Bank myna

Acridotheres ginginianus

Common name:

bank myna (en); mainá-ribeirinho (pt); martin des berges (fr); miná ribereño (es); ufermaina (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sturnidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from eastern Pakistan across the Himalayan foothills to eastern and southern Nepal and Bhutan, and southwards to north-central India and Bangladesh. It has been introduced to Japan and the United Arab Emirates, where it has spread to several neighbouring countries, including Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Size:

The bank myna is 22-23 cm long and weighs 64-76 g.

Habitat:

This species is closely associated to man-made habitats, often being found inside cities and in agricultural fields. They are common in refuse dumps and in open countryside with cattle, favouring wetter areas where it forages along the banks of rivers or irrigation canals.

Diet:

Bank mynas are omnivorous, often feeding in large flocks. They forage on grain, namely sorghum, grape and pearl millet, but also take fruits and insects including crop pests such as Achaea janata. They take a variety of small animals includinf frogs, snails and earthworms and also scavenge on the ground amongst people in busy markets or at refuse heaps, and in rural areas it is often found following ploughs to feed on upturned insects. They also regularly settle on the backs of cattle to remove ticks from them.

Breeding:

These birds breed in May-August. The nest is built with grasses feathers and refuse, at the end of a long, narrow tunnel excavated in earth walls, on the banks of rivers, embankments or the sides of open wells. They will sometimes make use of holes in brick walls. There the female lays 4-5 pale sky blue or greenish-blue eggs which she mostly incubates alone for 13-14 days. Both parents cooperate to feed the chicks, which fledge from the nest 20-22 days after hatching. Each pair may raise 2 broods in a season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as common to fairly common in most of its very large breeding range. This population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat for species that are well adapted to man-made habitats, such as the bank myna.

Silvery kingfisher

Alcedo argentata

Photo by Micky Lim (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:

silvery kingfisher (en); guarda-rios-prateado (pt); martin-pêcheur argenté (fr); martín pescador plateado (es); silberfischer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Coraciiformes

Family Alcedinidae

Range:

This species is endemic to The Philippines, with two distinc subspecies being found in different island. A. argentata flumenicola is found on Samar, Leyte and Bohol, while A. a. argentata is found on Dinagat, Siargao, Mindanao and Basilan.

Size:

These tiny kingfishers are 14 cm long and weigh 13-16 g.

Habitat:

The silvery kingfisher is found in forested streams, mostly in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests. They will tolerate secondary and selectively logged forest and even streamside vegetation within coconut plantations, close to forest edge, but terminalia and sago are the principal forest types used by this species.

Diet:

They hunt small fishes and crabs by diving into the water from a perch.

Breeding:

This species breeds in February-May. They nest in holes in streamside banks, where the female lays 2 white eggs. There is no available information regarding the incubation and fledging time. The chicks are naked, blind and helpless when they hatch, and stand on their heels, unlike any adult bird.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

With a global population estimated at just 2.500-10.000 individuals present in just a few small areas within The Philippines, this species is threatened by forest loss and the remaining tracts of lowland forest with clear streams suitable for this species are under severe pressure and as a result the silvery kingfisher is suspected to be declining rapidly.

Rockrunner

Achaetops pycnopygius

Common name:

rockrunner (en); salta-pedras (pt); achétopse à flancs roux (fr); saltarrocas de Damara (es); klippensänger (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sylviidae

Range:

This African species is only found in central and north-western Namibia and in southern Angola.

Size:

The rockrunner is 16-17 cm long and has a wingspan of 27 cm. They weigh 28 g.

Habitat:

This species prefers sparsely vegetated habitats, often being found in hillsides, scree slopes and rocky outcrops.

Diet:

The rockrunner almost exclusively eats invertebrates, namely grasshoppers and caterpillars that they take from the ground.

Breeding:

This species breeds in November-March. They nest in an open cup built of grass of various lengths, with fine grass stems in the inside and more coarse stems on the outside. It is typically woven into the center of a large grass tuft, only visible from above. The female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both adults, leaving the nest before they can fly and hiding in the nearby vegetation and rocks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The rockrunner as a relatively large breeding range and a global population estimated at 49.000-143.432 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any current declines or substantial threats.

Wallcreeper

Thicodroma muraria

Common name:

wallcreeper (en); trepadeira-dos-muros (pt); tichodrome échelette (fr); treparriscos (es);mauerläufer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Thicodromadidae

Range:

These birds are found from south-west Europe, along southern France, Italy and the Balkans, and into eastern Europe and Turkey. Then, they occur in the Caucasus and northern Iran, along northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and northern India, and across the Himalayas to south-west China and some parts of Mongolia.

