That is the second a part of a put up exhibiting some birds seen at Nonggang in December 2022, together with the same old (largely irrelevant) feedback.
In China, wherever there may be one actual vacationer attraction (just like the Nice Wall), the native technique appears to be so as to add some pretend points of interest – replicas of palaces or tombs, amusement parks, purchasing facilities – with the intention to maximize the earnings from vacationers. However the start line must be an actual attraction, not a pretend one. At Nonggang, presumably the opposite principal attraction other than the Nonggang Babbler is the Blue-rumped Pitta (leaf warblers solely qualify as pretend points of interest).
Even the Latin species identify soror (“sister”) signifies the similarity to a different pitta species (blue-naped).
In keeping with the HBW, the speedy opening of the tail feathers of fantails resembling this White-throated Fantail reveals white tail-spots which are thought to startle bugs into transferring, revealing themselves and being captured by the birds.
The eBird description of the Small Niltava begins with the surprisingly boring assertion that “dimension distinguishes this species from different niltavas”. Who would have thought.
The poor chook’s Latin species identify is macgrigoriae, apparently (HBW) named after Jane Grant McGrigor, the daughter of Maj.-Gen. Sir James McGrigor (1771-1858) Director Gen. of Military Medical Division 1815-1851. As you may simply decide from the dullness of this data, it isn’t one thing I made up however somewhat an appalling instance of nepotism within the naming of birds.
When you’ve got at all times puzzled what the minimal anesthetic focus for isoflurane and sevoflurane for the Crested Serpent-eagle is, science has an answer.
Whereas serpent means massive snake, the Crested Serpent-eagle additionally eats frogs, as this video exhibits. Be at liberty to insert your personal French joke right here (although after all within the US, eating places now serve Freedom Frogs somewhat than French Frogs).
In case you are afraid of snakes and don’t have a Crested Serpent-Eagle close by, perhaps it is best to keep near a White-rumped Shama. A feminine shama attacked a number of Cantor’s Kukri snakes approaching its nest (source). Courageous.
The breeding ecology of the Yellow-bellied Warbler was really studied precisely right here at Nonggang in 2019 by 3 Chinese language researchers. This included recording a complete of 77,760 minutes of video. Glad I didn’t have to observe these.
Apparently, some chook photographers assume that any human artifacts proven on a chook photograph instantly spoil the entire photograph. After all, listening to about this instantly makes me assume I’ve to point out the photograph of a Yellow-eyed Babbler under.
Present how issues are, not how they need to be …
eBird characterizes the Yellow-eyed Babbler as an “odd-looking babbler which appears to be like and behaves like a prinia on steroids” – not a nasty description, I believe.
And naturally, on a somewhat uncommon event for this weblog, an virtually excellent hyperlink to the following chook (my favourite transition continues to be the Monty Python one: “And now for one thing utterly totally different”). That is the Yellow-bellied Prinia, a chook that additionally will get some certified reward from eBird: “Brightly-colored for a prinia”. Even the HBW sounds optimistic: “A horny, pretty distinctive prinia”.
There doesn’t appear to be a single analysis paper specializing in the White-bellied Erpornis – a pity for such a cute chook.
Sadly, the species identify zantholeuca (which means pale yellow) is just not very fascinating both. So that you simply have to have a look at the pictures for as soon as.
Some Thai researchers appeared on the breeding ecology of the Buff-breasted Babbler and published their findings within the considerably unsuitable-sounding journal “Agriculture and Pure Assets”. Then once more, they take care to introduce the presumably somewhat uninformed viewers of this journal to some ornithological primary information resembling “A chook nest is the spot, the place a chook lays and incubates its eggs and raises its younger” (the unorthodox comma in there would possibly give them an honorable point out in a future version of “Eats, Shoots & Leaves”, ought to this be forthcoming). In offering this data, they quote extensively from an ornithology e-book that was printed 3 years earlier than I used to be born (and I’m not a younger man).
The precise findings will not be that fascinating – boy babbler meets lady babbler, they fall in love and breed – and the whole lot is over in lower than one month. Bonus factors for quick implementation.
