February 2023 was a gradual month for birding in Shanghai, a minimum of for me – so gradual that I nearly put the Noticed Dove, presumably my least favourite chicken right here, on the quilt. However then, sanity (or perhaps respect for you, the reader) prevailed.
Not a canopy species
The Black Kite is just not truly black, however in fact, deceptive chicken names should not precisely uncommon. The very best eBird can provide when it comes to plumage colour is “darkish”, and even that appears a little bit of an exaggeration.
By the way in which, when you google “Black Kite”, the very first end result you get even earlier than the Wikipedia entry on the chicken is an organization named Black Kite. By their very own declaration, “Black Kite is disrupting third-party danger administration practices by offering safety consultants with the business’s most correct and complete cyber intelligence, leading to unparalleled visibility into the danger distributors introduce into their environments” – no matter meaning. Additionally, the corporate “pushes the boundaries on predictive insights, delivering the best high quality intelligence to assist organizations make higher danger choices and enhance the well being and security of the complete planet’s cyber ecosystem.”
Again to non-cyber ecosystems akin to those containing the Black Kite (chicken). Perhaps these ought to be protected too? Really, the Black Kite is supposedly the most typical of all raptors with a inhabitants of about 6 million, however some populations are declining.
On condition that the Black Kite is politely described as an “opportunistic hunter” – which incorporates the truth that they’re extra prone to scavenge than most different raptors – the identify alternative of the corporate defending the world’s cyber ecosystem is a bit bizarre. Or perhaps not – aren’t vultures generally praised for eradicating pathogens and toxins within the surroundings by consuming carrion?
Wikipedia factors out that the Black-winged Kite has some similarities with owls, particularly, the “owl-like forward-facing eyes with crimson irises”. On Chongming Island, a few of them appear to be comparatively unafraid of individuals, a minimum of by the requirements of raptors.
I’m not certain concerning the safety scenario in Iraq nowadays however a minimum of some folks do ornithological analysis there – leading to papers akin to one titled “Breeding observations of the Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines, 1789) in Iraq”. Spectacular.
Whereas the one-chick coverage for Chinese language Hooded Cranes has just lately been lifted as the federal government is frightened about an getting old crane inhabitants, most crane {couples} nonetheless limit themselves to a single chick. It’s largely a query of economics – elevating only one is troublesome sufficient given the sources required to feed and educate the chick.
Chongming Dongtan, the place these pictures have been taken, is the wintering location of about 100 Hooded Cranes – about 1% of the worldwide inhabitants. No shock then that the species is listed as Weak.
In Thailand, apparently, the variety of Oriental Magpie-Robins has significantly declined in some areas apparently, partly due to poaching for the pet chicken commerce because the birds are good singers (source).
Thankfully, they’re fairly widespread in Shanghai.
The Latin species identify of the Widespread Greenshank, nebularia, sounds a bit like a science fiction novel to me – nevertheless, it means “misty” and apparently is derived from the birds’ misty, marshy habitat (HBW).
The White-rumped Munias of Shanghai don’t look significantly white-rumped – both they should bathe extra ceaselessly, or (extra possible) they’re of a special subspecies, swinhoei, than the certainly properly White-rumped Munias proven on the HBW web page of the species. Really, the HBW remarks that “Type swinhoei seems distinctive; additional analysis, together with vocal and genetic analyses, fascinating”, so perhaps it will become a separate species ultimately.
One attention-grabbing bit of data on these munias is that birds that inhabit areas with extra combined flocks sing less complicated songs (source). The authors suppose that this can be as a result of in combined flocks simplification is important to keep away from confusion with different species (to be sincere, within the authentic paper the phrasing of the final sentence is the slightly extra scientific-sounding “The track complexity could be constrained to accentuate distinct conspecific alerts from associated species”).
Whereas primarily an Asian chicken, the Crimson-flanked Bluetail has just lately been seen in elements of Europe (significantly Finland and Scotland) extra ceaselessly, indicating a potential vary extension (source).
Surprisingly, the HBW distribution map of this species signifies that Shanghai ought to be outdoors of the species’ wintering vary – in actual fact, it’s a slightly widespread species right here in winter.
I assume I hardly ever take pictures of the Mild-vented Bulbul as it’s so widespread right here in Shanghai and elsewhere. Additionally it is known as Chinese language Bulbul.
In considerably doubtful English, the summary of 1 paper on this species by Chinese language authors states that “Pycnonotus sinens has bought used to town life and develop into a form of metropolis chicken which can be carefully related to human” (in fact, my Chinese language – spoken solely anyway – is much worse than this English).
I’m wondering if male eBird staff ever name their girlfriends “modestly enticing”? If sure, then mentioned girlfriends can simply think about how the Yellow-browed Bunting feels by being described as a “small, modestly enticing bunting”.
Presumably, the bunting is a bit higher in preserving its calm upon listening to this assertion than the girlfriend involved.
The Tristram’s Buntings at Tianmashan typically make offensive jokes about their “modestly enticing” kin. Birds will be so merciless to one another.
Tristram’s Buntings additionally make enjoyable of Yellow-throated Buntings, continually reminding them that they’re now not known as Elegant Buntings.
On account of this degradation, a few of these poor birds now earn cash directing visitors.
In accordance with Wikipedia, White-eyes akin to Swinhoe’s White-eye are “largely of undistinguished look”. Hm. A bit unfair, I feel.
According to Kenn Kaufman, the grosbeak identify a part of the Chinese language Grosbeak comes from the French Gros for “thick” and Bec for “beak”. In fact, he’s speaking about an American species, the Night Grosbeak, however I assume the etymology is similar.
Fascinated about what to jot down concerning the Pale Thrush, it occurred to me that I had no concept how the expression “past the pale” originated (and no worries, I cannot later write that this thrush is “past the pale” – my jokes are typically unhealthy, however not that unhealthy).
