HUMBOLDT PENGUIN

 The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) is a medium-sized penguin that lives in South America. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin and the cold water current it swims in both are named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

Appearance

Humboldt penguins have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin and joins at the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. The male is heavier and larger than the female and has a longer bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breast-band. They have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey.

Distribution

Humboldt penguins are found only on the west coast of South America. They breed from southern Chile along the dry and arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert to subtropical Isla Foca in north Peru. Their range is restricted to the coast and offshore islands affected by the Humboldt current, which provides a continuous supply of nutrients and food. In Chile, the most important breeding colony is at Isla Chañaral. Humboldt penguins are sedentary during the breeding season; they usually stay in proximity to their nests. They can cover large distances, particularly in response to food shortages or changes in environmental conditions. They are a true migrant between Peru and Chile. Humboldt penguins breed on cliff tops, caverns, hollows, cliff tops, beaches, and scrapes covered by vegetation.

Habits and Lifestyle

Humboldt penguins are highly social and communicative birds, gathering in large colonies, providing them protection from predators. They are excellent swimmers and see well both underwater and on land. Humboldt penguins are visual hunters. They leave their islands for foraging after sunrise and different populations have different preferred foraging distances from the colony. Their foraging rhythm depends on the light intensity. They spend more time foraging during overnight trips. Fish are mostly seized from below through short, shallow dives. Penguins, not rearing chicks, are able to be away from their colonies and can travel long distances, looking for new foraging areas. However, those, rearing chicks, generally tend to stay in the same area, foraging in shallow water. Humboldt penguins have different calls that they use to communicate in different ways. If an individual comes too close to an adult Humboldt penguin, the ‘Yell’ is a warning call which is followed by pecking or chasing if ignored. The ‘Throb’ is a soft call between pairs at the nest, used by incubating birds when their mates return to the nest. The ‘Haw’ is a short call given by juveniles alone in the water and by paired birds when one is on the water and the other is on land. The ‘Bray’ is a long call used to attract a mate and advertise a territory during the pre-laying and pre-hatching periods. The ‘Courtship Bray’ is similar to the ‘Bray’, however a different posture is assumed and is given synchronously by pairs during the pre-laying period: the birds stand together pointing their necks and head up, with flippers out to the side. The ‘Peep’ is given by chicks begging for food.

Diet and Nutrition

Humboldt penguins are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet primarily consists of pelagic schooling fish. Northern colonies consume primarily Atlantic saury and garfish, whilst southern populations primarily consume anchovy, Araucanian herring, silver-side, pilchard and squid.

Mating Habits

Humboldt penguins are monogamous and form pairs. The breeding season lasts from March to December, with the highest breeding activity in April and August-September. Before mating, the animals undergo a molting period of about 2 weeks, during which they do not go out to sea and have to starve. By the end of the molt, they finally venture into the sea to forage and return to their breeding grounds, where they mate. During courtship, Humboldt penguins bow their heads to each other and exchange mutual glances with each eye, alternatively. To attract a partner, the bird extends its head vertically, collapses its chest, flaps its wings, and emits a loud call resembling the braying of a donkey. The mutual displaying consists of the pair standing side by side repeating the actions once again. Humboldt penguins burrow their nests on the ground on guano layers and beaches, or nest on cliff tops. Usually, 1-2 eggs are laid and incubated for about 40 days. Both the male and female incubate the eggs alternately. When the chicks hatch out they are semi-altricial; both parents care for them, until the young reach the age of 70-90 days, when they gain their adult plumage. By that time, the young are fully independent and go to sea. They become reproductively mature and are ready to breed at 3 years of age.

Population

Population threats

Humboldt penguins are frequently tangled in fishing nets and killed by explosives, used by fishermen. They are threatened because of mining operations, conducted in the area of their range. The animals are captured for the illegal pet trade, food, as use as fish bait. Human disturbance is among other serious threats to this species’ population; in the northern part of Chile, an important breeding site of Humboldt penguins is presently in danger due to the construction of 2 coal-fired power stations in the area.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Humboldt penguin is 23,800 mature individuals. The breeding population in Chile consists of 5,100 breeding pairs, equating to 10,200 mature individuals. In Peru, the population is estimated to be 13,600 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.

