Rare White Animals

Animals are beautiful, but there’s something extra special about the creatures shown below.

Fore more images go to www.reshareworthy.com 

Snowflake The Gorilla

Claude The Alligator

Lion

Moose

Vulture

The Bird That Is Known As One Of Nature's True Polyglots

image credit - wikipedia

As its scientific name (Mimus polyglottos) suggests, the Northern Mockingbird is one of nature’s true polyglots (polyglottos means “many-tongued”). It imitates not only birds but, it can also imitate dog barks, frog calls, sounds of machinery, whistles, and bells. It is capable of learning sounds quickly, integrating them onto its own song. So diverse is its repertoire, that no two songs are the same. Mimicry is crucial for sexual selection – the larger the male’s repertoire, the greater is its attractiveness to females.

The Northern Mockingbird has pale grey upperparts, dull whitish grey underparts, and a long tail. Its dark wings have two white wing-bars and large white patches which, together with the white tail sides, are clearly visible in flight. Males and females look alike, though only males sing. The Northern Mockingbird is an omnivore, its diet consists of arthropods, earthworms, fruits, seeds, berries, and seldom, lizards.

The Northern Mockingbird is known for its intelligence, in a paper published in 2009, researchers found that mockingbirds were able to recall an individual human who, earlier in the study, had approached and threatened the mockingbirds' nest. Researchers had one participant stand near a mockingbird nest and touch it, while others avoided the nest. Later, the mockingbirds recognized the intruder and exhibited defensive behavior, while ignoring the other individuals. (wikipedia)

The Northern Mockingbird is the only mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe.

The Spectacular Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise

 image credit - wikipedia

The Wilson's Bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus respublica), is a very small, up to about 16 cm, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family.

The spectacular male Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise has a bare blue crown with criss-crossing lines on it. The turquoise blue of its head is said to be so vivid that it is clearly visible at night. It has a yellow mantle on its neck, a crimson back, a mixture of blackish-brown/crimson wings, emerald green breast, a light green mouth, and bright blue feet. Its short tail is black and it has two spiraling tail feathers. The female is much less ornately adorned than the male - a brownish bird with a bare blue crown and black head. The female also lacks the spiral tail feathers. Immature males are very similar in appearance to the female. However, the inconspicuous behavior of this species means that it is more easily located by its calls.

The male chooses a display ground, usually a small clearing in dense forest, which he must tidy, by removing leaves and litter. The emerald green breast-shield is thrust forward, and the spiral tail feathers flicked during the display.

An Indonesian endemic, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is distributed to the hill and lowland rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta Islands off northern West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), Indonesia. The diet consists mainly of fruits and also some small insects.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and exploitation, the Wilson's Bird-of-paradise is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

The Eared Pigmy Tyrant (Myiornis auricularis)

Image credit: wikipedia

One of the smallest of all Tyrant flycatchers, the Eared Pigmy Tyrant (Myiornis auricularis) weighs over less than some hummingbirds. It has a rounded grey head, and the most noticeable feature of its plumage is the large, crescent-shaped black ear patch, which gives the species its common name. It is found in the forest of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. 

Length: 

7 ~ 7.5 cm 

Weight: 5g 

Migration: 

Non-migrant 

Habitat: 

Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

The Penduline Tits

Source of Image

Most species of the Penduline Tit family are found in Eurasia, Africa, and Noth America. The name “Penduline” is derived from their cute pendulous bag-shaped nests, which hang from reeds or trees, normally over water. All have short, somewhat fragile pointed bills allowing them to take insects, spiders, and small seeds.

These docile little birds are constantly active, foraging over reeds, twigs, and leaves, and keeping in contact with one another with thin, sibilant calls. Penduline Tits are generally found in pairs or small groups. Eurasian Penduline Tits may be monogamous or a single male may mate with more than one female and a female with more than one male. In other species, the large numbers of eggs in one nest, suggest that more than one female may contribute.

The Clown Of The Ocean

Atlantic Puffin returning with sand-eels to feed the single chick - image credit 

The Atlantic Puffin is the most colorful auk in North Atlantic, with a large and triangular bill that during the breeding season is red, blue and yellow. It fades in the summer when its outer scales are shed. This bird is mainly black above and white below, with grey to white cheeks and bright red-orange legs and feet. The male is in general slightly larger than the female, but they are colored alike. The curious look of the bird, with its colorful bill and its outstanding piebald plumage, has given rise to nicknames such as '"clown of the ocean" and "sea rooster" 

The Atlantic Puffin is sexually mature at the age of 4 to 5 years. When nesting, the Puffin excavates a burrow deep in the ground. The burrow is often lined with feathers, seaweed or plant matter. Both parents incubate the single-egg (which is produced each year) and rear the young, carrying many small fish, packed cross-wide into their bills, back to the burrow for it to eat. 

