Length: Northern – 80 to 95 cm. Southern – 85 to 100 cm.
Weight: Northern – 3 to 5 kg. Southern – 3 to 8 kg.
Location: Antarctic up through into subtropical regions of South America, Australia, and Africa.
Conservation status: Least Concern.
Diet: Carrion, birds, krill, squid, fish.
Appearance: Mottled grey or brown. Hooked bills. Body-configuration resembles that of the Albatross, though Petrels tend to be more hunch-backed.
How do Giant Petrels feed?
Giant Petrels are prime examples of opportunistic feeders eating almost anything they can get their bills into. Unlike other procellarids Petrels will also feed on land, mainly meaning carrion.
They are known to attack other birds, either beating them to death or drowning them. This applies especially to juvenile birds and chicks.
They are also often spotted following fishing ships in order to pick fish out of nets or to collect offal.
Are Giant Petrels social?
Giant Petrels will remain alone until breeding season by choice, however they are often brought together around food sources. They can become quite aggressive toward each other over disputed food.
How fast do Giant Petrels fly?
Under favorable conditions Giant Petrels can sustain speeds of up to about 20 metres per second.
What are Giant Petrel birthing rituals like?
Northern Giant Petrels become sexually mature at around 10 years of age. Southern Giant Petrels tend to mature a bit earlier, at around 6 years of age.
Many breeding locations are shared between the Northern and Southern Giant Petrels on islands throughout the southern oceans, although the Northern members tend to breed starting about 6 weeks earlier than their Southern counterparts, the latter beginning their season in October. Specific breeding seasons depend on where in the world any particular colony is located.
Nests are created on rocky or grassy ground and consist of moss, grass, and stones. One egg is laid. Incubation lasts around 60 days. Once hatched the chick will fledge (take its first flight) at somewhere around 4 months. Once the juvenile fledges the parents will abandon it, leaving it to forage for itself from there on out.
How long do Giant Petrels live?
Giant Petrels live up to 20 years in the wild.
How many Giant Petrels are there today?
The Northern Giant Petrel population is estimated to be between 17,000 to 21,000. The Southern population is estimated at 97,000.
Do Giant Petrels have any natural predators?
Giant Petrels do not really have any natural predators, although they will come into potentially harmful conflict when trying to hunt Skua chicks and eggs.
7 Grand Giant Petrel Facts
Petrels produce stomach oil which they can either spray out as a defensive measure or can be regurgitated as an energy-rich food for chicks or for themselves during long flights.
Giant Petrels are the only members of the Procellariidae family (Petrels, Prions, and Shearwaters) that have legs strong enough to allow them to move around on land.
Like some other seabird species, Giant Petrels secrete a saline solution from a nasal passage in order to rid their bodies of the excess salt they swallow while feeding.
There is an exception to the mottled grey look of the Petrels. About 15% of the southern branch of the Petrels are almost completely white, causing them to be mistaken for albatrosses.
Northern Giant Petrels have a reddish-pink bill while the Southern Petrels have bills that are a pale green.
The name Macronectes comes from Greek words makros which means “long” and nēktēs meaning “swimmer.”
The name “petrel” comes from the story of Saint Peter who walked on water because petrels look like they’re running on water as they begin to take off into flight.
The Secretary Bird Size is tall and large, and located in open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Saharan region. The Secretary Bird has a head like an eagle with yellow color around its eyes. This hunter bird has long legs covered with thick black scales to protect the leg from snake venom.
SECRETARY BIRD SIZE
The Height Of The Secretary Bird varies between 4 m to 4.3 m, but their height can increase up to 4.9 m. With a weight of 2.3 kg to 5 kg, they have an impressive wingspan of 6.2 ft to 7.2 ft and 2 meters wide.
The wings protect the Secretary Bird from the snake bite while chasing. With the curved talons on their ends, the toes are thick and strong. The secretary bird has a lifespan of 10-15 years and in captivity, it can live up to 19 years. Around the eyes, there are thick feathers and have black feathers on the end of the wing and thighs. There are black crests on the back of their head, which looks like old quill pens in their head.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SECRETARY BIRD
Crest: There is the crest on the back of the head of the secretary bird, which looks like a stock of old quill pens held by official secretaries.
Head: The head of the Secretary Bird is not large as an eagle, but has the structure of an eagle. Around the eyes, you can see the yellow and red colors and also has thick feathers.