PHILIPPINE SCOPS OWL

The Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis ) is a common owl, endemic to the Philippines, belonging to the family of the typical owls Strigidae. Other common names include “Otus Whitehead”, “Whitehead scops owl” and “Luzon lowland scops owl”. Everett’s scops owl (Otus megalotis everetti) and Negros scops owls (Otus megalotis nigrorum) were formerly considered conspecific but are now classified as subspecies of Otus megalotis.

Appearance

The Philippine scops owl is a fairly small-to-mid-sized species of owl, but is arguably the largest true species of scops owl. Adults measure from measuring around 23 to 28 cm (9.1 to 11.0 in). Body mass can range variously from 125 to 310 g (4.4 to 10.9 oz), with females often considerably larger than males. A distinguishing feature of this owl is its large ears that are standing upright on its head. They also have big eyes that are dark in the center with a red/orange edge. In general, these owls are covered in dark brown feathers with dark streaks on them. Their ear tuffs also follow a similar pattern. Their forehead is whitish and they have a dark line around their facial disk. There are three subspecies of Philippine scops owl which show three variations in morphology. The smallest morph, Otus megalotis nigrorum, has a reddish brown color, no scapular line, and no feathers on its upper feet. The medium-sized morph, Otus megalotis everetti, also lacks a scapular line and feathers on its upper feet but it has a more greyish brown color. Finally, Otus megalotis megalotis, is the largest of all three varieties and also has a grey brown color but it shows a scapular line and feathers on its upper feet. Other morphological differences between the subspecies can be seen in the length of the tail, the wings, the culmen and the tarsus. These traits are longer in O. m. megalotis and are shorter in O. m. nigrorum.

There are no significant difference in morphology between male and female Philippine scops owls although female scops owls tend to be larger in general. The owlets however, present some contrast as they have fluffy rufous feathers. Once they reach the sub-adult age, they are black and greyish-white until they finally reach adulthood and turn brownish.

Habits and Lifestyle

Philippine scops owls are sedentary birds with a limited home range. The fact that different subspecies are found on different islands limits intraspecific competition and allows these birds to have a smaller distribution where all the necessary resources are available.

Diet and Nutrition

These carnivorous owls prey upon animals such as insects and small mammals. During nighttime, they perch in trees where the land is relatively open, which offers them a better view of the surrounding preys. They are ferocious feeders and specialize in tearing flesh. Their raptorial claws, curved bill and excellent hearing and sighting skill make them powerful predators. They have been observed to kill their victim by crushing its head, then breaking every other bone of the body to finally swallow the animal whole. This method has cost the lives of many juveniles who suffocate because the prey is too large to swallow. Philippine scops owls were also noticed to feed on spider species such as Heteropoda venatoria.

Mating Habits

Otus megalotis are often spotted alone but have also been seen in monogamous pairs. Not a lot of information is known about their reproduction but they are thought to breed throughout the year where females will lay 1 to 2 eggs annually. Sexual maturity is reached around the age of 2 but their lifespan is unknown. One juvenile with two adults have been witnessed multiple times which supports the theory that they are monogamous birds who display parental care from both the father and the mother.

They construct their nests in tree cavities but also among the roots of dead trees on the ground.

Southern rockhopper penguin

 The southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) is a species of rockhopper penguin, that is sometimes considered distinct from the northern rockhopper penguin. It occurs in subantarctic waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as around the southern coasts of South America.

Rockhopper penguins are known to have complex foraging behaviors. Influenced by factors such as sea ice abundance, prey availability, breeding stage, and seasonality, rockhopper penguins must be able to adapt their behavior to fit the current conditions. Rockhopper penguins employ different strategies according to their conditions. When making foraging trips, rockhoppers typically leave and return to their colonies in groups. One study showed they are known for going up to 157 km away from their colonies when foraging. Females typically forage during the day in 11-12h trips consisting of many dives, but they will occasionally forage at night. Night dives are typically much shallower than day dives. Dives typically last around 12h, but can be up to 15hrs, with penguins leaving the colony around dawn (04:00) and returning at dusk (19:00).

Rockhopper penguins employ different strategies and foraging behaviors depending on the climate and environment. A main factor is food location. Subantarctic penguins must dive for longer periods of time and much deeper in search of food than do species in warmer waters where food is more easily accessible.

