|
Seychelles Magpie Robin
The Seychelles magpie-robin (''Copsychus sechellarum'') is a medium-sized endangered bird from the granitic Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. This species of magpie-robin is approximately in length. With a body mass of in females and in males, this species may stand as the largest remnant species in the diverse Muscicapidae with the separation of larger birds such as cochoas to the thrush family. It has a glossy coal-black plumage with a white-colored bar on each wing. It is considered a long-lived species, whose lifespan is over 15 years of age. Its habitat is woodlands, plantations and the vicinity of gardens. Their range on the island of Fregate was limited by the area of open ground with leaf litter. Historically, it is believed to have existed on most of the granitic Seychelles islands. Destruction of habitat and introduced predators (domestic cats and rats) greatly reduced its numbers. By 1970, it was on the brink of extinction, with only 16 individuals remaining, all on Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Newton
Alfred Newton Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS HFRSE (11 June 18297 June 1907) was an England, English zoology, zoologist and ornithology, ornithologist. Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907. Among his numerous publications were a four-volume ''Dictionary of Birds'' (1893–6), entries on ornithology in the Encyclopædia Britannica (9th edition) while also an editor of the journal ''Ibis (journal), Ibis'' from 1865 to 1870. In 1900 he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society and the Linnean Medal, Gold Medal of the Linnaean Society. He founded the British Ornithologists Union. Life Alfred Newton was born near Geneva in Switzerland, the fifth son of William Newton (MP for Ipswich), William Newton of Elveden Hall in Suffolk, Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for ; his mother Elizabeth (1789–1843) was the daughter of Richard Slater Milnes, MP for . The family wealth was founded on sugar pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, is east of mainland Africa. Nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago (administered by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory) to the east. It is the least populated sovereign African country, with an estimated 2020 population of 98,462. Seychelles was uninhabited prior to being encountered by Europeans in the 16th century. It faced competing French and British interests until coming under full British control in the late 18th century. Since proclaiming independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, it has developed from a largely agricultural society to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by the Southern Ocean or Antarctica, depending on the definition in use. Along its core, the Indian Ocean has some large marginal or regional seas such as the Arabian Sea, Laccadive Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Andaman Sea. Etymology The Indian Ocean has been known by its present name since at least 1515 when the Latin form ''Oceanus Orientalis Indicus'' ("Indian Eastern Ocean") is attested, named after Indian subcontinent, India, which projects into it. It was earlier known as the ''Eastern Ocean'', a term that was still in use during the mid-18th century (see map), as opposed to the ''Western Ocean'' (Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic) before the Pacific Ocean, Pacific was surmised. Conversely, Ming treasure voyages, Chinese explorers in the Indian Oce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magpie-robin
The magpie-robins or shamas (from ''shama'', Bengali and Hindi for ''C. malabaricus'') are medium-sized insectivorous birds (some also eat berries and other fruit) in the genus ''Copsychus''. They were formerly in the thrush family Turdidae, but are now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are garden- and forest-dwelling species found in Africa and Asia. The genus ''Copsychus'' was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1827. The type species was subsequently designated as the Oriental magpie-robin (''Copsychus saularis'') by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840. The name ''Copsychus'' is from the Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ... ''kopsukhos'' or ''kopsikhos'', meaning "blackbird". T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muscicapidae
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and Northern Wheatear (''Oenanthe oenanthe''), found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family includes 344 species and is divided into 51 genera. Taxonomy The name Muscicapa for the family was introduced by the Scottish naturalist John Fleming in 1822. The word had earlier been used for the genus ''Muscicapa'' by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Muscicapa comes from the Latin ''musca'' meaning a fly and '' capere'' to catch. In 1910 the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert found it impossible to define boundaries between the three families Muscicapidae, Sylviidae (Old World warblers) and Turdidae (thrushes). He therefore treat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cochoa