Wings: With a wingspan of 6.2 ft to 7.2 ft and wideness of 2 meters, the secretary bird looks big.
Tail: Tail varies between 57 to 85 cm and held upright. It helps to maintain balance when running fast and also in a time of the fight.
Feet: The feet of Secretary Birds strong and have thick soles, which help to stamp the snake to death.
Plumage: The plumages are in white color and the black in end.
Legs: The legs are long with covered thick scales to protect them from the snake venom during the chase.
The robin is one of the most recognizable birds in the United States. You almost certainly have seen a robin in your yard, no matter where you live in America. The songbird is ubiquitous across the country. There is also the European robin, another incredibly recognizable garden bird found throughout Europe. However, throughout this article, we’ll focus on the American robin.
Aside from their beautiful exteriors, robins are also known for being associated with the start of spring. Seeing a robin is usually a good indication that spring is coming.
The lifespan of a robin who lives past its first year is 5-6 years in the wild. However, in captivity, they have been recorded to live for as long as 14-17 years old.
The life expectancy of a robin greatly increases if it survives to at least a year old. This is because robin offspring are often quite susceptible to environmental stressors. In fact, only around a quarter of baby robins survive their first year. However, once they surpass the first year, a robin would have acquired many important life skills that would help them to survive.
The robin’s lifespan is incredibly fragile during the first year, and it is this time that determines how long they will actually survive. Curious about how a robin goes from an egg to an adult songbird? Let’s find out!
The Average Robin Life Cycle
The robin life cycle is quite similar to many other bird species. Find out what the common life cycle stages are and how you might better sight a baby robin.
Mating
At one year old, robins are already considered adults and are able to reproduce. Mating occurs mainly from late March to June. Robins have a courting ritual in which the male sings to and then feeds the female. Male robins will sing to announce that they are looking for a mate. Once they find a mate, they will sing to assert their territory. This occurs just before the eggs hatch.
Eggs
The female will begin to construct her nest so that she may begin laying the eggs. During their initial nesting season, most robins will only lay around 3 to 4 eggs. Sometimes just two eggs are laid in the second and third nestings of the season. Robin eggs are instantly recognizable because of their beautiful blue color. After the last egg is laid, incubation lasts 12-14 days.
Twelve to fourteen days after the last egg is laid, the first baby hatches. Eggs typically hatch one day apart, in the sequence in which they were laid. These new baby birds are called hatchlings. For the next 13 days, the parents will be the main source of care for the babies. Both parents feed the young and they can have some hearty appetites. During the first four days of a hatchling’s existence, the parent birds regurgitate partially digested food into the mouth of each infant. Every day, the hatchlings consume more. Soon they are fed whole worms and large insects.
Fledgling
When baby robins are around 13 days old, they are ready to leave the nest. This means they have reached the fledgling stage, where they begin to learn to fly. When baby robins leave the nest, they are unable to fly well. To become powerful fliers, they must develop muscles and grow adult feathers. The parents will still continue to feed them for a few days, but once the mom leaves to lay new eggs, they are all on their own.
Adult
To reach adulthood, a robin must reach a full year of life. To accomplish this, they will often fly with a flock of experienced robins. The robin will continue to fly and find new ways to get food. They will then begin to prepare for winter, as many of them migrate to warmer areas during this time.
What Factors Impact the Robin Lifespan
There are many external and environmental factors that will impact a robin’s lifespan. A young American Robin’s chances of survival improve if it survives its first winter. However, even if they do survive, robins do not wind up living very long in general. To learn more about what impacts how long a robin may live, keep reading.
Predators: robins fall prey to many predators, even when they’re still only in their eggs. There are a large number of predators that will attempt to steal robin eggs from their mother’s nest. These include squirrels, snakes, crows, blue jays, and even raccoons. Once again, robins are susceptible to becoming prey. Hawks, shrikes, and owls all hunt down robins. Cats are also another predator that robins have to watch out for.
Food Availability: food availability issues can become a serious one for robins. When robins migrate during the winter it’s not usually because they can’t handle the winter. In fact, their feathers can keep them quite warm during the cold, harsh weather. The true incentive is food, or rather the lack thereof. As their diet of earthworms and insects dwindles because of the weather, robins start looking for new food. American Robins continue to be poisoned by pesticides because they graze on lawns and other open areas frequently treated with chemicals.
