Blue Jay

Blue Jay - Mądrosójka Błękitna

New Jersey, Cresskill, 2016

Description

Blue Jay measures 22–30 cm (9–12 in) from bill to tail and weighs 70–100 g (2.5–3.5 oz). There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest will be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brushlike. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened on the head.   

Habitat

Blue Jays occur naturally in southern Canada (Newfoundland) and in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

Northern populations may migrate south for the winter. Those found further south tend to be sedentary (non-migratory). The proportion of migratory Blue Jays is believed to be less than 20 percent. Those birds that do migrate tend to do so in large flocks that often include thousands of them. Their migratory paths extend along the Great Lakes and the East Coast of North America. Migration takes place during the daytime. They are quite common in mixed woodlands (especially those with oaks and beeches), and residential areas. The blue jay occupies a variety of habitats within its large range, from the pine woods of Florida to the spruce-fir forests of northern Ontario. It is less abundant in denser forests, preferring mixed woodlands with oaks and beeches. It has expertly adapted to human activity, occurring in parks and residential areas, and can adapt to wholesale deforestation with relative ease if human activity creates other means for the jays to get by.

Voice

Varying calls include the distinctive "jay- jay" (for which they were named), as well as rattling sounds, growls, whistles and chatters. Alarm call: high-pitched jayer-jayer call that increases in speed.

Blue Jay

Diet

Blue jays have strong black bills which they use for cracking nuts, usually while holding them with their feet, and for eating corn, grains and seeds. Its food is sought both on the ground and in trees and includes virtually all known types of plant and animal sources, such as acorns and beech mast, weed seeds, grain, fruits and other berries, peanuts, bread, meat, small invertebratesof many types, scraps in town parks, bird-table food and rarely eggs and nestlings. Blue jays will sometimes cache food, though to what extent differs widely among individuals. Although seemingly contentious in their general behavior, Blue jays are frequently subservient to other medium-sized birds who visit bird-feeders.

Reproduction

The mating season begins in mid-March, peaks in mid-April to May, and extends into July. Any suitable tree or large bush may be used for nesting, though an evergreen is preferred. The nest is preferentially built at a height in the trees of 3 to 10 m (9.8 to 32.8 ft). It is cup-shaped and composed of twigs, small roots, bark strips, moss, other plant material, cloth, paper, and feathers, with occasional mud added to the cup. Blue jays are not very picky about nesting locations. If no better place is available – e.g. in a heavily deforested area – they will even use places like the large mailboxes typical of the rural United States. Blue jays typically form monogamous pair bonds for life. Both sexes build the nest and rear the young, though only the female broods them. The male feeds the female while she is brooding the eggs. There are usually between 3 and 6 (averaging 4 or 5) eggs laid and incubated over 16–18 days. The young fledge usually between 17–21 days after hatching. After the juveniles fledge, the family travels and forages together until early fall, when the young birds disperse to avoid competition for food during the winter. Sexual maturity is reached after one year of age. Blue jays have been recorded to live for more than 26 years in captivity and one wild jay was found to have been around 17 and a half years old.

Did you know?

   Did you know that the blue jay’s feathers are not actually blue? The bright sapphire color we see is, infact, the result of the unique inner structure of the feathers, which distort the reflection of light off the bird, making it appear blue. If that structure were to be damaged by crushing the feathers, the blue color would go away. The pigment in their feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs. 
     The colorful crest is also used to communicate. It conveys the bird’s mood. When the crest is upright, the bird is excited, aggressive or surprised. If frightened, the crest will stick out in all directions and if the bird is relaxed, the crest will lay flat on its head.

