My Science School

 

          Pigeons are very sociable birds. They are one of the oldest domesticated birds in the world. Is to not an exquisite sight to watch hundreds of pigeons landing down together or taking off to the sky in unison? The largest of pigeon species is the Victoria crowned pigeon.

          The Victoria crowned pigeon can grow to the size of a large chicken. Unlike the domesticated encountered in cities or villages. They are found only in New Guinea and a few surrounding islands in dense jungles. It has a blue lace-like crest with white tips and it makes deep whooping sounds. Its name is derived from Queen Victoria, the British monarch who lived in the 10th century. The length of the bird typically is about 73 to 75 centimetres. However, some specimens have been recorded to cross 80 centimetres in length. The bird weighs around 3.5 kg. Due to deforestation, the species is facing the threat of extinction.

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          Toucans are beautiful birds that have large, colourful bills and vibrant feathers. There are over forty different varieties of toucans. Too toucans are the largest of the species. They measure up to 64 centimetres in length.

          A toco toucan has a black body and a white throat. However the most striking feature of the bird is its colourful beak. The bird feeds on insects, frogs, small reptiles, small birds and their eggs and nestlings. Its long bill enables it to reach for things that otherwise are out of reach.

          Toco toucans are commonly found in South America. They inhabit a range of habitats including tropical forests, savannahs and shrub lands.

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          Have you heard of the Inca Civilization that flourished in Peru between the 15th and the 16th centuries? There is a bird that takes its name from this civilization – Inca tern.

          They are named so as their habitat was under the Inca Empire’s rule years ago. Sometimes the bird is found in the southwest coast of Ecuador too.

          The most distinguishing characteristic of the Inca tern is its beautiful white moustache. Both male and female birds have this feature. They prefer to breed on rocky cliffs. They build their nests in a hollow or burrow in the ground. Sometimes, the bird uses the old nest of Humboldt penguins for laying eggs. Typically, an Inca tern lays one two eggs.

          The Inca tern feeds on small fish. It has the ability to spot its prey from the air. It can swoop down into the water and grab its prey with its pointed beak, all in a matter of seconds. The bird is also known for its distinctive call, which resembles the mew of a cat.

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          The wild is vibrant with colourful birds. Their splendorous hues, add vitality to the green canvas of nature. The Luzon bleeding-heart is an amazing bird that astonishes us with its brilliant colours.

          The bird has a bold-like mark on its breast extending down the belly. The colouration creates the illusion of blood oozing down from its breast.

          At the first glance, the bird looks slate grey in colour. However, it can appear to be purple, royal blue or bottle green because of the iridescence of the feathers. The colour will vary further depending on the lighting conditions.

          The Luzon bleeding-heart is a shy and secretive bird. It is very quiet and keeps to the ground. It does not leave the ground except for nesting.

          Endemic to the southern parts of the large island of Luzon, the bird is found, sometimes, in the neighbouring small Polillo Islands in Philippines too.

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          The national bird of Malaysia is a fellow with a helmet – the rhinoceros hornbill. Its helmet is not used to protect it from head injuries, but rather to make its horns heard around the forest.

          The rhinoceros hornbill is a large forest hornbill and it gets its name from the casque, a helmet like structure on its bill that resembles a rhino’s horn. The casque is hollow and acts as a resonating chamber, amplifying the bird’s call.

          Rhinoceros hornbills have a single partner throughout their life. Looks like they believe in marriage! They nest in huge trees with cavities and are found in mountain forests uptio1400 metres above the sea level. They are found in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and southern Thailand.

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          The males of the ribbon tailed astrapia carry their long white tail feathers wherever they fly just like a jet plane leaves a smoky white trail in the sky. The male ribbon tailed astrapia has the longest tail feathers in relation to the size of its body. A medium sized bird is around 32 cm long and its tail measures up-to 1m.

          The females appear rather dull with brown plumage in comparison to the males who have glossy reddish brown feathers and white tail feathers. The tail feathers do not provide any survival aid. Often, it gets tangled on the braches when the birds swing into action. The tails are rather used to attract females for mating.

          The female ribbon tailed astrapia enjoy the privilege of choosing their partner, a compensation for their dull appearance indeed! Also known as Shaw Mayer’s astrapia, this bird belongs to the bird-of-paradise species. It was discovered recently in Papa New Guinea.

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          The shoebill is unique because taxonomists find it hard to classify it into any of the existing groups.

          The bird does not have any obvious connections to any other bird species, living or extinct. The giant of a bird is endemic to Africa and is mostly found in the northeastern swamps. A full grown shoebill is usually 1-1.4 m tall with a wingspan of 2.3-2.6 m. they are named after their beaks which look like a shoe.

          They are skilled hunters and lungfish is their preferred prey. Young shoebills are often eaten up by crocodiles. Ironically, young crocodiles are sometimes eaten up by shoebills though they prefer fish. Because of its huge size and colour, shoebills are sometimes compared to Hippogriff, a mythical creature that appears in J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. It doesn’t have four legs, though!

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          How would it look if a bird has claws on its wings? Wing claws were a common feature of prehistoric birds. Hoatzins have managed to maintain their wing claws even after generations of evolution. Baby hoatzins are born with wing claws that are shed as they mature.