Collisions: every year, a few migratory robins are killed by communications towers. Other typical risks for a robin include collisions with glass, electrocution, and automobile strikes.
The Blood Pheasant has kind of a disturbing name, but it gets it from the red skin of its face and legs, and the red feathers on the chin, chest, and tail. They are small members of their family, and are the only species found within the genus Ithaginis, though there are a dozen recognized subspecies.
Blood Pheasants are found in the countries surrounding the Himalayas– China, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. They prefer to live in coniferous forests, and range at elevations of 10,000-15,000 feet during the breeding season, and slightly lower during the rest of the year.
These birds are not the best fliers, and they get around mostly by running on the ground. They even build their nests on the ground, constructing them under rocks and inside shrubs. These ground nests can be problematic, however, as sometimes the eggs must be moved or abandoned altogether if the parents feel there is too much risk. Broods can number over a dozen in size, and the young chicks are able to get up and follow mom around when they are only two days old. They will remain as a group until winter.
The species is very rarely found in captivity, and at present it does not appear that there are any in United States institutions. Blood Pheasants live in very remote regions in the wild, and so have been safe from many of the threats that endanger different pheasant species. However, the population does appear to be on the decline, though it is slow enough to list them as being of Least Concern.
This Asian species is found in the mountains of Nepal, northern India, Bhutan, Tibet, northern Myanmar and south-central China.
Size:
Blood pheasants are 40-48 cm long and weigh 410-620 g.
Habitat:
These birds are found in coniferous and mixed forests, in bamboo forests, scrublands and alpine meadows. They occur at altitudes of 2.500-4.500 m.
Diet:
These birds eat lichens, pine seeds, green shoots, berries and some invertebrates including snails, butterflies, flies and beetles.
Breeding:
Blood pheasants breed in May-July. They nest on the ground, in a shallow saucer made of dry twigs lined with leaves, thin tree roots and mosses. The female lays 5-14 pink or yellowish white eggs with brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 27-33 days while the male stands guard. The chicks are able to walk and feed themselves just 2 days after hatching, but continue to be brooded and protected by the female for 5-6 weeks.
Conservation:
IUCN status – LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common and widespread in some areas and scarce in others. Populations are declining throughout much of its range owing to habitat loss and degradation caused by timber extraction, overgrazing and agricultural conversion, as well as hunting pressure. Still, the blood pheasant is not considered threatened at present.
The Frill-necked monarch (Arses lorealis), is a species of monarch flycatcher in the Monarchidae family. It is endemic to the rainforests of the northern Cape York Peninsula. It was considered a subspecies of the related frilled monarch (Arses telescophthalmus) for many years before being reclassified as a separate species in 1999 by Schodde and Mason, and upheld by Christidis and Boles in 2008.
Taxonomy
The frill-necked monarch was first described in 1895 by English ornithologist and ex-clergyman Charles Walter De Vis, from a specimen collected by Kendall Broadbent that year. However, undescribed specimens had existed in the Macleay Museum in Sydney and the National Museum in Melbourne for twenty years beforehand. The first eggs were collected by H. G. Barnard the following year in Somerset, Cape York.
The frill-necked monarch is a member of a group of birds termed monarch flycatchers. This group is considered either as a subfamily Monarchinae, together with the fantails as part of the drongo family Dicruridae, or as a family Monarchidae in its own right. Molecular research in the late 1980s and early 1990s revealed the monarchs belong to a large group of mainly Australasian birds known as the Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines. More recently, the grouping has been refined somewhat as the monarchs have been classified in a ‘Core corvine’ group with the crows and ravens, shrikes, birds of paradise, fantails, drongos and mudnest builders.
Description
The frill-necked monarch measures around 14 cm (5.5 in) in length, and the neck feathers can become erect into a small frill; the male is predominantly black and white, and can be distinguished from the similar and more common pied monarch by its all-white breast-the latter species having a broad black breast band. The throat, nape, shoulders, and rump are white while the wings and head are black. It has an eye-ring of bare skin, and a bright blue wattle. The bill is pale blue-grey and the eyes are dark. The female is similar but lacks the eye-ring and has white lores and a brownish tinged chest.