Description

This is the smallest yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin in the genus Eudyptes. It reaches a length of 45–58 cm (18–23 in) and typically weighs 2–3.4 kg (4.4–7.5 lb), although there are records of exceptionally large rockhoppers weighing 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). It has slate-grey upper parts and has straight, bright yellow eyebrows ending in long yellowish plumes projecting sideways behind a red eye.

Ecology

The southern rockhopper penguin group has a global population of roughly 1 million pairs. About two-thirds of the global population belongs to E. c. chrysocome which breeds on the Falkland Islands and on islands off Patagonia. These include most significantly Isla de los Estados, the Ildefonso Islands, the Diego Ramírez Islands and Isla Noir. E. c. filholi breeds on the Prince Edward Islands, the Crozet Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, the Auckland Islands and the Antipodes Islands. Outside the breeding season, the birds can be found roaming the waters offshore their colonies.

These penguins feed on krill, squid, octopus, lantern fish, mollusks, plankton, cuttlefish, and mainly crustaceans.

A rockhopper penguin, named Rocky, in Bergen Aquarium in Norway, lived to 29 years 4 months. It died in October 2003. This stands as the age record for rockhopper penguins, and possibly it was the oldest penguin known.

Benthic and pelagic dives

Rockhopper penguins are known to employ two different types of dives when foraging, pelagic and benthic dives. Pelagic dives are typically short and relatively shallow and used very frequently. Benthic dives are much deeper dives near the seafloor (up to 100 m deep) that typically last longer and have longer bottom time. Penguins performing benthic dives typically only perform a few depth wiggles (changes in depth profile) at their maximum depth. at an average speed of range of 6.9–8.1 kilometres per hour (6,900–8,100 m/h). Although deeper dives tend to be a bit longer than shallow dives, foraging rockhoppers will minimize their travel time when performing benthic dives to gain maximum efficiency. Benthic dives in particular show a stronger correlation to full stomachs than pelagic dives. Emperor penguins, gentoo penguins, yellow-eyed penguins and king penguins also use this deep-dive technique to obtain food.

Prey availability is dependent on many factors, such as current climate and conditions of the area. Typically, females will bring back a majority of crustaceans and occasionally some fish for their young. The female’s foraging success directly affects chick growth. If food is scarce, females are able to fast for very long periods of time and sometimes will only forage for the chick’s benefit.

Dive limitations

Because foraging conditions and outcomes are so variable, several factors can limit foraging practices. The timing of breeding, incubation and brooding periods greatly affect foraging time, as females are unable to leave broods for long periods of time. Females during the brooding period will follow a much more fixed foraging schedule, leaving and returning to the colony at roughly the same time each day. When not in breeding season, females have much more variability in the length of foraging trips. If females have low energy levels because they are fasting while provisioning chicks, they may make several short foraging trips instead of one longer one.

While benthic dives are efficient and favorable for rockhoppers, they present physiological limitations such as limits in lung capacity, which affects duration of dives. The longest aerobic dive rockhoppers can perform is about 110 seconds long, but dives can last upwards of 180–190 seconds.

PAINTED STORK

The painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala ) is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other waterbirds. The only sounds they produce are weak moans or bill clattering at the nest. They are not migratory and only make short distance movements in some parts of their range in response to changes in weather or food availability or for breeding. Like other storks, they are often seen soaring on thermals.

Appearance

Painted storks are large waders found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia. Their distinctive pink flight feathers of the adults give them their name. These beautifully colored birds have a heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip that gives them a resemblance to an ibis. Males and females appear alike but the males of a pair are usually larger than the female.

Distribution

Painted storks are widely distributed over the plains of Asia. They are found south of the Himalayan ranges and are bounded on the west by the Indus River system where they are rare and extend eastwards into Southeast Asia. Painted storks are absent from very dry or desert regions, dense forests, and the higher hill regions. They prefer freshwater wetlands in all seasons, but also use irrigation canals and crop fields, particularly flooded rice fields during the monsoon.