Photos by others

Jay Diaz

 Laura Erickson

 Brittamay

Credits

 Wikipedia

Chestnut Eared Aracari

Chestnut Eared Aracari - Arasari Brązowouchy

 

 

Brazil, Pantanal, 2013

 

Description

 
     The Chestnut-Eared Aracari is the largest of the smaller toucans weighing an average of 300 grams. It is similar in appearance to the Black Neck Aracari, except it is larger and more colorful. The Chestnut Eared has a dark brown beak except for a yellow-orange stripe running longitudinally along the upper side of the culmen broadening as it moves forward to the tip, which is entirely dull yellow. The iris is white (sometimes yellow), and the eyeskin varies from turquoise to dark gray. The crown is black with the throat, ears and nape chestnut brown. The back, wings and tail are olive green and the rump is red. Whereas the Black Neck has olive thighs, the Chestnut has brown thighs. In general, toucans and aracaris are known for their large and showy bills. Despite its size, the bill is very light, being composed of bone struts filled with spongy tissue.
    The Chestnut-eared Araçari has fairly direct flight performed with rapid wingbeats. The flight is rather weak, with occasionally short glides.
When they are in groups, they fly in single file across the forest openings and clearings, in upper level of trees.
  

 

 

Habitat

Chestnut Eared Aracaris enjoy the widest distribution of any Aracari species and are one of the most common and easily observed of all the toucans in the wild. They are a lowland species found throughout western Brazil north to eastern Colombia and south through eastern Peru to northern and eastern Bolivia and northern Argentina. They are commonly seen in close connection with human habitation, visiting small towns and farms, where we have seen them eating ripe papayas still on the tree.
These aracaris are found in wet forests and savannas, often close to cultivated land. The most widespread aracari, they are found in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador and Argentina.

Voice

The Chestnut-eared Araçari main call is a piercing and high-pitched “sneeep” or a longer “psheee-eep”. These sounds are uttered in irregular series.
We can also hear a single “tekk”, a low “eeee-eee”, a call with four whistled “weet” notes and a longer woodpecker-like “pyeee-tyee-tyee-tyee-tyet” which could be a kind of song.

While calling, the bird often twitches and cocks the tail, and throws the head about.

 

Chestnut Eared Aracari

Diet
 

    The large bill of these birds is a highly efficient thermoregulation system. Also, it allows the bird to reach deep into tree holes to access food (they eat mostly fruit and insects). The bills of females are usually smaller.
    The Chestnut-eared Araçari is a frugivorous species, feeding on fruits from several plant species. However, it may also take flowers and nectar. It catches insects, and is known to hunt nestling birds and it takes eggs too. It preys on nests of some bird species, and may attack woodpeckers, driving them from their holes.
    Fruits are taken from the branch, sometimes by hanging upside-down. It searches for food in bark crevices and all cavities in trees. The Chestnut-eared Araçari forages usually in the lower canopy and understorey, shrubs and trees.
    These birds usually stay well away from the larger toucans, because a hierarchy by size is often established at food sources.
Reproduction

     Breeding season varies according to range. Two to four white eggs are laid in nest holes previously made by woodpeckers. Both sexes incubate for a period of 14-16 days. It is noted that the male will assist when the female is feeding. Both parents feed the chicks, often by regurgitating food items. Fledgling occurs at 30 to 40 days.
    Chestnut-eared aracaris live in flocks of over ten individuals. Some displays take place during breeding season, such as raising the rump feathers or displaying their colorful, patterned bill.
    The breeding season varies according to the range.
The Chestnut-eared Araçari often nests in groups with some other pairs, up to 10-12 birds.
The nest is often placed in old woodpecker hole. This cavity is probably enlarged by excavating, thanks to the large bill.

 

Did you know?

    Chestnut Eareds are attractive aviary birds and make wonderful pets. They are among the two or three most intelligent of the small toucans, very docile, imprint quickly when handfed as babies and are easy to teach tricks and to potty train. They enjoy the company of people, like to be scratched on the head and neck and will sit and purr contentedly in your lap for hours. Their care is the same as for all other toucans.

Photos by others
 

 

 Juan Pulasso

 

imgkid com

 

Photo-passion.com

 

 

Credits

Oiseaux-birds

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret - Czapla śnieżna

 

New York, Jamaica Bay, 2014

 

Description

 
Adults are typically 61 centimeters (24 in) long and weigh 375 grams (13.2 oz.)

