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Banasura Laughingthrush
The Banasura laughingthrush (''Montecincla jerdoni'') is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in shola habitat in a small section of the Western Ghats in southwestern Karnataka and northern Kerala. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the black-chinned laughingthrush. Taxonomy The Banasura laughingthrush was described by zoologist Edward Blyth in 1851, based on a type specimen collected at Banasura Hill in modern-day Kerala by Thomas Jerdon. Blythe originally placed it in the genus ''Garrulax''. After a period of taxonomic reorganization, the species, along with the Palani laughingthrush and the Ashambu laughingthrush, was placed in the genus ''Montecincla'', in which it remains today. The Banasura laughingthrush was formerly treated as conspecific with the Nilgiri laughingthrush, and was known as the black-chinned laughingthrush. However, morphological and geographic analysis revealed that the Banasura and Nilgiri laughingthrushes were better t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the museum of the Asiatic Society of India in Calcutta. Blyth was born in London in 1810. In 1841 he travelled to India to become the curator of the museum of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. He set about updating the museum's catalogues, publishing a ''Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society'' in 1849. He was prevented from doing much fieldwork himself, but received and described bird specimens from A.O. Hume, Samuel Tickell, Robert Swinhoe and others. He remained as curator until 1862, when ill-health forced his return to England. His ''Natural History of the Cranes'' was published posthumously in 1881. Avian species bearing his name include Blyth's hornbill, Blyth's leaf warbler, Blyth's hawk-eagle, Blyth's olive bulbul, Blyth's parakeet, Blyth's frogmouth, Blyth's reed warbler, Blyth's rosefinch, Blyth's shrike-babbl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nilgiri Laughingthrush
The Nilgiri laughingthrush (''Montecincla cachinnans'') is a species of laughingthrush endemic to the high elevation areas of the Nilgiris and adjoining hill ranges in Peninsular India. The mostly rufous underparts, olive brown upperparts, a prominent white eyebrow and a black throat make it unmistakable. It is easily detected by its loud series of nasal call notes and can be hard to spot when it is hidden away inside a patch of dense vegetation. The species has a confusing taxonomic history, leading to a range of names. In the past the species was considered to have two subspecies, the nominate form in the Nilgiris (earlier called the black-chinned laughingthrush or rufous-breasted laughingthrush) and ''jerdoni'' (which is now treated as a full species, the Banasura laughingthrush) with a grey upper breast and found in the Brahmagiris of Coorg and Banasura range of Wayanad. They are omnivorous, feeding on a range of insects, berries and nectar. Taxonomy The species was de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vellarimala
Vellarimala Hills is a mountain range in Kerala, India, spread across Thiruvambady Panchayat in Kozhikode district and Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad district. Description Vellarimala forms a part of a high hill range of what is otherwise known as Camel's Hump Mountains, a part of the Western Ghats. Most of the hill range falls in the Meppadi Forest Range of South Wayanad Division, with some parts falling in the Thamarassery Range of Kozhikode Division. They are semi-contiguous with Nilgiris or Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, separated by the Chaliyar Valley. The plateau of Wayanad lies on the eastern slopes of these hills and merges gradually with the Mysore plateau. The hill ranges are accessible by foot from Muthappanpuzha, near Anakkampoyil, a small town about 50 km from Kozhikode. About 6 km by foot from Muthappanpuzha on the way to Vellarimala hills is the waterfall called Olichuchattam. It is situated 15 km from Thiruvambady. KSRTC Bus Services are available fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chembra Peak
Chembra Peak (Chembra Mala) is a mountain in the state of Kerala, India, with an elevation of above sea level. The highest peak in the Wayanad hills and one of the highest peaks in the Western Ghats, adjoining the Nilgiri Hills and Vellarimala, it is located in the Wayanad district of Kerala, near the town of Meppadi and south of Kalpetta. Visits to the peak are organized by the "Chempra Peak VSS" under the control of the South Wayanad Forest Development Agency; guides are provided for trekking. Chembra Peak is accessible by foot from Meppadi. The District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides and trekking equipment to tourists for fees. Banasura Sagar Dam and Banasura Hill is also nearby. Gallery File:Chembra lake.jpg, Lake en route to the top of Chembra Peak File:Chembra Peak.JPG, Top View File:Chembra Peak.jpg, View From Meppadi Meppadi is a village in the Indian state of Kerala. It is an extremely scenic hill station on the State Highway between Kozhikode and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wayanad
Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern portion of Deccan Plateau. It is set high in the Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters. Vellari Mala, a high peak situated on the trijunction of Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, is the highest point in Wayanad district. The district was formed on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala, by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. An area of 885.92 km2 of the district is forested. Wayanad has three municipal towns—Kalpetta, Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery. There are many indigenous tribes in this area. The Kabini River, a tributary of Kaveri River, originates at Wayanad. Wayanad district, along with the Chaliyar valley in neighbouring Nilambur (Eastern Eranad region) in Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vavul Mala
