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Appert's Tetraka
Appert's tetraka formerly known as Appert's greenbul (''Xanthomixis apperti'') is a small passerine bird endemic to the south-west of Madagascar. The species was only described in 1972, and has been the subject of considerable taxonomic confusion. It was initially placed in the greenbul genus ''Phyllastrephus'', and later with the Old World warblers in the genus '' Bernieria''. Recent research indicates it is part of an endemic Malagasy radiation currently known as the Malagasy warblers (Cibois ''et al.'' 2001). The Appert's tetraka is around long with a pink bill and grey legs. The plumage of the sexes is similar; the back, tail and wings are green (the wings being a darker shade), the head grey and the throat white. The flanks and belly are washed orange and the undersides are white. The species is highly terrestrial, feeding in undisturbed forest in shrubs near the ground and on the ground. Family groups of up to 8 birds, sometimes in association with other species, forage on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Colston (ornithologist)
Peter R. Colston (born 1935) is an English ornithologist. Colston was Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum until his retirement in 1995. He joined the staff of the museum in 1961, and made collecting trips to Andalucia, Australia and Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area .... He became an expert on African birds, publishing description of four new species, including Appert's greenbul. Between 1989 and 1995 he made private trips to China, with Per Alström and Urban Olsson, where they discovered three previously undescribed ''Phylloscopus'' warblers. Works *''A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain & Europe'' (with Ian Lewington and Per Alström) *''The Waders of Britain and Europe'' (with Philip Burton) *''BIRDS of MOUNT NIMBA West Africa LIBERIA ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deciduous Forest
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit. The antonym of ''deciduous'' in the botanical sense is evergreen. Generally, the term "deciduous" means "the dropping of a part that is no longer needed or useful" and the "falling away after its purpose is finished". In plants, it is the result of natural processes. "Deciduous" has a similar meaning when referring to animal parts, such as deciduous antlers in deer, deciduous teeth (baby teeth) in some mammals (including humans); or decidua, the uterine lining that sheds off after birth. Botany In botany and horticulture, deciduous plants, including trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, are those that lose all of their leaves for part of the year. This process is called abscission. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malagasy Warblers
The Tetrakas and allies are a newly validated family of songbirds. They were formally named Bernieridae in 2010. The family currently consists of eleven species (in eight genera) of small forest birds. These birds are all endemic to Madagascar. In 1934, the monophyly of this group was proposed by Finn Salomonsen but the traditional assignments of these birds were maintained, mistaken by their convergent evolution and the lack of dedicated research. The families to which the Malagasy warblers were formerly assigned—Pycnonotidae ( bulbuls) and even more so Timaliidae (Old World babblers) and the Old World warbler—were used as " wastebin taxa", uniting unrelated lineages that were somewhat similar ecologically and morphologically. It was not until the analysis of mtDNA cytochrome ''b'' and 16S rRNA as well as nDNA RAG-1 and RAG-2 exon sequence data, that the long-proposed grouping was accepted. Taxonomy and systematics The family contains 11 species divided into 8 gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide. It has a membership of more than 2.5 million people across 116 country partner organizations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy. BirdLife International has identified 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and is the official International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List authority for birds. As of 2015, BirdLife International has established that 1,375 bird species (13% of the total) are threatened with extinction ( critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable). BirdLife International p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evolution (journal)
''Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution'', is a monthly scientific journal that publishes significant new results of empirical or theoretical investigations concerning facts, processes, mechanics, or concepts of evolutionary phenomena and events. ''Evolution'' is published by the Society for the Study of Evolution. Its current editor-in-chief is Tracey Chapman. Former editors-in-chief The journal was founded soon after the Second World War. Its first editor was the evolutionary geneticist Ernst Mayr. * Ruth Geyer Shaw, July 2013 – 2017 * Daphne Fairbairn Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ..., 2010- June 2013 References External linksOfficial website Evolutionary biology journals Publications established in 1947 Academic journals published by l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otto Appert