They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season, when the adults also gain recurved plumes on the back, making for a "shaggy" effect.

The juvenile looks similar to the adult, but the base of the bill is paler, and a green or yellow line runs down the back of the legs.
  

 

 

Habitat

Snowy Egrets nest in colonies on thick vegetation in isolated places—such as barrier islands, dredge-spoil islands, salt marsh islands, swamps, and marshes. They often change location from year to year. During the breeding season Snowy Egrets feed in estuaries, saltmarshes, tidal channels, shallow bays, and mangroves. They winter in mangroves, saltwater lagoons, freshwater swamps, grassy ponds, and temporary pools, and forage on beaches, shallow reefs, and wet fields.

Voice

 Snowy Egrets are quiet except on breeding sites, where they give raspy or nasal calls, including loud, harsh squawks to signal aggression.

Snowy Egret

Diet
 

The Snowy Egret eats mostly aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans, and insects. It often uses its bright yellow feet to paddle in the water or probe in the mud, rounding up prey before striking with its bill. Snowy Egrets feed while standing, walking, running, or hopping, and they may vibrate their bills, sway their heads, or flick their wings as part of prey gathering. They even forage while hovering. Snowy Egrets forage in saltmarsh pools, tidal channels, tidal flats, freshwater marshes, swamps, ocean inlets, and lake edges, usually preferring brackish or marine habitats with shallow water. Other foraging water birds often assemble around them to form mixed-species foraging groups.

Reproduction

   The male starts working on a nest before finding a mate. Then the female takes over and ends up doing most of the nest building, with materials supplied by the male. The nest is a shallow oval of loosely woven twigs, small sticks, grasses, sedges, rushes, and Spanish moss, about 14–18 inches across and 8–13 inches high. Three to four greenish-blue, oval eggs are incubated by both adults. The young leave the nest in 20 to 25 days and hop about on branches near the nest before finally departing.
    Males establish nesting territories and choose nest sites within the thick vegetation of a breeding colony. The nest is usually in the top or outer branches of a woody vine, shrub, or tree.
    Male Snowy Egrets fight for breeding territories, choose nest sites, and perform noisy courtship displays to attract mates. A ring of other egrets often gathers around a displaying male as he pumps his body up and down, points his bill skyward, and calls. He also performs aerial displays, including one that ends with him dropping toward the ground while tumbling around and around. After pairing up, Snowy Egrets continue defending the immediate area around the nest, raising their crests and giving rasping calls. Some of their nest predators include raccoons, Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, American Crows, Fish Crows, American alligators, and gray rat snakes. Highly social all year long, Snowy Egrets forage with gulls, terns, ibises, and other herons, and they nest in colonies alongside many other species, including Great Egrets, night-herons, Glossy Ibises, Little Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Roseate Spoonbills.

 

 

Did you know?

      Male and female Snowy Egrets take turns incubating their eggs. As one mate takes over for the other, it sometimes presents a stick, almost as if passing a baton. Both parents continue caring for the young when they hatch.

      During the breeding season, adult Snowy Egrets develop long, wispy feathers on their backs, necks, and heads. In 1886 these plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. Plume-hunting for the fashion industry killed many Snowy Egrets and other birds until reforms were passed in the early twentieth century. The recovery of shorebird populations through the work of concerned citizens was an early triumph and helped give birth to the conservation movement.

     Adult Snowy Egrets have greenish-yellow feet for most of the year, but at the height of the breeding season their feet take on a much richer, orange-yellow hue. The bare skin on their face also changes color, from yellow to reddish.

     Snowy Egrets sometimes mate with other heron species and produce hybrid offspring. They have been known to hybridize with Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, and Cattle Egrets.
The oldest Snowy Egret on record was at least 17 years, 7 months old.
 