Distribution and Habitat
The range is the from the top of the Cape York Peninsula southwest to Weipa, and southeast as far as the Iron Range and Coen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Breeding
Breeding season is November to February with one brood raised. The nest is a shallow cup made of vines and sticks, woven together with spider webs and shredded plant material, and decorated with lichen. It is generally sited on a hanging loop of vine well away from the trunk or foliage of a sizeable tree about 2–10 metres (6.6–32.8 ft) above the ground. Two pink-tinged oval white eggs splotched with lavender and reddish-brown are laid measuring 19 mm x 14 mm.
The Chukar is an introduced game bird from southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia into North America. This game bird has made its habitat in the central parts of the US on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. They are mostly seen in Nevada and Idaho but are expanding into other nearby states.
The chukar is a non-native species that was introduced to North America as a game bird in the late 1800s. It is native to the mountainous areas of the Middle East and Asia from eastern Greece and southeastern Bulgaria through Asia Minor east to Manchuria China. It is a member of the pheasant family.
ChukarIt stands about 13-15 inches in length and has a light grayish-brown back and wings and a white belly. Its head, chest and rear are gray and it has white cheeks and a white throat surrounded by a black band. It has black stripes on its sides and a black band across its forehead. Its bill, eyelids, feet and legs are pink to dark red. Males and females look alike.
Range
The chukar can be found from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and Colorado. The chukar has also been introduced to Hawaii. It is also found in Europe and Asia.
Habitat
The chukar lives on rocky, arid hillsides and mountain slopes and canyon walls. It is also found in open and flat desert areas with little vegetation and on barren plateaus. It is an altitudinal migrator and will move from higher elevations to lower elevations during snowy weather.
Diet
The chukar feed on seeds, grasses, bulbs, stems, fruit and leaves. It also eats small amounts of insects like grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets and ants.
Life Cycle
Male and female chukars form pairs from February through April. The male will perform a courtship ritual that involves head-tilting and showing his barred flanks. Both the male and female will call out to each other and peck at objects on the ground.
The female lays 8-15 eggs in a scrape lined with grass, leaves and feathers within the shelter of rocks or brush. The male will often leave the female after she has laid her eggs. The chicks hatch after about 24 days and will leave the nest and start feeding on insects shortly after hatching. They will begin to fly when they are about two weeks old.
Behavior
The chukar rarely flies. It is a good runner and can also hop across the rocky terrain in its habitat. Except for during breeding season, chukars live in coveys of up to 40 birds.
Bohemian Waxwings don’t defend breeding territories and don’t often return to the same areas to breed, unlike many songbirds. This lack of territoriality is most likely the result of the ephemeral and clumped nature of the fruit they rely on. Perhaps because they don’t defend territories, they also don’t have a true song—songs that other birds use to defend territory. Bohemian Waxwings form monogamous pairs for the duration of the breeding season, but pairs frequently form during winter. Males court females by fluffing up body feathers, raising the crest, and pushing the tail downward. After grabbing a female’s attention, the male passes food to the female and she passes it back to him. They continue to pass the food back and forth up to 14 times before mating. They are very social birds and form large flocks during the winter to help find fruits scattered across the landscape. Flocks often range from 50 to 300 birds, and can sometimes be in the thousands. American Robins and Cedar Waxwings sometimes join Bohemian Waxwing flocks.
Habitat
Bohemian Waxwings breed in open evergreen and mixed forests frequently near lakes, ponds, or streams in northern North America and Eurasia. During the nonbreeding season they roam through open woodlands, urban areas, roadsides, and parks, stopping wherever they find fruit.
Food
The Bohemian Waxwing eats insects and some fruit during the breeding season, but switches to eating almost entirely fruit during the nonbreeding season. When catching insects it flies out and back, often from an exposed perch, to grab prey in midair. It picks fruit from trees and shrubs and swallows it whole. It eats almost any fruit available including strawberry, mulberry, serviceberry, raspberry, mountain ash, cranberry, hawthorn, Russian olive, and apple. During the winter waxwings eat dried fruits. The higher sugar content of dried fruit means that waxwings frequently drink water and even eat snow to help with digestion. As winter turns to spring, birds also take sap dripping from maple and birch trees.
Nesting
Bohemian Waxwings nest along forest edges and openings near lakes, streams, and marshy areas. The nest is frequently on a horizontal branch of an evergreen, aspen, or alder tree.
NEST DESCRIPTION
Male and female Bohemian Waxwings gather evergreen twigs, grasses, mosses, and other plant fibers, but only the female builds the nest. She weaves the material together to from a cup nest that is approximately 6 inches across and 3 inches deep. The nest takes 3–5 days to complete.
