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Cyprus at Christmas
Cyprus at Christmas Naturetrek Tour Report 20 - 27 December 2019 Eastern Strawberry Tree Greater Sand Plover Snake-eyed Lizard True Cyprus Tarantula Report by Duncan McNiven Photos by Debbie Pain Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Cyprus at Christmas Tour participants: Yiannis Christofides & Duncan McNiven (leaders), Debbie Pain (co-leader) and Theodoros Theodorou (Doros, driver) with a group of 16 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Friday 20th December Gatwick - Mandria Beach – Paphos Sewage Works - Paphos The bulk of our group of ‘Christmas refugees’ took the early morning flight from Gatwick to Paphos where we met up with our local guide Yannis and driver Doros, as well as the remaining guests who had arrived separately. At the airport we boarded our bus and drove the short distance to Mandria beach. Although it was already late afternoon in Cyprus, here we had a chance to stretch our legs, get some fresh air, feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun and begin to explore the nature of Cyprus in winter. Amongst the coastal scrub at the back of the beach we noted some familiar Painted Lady butterflies and a flock of lovely Greenfinches that positively glowed in the low winter sun. The scrub was full of Stonechats and noisy Sardinian Warblers, a chattering call that would form the backdrop to our trip wherever we went. A Zitting Cisticola popped up briefly but our attention was drawn to the recently ploughed fields beyond the scrub. -
The Birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an Annotated Checklist
European Journal of Taxonomy 306: 1–69 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.306 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2017 · Gedeon K. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Monograph urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A32EAE51-9051-458A-81DD-8EA921901CDC The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated checklist Kai GEDEON 1,*, Chemere ZEWDIE 2 & Till TÖPFER 3 1 Saxon Ornithologists’ Society, P.O. Box 1129, 09331 Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. 2 Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise, P.O. Box 1075, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. 3 Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Centre for Taxonomy and Evolutionary Research, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. * Corresponding author: [email protected] 2 Email: [email protected] 3 Email: [email protected] 1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F46B3F50-41E2-4629-9951-778F69A5BBA2 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F59FEDB3-627A-4D52-A6CB-4F26846C0FC5 3 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:A87BE9B4-8FC6-4E11-8DB4-BDBB3CFBBEAA Abstract. Oromia is the largest National Regional State of Ethiopia. Here we present the first comprehensive checklist of its birds. A total of 804 bird species has been recorded, 601 of them confirmed (443) or assumed (158) to be breeding birds. At least 561 are all-year residents (and 31 more potentially so), at least 73 are Afrotropical migrants and visitors (and 44 more potentially so), and 184 are Palaearctic migrants and visitors (and eight more potentially so). Three species are endemic to Oromia, 18 to Ethiopia and 43 to the Horn of Africa. 170 Oromia bird species are biome restricted: 57 to the Afrotropical Highlands biome, 95 to the Somali-Masai biome, and 18 to the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome. -
Save the Sparrows
Save the Sparrows ‘Like we have driven cattle out of the city, We have also driven the birds away’ About sparrows…. You will find sparrows like Indian House Sparrow or Indian Sparrow in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. They belong to the sparrow family Passeridae and their scientific name is Passer domesticus. The Latin word Passeridae and English word sparrow is the term used for small active birds and the Latin word domesticus means "belonging to the house". They are common birds found in most parts of the world like in most of Europe and Asia and the Mediterranean region. There are 5 Species found in India these are House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Sind Sparrow, Russet Sparrow and Eurasian Sparrow. Humans and sparrows……. The House Sparrows are believed to have been closely associated with humans around 10,000 years ago. The House Sparrow is considered to be beneficial to humans especially by eating insect pests. It has even been mentioned in our mythologies and folklores, along with the common crow, eagles, vultures and other birds, which used to build their nest close to human dwellings. In South India it was considered a good omen if the house sparrow built a nest inside their houses. House sparrows are also represented in Egyptian art. Are you interested in bird watching? Tell us one of interesting observation while watching birds like sparrows, common crow etc. _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Sad but true: Sparrows were once a very common bird all over…now they are on the verge of extinction… Causes for their extinction …… Decline in the population of sparrows is a global phenomenon and it’s clearly visible in many countries around the world. -
Phylogeography of Finches and Sparrows
