This project was given to me by my Biology teacher Mr. Manoj Shankar Sir. To work on this project was a fascinating job for me. He always gives us such a informative and useful projects which will always help us in future. I am thankful to my sir for giving me this project and my uncle Arvind Jee and brother Kavish who co-operated with me to complete this project. I also appreciate the worth of website “Wikipedia” which provided me all the information. At last, I would like to give the credit of this whole work to my Computer without which it was impossible for me to complete this project.

Birds (class Aves) are winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most varied of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150–200 Ma (million years ago), and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, c 150–145 Ma. Most paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event approximately 65.5 Ma.

Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard- shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings - the now extinct flightless Moa of New Zealand were the only exceptions. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly, with some exceptions including ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.

Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter irregular movements. Birds are social; they communicate using visual signals and through calls and songs, and participate in social behaviours including cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of bird species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years, but rarely for life. Other species have breeding systems that are polygynous ("many females") or, rarely, polyandrous ("many males"). Eggs are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents. Most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching.

Many species are of economic importance, mostly as sources of food acquired through hunting or farming. Some species, particularly songbirds and parrots, are popular as pets. Other uses include the harvesting of guano (droppings) for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure prominently in all aspects of human culture from religion to poetry to popular music. About 120–130 species have become extinct as a result of human activity since the 17th century, and hundreds more before then. Currently about 1,200 species of birds are threatened with extinction by human activities, though efforts are underway to protect them.

Live Picture of Peafowl

Peafowl In Nature

Peafowl (peacock) The term peafowl can refer to the two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. The African Congo Peafowl is placed in its own genus Afropavo and is not dealt with here. Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, and the female a peahen. The female peafowl is brown

or toned grey and brown. Its young is

An Indian Blue Peacock (rear) courts a peahen (front). called a peachick. The two species are:

 Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus Scientific classification (Asiatic)

Kingdom: Animalia  Green Peafowl, Pavo muticus (Asiatic)

Phylum: Chordata The Indian Peafowl is a resident

Class: Aves breeder in the Indian subcontinent. The peacock is designated as the national

Order: Galliformes bird of India and the provincial bird of the Punjab (India). Family: Phasianidae The IUCN lists the Green Peafowl as Genus: Pavo Linnaeus, 1758 vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and a reduction in extent and quality of Species habitat. Pavo cristatus - Scientific Name Of Indian Peafowl Pavo muticus – Scientific Name of Javan Plumage Peafowl The male (peacock) Indian Peafowl has iridescent blue-green or green colored plumage. Both species have a crest atop the head. The female (peahen) Indian Peafowl has a mixture of dull green, brown, and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long upper tail coverts of the male but has a crest. The female can also display her plumage to ward off female competition or danger to her young.

The Green Peafowl is different in appearance from the Indian Peafowl. The male has green and gold plumage and has an erect crest. The wings are black with sheen of blue.

Unlike the Indian Peafowl, the Green Peahen is very similar to the male, only having shorter upper tail coverts and less iridescence. It is very hard to tell a juvenile male from an adult female.

They are oftenly patterned with blue, black, red, yellow, white or iridescent colours. The Green Peafowl breeds from Burma east to Java.

Many of the brilliant colours of the peacock plumage are due to an optical interference phenomenon, Bragg reflection, based on (nearly) periodic nanostructures found in the barbules (fiber-like components) of the feathers.

Different colours correspond to different length scales of the periodic structures. For brown feathers, a mixture of red and blue is required: one colour is created by the periodic structure, and the other is a created by a Fabry–Pérot interference peak from reflections off the outermost and innermost boundaries of the periodic structure. Many colour mutations exist through selective breeding, such as the leucistic White Peafowl and the Black-Shouldered Peafowl.

Size

Length of a peafowl is generally between 110 cm to 120 cm, excluding trains of display feathers. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail coverts. Diet

Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians.

In common with other members of the Galliformes, males possess metatarsal spurs or "thorns" used primarily during intraspecific fights. Behaviour

The peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground but roost in trees. They are terrestrial feeders.

Both species of Peafowl are believed to be polygamous. However, it has been suggested that "females" entering a male Green Peafowl's territory are really his own juvenile or subadult young (K. B. Woods in litt. 2000) and that Green Peafowl are really monogamous in the wild. The male peacock flares out its feathers when it is trying to get the female's attention. Those who subscribe to this notion cite the similarities between the sexes.

During mating season they will often emit a very loud high pitched cry.

Cultural significance

In 1956, John J. Graham created an abstraction of an eleven-feathered peacock logo to indicate richness in color.

This brightly hued peacock was adopted due to the increase in color programming. NBC's first color broadcasts showed only a still frame of the colorful peacock. The emblem made its first on-air appearance on May 22, 1956.

The current NBC logo that debuted in 1986 has six feathers (yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, green).

Feral Populations

Peafowl have left captivity and developed permanent, free-roaming populations in several parts of the world including India.

Live Picture of crow

Crow In Nature

The true crows are large passerine birds that form Crow the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws (Eurasian and Daurian) to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia. They weighs from 80 gms to 1500 gms. The members of this genus occur on all temperate continents (except South America) and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) Hawaii). They are found almost everywhere from deserts to woods and also in towns and villages.The Scientific classification crow is a year round species. The crow genus makes up a third of the species in the Corvidae family. Kingdom: Animalia Other corvids include rooks and jays. Crows appear

Phylum: Chordata to have evolved in Asia from the corvid stock, which had evolved in Australia. A group of crows is called

Class: Aves a flock or a murder.

Order: Passeriformes Systematics

Family: Corvidae The genus was originally described by Linnaeus in Corvus . Genus: his 18th century work Systema Naturae The name is Linnaeus, 1758 derived from the Latin corvus meaning "raven". The type species is the Common Raven (Corvus corax); Species others named in the same work include the Carrion See text. Crow (C. corone), the Hooded Crow (C. cornix), the Rook (C. frugilegus), and the Jackdaw (C. monedula).

The fossil record of crows is rather dense in Europe, but the relationship among most prehistoric species is not clear. Jackdaw-, crow- and raven-sized forms seem to have existed since long ago and crows were regularly hunted by humans up to the Iron Age, documenting the evolution of the modern taxa. American crows are not as well-documented. A surprisingly high number of species have become extinct after human colonization, especially of island groups such as New Zealand, Hawaii and Greenland.