Have you ever wondered which birds are considered the most beautiful ones on Earth? No matter who’s making the list, it is safe to say that you will probably find the national bird of Guatemala on it. This bird is known for its brilliant green plumage, rich red underparts, shaggy green crest, and most of all, its long wispy tail feathers extending twice the length of the bird itself. We are speaking of course, about the RESPLENDENT QUETZAL – which is found in the lush cloud forests of Central America and is one of the most spectacular looking birds on Earth.
A Truly Resplendent Bird
The Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is truly, as its name says, resplendent. There could be no better way to describe this bird. On top of the above description, the male Resplendent Quetzal has decorative covert feathers on its wings that curve towards its belly. It has large dark eyes adapted for good vision in the dark forest understory and a bright yellow bill. Its tail has snowy white squared off feathers, but it’s the long tail plumes that really captivate us. Males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning they look different. Females lack the long tail feathers, shaggy crest, and are duller overall. The Resplendent Quetzal is the largest member of its family. It is 36-40 cm long, and the tail feathers of the male add another 65 cm to its overall length.
Quetzals are members of the trogon family, Trogonidae. The family contains 46 species distributed through tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Trogons reach their greatest diversity in the Neotropics, where 25 species of trogons reside as well as 6 species of quetzals. The Resplendent Quetzal is one of 5 species of quetzals in the genus Pharomachrus. It is the only species of quetzal distributed throughout Central America. It ranges from southern Mexico to western Panama.
Natural History of the Resplendent Quetzal
We can find the Resplendent Quetzal in cool montane cloud forests of Central America. It easily blends into the epiphyte-draped foliage of cloud forests with its bright green iridescent plumage. Resplendent Quetzals are fairly common throughout their range in suitable habitat. They feed on a variety of fruits, especially little avocados of the laurel family. In fact, they play an important role in assisting with the dispersal of this fruit’s seeds. Quetzals will also eat insects and small vertebrates including frogs and lizards. They can hover and stall mid-flight to pluck fruits from the branches.
Resplendent Quetzals are territorial, monogamous breeders, but are solitary during the non-breeding season. Like other members of the trogon family, they are cavity nesters. They excavate their own cavities in soft, decomposing tree trunks using their stout, strong bills. They breed from March to June, varying in different locations within their range. Both males and females are involved in all aspects of breeding, from nest building and incubation to rearing the young after they fledge. Males tend to incubate during the day and females take over the role at night. When the male is inside the nesting cavity, its long tail feathers wrap around and stick back out the hole. The incubation period is approximately 18 days, and chicks fledge at three weeks of age.
Why the National Bird of Guatemala?
Guatemala declared the Resplendent Quetzal as its national bird in 1871. The quetzal was chosen as the national bird from nearly 750 species of birds found in Guatemala, showing just how special it is. It is revered in the country, and its cultural importance dates way back to the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations.
The Resplendent Quetzal was a sacred bird in both Aztec and Mayan cultures, where priests and royalty wore quetzal feathers during ceremonial events. It is culturally associated with the “snake god,” Quetzalcoatl. In Mayan culture, it was forbidden to kill a quetzal. However, they were frequently trapped, had their tail feathers removed, and then were released back into the wild. These cultures revered the quetzal as the “god of the air,” and as symbols of light, freedom, and wealth.
The Quetzal is highly emblematic in Guatemala. The coat of arms, flag, postage stamps, currency, and countless souvenirs all carry the image of the quetzal. The Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ) is the national currency of Guatemala.
One of the world’s most attractive duck species is also one of the oldest. For hundreds of years Mandarin Ducks have been found in the forests of Asia and, in the West, they have been kept and bred for more than 200 years.
Appearance
The drake is by far the more spectacular bird with a swept back erectile crest on top of its head. The drake’s forehead is greenish black and the crest area is purple with a white splash on the side of the head. The breast is maroon with a base colour of chestnut. Slightly curled wing feathers, known as ‘sails’, sit up along the back and are coloured bright orange. The hen is grey with a small crest.
They are small birds, weighing only 500g which is just about the size of a homing pigeon. Mandarin ducks also have sharp claws on their webbed feet which means they can perch and nest high up in trees in their native state. Captive Mandarin ducks are usually fenced and their wings pinioned (the tip of the wing removed) to prevent them from flying.