Habits and Lifestyle

Painted storks are not migratory and only make short-distance movements in some parts of their range in response to changes in weather or food availability or for breeding. These birds are highly gregarious and feed in groups in shallow wetlands, crop fields, and irrigation canals. Painted storks feed mainly on small fish which they sense by touch while slowly sweeping their half-open bill from side to side while it held submerged. They walk slowly and also disturb the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They forage mainly in the day but may forage late or even at night under exceptional conditions. After they are fed Painted storks may stand still on the shore for long durations. Like other storks, they are mostly silent but clatter their bills at the nest and may make some harsh croaking or low moaning sounds at the nest.

Diet and Nutrition

Painted storks are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet consists mainly of small fish, but also crustaceans, amphibians, insects, and reptiles. They also take frogs and occasionally snakes.

Mating Habits

Painted storks are monogamous and form pairs. They breed on trees either in mixed colonies along with other water birds or by themselves. The breeding season begins in the winter months shortly after the monsoons. In northern India, the breeding season begins in mid-August while in southern India the nest initiation begins around October and continues till February and or even until April. The female lays 1 to 5 eggs and incubates them for about a month. The chicks are altricial; they are born naked and with closed eyes. To feed nestlings, parents regurgitate fish that they have caught and these are typically smaller than 20 cm long. The fledging period is nearly two months and reproductive maturity is generally reached at about 4 years of age.

Population

Population threats

The main threats to Painted storks include habitat loss and agricultural pollution, disturbance from human activities, hunting of adult birds, and collection of eggs and newly hatched chicks.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Painted stork population size is around 25,000-35,000 individuals or 16,000-24,000 mature individuals. This includes 25,000 individuals in South Asia and 1-10,000 individuals in South-East Asia. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

Comb duck

 The comb duck or American comb duck (Sarkidiornis sylvicola ), is an unusual duck, found in tropical wetlands in continental South America south to the Paraguay River region in eastern Paraguay, southeastern Brazil and extreme northeastern Argentina, and as a vagrant on Trinidad.

Most taxonomic authorities split this species and the knob-billed duck from each other. The comb duck is generally smaller in size when compared to the knob-billed duck, and flanks are darker (black in males, medium grey in females).

Appearance

This common species is unmistakable. It is one of the largest species of duck. Length can range from 56 to 76 cm (22 to 30 in), wingspan ranges from 116 to 145 cm (46 to 57 in) and weight from 1.03 to 2.9 kg (2.3 to 6.4 lb). Adults have a white head freckled with dark spots, and a pure white neck and underparts. The upperparts are glossy blue-black upperparts, with bluish and greenish iridescence especially prominent on the secondary (lower arm feathers). The male is much larger than the female, and has a large black knob on the bill.

If seen at a distance, immature comb ducks can also be mistaken for a fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor ). However, knob-billed ducks in immature plumage are rarely seen without adults nearby and thus they are usually easily identified, too.

Uncertainty surrounds the correct systematic placement of this species. Initially, it was placed in the dabbling duck subfamily Anatinae. Later, it was assigned to the “perching ducks”, a paraphyletic assemblage of waterfowl most of which are intermediate between dabbling ducks and shelducks. As the “perching ducks” were split up, the comb duck was moved to the Tadorninae or shelduck subfamily.

Analysis of mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes, however, suggests that it is a quite basal member of the Anatidae, vindicating the earliest placement, but its closest living relatives cannot be resolved to satisfaction without further study.

Mating Habits

Comb ducks nest mainly in tree holes, also in tall grass. They line their nests with reeds, grass, or feathers, but not down.

Males may have two mates at once or up to five in succession. They defend the females and young, but not the nest sites. Unmated males perch in trees and wait for opportunities to mate.

Females lay seven to 15 yellowish-white eggs. Several females may lay in a single “dump nest” containing up to 50 eggs.

Habits and Lifestyle

It breeds in still freshwater swamps and lakes in the tropics. It is largely resident, apart from dispersion in the wet season.

This duck feeds on vegetation by grazing or dabbling and to a lesser extent on small fish, invertebrates, and seeds. It can become a problem to rice farmers. Knob-billed ducks often perch in trees. They are typically seen in flocks, small in the wet season, up to 100 in the dry season. Sometimes they separate according to sex.

Bar-tailed Godwits: migration & survival

 The Bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large wader. The migration of its subspecies Limosa lapponica baueri across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to New Zealand is the longest known non-stop flight of any bird, and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal. The round-trip migration for this subspecies is over 29,000 km (18,020 mi).

