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Orange River White-eye
The Orange River white-eye (''Zosterops pallidus'') is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae, which is native to Namibia and South Africa. It was formerly deemed conspecific with the Cape white-eye (''Zosterops virens''), but the two species occur sympatrically in central South Africa, and they are genetically distinct. Subspecies Four subspecies have been proposed based on plumage colour and size differences: * ''Zosterops pallidus pallidus'' — Northern Cape, North West, Gauteng, Free State * ''Zosterops pallidus sundevalli'' Hartlaub — tributaries of upper Orange and lower to mid Vaal River * ''Zosterops pallidus deserticola'' Reichenow — lower Orange River and its tributaries * ''Zosterops pallidus haigamchabensis'' — northern Namibia to Northern Cape, South Africa Range It occurs at highest densities in the catchment areas of the Orange and Vaal Rivers, where it is locally very common. It is also present at more isolated locations in the Nama Karoo, Namaqual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange River
The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. The river forms part of the international borders between South Africa and Lesotho and between South Africa and Namibia, as well as several provincial borders within South Africa. Except for Upington, it does not pass through any major cities. The Orange River plays an important role in the South African economy by providing water for irrigation and hydroelectric power. The river was named the Orange River in honour of the Dutch ruling family, the House of Orange, by the Dutch explorer Robert Jacob Gordon. Other names include simply the word for river, in Khoekhoegowab orthography written as !Garib, which is rendered in Afrikaan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salix
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known as willow, but some narrow-leaved shrub species are called osier, and some broader-leaved species are referred to as sallow (from Old English ''sealh'', related to the Latin word ''salix'', willow). Some willows (particularly arctic and alpine species) are low-growing or creeping shrubs; for example, the dwarf willow (''Salix herbacea'') rarely exceeds in height, though it spreads widely across the ground. Description Willows all have abundant watery bark sap, which is heavily charged with salicylic acid, soft, usually pliant, tough wood, slender branches, and large, fibrous, often stoloniferous roots. The roots are remarkable for their toughness, size, and tenacity to live, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zosterops
''Zosterops'' (meaning "eye-girdle") is a genus of passerine birds containing the typical white-eyes in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The genus has the largest number of species in the white-eye family. They occur in the Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Typical white-eyes have a length of between . Their most characteristic feature is a conspicuous white feather ring around the eye, though some species lack it. The species in this group vary in the structural adaptations of the tongue. The ''Zosterops'' 'griseotinctus''group is an example of a "great speciator" inhabiting a vast area and showing a remarkable morphological differentiation on islands, some of which maybe as close as apart. Systematics The genus ''Zosterops'' was introduced by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827. The name combines the Ancient Greek words ''zōstēros'' "belt" or "girdle" and ''ōpos'' "eye". The type species was designated as the Malagasy white-ey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aussenkehr
Aussenkehr (german: Outer bend, referring to the flow of the Orange at this location) is a farm on the banks of the Orange River in the south of Namibia hard on the border with South Africa. Aussenkehr falls within the Karasburg Constituency of the ǁKaras Region and is situated downstream (northwest) of Noordoewer. Aussenkehr was established as a farm in 1910 when an Imperial German ', literally translated "Germans of the ", is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the Germ ... investment corporation acquired the land and started several irrigation projects. Over time, Aussenkehr has evolved into a large settlement accommodating workers employed nearby. Estimations of how many people live here vary between 7,000 and almost 30,000. The settlement features a government clinic and a primary school. It is planned to develop Auss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phragmites Australis
''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may be as much as or more in extent. Where conditions are suitable it can also spread at or more per year by horizontal runners, which put down roots at regular intervals. It can grow in damp ground, in standing water up to or so deep, or even as a floating mat. The erect stems grow to tall, with the tallest plants growing in areas with hot summers and fertile growing conditions. The leaves are long and broad. The flowers are produced in late summer in a dense, dark purple panicle, about long. Later the numerous long, narrow, sharp pointed spikelets appear greyer due to the growth of long, silky hairs. These eventually help disperse the minute seeds. Taxonomy Recent studies have characterized morphological distinctions between the int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eye-ring
