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For birders, the Wolongshan space is sort of a poorer cousin of Balangshan – as a result of decrease elevation, the hen species listed here are extra widespread and thus much less fascinating. And naturally, birders (no less than me) don’t care an excessive amount of for Big Pandas, that are the principle attraction of this space, regardless of their pathetic habits. I imply, I’ve by no means heard of birds needing intercourse movies of their very own species simply to procreate …
Anyway, there are a number of fascinating hen species right here, no less than for guests from Shanghai.
One is the Chinese language Babax, with its attribute piercing eyes.
Truly, I’m fairly accustomed to that look from my spouse at any time when I put up the laundry to dry, as I all the time appear to do it fallacious indirectly or one other. I assume there may be some secret information to it which I’ll by no means grasp.
Some Chinese language Babax waste a part of their lives feeding chicks of Giant Hawk Cuckoos, which parasitize the babax species. Certainly, most cuckoo eggs are accepted by the babax (supply), though a small proportion of hosts reject cuckoo eggs and sometimes boast about this functionality when having a number of too many drinks.
The Chinese language Babax is a laughingthrush, as is Elliot’s Laughingthrush.
Equally obvious eyes, despite the fact that I didn’t do any laundry.
It’s purported to be fairly confiding, however sadly, no one instructed the people I encountered on this journey.
I can verify that the Indian Blue Robin – as acknowledged by the HBW – tends to sing from deep cowl – not ideally suited habits for a hen photographer. If I appeared pretty much as good as this hen, I’d not really feel the necessity to disguise.
The Latin species title is brunnea, “brown”, which is type of counterintuitive for a grey-blue, white and orange hen till one remembers that many different hen names additionally don’t make a lot sense.
Equally, it’s laborious for me to grasp the English title of the White-collared Yuhina. I truly appeared this up in case my understanding had been fallacious for the final greater than 50 years, however certainly, the collar is “the a part of a garment that encircles the neck” (supply).
The HBW describes the species as having a “distinguished white nuchal collar”, and whereas the “nuchal” appears appropriate, I nonetheless discover it laborious to explain one thing as a collar that doesn’t go across the neck. Isn’t that the important property of a collar? I think the HBW described the hen primarily based on the title solely with out precise images.
Sadly, there will not be many papers on the species apart from the inevitable one masking “The entire mitochondrial genome sequence of White-collared Yuhina”. I nearly misinterpret the ultimate Declaration of Curiosity of the paper as “the authors report no real interest in the content material of the paper”, however admittedly, that’s not what’s acknowledged there.
And would you imagine it, the Inexperienced-backed Tit just isn’t notably green-backed both, although I’ve to confess that this title sounds higher than “Barely darker-yellow-backed Tit”.
Although the HBW generously describes the species as having a greenish again.
Accordingly, the species title monticulus describes the species as dwelling within the mountains relatively than having a inexperienced again.
A nesting gap made out of metal. For the discerning tit with a concentrate on high quality.
Lastly: the Yellow-bellied Tit certainly has a yellow stomach.
eBird is charmed by the species, calling it “a tiny luminous ball of feathers”. That’s in step with the Latin species title of venustulus, “charming, pretty”.
And also you guessed it: someone printed a paper on the “Full mitochondrial genome of the Yellow-bellied Tit” . Padding up your record of publications was by no means this straightforward.
In accordance with eBird, Martens’s Warbler is “a vibrant and engaging small warbler with many nearly equivalent kinfolk”.
One amongst these is Alstroem’s Warbler. So, there are two warblers each named after ornithologists nonetheless alive, Jochen Martens (a German) and Per Alstroem (a Swede). Each appear to be a bit stuffed with themselves, having/accepting a hen named after themselves, which is so colonial. Dangerous manners, I feel.