In: Animal Genetics ISBN: 978-1-60741-844-3 Editor: Leopold J. Rechi © 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chapter 1 PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF FINCHES AND SPARROWS Antonio Arnaiz-Villena*, Pablo Gomez-Prieto and Valentin Ruiz-del-Valle Department of Immunology, University Complutense, The Madrid Regional Blood Center, Madrid, Spain. ABSTRACT Fringillidae finches form a subfamily of songbirds (Passeriformes), which are presently distributed around the world. This subfamily includes canaries, goldfinches, greenfinches, rosefinches, and grosbeaks, among others. Molecular phylogenies obtained with mitochondrial DNA sequences show that these groups of finches are put together, but with some polytomies that have apparently evolved or radiated in parallel. The time of appearance on Earth of all studied groups is suggested to start after Middle Miocene Epoch, around 10 million years ago. Greenfinches (genus Carduelis) may have originated at Eurasian desert margins coming from Rhodopechys obsoleta (dessert finch) or an extinct pale plumage ancestor; it later acquired green plumage suitable for the greenfinch ecological niche, i.e.: woods. Multicolored Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) has a genetic extant ancestor, the green-feathered Carduelis citrinella (citril finch); this was thought to be a canary on phonotypical bases, but it is now included within goldfinches by our molecular genetics phylograms. Speciation events between citril finch and Eurasian goldfinch are related with the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis (5 million years ago). Linurgus olivaceus (oriole finch) is presently thriving in Equatorial Africa and was included in a separate genus (Linurgus) by itself on phenotypical bases. Our phylograms demonstrate that it is and old canary. Proposed genus Acanthis does not exist. Twite and linnet form a separate radiation from redpolls. -
A Systematic Ornithological Study of the Northern Region of Iranian Plateau, Including Bird Names in Native Language
Available online a t www.pelagiaresearchlibrary.com Pelagia Research Library European Journal of Experimental Biology, 2012, 2 (1):222-241 ISSN: 2248 –9215 CODEN (USA): EJEBAU A systematic ornithological study of the Northern region of Iranian Plateau, including bird names in native language Peyman Mikaili 1, (Romana) Iran Dolati 2,*, Mohammad Hossein Asghari 3, Jalal Shayegh 4 1Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran 2Islamic Azad University, Mahabad branch, Mahabad, Iran 3Islamic Azad University, Urmia branch, Urmia, Iran 4Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, Shabestar branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT A major potation of this study is devoted to presenting almost all main ornithological genera and species described in Gilanprovince, located in Northern Iran. The bird names have been listed and classified according to the scientific codes. An etymological study has been presented for scientific names, including genus and species. If it was possible we have provided the etymology of Persian and Gilaki native names of the birds. According to our best knowledge, there was no previous report gathering and describing the ornithological fauna of this part of the world. Gilan province, due to its meteorological circumstances and the richness of its animal life has harbored a wide range of animals. Therefore, the nomenclature system used by the natives for naming the animals, specially birds, has a prominent stance in this country. Many of these local and dialectal names of the birds have been entered into standard language of the country (Persian language). The study has presented majority of comprehensive list of the Gilaki bird names, categorized according to the ornithological classifications. -
International Studies on Sparrows
1 ISBN 1734-624X INSTITUTE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, UNIVERSITY OF ZIELONA GÓRA INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR ECOLOGY WORKING GROUP ON GRANIVOROUS BIRDS – INTECOL INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ON SPARROWS Vol. 30 University of Zielona Góra Zielona Góra 2 Edited by Working Group on Granivorous Birds – INTECOL Editor: Prof. Dr. Jan Pinowski (CES PAS) Co-editors: Prof. Dr. David T. Parkin (Queens Med. Centre, Nottingham), Dr. hab. Leszek Jerzak (University of Zielona Góra), Dr. hab. Piotr Tryjanowski (University of Poznań) Ass. Ed.: M. Sc. Andrzej Haman (CES PAS) Address to Editor: Prof. Dr. Jan Pinowski, ul. Daniłowskiego 1/33, PL 01-833 Warszawa e-mail: [email protected] “International Studies on Sparrows” since 1967 Address: Institute of Biotechnology & Environmental Protection University of Zielona Góra ul. Monte Cassino 21 b, PL 65-561 Zielona Góra e-mail: [email protected] (Financing by the Institute of Biotechnology & Environmental Protection, University of Zielona Góra) 3 CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................. 5 1. Andrei A. Bokotey, Igor M. Gorban – Numbers, distribution, ecology of and the House Sparrow in Lvov (Ukraine) ...................... 7 2. J. Denis Summers-Smith – Changes in the House Sparrow population in Britain ...................................................................... 23 3. Marcin Bocheński – Nesting of the sparrows Passer spp. in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia nests in a stork colony in Kłopot (W Poland) .................................................................... 39 5 PREFACE The Institute of Ecology of the Polish Academy of Science has financed the journal “International Studies on Sparrow”. Unfortunately, publica- tion was liquidated for financial reasons. The Editing Board had prob- lems continuing with the last journal. Thanks to a proposal for editing and financing the “ISS” from the Institute of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection UZ, the journal will now be edited by University of Zielona Góra beginning in 2005. -