Some Species of Crows :-

 Corvus alberculos - White-necked Raven or Cape Raven (Southern, central and eastern Africa)  Corvus albus - Pied Crow (Central African coasts to southern Africa)  Corvus bennetti - Little Crow (Australia)  Corvus brachyrhynchos - American Crow (United States, southern Canada, northern Mexico)  Corvus capensis - Cape Crow or Black Crow or Cape Rook (Eastern and southern Africa)  Corvus caurinus - Northwestern Crow (Olympic peninsula to southwest Alaska)  Corvus corax - Common Raven or Northern Raven (The Holarctic south throughout middle Europe, Asia, and North America to Nicaragua) o Corvus (corax) sinuatus - Western Raven (Holarctic; Arctic, North America, Eurasia, northern Africa, Pacific islands and British Isles) o Corvus (corax) varius morpha leucophaeus - Pied Raven an extinct color variant (Holarctic)  Corvus corone - Carrion Crow or Eurasian Crow (Western Europe from British Isles to Germany, eastern Asia) o Corvus (corone) capellanus - Mesopotamian Crow or Iraq Pied Crow (Southern Iraq to extreme southwest Iran) o Corvus (corone) cornix - Hooded Crow (Northern and western Europe through Turkey, but only North Western Scotland and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom as the Carrion Crow is more common on most of the British mainland; Syria, Iran, Iraq) o Corvus (corone) orientalis - Eastern Carrion Crow (Eurasia and northern Africa)  Corvus coronoides - Australian Raven (Eastern and southern Australia)  Corvus crassirostris - Thick-billed Raven (Ethiopia)  Corvus cryptoleucus - Chihuahuan Raven (Southwestern U.S., northwestern Mexico)  Corvus dauuricus - Daurian Jackdaw (Eastern Europe to eastern Japan, occasionally Scandinavia)  Corvus enca - Slender-billed Crow (Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia) o Corvus (enca) violaceus - Violaceous Crow (Philippines, Ceram, Moluccas)  Corvus florensis - Flores Crow (Flores Island)  Corvus frugilegus - Rook (Europe, Asia, New Zealand)  Corvus fuscicapillus - Brown-headed Crow (New Guinea)  Corvus coronoides - Australian Raven (Eastern and southern Australia)  Corvus crassirostris - Thick-billed Raven (Ethiopia)  Corvus cryptoleucus - Chihuahuan Raven (Southwestern U.S., northwestern Mexico)  Corvus dauuricus - Daurian Jackdaw (Eastern Europe to eastern Japan, occasionally Scandinavia)  Corvus enca - Slender-billed Crow (Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia)  Corvus (enca) violaceus - Violaceous Crow (Philippines, Ceram, Moluccas)  Corvus florensis - Flores Crow (Flores Island)  Corvus frugilegus - Rook (Europe, Asia, New Zealand)

Evolution

Crows appear to have evolved in central Asia and radiated out into North America, Africa, Europe, and Australia.

The latest evidence regarding the crow's evolution indicates descent from the Australasian family Corvidae. However, the branch that would produce the modern groups such as jays, magpies and large predominantly black Corvus had left Australasia and were concentrated in Asia by the time the Corvus evolved. Corvus has since re-entered Australia (relatively recently) and produced five species with one recognized sub-species.

Diet

They are scavengers. They eat fruits, seeds, insects, eggs, carrion and other small animals. They also eat left over foods and dead animals.

Behaviour

Crows make a wide variety of calls or vocalizations. Whether the crows' system of communication constitutes a language is a topic of debate and study. Crows have also been observed to respond to calls of other species; this behavior is presumably learned because it varies regionally. Crows' vocalizations are complex and poorly understood. Some of the many vocalizations that crows make are a "Koww", usually echoed back and forth between birds, a series of "Kowws" in discrete units, counting out numbers, a long caw followed by a series of short caws (usually made when a bird takes off from a perch), an echo- like "eh-aw" sound, and more. These vocalizations vary by species, and within each species vary regionally. Crows can hear sound frequencies lower than those that humans can hear, which complicates the study of their vocalizations.

Intelligence

As a group, the crows show remarkable examples of intelligence, and Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher shows that humans have long viewed the crow as an intelligent bird. Crows and ravens often score very highly on intelligence tests. Certain species top the avian IQ scale. Wild hooded crows in Israel have learned to use bread crumbs for bait-fishing.[ Crows will engage in a kind of mid- air jousting, or air-"chicken" to establish pecking order.

In culture

The Adelaide Football Club (Australian Rules Football) mascot is a Crow and are known as 'The Crows' or ' Adelaide Crows'.

Virus

The American crow is very susceptible to the West Nile virus, a disease just recently introduced in North America. American crows usually die within one week of acquiring the disease with only very few surviving exposure. Crows are so affected by the disease that their deaths are now serving as an indicator of the West Nile Virus’ activity in an area.

Status as an Endangered Species

Two species of crow have been listed as endangered by the US fish and wildlife services: The ʻAlalā and the Mariana Crow. The American Crow, despite having its population reduced by 45% since 1999 by the West Nile Virus, is considered a Species of Least Concern.

Live Picture of Great Hornbill

Great Hornbill in Nature

The Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also Great Hornbill known as Great Indian Hornbill or Great Pied Hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. The Great Hornbill is found in the forests of India, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Their impressive size and colour have made them important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The Great Hornbill is long-lived, living for

nearly 50 years in captivity. They are

Perched on a Mesua tree at Valparai, predominantly frutivorous although they are opportunists and will prey on small mammals, Conservation status reptiles and birds.

Description

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1) The Great Hornbill is a large bird, 95–120 cm (38–

Scientific classification 47 in) long, with a 152 cm (60 in) wingspan and a weight of 2.15–4 kg (4.7-8.8 lbs.). It is the heaviest

Kingdom: Animalia Asian hornbill. They are mainly black and white or grey and brown. They have bill and bare skin of Phylum: Chordata face and throat often red or yellow. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright Class: Aves yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. The casque appears U-shaped when viewed from Order: Coraciiformes the front and the top is concave with two ridges

Family: Bucerotidae along the sides that form points in the front, a reference to which is made in the Latin species

Subfamily: Bucerotinae epithet bicornis. The casque is hollow and serves no known purpose although they are believed to be

Genus: Buceros the result of sexual selection. Females are smaller than males and have bluish-white instead of red Species: Buceros. bicornis eyes although the orbital skin is pinkish. (Refer to Fig. 1) Like other hornbills, they have prominent Species "eyelashes". The back of the casque is reddish in Buceros bicornis females while the underside of the front

Like other members of the hornbill family, they have highly pneumatized bones, with hollow air cavities extending to the tips of their wing bones. This anatomical feature was noted by Richard Owen who dissected a specimen at the Zoological Society of London that died in 1833.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of the species is fragmented over its range in South and Southeast Asia. In South Asia they are found in a few forest areas in the Western Ghats and in the forests along the Himalayas. Their distribution extends into Thailand, Burma, Malaya and Sumatra. Their habitat is dense old growth (unlogged) forests in hilly regions. They appear to be dependent on large stretches of forest unlike many of the smaller hornbills.