Appearance

The Bar-tailed godwit is a relatively short-legged species of godwit. The adult has blue-grey legs and a long, tapering, slightly upturned bi-colored bill: pink at the base and black towards the tip. The neck, breast, and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, and dark brown above. Females’ breeding plumage is much duller than males, with a chestnut to cinnamon belly. Breeding plumage is not fully apparent until the third year, and there are three distinguishable age classes; during their first migration north immature males are noticeably paler in colour than more mature males. Non-breeding birds seen in the Southern Hemisphere are plain grey-brown with darker feather centres, giving them a striped look, and are whitish underneath. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but more buff overall with streaked plumages on flanks and breast.

Distribution

Geography

Bar-tailed godwits breed in Scandinavia, northern Asia, and Alaska and migrate to coastal East and South Asia, Australia, Africa, northwestern Europe, and New Zealand. Their breeding grounds include open tundra, mudflats, marshy and swampy areas, river valleys, lakes, and bogs. The winter habitats are usually located along muddy coastlines, estuaries, shallow bays and lagoons.

Habits and Lifestyle

Bar-tailed godwits are social but extremely wary birds. They congregate in flocks but when feeding during the day they may disperse individually or in small groups. Bar-tailed godwits forage by probing in mudflats or marshes using their long sensitive bills. They may also find insects by sight in short vegetation. When birds are alarmed they produce high-pitched “kik” or “kiv-ik”. During courtship displays and on nesting grounds their calls sound as “a-wik, a-wik, a-wik” and a “ku-wew, ku-wew”.

Diet and Nutrition

Bar-tailed godwits are carnivores and eat mainly insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. They may also feed on parts of aquatic plants, seeds, and berries occasionally.

Mating Habits

Bar-tailed godwits are monogamous which means that one male mates with only one female. They breed between May and June performing courtship displays in which the male circles high above the nest site and calls loudly. The nest is a shallow cup in moss sometimes lined with vegetation. The female lays 2 to 4 which are incubated about 20-22 days. Both parents share incubation of the eggs and care for the young. The chicks are precocial (fully-developed; they hatch with their eyes open and are able to follow their parents to nearby marshy areas to find their own food. The young fledge and become independent from their parents when they are 1 month old reach reproductive maturity at 2 years of age.

Population

Population threats

Major threats to Bar-tailed godwits include habitat loss due to residential and commercial development, expansion of the agriculture and mining, climate change and serve weather as well as hunting in some areas of their range. They also suffer from pollution, human disturbance, and outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Ostrich Fact Sheet

 Ostrich: the largest and heaviest living bird.

Kingdom: | Animalia
Phylum: | Chordata
Class: | Aves
Order: | Struthioniformes
Family: | Struthiondae
Genus: | Struthio

There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich (Struthio camelus) and the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes).

Size and Weight:

The ostrich is the largest and heaviest living bird. Males are typically larger than females, weighing 220 to 287 pounds and measuring 6.9 to 9 feet in height. Meanwhile, females weigh 198 to 242 pounds and range in height from 5.7 to 6.2 feet.

Appearance:

Ostriches are the largest and heaviest birds in the world. Given their weight, they are flightless and cannot fly into the sky. Instead, ostriches are great runners and are able to reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour. One stride can be 10 to 16 feet long. They have long, strong legs with two clawed toes, allowing them to reach these high speeds.

An ostrich has a long neck, prominent eyes and sweeping eyelashes. Ostriches have the largest eye of any land animal. An ostrich’s eye is nearly 2 inches across. Their long neck and excellent vision help them see great distances, allowing them to keep an eye out for predators.

Ostriches have unique feathers that are loose, soft, and smooth, giving them a “shaggy” look. Adult male ostriches are black with white wings and tail feathers, while immature birds and adult females have brownish-gray feathers.

Diet:

Ostriches are omnivores. Their diet varies depending on the food available in their habitat. They primarily eat plants, but also eat insects, snakes, lizards and rodents. They are able to consume things that other animals can’t digest because they have tough intestines to absorb as many nutrients as possible. Ostriches also swallow sand, pebbles, and small stones that help grind up food in the gizzard. Since they eat a lot of plants, ostriches do not need to drink water. However, they may drink water at a water hole.