          Flying is a difficult task for hoatzins and walking impossible. Even a 300m long flight would be a huge achievement for them. They usually prefer to live in swamps and waterside homes though they cannot swim well. However, young hoatzins can jump into water and swim when faced with danger. Their maroon eyes pop out of their blue, featherless skin around their head and their brown plumage is largely kempt.

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          Bird sounds have influenced music time and again. Legendary musicians including Beethoven and Vivaldi are said to have been inspired by bird sounds.

          The bird sounds range from soft whistling to rough grunts and trills. Here is a bird with a call that resembles the rings of bells! Three-wattled bellbirds are known for their distinctive bell-like call. They are often heard than seen since these birds are very shy and rarely come out of their dwelling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their status as vulnerable, making us doubtful if we could hear bell-like calls in future.

          The bird hails from Latin America and is usually found in high mountain forests. Its migration pattern is not clearly understood. During winter, it migrates to lowland forests and goes to Costa Rica, Western Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama to bread. The size of the three-wattled bellbird ranges from 25 to 30 cm.

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          Cities and monuments are often named after kings. Ever heard of a bird which is named after a king? King of Saxony bird-of-paradise enjoys the royal privilege of being named after King Albert of Saxony.

          Its scientific name “Albert” too is in honour of the king just like its local name. The bird is also known as “Kiss-a-baa” in New Guinea, where it is originally from. This name comes from a human interpretation of the male’s loud call. Too many names. Isn’t it?

         The adult King Saxony bird-of-paradise is approximately 22 cm long. Male Alberta’s have two long feathers that stick out from their head almost as long as their body. It was so bizarre that when the first specimen was brought to Europe, people took it for a fake head gear.

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          The kakapo is an extraordinary bird with an extraordinary story. These nocturnal birds belong to the flightless parrots. Endemic to New Zealand, these birds are critically endangered and demand the attention of conservationists.

          Plenty of kakapos lived in New Zealand's landscape be-fore humans arrived there. The animals that humans brought along preyed on kakapos which put them on the brink of extinction. Thanks to the New Zealand Wildlife Service for their interventions including transferring them to predator-free islands, there is a steady increase in the number of kakapos.

           It is also known as owl parrot as its face is shaped like an owl. It is one of the heaviest and possibly longest-living birds. A full grown kakapo weighs up to four kg. They have small eyes and a well-developed sense of smell that helps them to track down their favourite plants for food.

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        Do all owls sleep in the mornings and hunt at night? Well, we have a rebel here. Snowy owls are not night owls; in fact they are active during the day. If you ever hear someone discussing snowball-like creatures that devour rabbits, rodents and smaller birds, they are definitely talking about snowy owls.

        From a distance, they look like snowballs with brown or black spots here and there. These birds are patient hunters who wait to identify their prey before launching an attack. Their sharp eyesight and keen hearing aid them in finding the prey, even under thick vegetation or snow covered lands.

        It has a dense plumage that helps in camouflaging it and the sharp talons enable it to snatch the catch deftly.

        Snowy owls are native of the arctic regions in North America and Eurasia and are especially active in summers.

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          A national flag is representative of the country and the ideals it holds on to. Various symbols are used in the design of national flags including birds.

          The resplendent quetzal appears not only in the national flag of Guatemala, but also in its currency and coat of arms with a display of its splashy green body. It is the national bird of Guatemala.

          The Guatemalan currency gets its name from the bird-‘quetzal’. The resplendent quetzal was first described by the Mexican naturalist Pablo de La Llave in 1832. His description brought this green coloured bird to the spotlight. Soon it gained celebrity status.

          The resplendent quetzal has been praised for its beauty across time and cultures. It has an iridescent green body with shades ranging from green gold to blue violet and a bright red breast. Its upper tail feather is longer than its entire body. Sounds like a heavenly bird. Doesn’t it? It is found from Chiapas in Mexico to western Panama. It spends most of its time just sitting on a perch seemingly staring into space. It can also turn its head around almost 180 degrees, just as an owl does.

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          Frigate birds are notorious for their acts of piracy. The word pirate probably gives you the image of Jack Sparrow from the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean with his pirate hat and soiled clothes, ransacking ships and cities for gold and silver.

          Their brownish black plumage gives them a pirate-like appearance and most of their food is acquired by chasing other birds, forcing them to give up their catch. They were sometimes known as Man 0' War, because of aerie piracy. They forage on lagoons and seas occasionally hunting down fish, especially flying fish.

          The magnificent is a seabird of the tropical Atlantic. It is a very large bird with a length of 89-114 cm a wingspan of 2.17-2.44 m. these elegant birds usually engage in a silent flight spreading their long angular wings and deeply forked tails.

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          Little Red Riding Hood is remembered for her red hood. But have you ever thought of an orange hood? The males of the Andean cock-of-the-rock, also known as tunki are always noted for their bright orange crown. Their beauty is a bane for them as it exposes them to birds of prey and even snakes, thus making them vulnerable. Encroachment of their habitat is another major threat to the species.

          The Andean cock-of-the-rock is indigenous to the subtropical forests of South America. Often spotted near upland streams, it feeds on fruits, insects and at times small vertebrates. Seems like a mixed diet!

          Females of the Andean cock take the responsibility of building nests which is plastered to cave entrances or rocky outcrops using mud. Their world-wide population and trends in their numbers have not been determined. Still, it is believed that these birds are not threatened.

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