Behaviour

Great Hornbills are usually seen in small parties with larger groups sometimes aggregating at fruit trees. A congregation of 150 to 200 birds has been recorded in southeastern Bhutan. In the wild, the Great Hornbill's diet consists mainly of fruit. Figs are particularly important as a food sources. Vitex altissima has been noted as another important species. It has been observed that lion-tailed macaques forage alongside these hornbills.

Diet

They forage on lipid-rich fruits of the Lauraceae and Myristicaceae families such as Persea, Alseodaphne and Myristica. They obtain the water that they need entirely from their diet of fruits. They will also eat small mammals, birds, small reptiles and insects. Prey are caught, tossed in the air and swallowed. A rare squirrel, the Travancore flying squirrel Petinomys fuscocapillus has been noted in the diet of the species while Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena, Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum and Grey-fronted Green Pigeon Treron pompadora have been noted as prey birds in the Western Ghats. Roosting

Roost sites are used regularly and birds will arrive punctually at sunset from long distances, following the same routes each day. Several tall trees in the vicinity may be used, the birds choosing the highest branches with little foliage. When sleeping they draw their neck back and the bill is held upwards at an angle.

In Captivity

Very few hornbills are held in captivity and few of them breed well. The females at the nests are extremely easy to capture and wild caught birds are female biased. Breeding them in captivity has been notoriously difficult with fewer than a dozen successful attempts. Their extreme selectivity for mates and the long and strong pair bonds make them difficult to maintain for breeding

In culture

Tribals threaten the Great Indian Hornbills with their desire for its various parts. The beaks and head are used in charms and the flesh is believed to be medicinal. The squabs are considered a delicacy. Tribesmen in parts of northeastern India and Borneo use their feathers for head- dresses, and their skulls are often worn as decorations. Their flesh is considered unfit for eating by the Nagas with the belief that they produce sores on their feet as in the bird. When dancing with the feathers of the hornbill, the avoid eating vegetables as it is also believed to produce the same sores on the feet. programmes have attempted to provide tribes with feathers from captive hornbills and ceramic casques to substitute natural ones. Conservation Status

Due to habitat lost and hunting in some areas, the Great Hornbill is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Declines in population have been noted in many areas such as Cambodia. Molecular approaches to the study of their population diversity have been attempted.

Live Picture of White-Bellied Sea Eagle

White- Bellied Sea Eagle in Nature

White-bellied Sea-eagle The White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), also known as the White-bellied Fish- eagle or White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is closely related to other eagles, kites, hawks, harriers and Old World vultures.

It is resident from India through southeast Asia to

Australia on coasts and major waterways. It is a distinctive bird. The adult has white head, breast,

Conservation status under-wing coverts and tail. The upper parts are grey and the black under-wing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetus species. Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Scientific classification Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia The White-bellied Sea Eagle was first described by

Phylum: Chordata the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in

Class: Aves 1788. Its species name is derived from the Ancient Greek leuko- 'white' and gaster 'belly'. Its closest Falconiformes Order: relative is the little-known Sanford's Sea-eagle of the (or Accipitriformes, q.v.) Solomon Islands. These form a species pair, and as

Family: Accipitridae usual in sea eagle species pairs, as opposed to the dark-headed Sanford's, the White-bellied Sea-eagle

Genus: Haliaeetus has a white head. Talons, bill, and eyes are dark as in Species: H. leucogaster all Gondwanan sea eagles. This species pair has at every age at least some dark colouration in its tail, Binomial name though this may not always be clearly visible in this Haliaeetus leucogaster species. Gmelin, 1788

Description

The White-bellied Sea-eagle is one of the largest raptors in Southeast Asia, and the second largest bird of prey in Australia after the Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) which stands up to 1 m.

The sea eagle is white on the head, rump and under parts and dark grey on the back and wings. In flight the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is a lead blue-grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The cere is also lead grey. The legs and feet are yellow or grey, with long black talons (claws). The sexes are similar. Males are 70–80 cm (28–32 in) and weigh 1.8–3 kg (4–6.6 lb). Females are slightly larger, at 80–90 cm (32–36 in) and 2.5–4.5 kg (5.5–10 lb). The wingspan ranges from 1.8 to 2.2 m (6–7 ft). They soar on thermals holding their wings in a 'V' shape. Young Sea-eagles in their first year are predominantly brown. Their plumage becomes more infiltrated with white until they acquire the complete adult plumage by their fourth or fifth year.

Adult birds are unmistakable and unlikely to be confused with any other bird. Immature White-bellied Sea Eagles could be confused with Wedge-tailed Eagles. However the plumage of the latter is darker, the tail longer and the legs feathered.

Distribution and habitat

The White-bellied Sea-eagles are found from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, through all of coastal Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Malaysia Indonesia, Indochina, the Philippines and southern China including Hong Kong, and into New Guinea and northeast to the Bismarck Archipelago, and Australia. In the north Solomons, it is restricted to Nissan Island, and replaced elsewhere by Sanford's Sea-eagle. They are a common sight in coastal areas, but may also be seen well inland. Birds are often seen perched high in a tree, or soaring over waterways and adjacent land. Feeding

They feed on fish and sea snakes, which they catch by skimming over the water and catching their prey with their talons. They do not dive under water, however. They keep within 1 km of shores, as there are no thermals over water. The White-bellied Sea-eagle hunts mainly aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but it takes birds, such as Little Penguins, coots and shearwaters, and mammals as well. It is a skilled hunter, and will attack prey up to the size of a swan. They also feed on carrion such as dead sheep, birds and fish along the waterline, and may even raid fishing nets. They harass smaller birds such as Swamp Harriers, forcing them to drop any food that they are carrying. Sea-eagles feed alone, in pairs or in family groups.

Breeding

The breeding season varies according to location—it has been recorded in the dry season in the Trans-Fly and Central Province of Papua New Guinea, and from June to August in Australia. They choose the tallest tree to nest, and even sometimes man-made pylons. The nest is a large deep bowl constructed of sticks and branches, and generally sited in large trees overlooking bodies of water. Cliffs are also suitable nesting sites, while those nests built directly on the ground are located on islands.

Cultural significance

Known as Manulab to the people of Nissan Island, the White-bellied Sea Eagle is considered special and forbidden to be killed. Its calls at night are said to foretell danger, and seeing a group of eagles flying overhead calling is a sign that someone has died. A local Sydney name was gulbi, and the bird was the totem of the late 18th century indigenous leader Colebee, of the Cadigal people.

A Malay name is burung hamba siput "slave of the shellfish", malay tales told of the sea-eagle screaming at the turning of tides to warn the shellfish. The White- bellied Sea-eagle is also the emblem of the state of Selangor.

