains.
This Lesser Racket Tailed Drongo is a playing addict and sadly misplaced considered one of its rackets after placing an excessive amount of cash on a racehorse named Drongo. It thought the identify sounded fortunate.
The Bronzed Drongo should be a little bit of a romantic at coronary heart – the HBW experiences it as “singing on moonlit nights in Thailand”.
On this submit, the Blue bearded Bee-eater solely has a cameo function …
… because the actions of a pair of Inexperienced Bee-eaters have been far more photogenic.
Taking a look at some clouds collectively.
Speaking in regards to the newest guide releases.
Courtship feeding
Listening to a James cowl model collectively (The Pains of Being Pure at Coronary heart, “Laid”).
Apparently, the Burmese Shrike reminded the one who gave it its Latin species identify colluroides of the Pink-backed Shrike present in Europe (that one is Lanius collurio, and the –oides within the identify of the Burmese Shrike is greek for “resembling”, as for instance within the phrase “humanoid”).
I’m positive you weren’t questioning about this, however the phrase “paranoid” doesn’t imply one thing resembling a “paran” (no matter that is likely to be) – it’s made up of the 2 Greek phrases “para” (irregular) and “noos” (thoughts). Come to 10,000 Birds, the place all of your unasked questions are answered.
Not simply me but in addition eBird calls the Lengthy-tailed Broadbill “a gaudy, cartoonish-looking fowl”.
Lengthy-tailed broadbills in Nonggang primarily construct their nests on energy strains (88.5%, source), which once more makes me surprise how the fowl survived earlier than there have been energy strains.
Lengthy-tailed Broadbill photograph within the ready-to-use bookmark model:
For different examples of cartoon birds, see here.
Have you ever ever began writing a paper by simply copying an older one after which steadily altering it? I actually have.
So have Vinaya Kumar Sethi and Dinesh Bhatt. One in every of their papers, “Provisioning of younger by the Oriental Magpie-robin” begins with the next sentence:
“Info on provisioning conduct of birds within the Indian subcontinent is sort of negligible”.
Then, confronted with the problem of developing with a primary sentence for the paper “Nesting success of the Oriental Magpie-robin in nest packing containers and tree cavities”, they write
“Info on the nesting success of birds within the Indian subcontinent is sort of negligible”.
The Latin identify of the Pale-headed Woodpecker, granti, might be derived from an individual named Grant, however no person appears to know which Grant that’s (no less than the HBW doesn’t know). It appears as if the fowl already had this identify round 1845, by which era Ulysses S. Grant had nearly graduated from West Level and was nonetheless a great distance away from being a US president, so it should have been one other Grant.
Upon seeing the species, the primary impulse of the eBird author appears to have been to name a physician – the species is described as an “odd-looking woodpecker with a … sickly-looking pale head”.
“Are you okay, Mr. Woodpecker? Ought to I name an ambulance?”
Whereas eBird thinks that the Pink-billed Scimitar Babbler has a “vivid crimson invoice”, the HBW goes for “invoice orange to orange-red”. In all probability wars have been fought about smaller disagreements, although I might be hard-pressed to present you an instance now. Regardless that I normally aspect with eBird (they appear extra human to me, see the woodpecker description above), on this case, the HBW description in all probability makes extra sense.
This reasonably variety Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler invited me to affix it for its meal – I had simply eaten, so I politely declined.
In comparison with different pipits, Richard’s Pipit to me at all times appears a bit prefer it has richer mother and father and a barely condescending angle.
I assume in precept the “Richard” within the species identify ought to be pronounced in a French approach, because the fowl is called after the French naturalist Charles Richard (1745–1835), director of postal providers at Lunéville. Undecided whether or not anybody does that although.
In line with Wikipedia, “Scarlet is a vivid crimson shade, generally with a barely orange tinge … it’s one-quarter of the best way between crimson and orange.” This appears to use properly to the male Scarlet Minivet.
The feminine is a distinct story.
If – like me – you suppose that this Striated Yuhina appears cute and engaging, I’m afraid that the HBW disagrees with you – they name the species a “small, uninteresting yuhina”. Possibly they might be higher off watching TV than watching birds.
What you see within the photograph is the grey-headed subspecies – a Latin speaker would in all probability be a bit puzzled by this because the Latin species identify is castaniceps, “chestnut-headed”. No factors for guessing what the top shade of the nominate subspecies is.
Presumably, this can be a feminine White-browed Piculet, because it lacks the male’s “vivid yellow patch on the brow” (eBird).
Considerably surprisingly (no less than to me), one paper describes the White-browed Piculet as a disturbance-tolerant species. I point out this primarily to have the ability to provide the title of the web site headline: “Damning Proof of Dam’s Impacts on Rainforest Birds”. In comparison with that, a few of my wordplay isn’t as unhealthy as you thought.
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