Habitat:

Ostrich habitats include savannas and desert regions.

Geography:

Ostriches are native to Africa.

Breeding:

Ostrich courtship is ritualized and synchronized. A male used his black-and-white coloring to attract a female. He will sink to the ground like a bow and then wave and shake the feathers of first one wing and then the other while moving his tail up and down. After this movement, he gets up and moves toward the female, holding his wings out and stamping as he goes to impress her. If she approves, she mates with him.

The dominant hen mates with the territorial male, and they share the tasks of incubating the eggs and caring for the chicks. The territorial male is polygamous and may mate with other females. The other females may also mate with wandering males. The other females then lay their eggs in the same nest as the dominant hen’s eggs. The nest is a shallow depression scratched in the dirt by the male. The dominant hen makes sure her eggs are closest to the center, and therefore most likely to hatch successfully. A communal nest allows more eggs to successfully hatch overall for the flock. A female ostrich lays 7 to 10 eggs at a time. Ostrich eggs are the largest eggs, weighing about 3 pounds, measuring 6 inches in length and measuring 5 inches across. Only dinosaurs produced larger eggs.

The incubation period is about 42 to 46 days. When they hatch, the chicks are about the size of barnyard chickens, but they grow at a rate of 1 foot per month. Chicks will start to leave the nest with their parents a few days after hatching. By four months, they start to show their adult plumage and by six months, they are about the size of their parents. Ostriches reach sexual maturity around three or four years old, which is when males grow their black-and-white feathers.

Social Structure:

Ostriches live in groups, which helps with defense. They are typically found in flocks of about 10 birds or just a male and female pair but sometimes gather in large flocks of 100 or more. These groups have a pecking order with a dominant male, a dominant female called the “main hen” and several other females. The dominant male establishes and defends their territory. Lone males may also come and go during the breeding season.

Lifespan:

In the wild, ostriches live 30 to 40 years. But in captivity, ostriches have been known to live until their 70.

Threats:

Ostriches have several natural predators, including cheetahs, lions, leopards, hunting dogs and spotted hyenas. Other predators, like Egyptian vultures and jackals, may take ostrich eggs. When an ostrich senses danger and cannot run away from the threat, it will flop to the ground and remain still with its head and neck flat on the ground, so it blends in with the ground. When an adult ostrich is threatened, it attacks with a ​clawed foot that delivers a kick powerful enough to kill a lion.

Humans pose other major threats to ostrich populations and their habitats. As human populations grow and expand, ostriches are losing their habitat. Ostrich feathers have long been popular in fashion. In the 18th century, ostrich feathers were so popular in fashion, particularly in the hat industry, ostrich populations declined. Ostrich farming helped the population recover and still continues on a smaller scale. Ostriches are farmed and hunted for feathers, skin, meat, eggs, and fat.

Conservation Status:

The common ostrich is listed as “Least Concern” according to the IUCN’s Red List. Meanwhile, the Somali ostrich is listed as “Vulnerable.”

Conservation Efforts:

Strict protection and farming are needed to conserve the remaining ostrich populations. Conservation groups and government agencies work to protect these populations. For example, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park works with the red-necked ostrich in Niger and provides technical expertise and funding to develop and manage a breeding program for the birds. This helps to establish secure and self-sustaining populations in that country. The African Wildlife Foundation helps to conserve ostrich populations by working with local communities to decide on an appropriate plan to bring tourism to the area.

BROWN NODDY

The brown noddy or common noddy (Anous stolidus ) is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown noddy is a tropical seabird with a worldwide distribution, ranging from Hawaii to the Tuamotu Archipelago and Australia in the Pacific Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Seychelles and Australia in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean to Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean. The brown noddy is colonial, usually nesting on elevated situations on cliffs or in short trees or shrubs. It only occasionally nests on the ground. A single egg is laid by the female of a pair each breeding season. In India, the brown noddy is protected in the PM Sayeed Marine Birds Conservation Reserve.

Appearance

The brown noddy is 38–45 cm (15–18 in) in length with a wingspan of 75–86 cm (30–34 in). The plumage is a dark chocolate-brown with a pale-grey or white crown and forehead. It has a narrow incomplete white eye-ring. The tail is long and wedge-shaped, and the feet and legs are dark.