It is also featured on the $10,000 Singapore note.

Conservation status

The White-bellied Sea-eagles are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. They are an estimated 10 to 100 thousands individuals, although there seems to be a decline in numbers.

Live Picture of Yellow-Headed amazon

Yellow- Headed Amazon in Nature

Yellow-headed Amazon The Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), is also known as the Yellow-headed Parrot and Double Yellow-headed Amazon. It is an endangered amazon parrot of Mexico and northern Central America. Measuring 38–43 centimetres (15– 17 in) in length, it is a stocky short-tailed green parrot with a yellow head. It prefers to live in mangrove forests or forests near rivers or other bodies of water. It is often considered a subspecies At Vancouver Aquarium of the Yellow-crowned Amazon. It is a popular pet

Conservation status and an excellent talker.

Taxonomy Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia This species is part of the Amazona ochrocephala

Phylum: Chordata complex, which also includes the Yellow-naped

Class: Aves Amazon (A. auropalliata). This complex, "a

Order: Psittaciformes taxonomic headache" is considered a single species

Family: Psittacidae by some authorities and split into three species by Genus: Amazona others. The split is mainly based on the amount of Species: A. oratrix yellow in the plumage, the color of the legs and bill, Binomial name the proximity of A. oratrix and A. auropalliata in Amazona oratrix (Ridgway, 1887) Oaxaca, Mexico, without apparent interbreeding, and the presence of both A. ochrocephala and A. auropalliata in northern Honduras. This evaluation has, however, been confused by misunderstandings regarding the plumage variations in the populations in northern Honduras, where birds vary greatly in amount of yellow on the head, crown and nape, but have pale bills and a juvenile plumage matching

The origin of the common epithet "Double Yellow-headed" is that this species is differentiated from the others in the Yellow-headed Amazon complex by possessing both the yellow nape and yellow crown of its two close relatives, hence a "double-yellow" head.

Description

The Yellow-headed Amazon averages 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in) long. The shape is typical of amazons, with a robust build, rounded wings, and a square tail. The body is bright green, with yellow on the head, dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing, and yellow thighs. The flight feathers are blackish to bluish violet with a red patch on the outer secondaries. The base of the tail also has a red patch, which is usually hidden. The outer tail feathers have yellowish tips.

The bill is horn-colored, darker in immatures of the Belizean subspecies. The eye ring is whitish in Mexican birds and grayish in others. The most conspicuous geographical difference is the amount of yellow. In adults, the head and upper chest are yellow in the subspecies of the Tres Marías Islands (tresmariae); just the head in the widespread subspecies of Mexico (oratrix); just the crown in Belize (belizensis); and the crown and nape in the Sula Valley of Honduras (hondurensis, which thus resembles the Yellow-naped Parrot). Immatures have less yellow than adults; they attain adult plumage in 2 to 4 years.

The variety "Magna" (or "Magnum") is bred for more yellow and commands a premium price as a pet. Some "extreme" Magnus have as much yellow as Tres Marías birds, but are distinguished from them by heavier barring on the chest and a less bluish tint to the green plumage.

Behaviour

Wild birds give low-pitched, sometimes human-sounding screams, but often fly silently (unlike many other parrots). The calls can be described as "a rolled kyaa- aa-aaah and krra-aah-aa-ow, a deep, rolled ahrrrr or ahrhrrrr," etc. Young birds make a "clucking" sound to indicate that they are hungry.

Distribution and habitat

This species lives in riparian forest and areas with scattered trees, as well as evergreen forest in Belize and mangroves in Guatemala. It occurs in singly or in pairs, in small groups, and occasionally in big flocks. The range formerly included both coastal slopes of Mexico from the Tres Marías Islands and Jalisco to Oaxaca and from Nuevo León to northern Chiapas and southwestern Tabasco, as well as a disjunct area including most of Belize, and another comprising a small part of northeastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras. However, their numbers have been reduced drastically—by 90 percent, to 7,000, from the mid- 1970s to 1994, and by 68 per cent from 1994 to 2004—because of capture for the pet trade and habitat destruction.

Introduced populations can be found in Stuttgart, Germany where a population of over 50 individuals resides . Smaller introduced populations are to found at Imperial Beach and Santa Anna; both in Southern California.

As pets

Albeit it is only lawful to keep captive-bred Yellow-headed Amazons, these are widely available (if somewhat expensive) and their personalities make them highly desirable pets; they have been kept as such for centuries because they are among the parrots that "talk" best. Their vocal abilities are generally bested only by the African Grey Parrot and matched by similar species, such as the Yellow- naped Parrot.

Conservation status

The Yellow-headed Amazon is considered endangered by the IUCN, and is on the CITES Appendix I, which by international treaty, has made export, import and trade of wild-caught Yellow-headed Amazons illegal and the trade in birds bred in aviculture subject to controls in most of the world. Captive-bred Yellow- headed Amazons can be sold and owned legally subject to checks and regulations. Generally, throughout the world, sale of Appendix I species bred in aviculture must be accompanied with official certification which is provided by the breeder, and they must have a closed ring on one leg.

The popularity of Yellow-headed Amazons as a pet continues to fuel poaching efforts, which have nearly driven it to extinction in the wild. Their wild population has declined from 70,000 to 7,000 in the past two decades alone. An estimated 90% of poached Yellow-headed Amazons die before they are sold. Yellow-headed Parrots nest in holes in tree trunks or fallen branches. Poachers usually hack at the nest site with a machete to steal parrots, which is especially destructive because habitat is lost at the same time that the wild parrot population is reduced. The situation for tresmariae, which potentially can be treated as a separate species, is unclear, but it’s very small range gives cause for concern and some reports indicate it is under considerable threat. Live Picture of Black Stork

Black Stork in Nature

Black Stork Description

The Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae.

It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions.

This is a large bird, nearly 1 m tall with a 1.8 m wingspan, weighing around 3 kilograms. It is all in Kruger National Park, South Africa black except for the white belly and axillaries, and its red bill and legs. It walks slowly and steadily on the

Conservation status ground. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It has a rasping call, but rarely indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) It breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broadlived woodlands, but also inhabits

Scientific classification hills and mountains with sufficient network of creeks. It builds a stick nest high in trees. It nests in Kingdom: Animalia Central Europe in April to May

Phylum: Chordata It is a winter visitor to northern India; Pakistan; Nepal east to Myanmar. Class: Aves This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely Order: Ciconiiformes related White Stork. It is, seen in pairs or small

Family: Ciconiidae flocks in marshy areas, rivers, inland waters often in association with White Storks. The Black Stork feeds

Genus: Ciconia on amphibians and insects.