As for the esthetic deserves of the species, eBird offers it the equal of a minimum of a B+: “Somewhat graceful-looking brown babbler with a protracted tail and lengthy legs”. Sadly, the HBW disagrees, going for “featureless smallish babbler” (which then incongruously is adopted by a 155-word description of the options of the featureless babbler).
One would assume {that a} chook wanting as distinct because the Fujian Niltava could be unmistakable. Alas, one could be improper – I instantly combined it up with the somewhat similar-looking Rufous-bellied Niltava (not proven right here). Nonetheless, as I discovered some fascinating data on the latter, I’ll share it right here anyway.
Some poor Rufous-bellied Niltavas are being parasitized by Whistling Hawk-Cuckoos. Apparently, the cuckoo chicks not solely require provisioning by exhibiting their host dad and mom a vividly coloured gape, however additionally they present brilliant yellow wing patches to their host dad and mom – leading to host dad and mom making an attempt to put meals onto the wing patch of the nestlings (source).
Then again, on the extent of particular person birds a minimum of, nature often supplies compensation. Another paper describes how a Snowy-browed Flycatcher labored as a helper at a Rufous-bellied Niltava nest in Yunnan for a minimum of two days. Altruism, happily not of the Sam Bankman-Fried selection, although most likely not very efficient both.
The Indochinese Inexperienced Magpie is one in all 4 species of inexperienced magpie (it was once solely three, however one of many subspecies collected sufficient frequent flier miles to get an improve to full species).
As a chemist by schooling, I’m proud to level out that the colour of the birds is especially decided by the lutein contained of their meals (lutein is a part of the vegetation on which the bugs feed on earlier than in flip being eaten by the magpies). Apparently, if uncovered to daylight, the inexperienced of the magpie plumage could flip blue.
One other member of the magpie household, the White-winged Magpie, makes do with far fewer colours.
The species identify whiteheadi clearly is just not derived from the chook itself (you may see that the pinnacle is black) however somewhat from one other short-lived British explorer that I’m not making up, John Whitehead (1860-1899). Apparently, he was the primary documented particular person to succeed in the height of Mount Kinabalu.
Once I was about 20, you might have performed me one fascinating music by an unknown band, and I might nonetheless bear in mind the band identify 10 years later. At present, I’ve difficulties memorizing the somewhat apparent variations between Rufous-faced Warbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Pin-striped Tit-babbler and Chestnut-crowned Warbler. As my late father as soon as suggested me: “Boy, higher don’t get previous” (although after all, the choice is just not too interesting both).
Rufous-faced Warbler
Rufous-capped Babbler
Pin-striped Tit-babbler
Chestnut-crowned Warbler
Puff-throated Bulbuls are cooperative breeders, however considerably surprisingly, the variety of helpers does not likely have an effect on the survival possibilities of the chicks (source). Then once more, no one would anticipate youngsters whose dad and mom rent babysitters so much to have a greater life both.
Nonetheless, total, the possibility to outlive the primary 8 weeks is surprisingly excessive at 61% – and virtually all of that threat is within the first week.
The identify follows the same old ornithological precept of by no means naming a chook for an apparent function – eBird considerably sheepishly admits that the “’Puff’ of the white throat is slight and never an apparent function”. The species identify of “Alophoixus pallidus”, indicating a pale colour, makes a bit extra sense however is hardly one thing that solely applies to this species. The genus identify “Alophoixus” is especially weird provided that it means “with out a crest”, which each my pictures and the eBird characterization of the chook as a “massive crested bulbul” appear to disprove. Properly. Perhaps it had simply shaved its crest when it received its identify.
Considerably predictably, the journey ended with me contracting covid and preferring to fly dwelling a number of days earlier than my deliberate date (the an infection turned out to not be too unhealthy and gave me time to edit my pictures). I suppose it was a becoming finish of a 12 months marked by covid, as indicated by only a few birding journeys exterior of Shanghai and a 78-day lockdown as an alternative.
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