The cochoas (from ''cocho'', Nepali for '' Cochoa purpurea'') are medium-sized frugivorous, insectivorous and molluscivorous birds in the genus ''Cochoa''. Their bright contrasting plumage patterns, sexual dimorphism and feeding habits made their systematic position difficult to ascertain in early times, Richard Bowdler Sharpe placed them with the Prionopidae in 1879 while many considered them as some kind of aberrant thrush. The genus was previously included in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that it is more closely related to the thrush family Turdidae. Species These are southeast Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...n forest-dwelling species, often found near water. The genus contains the following s ... [...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] |
Cousin Island
Cousin Island is a small () granitic island of the Seychelles, lying west of Praslin. It is a nature reserve protected under Seychelles law as a Special Reserve. It is managed by Nature Seychelles, a national nonprofit organization and Partner of BirdLife International, by which it has been identified as an Important Bird Area. Description A plateau covered with indigenous woodland extends over most of the island, which is almost encircled by a long sandy beach. The southern coast is rocky. A hill occupies the centre of the island's southern half. There is an area of mangroves and three small, freshwater swamps. A marine reserve, protecting coral reefs, extends into the sea from the shoreline. History The island was formerly a coconut plantation that had been stripped of much of its native vegetation. The endemic Seychelles warbler had become almost extinct, with a population of only 26 birds. In 1968 BirdLife International, at the time known as the International Council for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cousine Island
Cousine Island is a small granitic island in the Seychelles west of Praslin Island. It is a combination luxury resort and since 1992 a nature preserve. History In 1992 the island was purchased and a conservation program was introduced to protect nesting sea turtles and maintain the existing populations of endemic land birds. Flora & Fauna Cousine Island is a breeding ground for seabirds and has a population of transplanted Aldabra giant tortoises. The island has undergone an extensive vegetation rehabilitation program which involves planting of indigenous flora and the removal of alien plant species. Since 1995 over 2000 native trees have been planted. Indo-Pacific hawksbill turtles are known to nest on this island. Important Bird Area The island has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it supports populations of the Seychelles warbler, magpie-robin and fody, as well as substantial breeding colonies of wedge-tailed shearwaters, white-tai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aride Island
Aride Island is the northernmost granitic island in the Seychelles ( Bird Island is the northernmost Seychelles island overall). A nature reserve, it is leased and managed by the Island Conservation Society of Seychelles. History The name ‘Aride’ first appears on nautical charts after French voyages of exploration in 1770 and 1771. The first written account was in 1787 by Jean-Baptiste Malavois, French commandant of Seychelles, who described it as being “…no more than a pile of rocks covered with a few bushes.” Between 1817 and 1829 Aride was possibly an unofficial leper colony. In 1868, the Irishman Perceval Wright, who gave his name to Aride's unique gardenia and one of its endemic lizards, visited Aride. In 1883, the British artist Marianne North painted a scene on the island, reporting just one large tree, beneath which the island staff sheltered from the sun. Coconut palms were planted over much of Aride and copra production became important economically. Dogs, pig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denis Island
Denis Island is the second northeasternmost island in the Seychelles. It is north of Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé and lies at the northern edge of the Seychelles bank, along with the nearby Bird Island, Seychelles, Bird Island, which is the northernmost Seychelles island. The coral island was named after the French Navy officer Jean François Denis de Keredern de Trobriand, Denis de Trobriand, who explored it in 1773. Denis Island is privately owned and has a Denis Island Airport, short airstrip. It has a holiday resort with 23 guest chalets. A lighthouse built in 1910 still stands on the northern edge of the island. There is also a chapel named Chapel St. Denis. The island has an abundance of coconut palms, ''Calophyllum, Takamaka'' and ''Casuarina'' trees. In 2004, 47 Seychelles fody, Seychelles fodies from Fregate Island and 58 Seychelles warblers from Cousin Island were relocated to Denis as part of a Nature Seychelles conservation project. The island has been designated a cay, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_female.jpg "Click for more on -> Muscicapidae")