Species: C. nigra Taxonomy and etymology

Binomial name The stork family contains several genera in three Ciconia nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) major groups: the open-billed and wood storks (Mycteria and Anastomus), the giant storks (Ephippiorhynchus, Jabiru and Leptoptilos), and the "typical storks", Ciconia. The typical storks include the White Stork and six other extant species, which are characterised by straight bills and mainly black and white plumage. was formerly treated as a subspecies of the White Stork, but is now regarded as a distinct species. Within the genus Ciconia, the Black Stork's closest relatives are the other European species, the White Stork and its former subspecies, the black- billed Oriental White Stork of east Asia.

The Black Stork was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Ardea nigra. It was moved to the new genus Ciconia by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson two years later. Both the genus and the species names are Latin. Ciconia is "stork" and nigra is "black"The word stork is derived from the Old English word storc, thought to be related to the Old High German storah, meaning "stork", and the Old English stearc, meaning "stiff".

Migration

The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India. However, the Iberian population is resident. The Black Stork is a broad-winged soaring bird, which relies on thermals of hot air for long distance flight. Since thermals only form over land, storks, together with large raptors, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many Black Storks can be seen going through the Bosporus. They fly approximately 100 to 250 km a day with daily maxima up to 500 km.

The storks migrate from the middle of August to the end of September. They come back in the middle of March. About 10 percent of the western storks choose the passage Sicily - Cap Bon, Tunisia. The common route goes over Gibraltar. Many birds are fly around the Sahara next to the coast. Most birds are wintering in the wetlands of Nigeria or Mali. The eastern birds take the route Bosphorus-Sinai-Nile to Africa. Birds that summer in Siberia winter in northern and northeastern India.

Conservation status

The Black Storks are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. They are an estimated thirty thousands individuals, although there seems to be a decline in numbers.

Live Picture of Emu

Emu in Nature

The Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest Emu bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three extant subspecies of Emus in Australia. The Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest, and arid areas.

The soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds reach up

to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. They have long thin necks and legs. Emus can travel great distances at a Captive Emu in Germany fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at

Conservation status 50 km/h (31 mph) for some distance at a time. Their long legs allow them to take strides of up to 275 centimetres (9.02 ft). They are opportunistically nomadic and may travel long distances to find food;

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] they feed on a variety of plants and insects, but have been known to go weeks without food. They also

Scientific classification ingest stones, glass shards and bits of metal that help squash food in the digestive system. They drink

Kingdom: Animalia infrequently, often once every day or two, and ingest copious fluids when the opportunity arises. Emus

Phylum: Chordata will sit in water and are also able to swim. They are curious and nosy animals who are known to follow Class: Aves and watch other animals and humans. Emus do not Struthioniformes (or Order: sleep continuously at night but in several short stints Casuariiformes) sitting down.

Family: Casuariidae Taxonomy and Distribution

Genus: Dromaius

Species: D. novaehollandiae' There are reports the Emu was first sighted by European explorers in 1696 when they made a brief

Binomial name visit to the coast of Western Australia. It was thought to have been spotted on the east coast of Australia Dromaius novaehollandiae before 1788 when the first European settlement (Latham, 1790) occurred. In his original 1816 description of the Emu, Vieillot used two generic names; first Dromiceius, then Dromaius a few pages later. It has been a point of contention ever since which is correct; the latter is more correctly formed, but the convention in taxonomy is that the first name given stands, unless it is clearly a typographical error. Most modern publications, including those of the Australian government, use Dromaius, with Dromiceius mentioned as an alternative spelling.

Classification

The Emu was classified in the family with their closest relatives the cassowaries in the family Casuariidae in the ratite order Struthioniformes, however, an alternate classification has been recently adopted splitting the Casuariidae into their own order Casuariformes.

Three different Dromaius species were common in Australia before European settlement, and one species is known from fossils. The small Emus—Dromaius baudinianus and D. ater—both became extinct shortly after; however, the Emu, D. novaehollandiae, remains common. The population varies from decade to decade, largely dependent on rainfall; it is estimated that the Emu population is 625,000–725,000, with 100,000–200,000 in Western Australia and the remainder mostly in New South Wales and Queensland. D. novaehollandiae diemenensis, a subspecies known as the Tasmanian Emu, became extinct around 1865. Emus were introduced to Maria Island off Tasmania and Kangaroo Island near South Australia during the 20th century. The Kangaroo Island birds have established a breeding population there. The Maria Island population became extinct in the mid-1990s.

There are three extant subspecies in Australia:

In the southeast, D. novaehollandiae novaehollandiae, with its whitish ruff when breeding;

In the north, D. novaehollandiae woodwardi, slender and paler; and

In the southwest, D. novaehollandiae rothschildi, darker, with no ruff during breeding.

Description

Emus are large birds. The largest can reach up to 150 to 190 centimetres (59–75 in) in height, 1 to 1.3 metres (3.3–4.3 ft) at the shoulder. Emus weigh between 18 and 48 kilograms (40 and 106 lb). Females are usually larger than males by a small amount, but substantially wider across the rump.

They have small vestigial wings that are around 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long and have a small claw at the tip of this wing. The Emu flaps its wings when it is running and it is believed that they stabilize the bird when it is moving. It has a long neck and legs. Their ability to run at high speeds, 48 km/h (30 mph), is due to their highly specialized pelvic limb musculature. Their feet have only three toes and a similarly reduced number of bones and associated foot muscles; they are the only birds with gastrocnemius muscles in the back of the lower legs. The pelvic limb muscles of emus have a similar contribution to total body mass as the flight muscles of flying birds. When walking, the Emu takes steps of around 100 centimetres (3.3 ft), but at full gallop, a stride can be as long as 275 centimetres (9.02 ft). The Emu's legs are devoid of feathers and underneath its feet are thick, cushioned pads. Like the Cassowary, the Emu has a nail on its toe akin to the blade of a knife, which is its major defensive attribute. This is used in combat to inflict wounds on opponents by kicking. The toe and claw are a total of 15 centimetres (5.9 in). They have a soft bill, adapted for grazing.

The Emu has good eyesight and hearing, which allows it to detect nearby threats. Its legs are among the strongest of any animals, powerful enough to tear down metal wire fences.

Emus have three toes on each foot in a tridactyl arrangement, which is an adaptation for running and is seen in other birds, such as bustards and quails. The Ostrich has two toes on each foot.

The neck of the Emu is pale blue and shows through its sparse feathers. They have brown to grey-brown plumage of shaggy appearance; the shafts and the tips of the feathers are black. Solar radiation is absorbed by the tips, and the loose- packed inner plumage insulates the skin. The resultant heat is prevented from flowing to the skin by the insulation provided by the coat, The sexes are similar in appearance.