These Puffins can dive to depths of up to 70m (200ft) to find the shoaling fish that are its main food. These include sand eels, herring capelins, and sprats which are supplemented by animal plankton in winter.

Environmental Tragedy

Midway (Trailer) - A film by Chris Jordan on Video.

www.midwayjourney.com

The Red-Headed Woodpecker

image credit Chuck Starr via flickr

As its name suggests, the Read-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) has a red head and neck. The back, forewing, and tail are black, contrasting with the white rear wings, under parts, and rump. Their bills are long and chisel shaped, which is significant for drilling into trees. Both the male and female are similar in appearance whereas the young have a brown to black head and neck with a streaked chest and belly.

This species is one of the most omnivorous woodpeckers, taking a very wide range of prey. It flies to catch insects in the air, snatches worms, spiders, insects and sometimes small mammals from the ground, and also feeds on nuts fruits, and seeds. They are also known to eat eggs of others birds.

When it comes to building a nest, the Red-headed Woodpecker likes holes in dead trees or dead limbs of a living tree the best. If a hole already exists they will use it but if none can be found, both male and female will drill out a new nest hole. The female will lay round about 4 to 7 eggs which are incubated for about two weeks with both parents taking a turn.

Extraordinary Features About The Musk Duck

Source of Image

The Musk Duck (Biziura lobata) of Australia is a bulky and unusual-looking member of the stiff-tailed duck group. Its large webbed feet are situated well back on the body and its unique tail has a collection of long, stiff feathers which can be held in fan-shaped. The most striking feature is the distinctive large, leathery lobe of skin under the bill of the mature male, this sac increases in size during the breeding season. The female has a much-reduced lobe under the bill which is only visible at a short distance. Another oddity is that during breeding season, the plumage of the male is usually oily and gives off a strong musky odour – hence the species common name! This oil can even be observed on the surface of the water during the exhausting and noisy displays as the males tries to attract a coterie of females.

The Great Auk Extinction - Today They Can Only Be Seen In Museums

Image from wikipedia

The flightless Great Auk was a northern seabird which stood about 75 to 85 cm high and weighed round about 5 kg, making it the largest member of the alcidae family. It nested in large colonies, which made it easy for people to hunt for its meat, fat, oil, eggs and down feathers. As birds became scarcer, specimen collecting became the proximate cause of their extinction. The last breeding pair was killed on the island of Eldey, off Iceland in 1844, and the last live bird was seen off the Newfoundland Banks in 1852. Today, a number of stuffed Great Auk specimens exist in museums. Words cannot describe how sad I feel whenever I learn about species that are extinct or face extinction due to human actions…

Bird With The Largest And Smallest Wingspan

The largest flying bird ever was an extinct species called Argentavis magnificens, which existed more than 6 million years ago and had an estimated wingspan of up to 8 meters. Today, the absolute record is held by the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), which has extremely long wingspans averaging from 2.51 to 3.5 meters. On land, the title is held jointly by the Andean Condor and the Marabou Stork which have a wingspan of about 3 meters. At the other end of the scale, the Bee Humming Bird of Cuba (Mellisuga helenae) has a tiny wingspan of just about 3.25 cm – by far smaller than many insects.

more...

The Reason Why Urban Birds Sing Longer?

European serin in water

Have you ever had noticed that urban birds sing longer than countryside birds? Well it appears that there is an explanation for this. A study published in the March-April issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology explains that urban birds increase the amount of time they spend in vocal activities in order to compensate for the negative effects of human noise, especially the noise caused by city traffic. The research was conducted through the European serin (a small bird closely related to the canary), which inhabits lands around the Mediterranean Sea, Central Europe and North Africa. The European serim can spend up to 60% of its time singing if the level of the city noise reaches 70 decibles (dB). On the other hand, if the city noise becomes higher than this level, the percentage of the Europeans serins effort starts to diminish, partly because this could negatively influence the European serins other functions such as spending some time monitoring the environment, whereas while singing they are less aware of predators or the arrival of competitors. Researchers also concluded that birds nesting in areas that are noisier by day tend to sing more at night. Other functions of the singing are to attract females and deter potential competitors. It also involves the recognition of dialect within species, allowing birds to stay in touch with their own kind.

Source: digitaljournal

The Tiniest Bird In The World

The tiniest bird in the world is called a Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae). It´s body is about the size of a ... that’s right, large bee. That converts to something like 1.8 grams and a little over 5 centimeters long. The male is known to be smaller than the female of the species. The Bee Hummingbird can be found in Cuba and Isla de la Juventude.