Diet and Nutrition

The brown noddy forages by swooping over the water and dipping down to catch small squid and fish.

Mating Habits

The brown noddy is a colonial bird, usually nesting on cliffs, trees, or bushes. It occasionally lays its eggs on the bare ground. The nest itself is usually a platform nest, made of sticks and twigs.

In their nuptial displays, the female and male bow and nod to each other. Courtship feeding and flights accompany this, in addition to the transfer of a small, freshly caught fish from the male to the female.

This bird lays a clutch of one pink cream egg with lilac and chestnut maculation. The egg usually measures around 52 by 35 millimetres (2.0 by 1.4 in). This egg is incubated by both sexes for 33 to 36 days, with each parent incubating for one or two days while their mate is feeding at sea. After the chick hatches, it grows quickly; usually reaching the weight of the parents in three weeks. When it fledges, about six to seven weeks after hatching, it can sometimes weigh more than the parents, although this weight is lost quickly once it starts to fly. At this point, the fledgling is starting to rely on its parents less and less as it learns how to provide for itself.

That’s her

Find a guy who calls you 

beautiful instead of hot, who calls

you back when you hang up on him,

who will lie under the stars and

listen to your heartbeat, or

will stay awake just to watch you

sleep…wait for the boy who

kisses your forehead, who wants

to show you off to the world when

you are in sweats, who holds your

hand in front of his friends, who

thinks you’re just as pretty

witjout makeup on. One who is

constantly reminding you of how

much he cares and how lucky he

is to have you…The one who

turns to his friends and says,

‘ that’s her”.

Adélie Penguin

Adélie penguins got their name when they were discovered by French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville, who named “Adélie Land” (the Antarctic territory from the Southern Ocean coastline of Antarctica to the South Pole) in Southern Antarctica after his wife, Adéle d’Urville.

Adélie penguins were discovered in 1840 and they are closely related to the gentoo penguin and the chinstrap penguin.

Regional Habitat: Adélie penguins are one of the five species of penguin that live in the Antarctic (other penguins that live in the Antarctic continent include emperor penguins, gentoo penguins, chinstrap penguins and macaroni penguins.

Name: Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)

Length/Height: 27 inches (70cm)

Weight: 6-13 pounds (3-6kg)

Conservation status: Least concern

Diet: Fish, squid, krill and other small crustaceans

Appearance: Adélie penguins are medium-sized penguins, and are distinguishable from other penguin species by the white ring around their eyes. They have pink feet with black nails, and females and males are similar in size and appearance and difficult to tell apart.

Where to see Adélie penguins: Join an expedition to Antarctica for your best chance to see the amazing Adélie penguin. Expeditions to the Antarctic include the Antarctic Express: Crossing the Circle, Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent, and Epic Antarctica: Crossing the Circle via Falklands and South Georgia and are great opportunities to see this incredible animal and so much more.

Or explore the Antarctic peninsula for your chance to see Adélie penguins on the Crossing the Circle: Southern Expedition.

What does an Adélie penguin look like?

When Adélie penguins are born they are typically silvery grey in appearance, but within 10 days days they molt and develop dark smoky grey down feathers. Young Adélie penguins, unlike adults, don’t typically get the white ring around their eyes until they are at least one year old.

As the immature birds grow up, they lose their down feathers and become black on their heads, faces, and chins, with snowy white underparts on their bellies and legs. Their beaks are mostly feathered, leaving only the tip exposed and while the beak is usually black, it can have indistinct reddish brown markings.

Adélie penguins have a distinct white outline around their eyes that helps distinguish them from other penguin species. While the tops of their wings are black, there is a white trailing edge around the black wing. The underpart of their wings are white, with a narrow black leading edge and black tip.

While Adélie penguins are mid-sized, they are the smallest penguin breed found in the Antarctic region.

Where does the Adélie penguin live?

Like all other penguin species, the Adélie penguin lives in the southern hemisphere. Adélie penguins breed and live along the entire coast of the Antarctic, including the Antarctic peninsula, on or near sea-ice and on small islands marked by ice-free land and exposed rock.

One of the largest Adélie penguin colonies is located on Ross Island where more than 500,000 Adélie penguins live.