The plumage varies in colour due to environmental factors, giving the bird a natural camouflage. Feathers of Emus in more arid area with red soil have a similarly tinted plumage but are darker in animals residing in damp conditions. The eyes of an Emu are protected by nictitating membranes. These are translucent, secondary eyelids that move from the end of the eye closest to the beak to cover the other side. This is used by the Emu as a protective visor to protect its eyes from dust that is prevalent in windy and arid deserts. The Emu also has a tracheal pouch, which becomes more prominent during the mating season. It is often used during courting, and it has speculated that it is used for communication on a day-to-day basis. The pouch is more than 30 centimetres (12 in), is spacious and the wall in very thin. The width of the opening is only 8 centimetres (3.1 in). The quantity of air that goes through the pouch, as determined by the Emu deciding to open or close it, affects the pitch of an Emu's call. Females typically cry more loudly than males.

On very hot days, emus pant to maintain their body temperature, their lungs work as evaporative coolers and, unlike some other species, the resulting low levels of carbon dioxide in the blood do not appear to cause alkalosis.

For normal breathing in cooler weather, they have large, multifolded nasal passages. Cool air warms as it passes through into the lungs, extracting heat from the nasal region. On exhalation, the Emu's cold nasal turbinates condense moisture back out of the air and absorb it for reuse. As with other ratites, the Emu has great homeothermic ability, and can maintain this status from -5 to 45 degrees. The thermoneutral zone of Emus lies between 10–15 degrees and 30 degrees.

Their calls consist of loud booming, drumming, and grunting sounds that can be heard up to 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away. The booming sound is created in an inflatable neck sac that is 30 cm (12 in) long and thin-walled.

The different sounds produced can be used to distinguish males and females. The loud booming caused by inflation of the cervical sac corresponds to females, while loud grunts are limited to male Emus.

Ecology and Behaviour

Emus live in most habitats across Australia, although they are most common in areas of sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland, and least common in populated and very arid areas, except during wet periods.Emus predominately travel in pairs, and while they can form enormous flocks, this is an atypical social behaviour that arises from the common need to move towards food sources. Emus have been shown to travel long distances to reach abundant feeding areas. In Western Australia, Emu movements follow a distinct seasonal pattern—north in summer and south in winte. On the east coast their wanderings do not appear to follow a pattern. Emus are also able to swim when necessary, although they rarely do so unless the area is flooded or they need to cross a river. Though an Emu will be cautious when approaching civilisation, Emus are well known for approaching small groups of humans in the wild when prompted by food, in fact, even if the food is not offered to them, they can be rather persistent in helping themselves.

They are also known to be curious animals, and are known to approach humans if they see movement of a limb or a piece of clothing. They are also known to follow and observe humans in the wild. Sometimes they also poke other animals and then run away after drawing a reaction, as though they are playing a game. An Emu spends much of its time preening its plumage with its beak.

Diet

Emus forage in a diurnal pattern. They eat a variety of native and introduced plant species; the type of plants eaten depends on seasonal availability. They also eat insects, including grasshoppers and crickets, lady birds, soldier and saltbush caterpillars, Bogong and cotton-boll moth larvae and ants.

Emus drink at infrequent intervals, but ingest large amounts when they do so. They typically inspect the water body in groups for a period before kneeling down at the edge of the water and drinking. They often drink continuously for 10 minutes, unless disturbed by danger, in which case they interrupt themselves to deal with the threat before resuming.

Breeding

Emus form breeding pairs during the summer months of December and January, and may remain together for about five months. During this time they wander around in an area a few miles in diameter. It is believed they guard or find territory during this time. Both males and females increase in weight during this time and the female is slightly heavier at between 45 and 58 kg.

It is the females that court the males, and during the mating season, they become physically more attractive. The female's plumage darkens slightly and the small patches of bare, hairless skin just below the eyes and near the beaks turn turqoise-blue, although this is a subtle change. Females are more aggressive than males during the courting period, often fighting one another for access to mates. Fights among females accounted for more than half of the violent incidents in one mating season study.

Males lose their appetite and construct a rough nest in a semi-sheltered hollow on the ground from bark, grass, sticks, and leaves. The nest almost a flat surface rather than a segment of a sphere, and although in cold conditions the nest is taller, up to 7 cm tall, and more spherical to provide more insulation. When other material is lacking, it can also use spinifex grass bushes more than a metre across, despite the prickly nature. The nest can be placed in open ground or near scrubs and rocks, although thick grass is usually present if the emu takes the former option. The nests are usually placed in an area where the emu has a clear view of the surrounds and can detect predators.

If a male is interested, he will stretch his neck and erect his feathers and bend over and peck at the ground. He will then sidle up to the female, swaying his body and neck from side to side, and rubbing his breast against his partner's rump, usually without calling out. The female would accept by sitting down and raising her rump.

Conservation Status

In John Gould's Handbook to the Birds of Australia, first published in 1865, he laments the loss of the Emu from Tasmania, where it had become rare and has since become extinct; he notes that Emus were no longer common in the vicinity of Sydney and proposes that the species be given protected status. Wild Emus are formally protected in Australia under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The IUCN rates their status as Least Concern. Their occurrence range is between 4,240,000–6,730,000 km2 (1,640,000–2,600,000 sq mi), and a 1992 population estimate was between 630,000 and 725,000. Although the population of Emus on mainland Australia is thought to be higher now than before European settlement, some wild populations are at risk of local extinction due to small population size. Threats to small populations include the clearance and fragmentation of areas of habitat; deliberate slaughter; collisions with vehicles; and predation of the young and eggs by foxes, feral and domestic dogs, and feral pigs. The isolated Emu population of the New South Wales North Coast Bioregion and Port Stephens is listed as endangered by the New South Wales Government.

Live Picture of Vulture

Vulture In Nature

Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly on Vultures the carcasses of dead animals. Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and Oceania. Although feeding largely on meat (as opposed to insects and small reptiles), vultures do not generally kill their own prey, which would classify them clearly as a raptor. Because of this, historically they have alternated between being classified as a raptor or as a non-raptor, and have been the subject of extensive DNA testing to test

relationships with other birds.

Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. This helps to keep Scientific classification the head clean when feeding. Research has shown

Kingdom: Animalia that the bare skin may play an important role in thermoregulation. A group of vultures is called a

Phylum: Chordata wake, committee, or venue.

Class: Aves The word Geier (taken from the German language) does not have a precise meaning in ornithology,

Families and it is occasionally used to refer to a vulture in Accipitridae (Aegypiinae) English, as in some poetry. Cathartidae

Classification

Vultures are classified into two groups: Old World vultures and New World vultures. The similarities between the two different groups are due to convergent evolution. 1. Old World vultures

The Old World vultures found in Africa, Asia, and Europe belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards, and hawks. Old World vultures find carcasses exclusively by sight. 2. New World vultures

The New World vultures and condors found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas are not closely related to the similar Accipitridae, but belong in the family Cathartidae, which was once considered to be related to the storks. However, recent DNA evidence suggests that they should be included among the Accipitriformes, along with other birds of prey. However, they are still not directly related to the other vultures. Several species have a good sense of smell, unusual for raptors, and are able to smell the dead they focus upon from great heights, up to a mile away.