Temperament
Variable, and probably depends on the amount of handling the duck receives.
Health and feeding
Feed Mandarin ducks incorrectly and they will not raise any babies. Most people who own Mandarin ducks rarely produce any ducklings, blaming it on past in-breeding. This is nonsense. The birds fail to breed because they have fatty deposits around their testicles or ovaries caused by poor diet. If Mandarin ducks can find budgie seed or parrot seed, they gorge themselves on it and become quite unhealthy.
Correct feeding entails dividing the year into two bits: the lean non-breeding period and the breeding period. During the lean non-breeding period (mainly in winter) the birds should be fed meagre rations of wheat, corn, sorghum and natural grassy forage.
During the breeding season, from early Spring, feed chicken grower crumbles and supplement the feeding with insects and natural forage.
This general principle of a “Rising Plane of Nutrition” stimulates successful breeding in dogs, cats, horses, cattle, humans and many other species. Clean drinking water is essential.
Breeding
Mandarin ducks demand very specific breeding sites preferring to nest near water and, ideally, with the nest box accessed from the water, ie: facing a pond or lake, and raised on a platform a meter or more above ground level, reached by a ramp. In the wild the ducks may nest 20m up trees. Females are considered good mothers if permitted to raise their own babies.
It’s also important that the ducks aren’t too fat leading up to breeding season, as they will not breed if carrying too much weight. A simple diet of grower pellets (available from stock supplies and pet shops) is all they need prior to and during the breeding season.
Mandarin Duck Facts
1. What is a mandarin duck?
Mandarin ducks are small, colorful ducks that originated in East Asia. Their name is Chinese, but they also have a lot of cultural significance in places like Japan and Korea.
They can currently be found all around the world thanks to travelers in the 19th century who established colonies of mandarin ducks in the west.
2. Where have I seen a mandarin duck before?
You might be familiar with mandarin ducks as “wedding ducks.” Since they mate for life, they’re a popular symbol of love and fidelity in Asian countries.
In the olden days, a man might buy or catch a pair of mandarin ducks to give to his bride’s family; in recent times, however, couples just use pictures and carvings of mandarin ducks as wedding decorations. They are always presented in pairs.
You might also recognize mandarin ducks as a general symbol of romance. There are lots of idioms about them in various languages:
In China, “yuanyang xi shui” (鸳鸯戏水) means “two mandarin ducks playing in water” and refers to an affectionate couple.
In Japan, “oshidori fufu” (鴛鴦夫婦) means “husband and wife mandarin ducks” and is used in the same way as the phrase “a couple of lovebirds.”
3. What does a mandarin duck look like?
Mandarin ducks are known for their vivid coloring. They’re waddling little rainbows of red, orange, purple, blue and green, and if you look closely, you can spot some burgundy highlights as well.
In an interesting twist, only the males of the species have this eye-popping plumage. The females are mostly gray and white.
Another distinctive feature of the mandarin duck is the presence of “sails” on its back. These are actually large, upright feathers, but they look so much like the sails of a boat that the comparison is unavoidable.
4. Do mandarin ducks have gills?
No. As members of the duck family, mandarin ducks don’t have gills.
You only hear this word around them because of their unusual neck feathers that have a ruffled, accordion-like appearance. They really stand out from the usual smooth-necked ducks, so some people refer to them as “gills.”
5. What do mandarin ducks eat?
Mandarin ducks love grains, seeds, acorns and other forms of plant life. They aren’t total vegetarians, however, especially in the summer when lakes and ponds are teeming with life.
They enjoy everything from frogs to fish, and they have no qualms about chasing down a tasty snail. They’ve even been known to catch small snakes!
Their diets are a bit more restricted in winter, especially in cold-weather regions. This is when they’ll turn to their trusty grains, pines, seeds, and weeds.
When in captivity, mandarin ducks are usually fed plants and small insects. Some zoos will toss in things like baby carrots and bean sprouts for a treat.
6. Can you feed mandarin ducks? What can you feed them?
If you spot a mandarin duck at your local park, you might be tempted to fling them the crusts of your sandwich.
7. How big is a mandarin duck? How much do they weigh?
Mandarin ducks are mid-sized birds. They usually measure about 15-20 inches across with a wingspan of 25-30 inches. They can weigh up to 1.5 pounds.
8. Do mandarin ducks molt?
Like many other waterfowl, male mandarin ducks undergo a molting process. This means that they periodically shed their feathers and grow new ones.
