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Papasula
Abbott's booby (''Papasula abbotti'') is an endangered seabird of the Sulidae, sulid family, which includes gannets and Booby, boobies. It is a large booby and is placed within its own monotypic genus. It was first identified from a specimen collected by William Louis Abbott, who discovered it on Assumption Island in 1892. Abbott's booby breeds only in a few spots on the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, although it formerly had a much wider range. It has white plumage with black markings, and is adapted for long-distance flight. It forages around Christmas Island, often around nutrient-rich oceanic upwellings, although individuals can travel for thousands of kilometres. Pairs mate for life and raise one chick every two or three years, nesting near the top of Rainforest#Emergent layer, emergent trees in the rainforest canopy. The population is decreasing. Historically, much of its former habitat was logged to make way for phosphate mining. Som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulidae
The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulids, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The 10 species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus ''Sula''. However, ''Sula'' (true boobies) and ''Morus'' (gannets) can be readily distinguished by morphological, behavioral, and DNA sequence characters. Abbott's booby (''Papasula'') is given its own genus, as it stands apart from both in these respects. It appears to be a distinct and ancient lineage, maybe closer to the gannets than to the true boobies.Kennedy, Martyn; Spencer, Hamish G. & Gray, Russell D. (1996): Hop, step and gape: do the social displays of the Pelecaniformes reflect phylogeny? ''Animal Behaviour'' 51(2): 273-291. (HTML abstract) Erratum: ''Animal Behaviour'' 51(5): 1197. Description Sulids measure about in length and have a wingspan around . They have long, narrow, and pointed w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christmas Island National Park
Christmas Island National Park is a national park occupying most of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia. The park is home to many species of animal and plant life, including the eponymous Christmas Island red crab, red crab, whose annual migration sees around 100 million crabs move to the sea to spawn. Christmas Island is the only nesting place for the endangered Abbott's booby and critically endangered Christmas Island frigatebird, and the wide range of other endemism, endemic species makes the island of significant interest to the scientific community. History Concerns were expressed in the early 1970s about the effect of phosphate mining on the flora and fauna of Christmas Island. A particular focus was on the habitat of Abbott's booby (''Papasula abbotti''), which appeared in danger of extinction. In 1974 a governmental committee examined the environmental impact of mining and other commercial activities and advised on m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Planchonella Nitida
''Planchonella duclitan'' is a species of plant in the family Sapotaceae. A tree that may attain a height of 40 meters, presenting glossy leaves and orange fruit. It is common on Christmas Island, dominating up to 20% of the upper leaf canopy, as a tree to 30 meters, in established forest or around 40% in regenerating habitat where it may attain the maximum height. The species has been described as ''Planchonella nitida'' (Blume) Dubard, later regarded as a synonym for this treatment. The tree is used as a nest site by Abbott's booby, a sea-bird species '' Papasula abbotti'', and fruit and flowers provide food for the fruit bat ''Pteropus natalis The Christmas Island flying fox or Christmas Island fruit bat, as the name suggests, is a flying fox endemic to Christmas Island. It is unclear if it should be considered a distinct species (''Pteropus natalis''), or a subspecies of the black-e ...''. References duclitan Flora of Christmas Island Taxa named by Francisco Manue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masked Booby
The masked booby (''Sula dactylatra''), also called the masked gannet or the blue-faced booby, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson in 1831, the masked booby is one of six species of booby in the genus '' Sula''. It has a typical sulid body shape, with a long pointed yellowish bill, long neck, aerodynamic body, long slender wings and pointed tail. The adult is bright white with black wings, a black tail and a dark face mask; at long, it is the largest species of booby. The sexes have similar plumage. This species ranges across tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific. In the latter, it is replaced by the Nazca booby (''Sula granti''), which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of masked booby. Nesting takes place in colonies, generally on islands and atolls far from the mainland and close to deep water required for foraging. Territorial when breeding, the masked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Booby
A booby is a seabird in the genus ''Sula'', part of the family Sulidae. Boobies are closely related to the gannets (''Morus''), which were formerly included in ''Sula''. Systematics and evolution The genus ''Sula'' was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The type species is the brown booby. The name is derived from ''súla'', the Old Norse and Icelandic word for the other member of the family Sulidae, the gannet. The English name "booby" was possibly based on the Spanish slang term ''bobo'', meaning "stupid", as these tame birds had a habit of landing on board sailing ships, where they were easily captured and eaten. Owing to this, boobies are often mentioned as having been caught and eaten by shipwrecked sailors, notably William Bligh of the ''Bounty'' and his adherents during their famous voyage after being set adrift by Fletcher Christian and his followers. Six of the ten extant Sulidae species called ''boobies'' are in the genus ''Sul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Louis Abbott