Feeding

Vultures seldom attack healthy animals, but may kill the wounded or sick. When a carcass has too thick a hide for its beak to open, it waits for a larger scavenger to eat first. Vast numbers have been seen upon battlefields. They gorge themselves when prey is abundant, till their crop bulges, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food. They do not carry food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from the crop. These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot regions. Vulture stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, allowing them to safely digest putrid carcasses infected with Botulinum toxin, hog cholera, and anthrax bacteria that would be lethal to other scavengers. This also enables them to use their reeking, corrosive vomit as a defensive projectile when threatened. Vultures urinate straight down their legs; the uric acid kills bacteria accumulated from walking through carcasses, and also acts as evaporative cooling.

Conservation Status

This year the total number of birds on the IUCN Red List is 9,956 with 1,217 listed as threatened. Vultures in Africa and Asia have declined, with five species reclassified on the IUCN Red List. In Asia, the Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) moved from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered while the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) moved from Least Concern to Endangered. The rapid decline in the birds over the last eight years has been driven by the drug diclofenac, used to treat livestock. India’s Vulture Population has plummeted from 40 Million to 60,000 .

Live Picture of Rock Pigeon

Rock Pigeon In Nature

The Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), or Rock Dove, is Rock Pigeon a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The species includes the Conservation status domestic pigeon (including the fancy pigeon), and escaped domestic pigeons have given rise to feral populations around the world.

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Wild Rock Pigeons are pale grey with two black bars on each wing, although domestic and feral pigeons

Scientific classification are very variable in colour and pattern.

Kingdom: Animalia Habitats include various open and semi-open environments, including agricultural and urban areas.

Phylum: Chordata Cliffs and rock ledges are used for roosting and breeding in the wild. Originally found wild in Class: Aves Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, feral Rock

Order: Columbiformes Pigeons have become established in cities around the world. The species is abundant, with an estimated

Family: Columbidae population of 17 to 28 million feral and wild birds in Europe.

Genus: Columba

Species: C. livia Taxonomy and Naming

Binomial name The Rock Pigeon was first described by Gmelin in Columba livia 1789. The genus name Columba is the Latinized Gmelin, 1789 form of the Ancient Greek (kolumbos), "a diver", from, "dive, plunge headlong, swim". Aristophanes (Birds, 304) and others use the word κολυμβίς (kolumbis), "diver", for the name of the bird, because of its swimming motion in the air.

The species is also known as the Rock Dove or Blue Distribution Rock Dove, the former being the official name used by the British Ornithologists' Union and the American Ornithologists' Union until 2004, at which point they changed their official listing of the bird to Rock Pigeon. In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". Baby pigeons are called squabs.

Description

The adult of the nominate subspecies of the Rock Pigeon is 32–37 cm (12–14½ in) long with a 64–72 cm (25–28 in) wingspan. It has a dark bluish-gray head, neck, and chest with glossy yellowish, greenish, and reddish-purple iridescence along its neck and wing feathers. The iris is orange, red or golden with a paler inner ring, and the bare skin round the eye is bluish-grey. The bill is grey-black with a conspicuous off-white cere, and the feet are purplish-red.

The adult female is almost identical to the male, but the iridescence on the neck is less intense and more restricted to the rear and sides, while that on the breast is often very obscure.

The white lower back of the pure Rock Pigeon is its best identification character, the two black bars on its pale grey wings are also distinctive. The tail has a black band on the end and the outer web of the tail feathers are margined with white. Young birds show little lustre and are duller. Eye colour of the pigeon is generally orange but a few pigeons may have white-grey eyes. The eyelids are orange in colour and are encapsulated in a grey-white eye ring. The feet are red to pink.

Distribution And Habitat

The Rock Pigeon has a restricted natural resident range in western and southern Europe, North Africa, and into South Asia. The Rock Pigeon is often found in pairs in the breeding season but is usually gregarious. The species (including ferals) has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10 million km². It has a large global population, including an estimated 17–28 million individuals in Europe Fossil evidence suggests the Rock Pigeon originated in southern Asia and skeletal remains unearthed in Israel confirm their existence there for at least three hundred thousand years. Its habitat is natural cliffs, usually on coasts. Its domesticated form, the feral pigeon, has been widely introduced elsewhere, and is common, especially in cities, over much of the world. A Rock Pigeon's life span is anywhere from 3–5 years in the wild to 15 years in captivity, though long-lived specimens have been reported. The species was first introduced to North America in 1606 at Port Royal, Nova Scotia. Reproduction

The Rock Pigeon breeds at any time of the year, but peak times are spring and summer. Nesting sites are situated along coastal cliff faces, as well as the artificial cliff faces created by apartment buildings with accessible ledges or roof spaces.

The type of nest constructed is a flimsy platform of straw and sticks, put on ledge, under cover. Often window ledges of buildings. Two white eggs are laid with incubation that is shared by both parents lasting from seventeen to nineteen days.

The nestling has pale yellow down and a flesh-coloured bill with a dark band. It is tended and fed on "crop milk" like other doves. The fledging period is 30 days.

Domestication

Rock Pigeons have been domesticated for several thousand years, giving rise to the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica). As well as pets, domesticated pigeons are utilised as homing pigeons and carrier pigeons, and so-called war pigeons have served and played important roles during wartimes, with many pigeons having received bravery awards and medals for their services in saving hundreds of human lives: including, notably, the British pigeon Cher Ami who received the Croix de Guerre for his heroic actions during World War I, and the Irish Paddy and the American G.I. Joe, who both received the Dickin Medal, amongst 32 pigeons to receive this medallion, for their gallant and brave actions during World War II. There are numerous breeds of fancy pigeons of all sizes, colours and types.

Feral Pigeon

Many domestic birds have escaped or been released over the years, and have given rise to the feral pigeon. These show a variety of plumages, although some have the blue barred pattern like the pure Rock Pigeon does. Feral pigeons are found in large numbers in cities and towns all over the world. The scarcity of the pure wild species is partly due to interbreeding with feral birds.

Live Picture of OWL

Owl In Nature

Owls are the orderStrigiformes, constituting 200 Owl Fossil range: Late Paleocene–Recent extant bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal with some exceptions (e.g. the Northern Hawk Owl). Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds though a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands. Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament. Living owls are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.