While many may know the impressive migration of the emperor penguin, Adélie penguins also walk vast distances throughout the year. Annually, Adélie penguins follow the sun as they migrate from their breeding colony to their feeding grounds for the winter months and on average these treks mean adult Adélie penguins migrate 8,100 miles to 10,9000 miles each year.

What do Adélie penguins eat?

Depending on where Adélie penguins live and how much food is available, their diets can be different. Like most other penguin species, Adélie penguins are skilled swimmers and all of their meals come from the sea. While they do not have teeth, Adélie penguins have tooth-like barbs on their tongues and the roof of their mouth that help them eat.

Meals they hunt in the sea close to their colonies typically include fish, krill (including crystal krill, ice krill and sea krill) and amphipods (small crustaceans), whereas meals farther from home and hunted more offshore consist mostly of Antarctic krill. Adélie penguins also eat jellyfish.

One of the most fascinating Adélie penguin facts is their ability to monitor how much salt they eat and feed their young. With little access to fresh water, Adélie penguins have learned to eat krill that contains low salt and they can adjust the amount of salt they feed their young by removing potassium and sodium ions from food in their stomachs before they regurgitate food to their chicks.

They also eat snow for fresh water, and a specialized gland in their nose that removes salt from the seawater they ingest when swallowing fish.

Breeding adult Adélie penguins swim an average of 3-74 miles (5 to 120km) while foraging for food that they will regurgitate for their chicks. These hunting trips can last between 5-72 hours.

One of the deepest dives recorded by the Adélie penguin species was 574ft (175m) but, while foraging, most stay in the top 229ft (70m) of water during their feeding trips.

By using satellites to monitor specific Adélie penguins, scientists can track the birds habits while at sea to map sea routes and understand dive depths.

Are Adélie penguins endangered?

Adélie penguins are the most widespread penguin species and their conservation status is currently listed as of least concern.

Scientists estimate they are 2.5 million breeding pairs of Adélie penguins throughout the Antarctic region and the Antarctic peninsula, totaling 10 million individual penguins.

Can Adélie penguins fly?

Adélie penguins, like most other species of penguins, are flightless birds.

While they can’t fly, Adélie penguins are excellent swimmers, as well as successful and dedicated long-distance walkers on sea ice. These walks occur during migration and when Adélie penguins walk from feeding trips back to their colonies and/or breeding colony.

The average Adélie penguin walks 1.5mph (2.5km/h) and they can swim 2-4mph (4-8km/h), but to speed up their travels the Adélie penguin, much like other penguin species, are known to toboggan (lay down on their bellies and glide through snow drifts on the ice).

Adélie penguin lifespan

Adélie penguins live an average of 10 to 20 years in their natural habitat.

Predators of the adult Adélie penguins include leopard seals and whales, whereas seabirds and other birds such as giant petrels and skuas are known to take eggs and leave young Adélie penguins vulnerable. Once the penguins mature to adult penguins, they no longer have to fear land predators.

Adélie penguins are bold and fierce, and they are willing to fight animals much larger than themselves by making themselves look bigger and slapping their flippers.

Adelie penguin mating

During breeding season, male Adélie penguins build their nests on sloping breeding grounds so that when the snow melts, the water flows away from their nests. They build their nests out of pebbles they search for and find on dry land and which they roll to their nesting site or carry in their mouths.

Some males are even known to steal rocks from other nests. When the pack ice around their nests hasn’t melted, Adélie penguins might have to walk up to 31 miles (50km) to feed where the waters are ice free.

Breeding pairs tend to return to the same mate and the same nest each year when they can.

Once the nests are ready, female Adélie penguins typically lay two eggs in the nest, and each parent alternates with their mate between incubating the eggs and searching for food. At the beginning of the incubation process, each shift can last from 11 to 14 days and as time goes on the shifts become shorter.

Once the chicks hatch, parents continue taking turns feeding and guarding the Adélie penguin chicks, swapping their role every few days.

When the chicks are 3 weeks old, they can be left alone and the adult Adélie penguins can both leave to collect food. While the parents are gone, the young penguins of the colony huddle closely together for warmth and protection, similar to other species of penguin.

Eventually, the chicks replace their down feathers with adult black feathers and tail feathers and when they reach the age of 7 to 9 weeks, they venture to sea on their own. Most chicks will not return to their breeding colonies until they are capable of breeding, between the ages of 3 to 5.