Vavul Mala is a peak in the Western Ghats in the Vellarimala range of Kerala, India. It is situated at the trijunction of the districts of Malappuram district, Malappuram, Kozhikode district, Kozhikode, and Wayanad in Kerala. Vavulmala resembles a "Camel Hump". Situated at a height of 2,339m, it is the highest peak in the Western Ghats northwards beyond Nilgiri mountains, the Nilgiris and also the highest point of Kozhikode district. These compact hills are floristically similar to Nilgiri hills. The first volume of William Logan (author), William Logan's 1887 publication Malabar Manual (the work was later followed up by the Malabar Gazetteer of 1908) refers the 7,677-foot high Vavul Mala as a landmark conspicuous far out to the Arabian sea. Vellarimala range is situated in the borders of Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad. It is a high landscape known as "Camel Hump Mountains". It is separated from Nilgiri hills by Deccan plateau and Chaliyar river valley. It is one of the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kodagu
Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. In 2001 its population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centre, making it the least populous of the 31 districts in Karnataka. The nearest railway stations are Mysore Junction, located around away, Thalassery, and Kannur, the latter two located in Kerala at a distance of about . The nearest airports are Kannur International Airport in Kerala ( from Madikeri) and Mangalore International Airport ( from Madikeri). Geography Kodagu is located on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. It has a geographical area of . The district is bordered by Dakshina Kannada district to the northwest, Hassan district to the north, Mysore district to the east, Kas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka
Brahmagiri, is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Kodagu district in Karnataka state in the north and Wayanad district of Kerala state on the south . Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction. The top of Brahmagiri Hill is well forested and has much wildlife. Tourist attractions Thirunelli Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, lies on the Kerala side of Brahmagiri. This temple is known as Dakshina Kasi or the Kashi of the South. The temple was constructed in an ancient style and includes 30 granite pillars. According to legend, the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma himself. Pakshipathalam at an altitude of 1740 m is another attraction on the Kerala side. Pakshipathalam has a cave that is said to have been used by rishis in ancient times. On the Karnataka side it is also known by the name of Munikal cave. Iruppu (or Irpu or Lakshmana Tirtha) Falls of the Lakshmana Tirtha River lies on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, comprising 19.31% of India's area () and 20% of India's population. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges – the Western and Eastern Ghats – bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar, Bharathappuzha, Pamba, Thamirabarani, Palar, and Vaigai rivers are important perennial rivers. The majority of the people in South India speak at least one of the four major Dravidian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada (all 4 of which are among the 6 Classic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sky Islands
Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has significant implications for these natural habitats. The American Southwest region began warming up between and 10,000 years BP and atmospheric temperatures increased substantially, resulting in the formation of vast deserts that isolated the sky islands. Endemism, altitudinal migration, and relict populations are some of the natural phenomena to be found on sky islands. The complex dynamics of species richness on sky islands draws attention from the discipline of biogeography, and likewise the biodiversity is of concern to conservation biology. One of the key elements of a sky island is separation by physical distance from the other mountain ranges, resulting in a habitat island, such as a forest surrounded by desert. Some sky isla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iris (anatomy)
In humans and most mammals and birds, the iris (plural: ''irides'' or ''irises'') is a thin, annular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupil, and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. Eye color is defined by the iris. In optical terms, the pupil is the eye's aperture, while the iris is the diaphragm. Structure The iris consists of two layers: the front pigmented fibrovascular layer known as a stroma and, beneath the stroma, pigmented epithelial cells. The stroma is connected to a sphincter muscle (sphincter pupillae), which contracts the pupil in a circular motion, and a set of dilator muscles ( dilator pupillae), which pull the iris radially to enlarge the pupil, pulling it in folds. The sphincter pupillae is the opposing muscle of the dilator pupillae. The pupil's diameter, and thus the inner border of the iris, changes size when constricting or dilating. The outer border of the iris does not change size. The constricti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line that runs across the lores, and continues behind the eye. Where a stripe is present only above the lores, and does not continue behind the eye, it is called a supraloral stripe or simply supraloral. On most species which display a supercilium, it is paler than the adjacent feather tracts. The colour, shape or other features of the supercilium can be useful in bird identification. For example, the supercilium of the dusky warbler, an Old World warbler species, can be used to distinguish it from the very similar Radde's warbler. The dusky warbler's supercilium is sharply demarcated, whitish and narrow in front of the eye, becoming broader and more buffy towards the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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