Friday, July 6, 2012

The Bali Bird of Paradise


The Greater Bird-of-paradise is the largest member in the genus Paradisaea, with males measuring up to 43 cm (17 in) (excluding the long twin tail wires). The female is smaller, at only 35 cm (14 in). The plumage of this species is also sexually dimorphic. The male has an iridescent green face and a yellow glossed with silver iridescence crown, head and nape. The rest of the body plumage is maroon-brown. The flank plumes, used in displays, are yellow at the base, turning white and streaked with maroon. The female has unbarred maroon brown plumage. In both sexes the iris is yellow and the bills blue.

The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", (Chrysolophus pictus) is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
The adult male is 90–105 cm in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. It is unmistakable with its golden crest and rump and bright red body. The deep orange "cape" can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers all of the face except its bright yellow eye with a pinpoint black pupil.

The Rainbow Lorikeet



The Rainbow Lorikeet has often included the Red-collared Lorikeet (T. rubritorquis) as a subspecies, but today most major authorities consider it separate.Additionally, a review in 1997 led to the recommendation of splitting off some of the most distinctive taxa from the Lesser Sundas as separate species, these being the Scarlet-breasted Lorikeet (T. forsteni), the Marigold Lorikeet (T. capistratus) and the Flores Lorikeet (T. weberi). This is increasingly followed by major authorities. With these as separate species, the Rainbow Lorikeet includes the following subspecies (in taxonomic order); most of the common names listed below are only used in aviculture.

    Shawl-collared, Rosenberg's or Biak Lorikeet, T. h. rosenbergii - Biak Island, Indonesia. Very distinctive, and possibly worthy of treatment as a separate species.    Blue-faced Lorikeet, T. h. intermedius. - north coast of New Guinea. Not always considered distinct from T. h. haematodus.
    Green-naped Lorikeet, T. h. haematodus - southern Maluku, West Papua islands and western New Guinea.


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Kingfisher


The taxonomy of the three families is complex and rather controversial. Although commonly assigned to the order Coraciiformes, from this level down confusion sets in.
The kingfishers were traditionally treated as one family, Alcedinidae with three subfamilies, but following the 1990s revolution in bird taxonomy, the three former subfamilies are now often elevated to familial level. That move was supported by chromosome and DNA-DNA hybridisation studies, but challenged on the grounds that all three groups are monophyletic with respect to the other Coraciiformes. This leads to them being grouped as the suborder Alcedines.
The tree kingfishers have been previously given the familial name Dacelonidae but Halcyonidae has priority.

Ceylon Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)


As with other junglefowl, the Sri Lankan Junglefowl is strongly sexually dimorphic: the male is much larger than the female, with more vivid plumage and a highly exaggerated wattle and comb.
The male Sri Lankan Junglefowl ranges from 66–72 cm (26–28 in) in length and 790–1,140 g (1.7–2.5 lb) in weight, essentially resembling a large, muscular rooster.The male has orange-red body plumage, and dark purple to black wings and tail. The feathers of the mane descending from head to base of spine are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow centre. As with the Green Junglefowl, the cock does not possess an eclipse plumage.
The female is much smaller, at only 35 cm (14 in) in length and 510–645 g (1.1–1.42 lb) in weight, with dull brown plumage with white patterning on the lower belly and breast, ideal camouflage for a nesting bird.

Ceylon scimitar- Babbler(Pomatorhinus horsfieldi melanurus)



Pomatorhinus melanurus Blyth, J. A. S. B., xvi, p. 481 (1847} (Ceylon) ; Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 118.

Vernacular names. None recorded.

Description. Similar to horsfieldi horsfieldi but with no demarcations between the plumage of the upper parts and the sides of the breast and neck, the latter being of the same ferruginous, brown as the former; the tail is very dark marked with ferruginous at the base.

Colours of soft parts. Iris reddish brown to dull red; orbital skin and eyelid dull blue; bill pale to dark yellow, blackish on the base; legs and feet slaty or greenish plumbeous ; feet, generally more bluish than tarsi, claws dusky-horny.

Bird Watching in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 's abundant bird-life makes the island a true Ornithologist's paradise. Of the 427 recorded species, 250 are resident and 23 are endemic to the country. With such a variety of environments ranging from wet to dry zone, forest to jungle, and hill country to low lands, there's no end to the fascinating locations in which to spot many of these beautiful birds. Most of the endemic birds (such as the Sri Lankan grackle) are restricted to the wet zone, while birds such as the Sri Lanka whistling thrush and the yellow-eared bulbul reside in the hill country. Others, like the brilliantly plumaged jungle fowl, the striking red-faced malkoha and the shy brown-capped babbler can be found in forests and sanctuaries throughout the island. Among the best areas for sighting these birds are the SINHARAJA RAIN FOREST Reserve and the ADAM'S PEAK WILDERNESS SANCTUARY .