They’ll look a lot like their female counterparts at this time; without their coat of many colors, they have a simple gray or brown appearance. This is called their “eclipse” plumage.
9. How long do mandarin ducks live?
There hasn’t been a lot of research into the lifespans of mandarin ducks. Some sources say that they live around 6-7 years; others think that they can clock around 10 years.
According to the Animal Aging and Longevity Database, their maximum recorded longevity is 10.4 years, but it’s suggested that they might have the potential to live twice as long.
10. Are mandarin ducks rare or endangered?
The good news is that mandarin ducks aren’t endangered. They’re classified under “least concern” in the extinction hierarchy of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The bad news is that their population is on the decline, so you might want to keep an eye on their status in upcoming years.
11. Are mandarin ducks protected?
Since they aren’t endangered, mandarin ducks don’t have any special protections in place. According to the IUCN, there are about 65,000-66,000 mandarin ducks thriving in zoos and wetlands around the world.
12. Are mandarin ducks related to wood ducks?
Yes. Mandarin ducks and wood ducks are the only two species under the “aix” classification of duck.
Their family tree breaks down like this:
Class: Aves (birds)
Order: Anseriformes (waterfowl)
Family: Anatidae (ducks, geese, swans)
Genus: Aix (mandarin ducks and wood ducks)
Mandarin ducks are known as aix galericulata, and wood ducks are called aix sponsa.
13. Can you eat a mandarin duck? What do they taste like?
Mandarin ducks are safe to eat in the sense that they won’t make you sick. However, everyone agrees that they taste terrible!
Maybe it’s because of their diet of worms and weeds; maybe there’s just something naturally repulsive about their meat. But one of the reasons that they’re doing so well in the wild is because they aren’t being hunted for food.
14. Are mandarin ducks monogamous? Do they mate for life?
Yes. Once a mandarin duck finds a partner, they remain with that partner until their death.
This is why they’re seen as such romantic symbols in traditional Asian cultures; they represent a lifelong commitment.
15. How many eggs do mandarin ducks lay?
Female mandarin ducks lay between 9-12 eggs at a time. Most of them create their own nests in the holes and cavities of densely-wooded trees.
But mandarin ducks have also been known to participate in “egg-dumping” where they lay their eggs in another female’s nest. This can result in nests with dozens of eggs jostling for space!
16. What is the mandarin duck habitat? Do mandarin ducks nest in trees?
Mandarin ducks do enjoy nesting in trees. The coverage provides warmth, stability, and safety from predators.
When they’re not laying eggs, however, you’ll mostly find mandarin ducks making habitats in the low grasses and woodland areas surrounding bodies of water. They also like marshes, swamps, lagoons, and water meadows.
17. How do mandarin ducks treat their young?
Mothers are the primary caregivers of baby mandarin ducks. After laying their eggs, they’ll protect the nest for 28-33 days until everyone hatches.
Then, the moms will jump to the ground and encourage their ducklings to do the same. Even when the trees are very tall, it doesn’t hurt the babies to take the plunge. Their fluffy padding and low body weight protect them from damage.
Fathers are a bit more hands-off when it comes to child rearing. They might protect the nest during the initial egg-laying stages, but they usually leave before the ducklings are born. They have to go and molt.
18. Where do mandarin ducks live? Are mandarin ducks found outside of Asia?
Mandarin ducks are naturally found in China, Japan and the lower parts of Russia. There’s also a sizeable population in Great Britain because of those early-century travelers that we’ve already discussed.
Amusingly, there are also scattered settlements of mandarin ducks in various U.S. states. It’s believed that these rogue birds escaped from captivity and started breeding in the wild. Their populations aren’t huge, but they cause a stir whenever they pop up in unexpected places.
19. Do mandarin ducks fly?
Mandarin ducks are extremely skilled fliers. In fact, they’re known for their maneuverability; one of the reasons that females make their nests in trees is because they’re able to fly and perch in places where other creatures struggle to go.
It isn’t all business, however. Mandarin ducks also take to the air to play games of tag. They’ll chase each other through the trees and along the water in a way that looks like fighting but is actually just fun.
20. Can mandarin ducks swim?
Of course! All ducks can swim. That’s why they have webbed feet.
In the case of mandarin ducks, they’re just as adept at swimming in the water as they are at flying through the air, and they aren’t afraid to stick their whole heads underwater when searching for food.