The eye-ring of a bird is a ring of tiny feathers that surrounds the orbital ring, a ring of bare skin immediately surrounding a bird's eye. The eye-ring is often decorative, and its colour may contrast with adjoining plumage. The ring of feathers is sometimes incomplete, forming an eye arc. In the absence of a conspicuous eye-ring, the orbital ring of a bird is often referred to as the eye-ring. The bare orbital ring may be hardened or fleshy, or may form an eye- wattle. These are useful field marks in many bird species, and the eye-ringed flatbill, eye-ringed tody-tyrant and eye-ringed thistletail are examples of species named for either of these. __NOTOC__ Function Eye-rings are believed to convey various types of signals between individual birds. Some eye-rings appear only at sexual maturity, while others suggest the individual's age or health status. Individual birds may be included or excluded from reproductive capability due to signals conveyed by the eye-ring. Red carote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tawny (color)
Tawny (also called tenné) is a light brown to brownish-orange color. Etymology The word means "tan-colored", from Anglo-Norman ''tauné'' "associated with the brownish-yellow of tanned leather", from Old French ''tané'' "to tan hides", from Medieval Latin ''tannare'', from ''tannum'' "crushed oak bark", used in tanning leather, probably from a Celtic source (e.g. Breton ''tann'', "oak tree"). Electronic definitions of tawny A digitized version of the 1912 book ''Color Standards And Color Nomenclature'' lists tawny as AE6938, tawny-olive as 826644 or 967117, ochraceous-tawny as BE8A3D or 996515, and vinaceous-tawny as B4745E. HP Labs' ''Online Color Thesaurus'', which lists colors found through their ''Color Naming Experiment'', gives tawny as CC7F3B, noting it is "rarely used", and lists its synonyms as: light chocolate, caramel, light brown, and camel. Dictionary of Color lists tawny as AE6938 or A67B5B, and tawny birch as A87C6D, A67B5B or 958070. It also lists "lion t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olive Green
Olive is a dark yellowish-green color, like that of unripe or green olives. As a color word in the English language, it appears in late Middle English. Shaded toward gray, it becomes olive drab. Variations Olivine Olivine is the typical color of the mineral olivine. The first recorded use of ''olivine'' as a color name in English was in 1912. Olive drab Olive drab is variously described as a "dull olive-green colour" (''Oxford English Dictionary'');''Oxford English Dictionary'', 5th Edition, 1982 "a shade of greenish-brown" (''Webster's New World Dictionary''); "a dark gray-green" (''MacMillan English dictionary''); "a grayish olive to dark olive brown or olive gray" (''American Heritage Dictionary''); or "A dull but fairly strong gray-green color" (''Collins English Dictionary''). It was widely used as a camouflage color for uniforms and equipment in the armed forces, particularly by the U.S. Army during the Second World War. The first recorded use of ''olive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird Length
Bird measurement or bird biometrics are approaches to quantify the size of birds in scientific studies. The measurements of the lengths of specific parts and the weights of birds varies between species, populations within species, between the sexes and depending on age and condition. In order for measurements to be useful, they need to be well defined so that measurements taken are consistent and comparable with those taken by others or at other points of time. Measurements can be useful to study growth, variation between geographically separated forms, identify differences between the sexes, age or otherwise characterize individuals birds. While certain measurements are regularly taken in the field to study living birds some others are applicable only to specimens in the museum or measurable only in a laboratory. The conventions used for measurement can vary widely between authors and works, making comparisons of sizes a matter that needs considerable care. Methods and considera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Taxonomy The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in London, accepts the following four species: * ''Phragmites australis'' ( Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. – cosmopolitan * ''Phragmites japonicus'' Steud. – Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Russian Far East * ''Phragmites karka'' ( Retz.) Trin. ex Steud. – tropical Africa, southern Asia, Australia, some Pacific Islands, invasive in New Zealand * ''Phragmites mauritianus'' Kunth – central + southern Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius The cosmopolitan common reed has the generally accepted botanical name ''Phragmites australis''. (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. About 130 other synonyms have been proposed. Examples include ''Phragmites communis'' Trin., ''Arundo phragmites'' L., and ''Phragmites vulgaris'' (Lam.) Crép. (illegitimate name). Wildlife in reed beds ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acacia Sensu Lato
''Acacia s.l.'' (pronounced or ), known commonly as mimosa, acacia, thorntree or wattle, is a polyphyletic genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. It was described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773 based on the African species ''Acacia nilotica''. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not. All species are pod-bearing, with sap and leaves often bearing large amounts of tannins and condensed tannins that historically found use as pharmaceuticals and preservatives. The genus ''Acacia'' constitutes, in its traditional circumspection, the second largest genus in Fabaceae (''Astragalus'' being the largest), with roughly 1,300 species, about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and the Americas (see List of ''Acacia'' species). The genus wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Searsia (plant)
''Searsia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce .... Taxonomy Species , ''Plants of the World online'' has 111 accepted species: References Flora of Southern Africa Trees of Africa Anacardiaceae genera {{Anacardiaceae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