Amusingly, in addition they appear to dislike one another, or no less than disagree with one another. Listed here are some quotes from a 2000 paper by Per Alstroem evaluating papers authored by him and Martens, each on sure related warbler species:
“The paper by Alstrom and Olsson is predicated on fieldwork at 9 totally different localities all through the vary of the ‘Golden-spectacled Warbler’ throughout 14 totally different visits over 12 years, and a examine of greater than 700 specimens, together with all traceable varieties. In distinction, the paper by Martens et al. is predicated on a examine of specimens and tape recordings collected throughout one go to to every of two localities in central China in 1997 and 1998 and their very own tape recordings and specimens from Nepal; in all, 196 specimens had been examined.
That means: we did actual science, Martens didn’t.“
“In contrast to Alstrom and Olsson, Martens et al. apparently didn’t look at any sort specimens.” That means: we did actual science, Martens didn’t.
“Surprisingly, [Martens et al.] didn’t contemplate any of the 4 names listed as synonyms by Watson et al. 1986: Cyptolopha auricapilla Swainson, 1837; Acanthiza arrogans Sundevall, 183 8; Muscicapa bilineata Lesson, 1839; and Cyptolopha bimanica Berezowski & Bianchi, 1891).” That means: Martens didn’t do his homework and doesn’t do actual science.
The hen that contributed to this quarrel doesn’t appear involved, although. Perhaps it doesn’t care very a lot.
This male Plumbeous Water Redstart tried to disregard its chick.
Troublesome – no, hopeless. Ought to have considered that earlier than having chicks.
The Gray-backed Shrike apparently prefers areas near human settlements – not as a result of people are notably good (we aren’t), however “as a result of these habitats supply a greater foraging substrate and locations secure from massive predators” (supply).
Sooner or later, a Chinese language researcher had a superb concept: Let’s put together a paper on the whole mitochondrial genome of the Gray-backed Shrike!
I nonetheless just like the quick species descriptions of eBird significantly better than the longer ones of the HBW or the dry ones of Wikipedia. Take the Purple-billed Blue Magpie: “Raucous, vividly-colored magpie of lowland and foothill forests, gardens, and parks” (eBird).
One examine checked out nest failure of ground-nesting birds – whereas one of many failures was attributable to predation by a Purple-billed Blue Magpie, 83% of all failures had been because of predation by mammals. I feel I identified in earlier posts that mammals are type of evil.
Making an attempt to breed the species in an aviary supplied some disappointments, for instance with regard to their nest-building talents: “I don’t know what earlier expertise the birds had at nest building, however their try was fairly pathetic” (supply).
I didn’t actually search for a White Wagtail as it’s fairly widespread in Shanghai, however took a picture anyway. Drive of behavior, I assume.
Ditto Oriental Turtle Dove.
Two birds are named in honor of Elizabeth Gould, an illustrator of ornithological works and the spouse of John Gould. One is the Gouldian Finch (an Australian hen, thus not seen at Wolongshan – the title was given to the species by John Gould) and Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, which was given the title by Irish ornithologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785-1840).
Vigors popularized a zoological system known as the quinarian system. This was a relatively weird system postulating that each one taxa are made up of 5 subgroups. So, in keeping with this method, if fewer than 5 subgroups are recognized of 1 taxa, then one nonetheless must be discovered. Appears like numerology to me relatively than like science, however then individuals are bizarre, and as a Sagittarius, I don’t imagine in numerology anyway.
As for Elizabeth, Wikipedia states that her letters “reveal her as an enthralling, cultured, and musically and artistically gifted lady”. And why not.
Lastly, a German hen! Effectively, not fairly. The Latin species title of the Slaty Bunting is siemsseni, after Georg Theodor Siemssen (1816-1886), a German service provider born in Hamburg, my favourite German metropolis.
He spent the years from 1836 to 1858 in Asia, first in Indonesia, then in China, partly because the consul of town of Hamburg in China. I’ve no clue why the Slaty Bunting was named after him – nevertheless it was performed by one Gustav Heinrich Martens (an ornithologist who lived from 1842 to 1912) in 1906.
The photographs present a male – the feminine is principally brown, one thing male buntings often complain about.
And guess what I discovered as effectively: A paper titled “Characterization of the whole mitochondrial genome of slaty bunting”. Oh, the enjoyment.
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