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded from the 7th century ( Odo, son of Uro, courtier of Sigebert III). It was the name of three 10th-century German kings, the first of whom was Otto I the Great, the first Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the Ottonian dynasty. The Gothic form of the prefix was ''auda-'' (as in e.g. '' Audaþius''), the Anglo-Saxon form was ''ead-'' (as in e.g. ''Eadmund''), and the Old Norse form was '' auð-''. The given name Otis arose from an English surname, which was in turn derived from ''Ode'', a variant form of ''Odo, Otto''. Due to Otto von Bismarck, the given name ''Otto'' was strongly associated with the German Empire in the later 19th century. It was comparatively frequently given in the United States (presumably in German American families) during t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analavelona Classified Forest
Analavelona, also known as Analavelona Massif, is a mountain in southwestern Madagascar. The massif is home to an enclave of montane subhumid forest, which is considered a sacred forest by the local people and notable for its biodiversity. Geography Analavelona is located in Sakaraha District of Atsimo-Andrefana region of Madagascar, west-northwest of the town of Sakaraha. The massif extends generally northeast–southwest, with steep slopes incised by stream valleys. The highest peak is Mitsinjoriake at 1325 meters elevation.Alandraza Analavelo Site #92 ''Protected Areas of Madagascar''. Accessed 19 November 2022. The massif is surrounded by a mostly arid . The southeastern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madagascar Subhumid Forests
The Madagascar subhumid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that covers most of the Central Highlands of the island of Madagascar. They are included in the WWF's Global 200 list of outstanding ecoregions. Most of the original habitats have been lost due to human pressure. Geography The Madagascar subhumid forests ecoregion covers Madagascar's highlands, which extend north and south along the length of the island, above approximately elevation on the east and above meters elevation on the west. The Central Highlands is the largest highland region on the island, extending from approximately 16º to 23º south. The Central Highlands include Ankaratra and the Andringitra Massif, which is home to Pic Boby (2,658 m), the Central Highlands' highest peak.Everson, Kathryn M.; Jansa, Sharon A.; Goodman, Steven M.; Olson, Link E.. "Montane regions shape patterns of diversification in small mammals and reptiles from Madagascar’s moist evergreen forest". ''Jou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park
''Zombitse-Vohibasia'' is a national park in the Atsimo-Andrefana region of south-west Madagascar. It is north-east of the town of Toliara, the site of the nearest airport, and the Welcome Office is at Sakaraha from the park entrance. The park covers a surface of on three sites; the forest of Zombitse () and the sites of Isoky Vohimena () and Vohibasia (). The Bara people and Mahafaly people are the main ethnic groups in the area. History and significance The park is made up of three separate sections. The Zombitse forest was first set aside as a protected area in 1962, the Vohibasia and Isoky-Vohimena forests were added in 1997 and the full site formally established as a National Park in 2002. The national park falls within the ecoregion classified as Madagascar succulent woodlands, an ecoregion that is known for high local endemicity and that is transitional between the spiny thicket and the dry deciduous woodland ecoregions. The ecoregion is described as a mosaic of succulent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gleaning (birds)
Gleaning is a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals. This behavior is contrasted with hawking insects from the air or chasing after moving insects such as ants. Gleaning, in birds, does not refer to foraging for seeds or fruit. Gleaning is a common feeding strategy for some groups of birds, including nuthatches, tits (including chickadees), wrens, woodcreepers, treecreepers, Old World flycatchers, Tyrant flycatchers, babblers, Old World warblers, New World warblers, Vireos and some hummingbirds and cuckoos. Many birds make use of multiple feeding strategies, depending on the availability of different sources of food and opportunities of the moment. Techniques and adaptations Foliage gleaning, the strategy of gleaning over the leaves and branches of trees and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching. With more than 140 families and some 6,500 identified species, Passeriformes is the largest clade of birds and among the most diverse clades of terrestrial vertebrates, representing 60% of birds.Ericson, P.G.P. et al. (2003Evolution, biogeography, and patterns of diversification in passerine birds ''J. Avian Biol'', 34:3–15.Selvatti, A.P. et al. (2015"A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World" ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', 88:1–15. Passerines are divided into three clades: Acanthisitti (New Zealand wrens), Tyranni (suboscines), and Passeri (oscines or songbirds). The passeri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can be different colour morphs. The placement of feathers on a bird is not haphazard, but rather emerge in organized, overlapping rows and groups, and these are known by standardized names. Most birds moult twice a year, resulting in a breeding or ''nuptial plumage'' and a ''basic plumage''. Many ducks and some other species such as the red junglefowl have males wearing a bright nuptial plumage while breeding and a drab ''eclipse plumage'' for some months afterward. The painted bunting's juveniles have two inserted moults in their first autumn, each yielding plumage like an adult female. The first starts a few days after fledging replacing the ''juvenile plumage'' with an ''auxiliary formative plumage''; the second a month or so l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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