It’s form of attention-grabbing, truly, and concerning the Norman invasion of Eire. As this source explains, “Inside the Pale ditch [a ten-foot-deep ditch surrounded by eight-foot banks on each side and ringed by a thorny hedge, fortifying the boundaries of English settlements], settlers lived underneath the safety of the crown. However when you handed ‘the Pale,” you have been outdoors the authority and security of English legislation, and topic to all of the savageries of rural Eire. ‘Past the pale’ then turned a colloquial phrase which means ‘outdoors the boundaries of acceptable habits or judgment.’ “
This has completely nothing to do with the Pale Thrush, in fact. Thanks for pointing this out although.
Eurasian Siskins can die from ingesting giant highway salt grains that the birds apparently mistake for potential gizzard stones (source). Thankfully, given the local weather, this isn’t very possible in Shanghai.
These Eurasian Spoonbills on Chongming Island most certainly spend their summer time in Heilongjiang, if a recent paper is right: “Monitoring knowledge confirmed no geographical overlap in the course of the annual cycle in Eurasian Spoonbills marked within the two most important summering areas. Birds marked within the Naoli River Basin in Heilongjiang Province, China, wintered alongside the Jiangsu shoreline in China, whereas Eurasian Spoonbills from two discrete summering areas (in Interior and western Mongolia) overwintered inland within the Yangtze River floodplain of China.”
At Tianmashan, one can nearly at all times hear Gray-capped Greenfinches. Whereas to me they sound like an inexpensive cat toy with a dying battery, the HBW (being extra scientifically oriented and likewise presumably much less feline-oriented) talks of “a particular twittering ‘dzi-dzi-i-dzi-i’ flight observe with ringing or metallic high quality”.
Writing a weblog submit is at all times a little bit of a balancing act – you need to be as clear as potential but in addition keep away from offending delicate teams of individuals akin to the good US of us opposing drag reveals. In that spirit, I cannot provide the English identify of the species beneath however simply its Latin identify, Parus minor.
Some examples of animal names working the opposite manner round – with the Latin identify sounding naughty – will be discovered here.
A relative of this species is the Yellow-bellied Tit.
Its Latin species identify venustulus means “charming, beautiful” – and who may oppose that?
It is a male, as recognizable by the black throat, black brow and black crown and (presumably) black ideas.
In distinction to me, whose trend sense is restricted to simply liking the whole lot black, kin of those tits appear to observe trend – they incorporate wool strings of a particular colour into their nests relying on what different, presumably older birds have carried out earlier than (original source, popular science version). This analysis was truly carried out solely about 10 km away from a spot I as soon as lived for a few years, in Radolfszell, Germany.
If you wish to sign to your surroundings that you just
a. Like this chicken household
b. Like unhealthy jokes
and
c. Are a bit sexist,
you would possibly need to contemplate getting a T-Shirt that mixes all these three messages. I’m considering of getting one for Bella, my common chicken information from Alpinebirding, however am a bit afraid she’s going to solely discover Little Egrets for me on my subsequent journey …
The Widespread Snipe shares a part of its identify with one of many all-time nice songs of all time, “Common People” by Pulp. During which an bizarre man reveals a wealthy lady round on this planet widespread folks stay in:
“I took her to a grocery store
I don’t know why however I needed to begin it someplace
So it began there
I mentioned ‘fake you bought no cash’
And she or he simply laughed and mentioned ‘oh, you’re so humorous’
I mentioned ‘yeah…
Effectively, I can’t see anybody else smiling in right here’”
Perhaps a dialog between a Widespread Snipe and one of many rarer ones sometimes seen in Shanghai, akin to Pin-tailed or Swinhoe’s Snipe, would sound considerably related …
Whereas the inexperienced background makes it seem like this photograph was staged in a photograph studio, the blue plastic bit signifies that this Northern Lapwing photograph was taken in China’s outdoor.
On Halloween, some Eurasian Hoopoes gown up as Ring-necked Parakeets to shock their mates. Their response is justified – in Israel, the place Ring-necked Parakeets are an invasive species, they’ve a big detrimental impact on the breeding density of hoopoes (source).
In accordance with a duck-focused website, “On this planet of geese, the Northern Pintail takes the prize for class”.
Within the HBW, the part “Priorities for future analysis” alone has 576 phrases, which is longer than the entire entry for some species not occurring in North America (for instance, the entry for the Brown Parrotbill has a complete of 530 phrases) – which appears to show my suspicion that the necessity for additional analysis will increase with the quantity of analysis already carried out.
A daily characteristic in my posts is the part “chicken pictures taken in colour that seem like they have been taken in black and white”. In the present day, the species featured are Pied Kingfisher …
… and Pied Avocet.
One good facet of residing and birding in Shanghai is that it’s comparatively straightforward to see Reed Parrotbills, a lovely and cute-looking species that apparently sooner or later switched from bamboo (the popular habitat of many different parrotbill species) to reed.
The chicken is certainly a reed specialist (source), listed as Close to Threatened as a result of decline in such habitat.
Be aware the subtle coiffure of the chicken within the first photograph. They do use high quality coiffure merchandise, these birds.
Aside from shrinking habitats, snakes appear to make the lifetime of Reed Parrotbills troublesome. In one study, greater than two-thirds of nests failed as a result of predation from snakes. It’s thus not stunning that it’s uncommon to listen to a Reed Parrotbill communicate neutrally about snakes.
The Latin species identify heudei is in honor of Pierre Marie Heude, a French missionary and naturalist who helped open up a pure historical past museum in Xujiahui (an space in Shanghai these days largely recognized for purchasing facilities) and ultimately died there (source).
And that’s it for this month.
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