William Louis Abbott (23 February 1860 – 2 April 1936) was an American medical doctor, explorer, ornithologist and field naturalist. He compiled prodigious collections of biological specimens and ethnological artefacts from around the world, especially from Maritime Southeast Asia, and was a significant financial supporter of the United States National Museum collecting expeditions. Early life and education Abbot was born in Philadelphia. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Pennsylvania in 1881 before studying medicine there, graduating in 1884 and subsequently doing postgraduate studies in England, obtaining licentiates from the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons. In 1886, he received a substantial inheritance, ceased the formal practice of medicine, and devoted himself to exploration and collecting.Boruchoff, Judith. (1986). ''Register to the William Louis Abbott Collection''. National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Instituti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus ''Morus'' in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to . The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand. Etymology "Gannet" is derived from Old English ''ganot'' meaning "strong or masculine", ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as "gander". Taxonomy ''Morus'' is derived from Ancient Greek ''moros'' "stupid" or "foolish" due to lack of fear shown by breeding gannets and boobies, allowing them to be easily killed. Behaviour Hunting Gannets hunt fish by diving into the sea from a height of and pursuing their prey underwater, and have a number of adaptations: * They have no external nostrils; they are located inside the mouth, instead. * They have air sacs in the face and ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird Egg
Bird eggs are laid by the females and range in quantity from one (as in condors) to up to seventeen (the grey partridge). Clutch size may vary latitudinally within a species. Some birds lay eggs even when the eggs have not been fertilized; it is not uncommon for pet owners to find their lone bird nesting on a clutch of infertile eggs, which are sometimes called wind-eggs. Anatomy All bird eggs contain the following components: * The embryo is the immature developing chick * The amnion is a membrane that initially covers the embryo and eventually fills with amniotic fluid, provides the embryo with protection against shock from movement * The allantois helps the embryo obtain oxygen and handles metabolic waste * The chorion, together with the amnion, forms the amniotic sac and encloses the amnion, vitellus, and the embryo * The vitellus, or yolk, is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg, containing most of its fat, minerals, and many of its proteins and blood vessels * The alb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List of islands by population, most populous island, home to approximately 56% of the Demographics of Indonesia, Indonesian population. Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, is on Java's northwestern coast. Many of the best known events in Indonesian history took place on Java. It was the centre of powerful Hindu-Buddhist empires, the Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies. Java was also the center of the History of Indonesia, Indonesian struggle for independence during the 1930s and 1940s. Java dominates Indonesia politically, economically and culturally. Four of Indonesia's eight UNESCO world heritage sites are located in Java: Ujung Kulon National Park, Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, and Sangiran Early Man Site. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Handbook Of Australian, New Zealand And Antarctic Birds
The ''Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds'', known as ''HANZAB'', is the pre-eminent scientific reference on birds in the region, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the surrounding ocean and subantarctic islands. It attempts to collate all that is known about each of the 957 species recorded. ''HANZAB'' is the largest project ever undertaken by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), also known as Birds Australia. It was prepared over 20 years by teams of full and part-time writers, editors and artists, and published by Oxford University Press in seven volumes between 1990 and 2006 (volumes 1 and 7 each in two parts). Contents of each volume # Ratites to Ducks (in two parts) (1990) 1408 pp. # Raptors to Lapwings (1993) 1048 pp. # Snipe to Pigeons (1996) 1086 pp. # Parrots to Dollarbird (1999) 1248 pp. # Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats (2001) 1272 pp. # Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes (2002) 1263 pp. # Boatbill to Starlings (in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banda Sea
The Banda Sea ( id, Laut Banda, pt, Mar de Banda, tet, Tasi Banda) is one of four seas that surround the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, connected to the Pacific Ocean, but surrounded by hundreds of islands, including Timor, as well as the Halmahera and Ceram Seas. It is about 1000 km (600 mi) east to west, and about 500 km (300 mi) north to south. Extent The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Banda Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago. The IHO defines its limits as follows: ''On the North'' The Southern limits of the Molukka Sea and the Western and Southern limits of the Ceram Sea. ''On the East.'' From Tg Borang, the Northern point of Noehoe Tjoet Kai_Besar">/nowiki>Kai_Besar.html" ;"title="Kai_Besar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Kai Besar">/nowiki>Kai Besar">Kai_Besar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Kai Besar">/nowiki>Kai Besar/nowiki>, through this island to its Southern point, thence a line to the Northeast point of F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trade Wind
The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, strengthening during the winter and when the Arctic oscillation is in its warm phase. Trade winds have been used by captains of sailing ships to cross the world's oceans for centuries. They enabled colonial expansion into the Americas, and trade routes to become established across the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. In meteorology, they act as the steering flow for tropical storms that form over the Atlantic, Pacific, and southern Indian oceans and make landfall in North America, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar and East Africa. Shallow cumulus clouds are seen within trade wind regimes and are capped from becoming taller by a trade wind inversion, which is caused by descending air aloft from within the subtropical ridge. The weak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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