House Sparrow
House Sparrow Passer domesticus Description FUN FACTS The House Sparrow is a member of the Old World sparrow family native to most of The House Sparrow is part of the weaver Europe and Asia. This little bird has fol- finch family of birds which is not related lowed humans all over the world and has to North American native sparrows. been introduced to every continent ex- cept Antarctica. In North America, the birds were intentionally introduced to the These birds have been in Alberta for United States from Britain in the 1850’s as about 100 years, making themselves at they were thought to be able to help home in urban environments. with insect control in agricultural crops. Being a hardy and adaptable little bird, the House Sparrow has spread across the continent to become one of North Amer- House Sparrows make untidy nests in ica’s most common birds. However, in many different locales and raise up to many places, the House Sparrow is con- three broods a season. sidered to be an invasive species that competes with, and has contributed to the decline in, certain native bird spe- These birds usually travel, feed, and roost cies. The males have a grey crown and in assertive, noisy, sociable groups but underparts, white cheeks, a black throat maintain wariness around humans. bib and black between the bill and eyes. Females are brown with a streaked back (buff, black and brown). If you find an injured or orphaned wild ani- mal in distress, please contact the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society hotline at 403- 214-1312 for tips, instructions and advice, or visit the website for more information www.calgarywildlife.org Photo Credit: Lilly Hiebert Contact Us @calgarywildlife 11555—85th Street NW, Calgary, AB T3R 1J3 [email protected] @calgarywildlife 403-214-1312 calgarywildlife.org @Calgary_wildlife . -
Bird Watching in Cyprus a Brief Guide for Visitors To
BIRD WATCHING IN CYPRUS A BRIEF GUIDE FOR VISITORS TO THE ISLAND 1 Information on Cyprus in general The position of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean with Turkey to the north, Syria to the east and Egypt to the south, places it on one of the major migration routes in the Mediterranean and makes it a stop off point for many species which pass each year from Europe/Asia to Africa via the Nile Delta. The birds that occur regularly on passage form a large percentage of the ‘Cyprus list’ that currently totals nearly 380 species. Of these only around 50 are resident and around 40 are migrant species that regularly or occasionally breed. The number of birds passing over during the spring and autumn migration periods are impressive, as literally millions of birds pour through Cyprus. Spring migration gets underway in earnest around the middle of March, usually depending on how settled the weather is, and continues into May. A few early arrivals can even be noted in February, especially the swallows, martins and swifts, some wheatears and the Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius. Slender-billed Gulls Larus genei and herons can be seen in flocks along the coastline. Each week seems to provide a different species to watch for. The end of March sees Roller Coracias garrulous, Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus, Cretzschmar’s Bunting Emberiza caesia, Black-headed Wagtails Motacilla flava feldegg and Red-rumped Swallows Cecropsis daurica, while on the wetlands Marsh Sandpipers Tringa stagnatilis, Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola, Spur-winged Vanellus spinosus and Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii can be seen. -
Effects of Insularity and Species Interactions Ec
Beak shape variation in a hybrid species: effects of diet, insularity and species interactions Laura Piñeiro Fernández Master of Science Thesis 2015 Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis Department of Biosciences Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences University of Oslo, Norway © Laura Piñeiro Fernández 2015 Beak shape variation in a hybrid species: effects of diet, insularity and species interactions Laura Piñeiro Fernández http://www.duo.uio.no/ Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo. Beak shape variation in a hybrid species: effects of diet, insularity and species interactions Acknowledgments This thesis was written at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) at the Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, under the supervision of Professor Glenn-Peter Sætre, Dr. Fabrice Eroukhmanoff and Dr. Anna Runemark. Glenn , I am really thankful to you from the day you decided to accept me as a student in the sparrow group. It has been a great pleasure to work with you in such an incredible environment. Thanks for all the suggestions, notes and tips during this process. Fabrice and Anna , I have no words to describe your amount of patient with me! Your doors were always open when I needed to go in with a new question. I couldn’t ask for a better team of supervisors, it is amazing how much I’ve learned from both of you, and how I’ve enjoyed your thoughts and comments. This thesis exists thanks to both of you; your 24/7 e-mail presence (I really thought at some point you would have just ended up blocking me) Statistics would still be my worst nightmare without your help. -