Description

Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a

conspicuous circle of feathers, a facial disc, around The rare Northern Spotted Owl each eye. Most birds of prey sport eyes on the sides Strix occidentalis caurina of their heads, but the stereoscopic nature of the Scientific classification [ e ] owl's forward-facing eyes permits a greater sense of depth perception necessary for low-light

Kingdom: Animalia hunting. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other Phylum: Chordata birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls can rotate their heads and Class: Aves necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction.

Subclass: Neornithes Owls are farsighted and are unable to see anything clearly within a few centimeters of their eyes.

Infraclass: Neognathae Caught prey can be felt by owls with the use of filoplumes, which are small hair-like feathers on Order: Strigiformes Wagler, 1830 the beak and feet that act as "feelers". Their far vision, particularly in low light, is exceptionally Families good. Strigidae Tytonidae The smallest owl is the Elf Owl (Micrathene Protostrigidae (fossil) whitneyi), at as little as 31 g (1.1 oz) and 13.5 cm Sophiornithidae (fossil) (5.3 inches). Some of the pygmy owls are scarcely larger. The largest owls are two of the eagle owls; the Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) and Blakiston's Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni)—which may reach a size of 60 – 71 cm (28.4 in) long, have a wingspan of almost 2 m (6.6 ft), and an average weight of nearly 4.5 kg (10 lb).

Different species of owls make different sounds; the wide range of calls aids owls in finding mates or announcing their presence to potential competitors, and also aids ornithologists and birders in locating these birds and recognizing species. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. In many species, these are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location.

The plumage of owls is generally cryptic, but many species have facial and head markings, including face masks, ear tufts and brightly coloured irises. These markings are generally more common in species inhabiting open habitats, and are thought to be used in signalling with other owls in low light conditions.

Owl eggs usually have a white colour and almost spherical shape, and range in number from a few to a dozen, depending on species. Eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and do not hatch at the same time. This accounts for the wide variation in the size of sibling nestlings. Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.

Behaviour

Most owls are nocturnal, actively hunting for prey only in the darkness. Several types of owl, however, are crepuscular, active during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk; one example is the pygmy owl (Glaucidium). A few owls are also active during the day; examples are the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) and the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus).

Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. Owls have at least two adaptations that aid them in achieving stealth. First, the dull coloration of owls' feathers can render them almost invisible under certain conditions. Secondly, serrated edges on the leading edge owls' remiges muffle an owl's wing beats, allowing its flight to be practically silent. Some fish-eating owls, for which silence is of no evolutionary advantage, lack this adaptation.

An owl's sharp beak and powerful talons allow it to kill its prey before swallowing it whole (unless it is too big). Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of regurgitating the indigestible parts of their prey (such as bones, scales and fur) in the form of pellets. These "owl pellets", which are plentiful and easy to interpret, are often sold by companies to schools for dissection by students as a lesson in biology and ecology.

Evolution And Systematics

The systematic placement of owls is disputed. For example, the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy finds that, based on DNA-DNA hybridization, owls are more closely related to the nightjars and their allies (Caprimulgiformes) than to the diurnal predators in the order Falconiformes; consequently, the Caprimulgiformes are placed in the Strigiformes, and the owls in general become a familyStrigidae. A recent study indicates that the drastic rearrangement of the genome of the accipitrids may have obscured any close relationship of theirs with groups such as the owls . In any case, the relationships of the Caprimulgiformes, the owls, the falcons and the accipitrid raptors are not resolved to satisfaction; currently there is an increasing trend to consider each group (with the possible exception of the accipitrids) a distinct order.

There are some 220 to 225 extant species of owls, subdivided into two families: typical owls (Strigidae) and barn-owls (Tytonidae). Some entirely extinct families have also been erected based on fossil remains; these differ much from modern owls in being less specialized or specialized in a very different way (such as the terrestrial Sophiornithidae). The Paleocene genera Berruornis and Ogygoptynx show that owls were already present as a distinct lineage some 60 - 57 mya (million years ago), and, hence, possibly also some 5 million years earlier, at the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. This makes them one of the oldest known groups of non-Galloanserae landbirds. The supposed "Cretaceous owls" Bradycneme and Heptasteornis are apparently non-avialan maniraptors.

During the Paleogene, the Strigiformes radiated into ecological niches now mostly filled by other groups of birds. The owls as we know them today, on the other hand, evolved their characteristic morphology and adaptations during that time, too. By the early Neogene, the other lineages had been displaced by other bird orders, leaving only barn-owls and typical owls. The latter at that time were usually a fairly generic type of (probably earless) owl similar to today's North American Spotted Owl or the European Tawny Owl; the diversity in size and ecology found in typical owls today developed only subsequently.

Around the Paleogene-Neogene boundary (some 25 mya), barn-owls were the dominant group of owls in southern Europe and adjacent Asia at least; the distribution of fossil and present-day owl lineages indicates that their decline is contemporary with the evolution of the different major lineages of typical owls, which for the most part seems to have taken place in Eurasia. In the Americas, there was rather an expansion of immigrant lineages of ancestral typical owls.

The supposed fossil herons "Ardea" perplexa (Middle Miocene of Sansan, France) and "Ardea" lignitum (Late Pliocene of Germany) were more probably owls; the latter was apparently close to the modern genus Bubo. Judging from this, the Late Miocene remains from France described as "Ardea" aureliensis should also be restudied.[9] The Messelasturidae, some of which were initially believed to be basal Strigiformes, are now generally accepted to be diurnal birds of prey showing some convergent evolution towards owls. The taxa often united under Strigogyps[10] were formerly placed in part with the owls, specifically the Sophiornithidae; they appear to be Ameghinornithidae instead.

For fossil species and paleosubspecies of extant taxa, see the genus and species articles.

Superstitions About Owl In Africa

Among the Kikuyu of Kenya it was believed that owls were harbingers of death. If one saw an owl or heard its hoot, someone was going to die. In general, owls are viewed as harbingers of bad luck, ill health, or death. The belief is widespread even today.

Owl Conservation Issues

All owls are listed in Appendix II of the international CITES treaty (the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Although owls have long been hunted, a 2008 news story from Malaysia indicates that the magnitude of owl poaching may be on the rise. In November 2008, TRAFFIC reported the seizure of 900 plucked and "oven-ready" owls in Peninsular Malaysia. Said Chris Shepherd, Senior Programme Officer for TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia office, "This is the first time we know of where 'ready-prepared' owls have been seized in Malaysia, and it may mark the start of a new trend in wild meat from the region. We will be monitoring developments closely." Traffic commended the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Malaysia for the raid that exposed the huge haul of owls. Included in the seizure were dead and plucked Barn Owls, Spotted Wood Owls, Crested Serpent Eagles, Barred Eagles, and Brown Wood Owls, as well as 7,000 live lizards.