Photos by others

Ian Barker

 

 

Ron Reznick

 

 

Credits

 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Grey Loerie

Grey Loerie - Hałaśnik Szary

Africa, Botswana, 2012

 

Description

 

The grey Loerie (Corythaixoides concolor) is also known by the name of “go-away” bird or in Afrikaans, “kwêvoël” . The Grey Go-away-bird has a height of 50 cm and weighs around 270 gm. The head is colored grey while the bill is colored black. The Corythaixoides concolor has a grey throat, black legs and a grey back. The eyes are brown. Has a prominent crest which is raised and lowered when alarmed. It occurs in dry woodland and wooded suburban environments where it can often be seen on a conspicuous perch from where it will give it’s well known call. This behavior does not endear this bird to hunters who, after an arduous stalk to get close enough to an animal to get a shot, often “have their cover blown” and their presence betrayed by a call which does not sound unlike the words “go away”.

They usually occur in pairs or small parties that are highly vocal, especially when disturbed. They fly at fairly low altitudes and have a characteristic flight pattern consisting of slow, floppy wing beats interspersed with gliding.

The Grey Go-Away Bird is a member of the turaco family. It is found in Southern Africa and is one of the least colorful turaco’s, many of which are as colorful as parrots. The Grey Go-Away is named for its call and it is a very social bird, often living in groups of up to 30 birds.

 

Habitat

The bird is found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern Africa and it can withstand high day and night temperatures.
The bird is an urban dweller as well, being at home in parks, gardens and in old vacated buildings.
    These birds are quick and agile and clamber about in the foliage of trees in their search for fruits and flowers which make up the bulk of their diet. They are particularly fond of the flowers of Acacia Robusta and of the fruits of the jackal berry. It has a preference for open thorn bush country, often near water.

Voice

It has a distinctive loud alarm call "quare", fancifully sounding like "go away".

Grey go-away-bird

Diet

    It eats fruit, leaves and insects. In captivity, it tends to prefer grains and leaves rather than fruit.
The Grey Go-away-bird is usually seen hunting for food within the tree foliage.
This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten.

 

Reproduction

      The Grey Go-away-bird is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. The bird lays between 1 to 4 eggs and they are colored blue. They breed throughout the year. Their nests are flimsy, unlined saucers made of twigs built in the upper central branches of trees. The clutch averages three eggs which is incubated by both parents. Young fledglings are fed by both parents and sometimes a helper as well. Grey Loerie tend to be silent in the vicinity of their nests which is in contrast to their noisy response when approached at other times.

   

Photos by others

 

 Mosetlha Bush Camp

 

 

Robert Erasmus

Credits

  Wikipedia

Crimson Crested Woodpecker

Crimson Crested Woodpecker - Dzięcioł szkarłatnoczuby

 

 Brazil, Pantanal, 2013

 

Description

    Crimson-crested Woodpecker occurs regularly from Panama south to northern Argentina and throughout Amazonia. It is a very large, robust woodpecker with a large red crest. The male is distinguished from other co-occurring large woodpeckers by the combination of barred underparts and an entirely red head that lacks facial stripes, and has only a suggestion of a black-and-white "slash" below the eye. Females have a black front to the crest, and a very broad white malar stripe that continues into the white strip down the neck.

 

Habitat

  Crimson-crested Woodpecker is often seen in pairs or in small groups of 4 or 5 birds in the same large dead tree. Found in almost every habitat ( from forest to forest edge and light woodland) with large dead trees, except urban areas.

Voice

  The call of this widespread but wary bird is a loud, ringing CHEE-sic. Both sexes drum.

Crimson-crested woodpecker

Diet

  This woodpecker performs long flights from tree to tree, in order to explore the trunks, branches and bark for food. Crimson-crested Woodpecker moves on the underside of limbs, or hangs upside-down on branches. Crimson-crested woodpeckers chip out holes, often quite large, while searching out insects in trees. They mainly eat wood-boring insects and larvae, as well as ants, termites, small vertebrates and caterpillars. The animal matter is sometimes supplemented with berries. Several of these large woodpeckers may be seen (4 or more) attracted to the same dead tree while feeding.