Nesting Sites of the Cape Sparrow Passer Melanurus in Maloti/Drakensber, Southern Africa
Intern. Stud. Sparrows 2013, 37: 28-31 Grzegorz KOPIJ Department of Wildlife Management , University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo Campus, Private Bag 1096, Wenela Rd., Katima Mulilo, Namibia E-mail: [email protected] NESTING SITES OF THE CAPE SPARROW PASSER MELANURUS IN MALOTI/DRAKENSBER, SOUTHERN AFRICA ABSTRACT In Maloti/Drakensberg region, southern Africa, Cape Sparrow locates nests (N=108) mainly in trees (38.9%), shrubs (27.8%) and man-made structures (29.6%). Most oc- cupied trees were exotic (31.6%), while all (27.8%) occupied shrubs were indigenous. A few nests (3.8%) were found in disused weavers’ nests. Nesting sites ranged in height from 1.5 m to 10 m above the ground; on average – 4.2 m (N=52). Key words: nest sites, weavers, Lesotho INTRODUCTION The Cape SparrowPasser melanurus is a common species in southern Africa, occurring in arid savanna, woodlands, farmlands and human habitations. It is monogamous and territorial, breeding singly or in loose colonies. Up to 15 nests may be located in one tree. Nests are relatively large, placed 2-20 m above ground (Hockey et al. 2005). Cape Sparrow places their nests on shrubs and trees, both indigenous and exotic, and on various man-made structures (Hockey at al. 2005). A detailed analysis of nesting sites was hitherto made only in the city of Bloemfontein, South Africa, where most nests were placed in trees such as Celtis africana, Acacia karroo and Ulmus parvifolia (Kopij 1999). In this note, further contribution is made on this aspect of breeding ecology. It is expected that, the species will show different preferences for nesting sites, being highly dependent on man-made structures in basically treeless grasslands. -
The Gambia: a Taste of Africa, November 2017
Tropical Birding - Trip Report The Gambia: A Taste of Africa, November 2017 A Tropical Birding “Chilled” SET DEPARTURE tour The Gambia A Taste of Africa Just Six Hours Away From The UK November 2017 TOUR LEADERS: Alan Davies and Iain Campbell Report by Alan Davies Photos by Iain Campbell Egyptian Plover. The main target for most people on the tour www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.1 Tropical Birding - Trip Report The Gambia: A Taste of Africa, November 2017 Red-throated Bee-eaters We arrived in the capital of The Gambia, Banjul, early evening just as the light was fading. Our flight in from the UK was delayed so no time for any real birding on this first day of our “Chilled Birding Tour”. Our local guide Tijan and our ground crew met us at the airport. We piled into Tijan’s well used minibus as Little Swifts and Yellow-billed Kites flew above us. A short drive took us to our lovely small boutique hotel complete with pool and lovely private gardens, we were going to enjoy staying here. Having settled in we all met up for a pre-dinner drink in the warmth of an African evening. The food was delicious, and we chatted excitedly about the birds that lay ahead on this nine- day trip to The Gambia, the first time in West Africa for all our guests. At first light we were exploring the gardens of the hotel and enjoying the warmth after leaving the chilly UK behind. Both Red-eyed and Laughing Doves were easy to see and a flash of colour announced the arrival of our first Beautiful Sunbird, this tiny gem certainly lived up to its name! A bird flew in landing in a fig tree and again our jaws dropped, a Yellow-crowned Gonolek what a beauty! Shocking red below, black above with a daffodil yellow crown, we were loving Gambian birds already. -
Namibia & the Okavango
Pel’s Fishing Owl - a pair was found on a wooded island south of Shakawe (Jan-Ake Alvarsson) NAMIBIA & THE OKAVANGO 21 SEPTEMBER – 8 OCTOBER 2017 LEADER: STEVE BRAINE For most of the country the previous three years drought had been broken and although too early for the mi- grants we did however do very well with birding generally. We searched and found all the near endemics as well as the endemic Dune Lark. Besides these we also had a new write-in for the trip! In the floodplains after observing a wonderful Pel’s Fishing Owl we travelled down a side channel of the Okavango River to look for Pygmy Geese, we were lucky and came across several pairs before reaching a dried-out floodplain. Four birds flew out of the reedbeds and looked rather different to the normal weavers of which there were many, a closer look at the two remaining birds revealed a beautiful pair of Cuckoo Finches. These we all enjoyed for a brief period before they followed the other birds which had now disappeared into the reedbeds. Very strong winds on three of the birding days made birding a huge challenge to say the least after not finding the rare and difficult Herero Chat we had to make alternate arrangements at another locality later in the trip. The entire tour from the Hosea Kutako International Airport outside the capital Windhoek and returning there nineteen days later delivered 375 species. Out of these, four birds were seen only by the leader, a further three species were heard but not seen.