21. Do mandarin ducks sound like ducks found in America? What sound does a mandarin duck make?
Here’s one of those fun mandarin duck facts that you can share at parties: Mandarin ducks don’t quack.
They make small, almost chirping noises while going about their daily activities, and they can let loose shrill and alarm-like sounds to signal danger, but they don’t quack like North American ducks.
There are also subtle differences between male and female mandarin duck sounds, but you have to have an experienced ear to distinguish them.
22. Are mandarin ducks loud?
Mandarin ducks are known to be quieter than other ducks. But all bets are off when a predator is near! They’ll sound the alarm to others in the flock by making a high-pitched call.
23. Are there any cool mutations found in mandarin ducks?
Yes! Though they’re known for their colorful plumage, some mandarin ducks are born with recessive genes that turn them completely white.
They still have the “sails” on their back, and their neck feathers are still ruffled like gills, but nothing is pigmented. They aren’t albino, but it’s thought that the whiteness is probably caused by something similar like leucism.
24. What are some of the threats facing mandarin ducks?
They might not be endangered, but there are still a few things that can hamper growth in mandarin duck communities:
Natural predators can kill and eat them. They’re vulnerable to minks, otters, polecats, eagle-owls and raccoon-dogs.
Loggers are destroying their habitats. While they can live without trees, it’s difficult to nest without them, and this translates to lower population levels over time.
Some hunters kill them as prizes for their beauty. Other hunters might mistake them for different duck species without realizing that mandarin ducks won’t be a tasty dinner.
25. How do mandarin ducks protect themselves from predators?
On the “fight or flight” scale, mandarin ducks choose the latter. They’ll quite literally fly away from danger.
Things get a bit more complicated when it’s a mother protecting her young.
Since she can’t just book it, she’ll usually pretend to be injured to draw the predator away from her babies. This gives the ducklings enough time to waddle or fly away, and their mother will rejoin them when it’s safe.
26. Do mandarin ducks have any mating rituals?
Mandarin ducks have a very specific way of attracting a mate.
The male uses his colorful plumage to catch a female’s eye, and he’ll engage in preening and shivering behavior to signify both his interest and intent. He’ll also raise his “sail” feather in a courtship ritual.
27. Can I keep a mandarin duck as a pet?
This is one of those lesser-known mandarin duck facts that surprises people when they learn it, but yes!
If you live in the right kind of environment, you can buy mandarin ducks and keep them on your property. They’re more free-range animals than house pets, but as long as you provide fresh water and nesting boxes, they’ll be content.
The long-tailed silky-flycatcher is a passerine bird which occurs only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, usually from 1,850 m altitude to the timberline. It is a thrush-sized species weighing about 37 g. The silky-flycatchers are related to waxwings, and like that group have soft silky plumage.
Distribution / Range
It occurs only in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, usually from 1,850 m altitude to the timberline. Long-tailed Silky-flycatchers often perch prominently on high exposed twigs.
Description
The male Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher is 24 cm long and has a pale grey forehead. It is a thrush-sized species weighing about 37 g. The rest of the crested head, neck, throat and lower belly are yellow. The back, lower breast and upper belly are blue-grey, and the flight feathers and long pointed tail are black. The outer tail feathers are spotted with white.
The female is 21 cm long and generally duller than the male, with a darker grey forehead, olive body plumage and a shorter, duller black tail. Immatures are similar to the adults, but the central tail feathers are shorter and the white spotting on the outer tail is indistinct.
Diet
This species forages in small flocks when not breeding, flycatching for insects or taking small fruits, especially mistletoe.
Berries, any small insects, fruits, vegetables.
Phainopepla have a specialized mechanism in their gizzard that shucks berry skins off the fruit and packs the skins separately from the rest of the fruit into the intestines for more efficient digestion. So far this is
the only known bird able to do this.
Reproduction
The habitat of this bird is mountain forests, where the breeding pair builds a neat cup of lichen 2-18 m high in a tree, sometimes in loose colonies. It nests in the spring.
The female lays two brown and lilac-blotched grey eggs, and the incubation, done by both the male and female, takes fifteen days.
The young fledge 18-25 days after hatching, and are fed by both parents.
Calls / Vocalizations
The call of the Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher is a repeated chee-chip.
Phainopeplas have been found to imitate the calls of twelve other species, such as the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo lineatus), and the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).
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Autumn 