Reproduction

Breeding season depends on the locality.
During breeding season, Crimson-crested Woodpecker performs some displays with erect crest, while it swings the head. These displays are accompanied by calls. These calls are low and uttered just before copulation, and when the birds take turns during incubation at nest. These calls strengthen the pair bonds.
However, between two rivals, the calls are louder, even if this species is rather silent. During these disputes, males give shrill piping lacking several minutes. Then, the intruder is chased away from the territory, or both males fight in flight.
Crimson-crested Woodpecker nests in holes excavated by both adults, relatively high in trees or stubs. The entrance is fairly large, about 45 to 50 cm in diameter, and oval-shaped.
Female lays 2 to 3 white eggs, sometimes four. Incubation lasts about 9 to 14 days, by both sexes. Woodpeckers have short incubation period, but at contrary, nesting period is longer than in other birds’ species. Chicks are brooded and fed by both parents, and remain at nest for 3 to 4 weeks after hatching. Young remain within the family group until next breeding season.

 

Photos by others
 

 

Dan Busby

 

Homin Lin

 

Walt Barrows

Credits

Oiseaux-birds, Wikipedia

Sacred Ibis

Sacred Ibis - Ibis czczony
 

 

 Tanzania, 2014

 

Description

The distinctive African sacred ibis is characterized by its large size, primarily white plumage and conspicuous black head and neck, which lack feathers. One of the most prominent features of this bird is its long, black, down curved bill, which has a neck sac positioned underneath its lower surface and is used for probing into soft mud and sand in pursuit of prey. The male and female African sacred ibis are similar in appearance, although males are larger than females and frequently have a longer bill. The sacred ibis breeds in north from South Africa to Sudan and Niger. But is absent in may regions within Cameroon, Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic. This species was formerly found in Egypt, although it is now thought to be regionally extinct there. Nomadic or migratory. Movements of several hundred kilometers to breed during rains; birds N of equator move northwards, those S of equator southwards, both returning at end of rains or early in dry season. 
 

Habitat

The African sacred ibis is found in a wide range of habitats, including freshwater wetlands, salt pans, dams, mangroves, rivers in open forested areas, and cultivated fields. Human environments are also inhabited by this species and it is frequently found around refuse dumps, abattoirs and farmyards. In Zambia, it has been recorded up to elevations of 1,800 meters.

Voice

    The vocalizations of the African sacred ibis are highly variable, with harsh croaking noises being made during flight and squeaking ‘whoot-whoot-whoot-whooeeoh’ or ‘pyuk-pyuk-peuk-peuk-pek-peuk’ calls made while individuals are on their breeding grounds. Vocalizations are also used by females to attract males and during copulation.

Sacred Ibis

Diet

    An opportunistic, mainly carnivorous feeder, the African sacred ibis takes a range of insects, worms, bird and reptile eggs, crustaceans, frogs, lizards, small mammals and carrion. It uses its long bill to probe into mud and soil to capture prey, as well as chasing moving prey with its wings half open. Certain populations forage around rubbish dumps and slurry pits, with some becoming reliant on these areas as a food source.

Reproduction

      The breeding season of the African sacred ibis differs geographically, but usually begins during or shortly after the rainy season. Large, mixed-species colonies are formed, which include between 50 and 2,000 breeding pairs. The male collects the nest materials and the female assembles the structure. The nest is a large platform of sticks and branches, which is lined with leaves and grass and placed in a tree, bush or on the ground. When nest materials are in short supply, males may attempt to steal objects from other individuals within the colony. Once the nest is complete, the female African sacred ibis then lays an average clutch of two or three eggs, which have a rough surface and are dull white with a blue or green tinge and red-brown spots. The male and female take turns to incubate the eggs, usually changing over every 24 hours. The incubation period lasts around 28 days, after which the nestlings are fed and cared for by both adults, with one finding food while the other remains at the nest. The nestlings eventually fledge the nest when they are between 35 and 40 days old. A fledgling will leave its colony when it is between 44 and 48 days old. The pair bond between the male and female African sacred ibis lasts for one breeding season.

 

 

Photos by others
 

 

www.templeilluminatus.com

 

ibc.lynxeds.com

 

galleryhip.com

Credits

www.Arkive.com