Bee Hummingbirds are very rapid and strong fliers; they can easily be mistaken by an insect. When flying, the wings of the Bee Hummingbird beat about 80 times per second, and during the courtship displays up to 200 times per second. They have the fewest feathers of all birds, which are round about 1.000 feathers. Other species of birds can have up to 25.000 feathers. The diet of the Bee Hummingbird consists mainly of nectar and an occasional spider or insect. In the space of one day, the Bee Hummingbird is capable of visiting up to 1500 flowers. These miniature creatures consume half their body mass and drink 8 times their body mass in water on a daily basis. Now that´s what I call eating and drinking!!!!
Bee Hummingbirds are solitary birds; they only accept each other’s company during the breeding phase. During the rest of the time, they are aggressively territorial; they protect their territories even against much bigger birds. The nest of the Bee Hummingbird is the tiniest of all birds, which is only about 3cm in diameter. The nest usually hosts two tiny eggs at a time which are smaller than two coffee beans. Bee Hummingbird eggs are also known as the world´s smallest bird eggs.

Once, the Bee Hummingbird used to be relatively common, but due to habitat destruction resulting from logging and clearing for farming, it is now amongst the numerous types of Hummingbirds that are classified on the endangered species list. But even today as these fascinating and beautiful creatures are protected, its numbers are, with great sadness, still decreasing.

Source: Wikipedia

The World´s Rarest And Strangest Parrot

The Kakapo is currently known as the world’s rarest and strangest parrot due to its unusual habits. Kakapo are the only parrots that are flightless and mostly active at night, as well as the heaviest, sometimes reaching up to 4kg in weight at maturity. Their courtship is known as “lekking”, where the males gather together to compete and to call the females with a loud and out of the ordinary booming noise. This boom can be heard from 1 to 5 km away, and attracts the females from across the land. Female Kakapo can lay up to three eggs per breeding cycle. After mating the female assumes full liability for nest building, incubation (approximately 30 days), and raising the chicks once they have hatched. It takes about 10 to 12 weeks of age before the chicks are able to depart from their nest.

These unusual birds are endemic throughout the rainforests and grasslands of New Zealand. The Kakapo is strictly vegetarian, eating native plants such as fruit, seeds, leaf buds, green shoots, pollen, and even moss and fungi. Their lifespan can reach up to 60 years, now that’s what I call a mighty age for a bird! Kakapo are solitary birds, they maintain large territories and if another Kakapo happens to intrude, the resident kakapo emits a type of “skraarking” noise in order for it to leave. Although the Kakapo cannot fly; they are good climbers and use their wings as a sort of parachute when they jump from trees as well as for balance and support when they walk and run. Kakapo have the smallest wing size of any other parrot; their feathers are very soft and moss-green in color, with some black on their back and yellow green feathers on their belly, which blends well with native vegetation. Their pronounced claws are particularly useful for climbing.

Before the arrival of humans, many Kakapos used to wonder throughout the three main islands of New Zealand, but now there are fewer than 100 of them. The Kakapo has been classified as a critically endangered species. They are threatened due to predatory animals such as cats, dog’s, stoats, and so on that settlers brought along with them to New Zealand. Unfortunately, they were also hunted for food and eaten by the settlers. Habitat loss was also another problem. The name of this extraordinary creature is derived from the Maori language, which means "night parrot".

Source: Wikipedia

Birds Of Prey - Owls

Owls are birds of prey which are generally active during the night. These creatures have always been regarded as birds of great mystery, most likely due to their nocturnal activities, soundless flight and common screeching calls. Some people think that Owls are spooky; others say that they are wise, and I find them outstanding creatures.

There are as many as 220 to 225 existant species of owls found all over the world and they vary in a lot of different sizes. For instance the Eagle Owl that lives in Europe is known as one of the largest owls in the world, it may reach a size of 60-71 cm (28.4 in) long, whereas the Great Horned owl is one of the biggest owls in North America and the Elf Owl is one of the smallest owls in the world which is about 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long.

Owls have a flat face, a hawk-like beak and usually a noticeable circle of feathers around their forward-facing eyes. They see extremely well in the dark; however they are not capable of seeing anything clearly within a few inches of their eyes because they are far-sighted. Their distant vision, principally in dim light is extremely good. Contrary to the popular myth, Owls cannot spin their head around in circles. They are able to turn their head completely in either direction to see. These birds have well-developed ears, with flaps of skin shaping "outer ears," hidden beneath the feathers. The "ear clumps" on the heads of many owls are, in reality, feathers. The flight feathers of an Owl have special wing features which deadens the owl’s wing-beats, allowing its flight to be practically silent. The owl scoops down like a ghost and grabs its prey with no warning of attack. They feed on small mammals such as rats, insects and other birds. But there are some species of owls that are especially adapted for fishing.

Like most wildlife, owls are increasingly threatened by the loss of their natural habitat due to human activity or climate change. All owls are listed in Appendix II of the international CITES treaty (the Convention of Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).