Size:

The wallcreeper is 15,5-17 cm long and weighs 17-19 g.

Habitat:

A bird of the high mountains, this species is found is rocky alpine habitats, often near mountain streams in areas with some grasses. They breed at altitudes of 1.000-3.000 m but may winter at lower altitudes when they can be found near old buildings and quarries.

Diet:

Wallcreepers take a variety of invertebrates, including insects, spiders and opiliones, which they take from crevices in rocks or from the ground. May ocasionally hunt for insects in flight, but with little success.

Breeding:

These birds are probably monogamous, starting to nest in April-May. The female builds a cup nest of grass and moss, sheltered deep in a rock crevice, hole or cave. The nest in lined with softer materials, including feathers or wool, and typically has two entrances. The fem

ale lays 3-5 white eggs marked with black or reddish-brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 19-20 days. Both parents feed the chicks which will typically fledge after 28-30 days, but the fledging period may vary depending on the weather conditions. Each pair raises only 1 brood per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population of 250.000-1.200.000 individuals. The population is believed to be stable and there are no evidence for any significant threats or declines.

Black-backed fruit-dove

Ptilinopus cinctus

Common name:

black-backed fruit-dove (en); pombo-da-fruta-de-dorso-negro (pt); ptilope à ceinture (fr); tilopo dorsinegro (es); weißkopf-flaumfußtaube (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Columbiformes

Family Columbidae

Range:

This species is found in Indonesia, in Bali, Lombik, Sumbawa, Flores, Pantar and Alor, in East Timor and in western Australia.

Size:

This large pigeon is 38–44 cm long and weighs 450-570 g.

Habitat:

The black-backed fruit-dove is mostly found in primary evergreen tropical rainforests. They may be found, to a lesser extent, in secondary forests.

Diet:

This frugivore only eats fruits and berries, especially figs.

Breeding:

The black-backed fruit-dove nests on an open platform of sticks in a forest tree, where the female lays 1 egg. The egg is incubated for 21 days and the chicks fledge 14 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as locally common over much of its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Riverside wren

Cantorchilus semibadius

Common name:

riverside wren (en); carriça-ribeirinha (pt); troglodyte des ruisseaux (fr); cucarachero ribereño (es); uferzaunkönig (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Troglodytidae

Range:

This American species in only found in Panama and southern Costa Rica.

Size:

The riverside wren in 13-14 cm long and a wingspan of 26-30 cm. They weigh 18-22 g.

Habitat:

They are found in tropical and sub-tropical moist lowland forests, particularly along rivers and creeks. They are also found in densely forested gorges and along the edges of swamp forests. this species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:

The riverside wren feeds on a variety o invertebrates, including spiders, ear-worms, beetles and roaches. They often follow army ants in order to steal their prey.

Breeding:

These birds breed in December-August. Both parents build the nest, a complex globular structure suspended with a deep indentation in the lower part which divides the building into two approximately equal parts: one part of the brood chamber, secondly the hall that leads to an entry declining downwards. Between the two rooms, there is a threshold or sill. The nest is placed at a height of 1,5-2 m often above moving water. There the female lays 2 white eggs finely speckled with cinnamon or brown. The female incubates the eggs alone for 18-19 days and the chicks fledge 16 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a small breeding range and is described has uncommon and patchily distributed. The population size has not been quantified and the population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes. Overall the species is believed not to be threatened at present.

Northern parula

Parula americana

Common name:

northern parula (en); mariquita-azul (pt); paruline à collier (fr); parula norteña (es); meisenwaldsänger (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Parulidae

Range:

This species breeds in south-east Canada and across the westerbn half of the United States. They winter further south, in Florida, southern Mexico and the Caribbean.

Size:

This small songbird is 11-12 cm long and has a wingspan of 16-18 cm. They weigh 8-9 g.

Habitat:

Northern parulas breed in hardwood forests, pine-oak woodlands, cypress, and hardwood swamps, wherever Old Man's Beard lichen or Spanish moss thrives, especially near water. During winter they use a wide range of wooded habitats.

Diet:

These insectivores take a variety of insects and spider.

Breeding:

The northern parula starts nesting in May-June. The nest is generally in a hollowed out bunch of hanging Old Man's Beard lichen in either a deciduous or conifer tree, often lined with finely shredded moss, fine grasses, plant down or hairs. The female lays 4-5 white or cream eggs with brown specks, which are incubated for12-14 days. The chicks fledge 11-12 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a large breeding range and a global population of 7,3 million individuals. The population has undergone a slight increase over the last decades and is not threatened at present.