Five Endangered Indonesian Bird Species

Indonesia has many endangered bird species, five of them are:

Dara Mahkota (Goura sp.)

Dara Mahkota (mambruk) is a close relative of the pigeon (Columbiadae). A length of 65-75 cm. Blue-gray color with a beautiful topknot like lace. There are 3 species of dara mahkota, dara mahkota ubiaat (Goura cristata), which is similar to dara mahkota selatan (Goura scheepmakeri), and dara mahkota victoria (Goura victoria).

Dara mahkota victoria has a crest with a white tip, while the dara mahkota selatan dan ubiaat has a crest with a similar tip plain blue lace. Bird-eating grains and fruits are more often located at ground level. Diminishing in number is due to poaching and habitat destruction. These birds can be found in Irian Island (Papua) and several islands in the vicinity.

Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo)

Maleo Senkawor or Maleo, is a kind of medium-sized bird, with a length of about 55cm, and is the only bird in the single genus Macrocephalon remaining. Maleo is unique, when the newly hatched baby bird can fly. Maleo egg size weighs 240 grams to 270 grams per egg, the average size of 11 cm. However, currently threatened with extinction because of habitat from an increasingly narrow and the eggs are laid in sand are often taken by residents. An estimated amount of maleos are less than 10,000.

Honey Bird Sangie (Aethopyga duyvenbodei)

This bird has a small body size, which is 12 cm. Honey bird Sangie backs feathers have metallic green and blue, and yellow chest. Often these birds are found in pairs, and rarely are in small groups. Bird honey Sangie living in elevation: 000-900 m with a regional spread of reaching the island of Bali and Sulawesi Islands.

Luntur Kasumba (Harpactes kasumba)

The presence of the beautiful feathered bird is critically endangered. Population is low due to the destruction of forests on Sumatra Island. This bird has a body size of about 35 cm. Kasumba faded male has a different coat color fade Kasumba females. Male birds have plumage patterns typical red neck like a necklace of width and shape of a white crescent on the chest, while the female bird has the throat and chest are gray-brown and light brown belly. However, both are equally brown-colored iris, blue-colored skin around the eyes, beak bluish, black head, and orange legs.

Not just physically, male birds and female birds can also be distinguished by voice. Sound male birds of this type are increasingly weakened. His voice was soft short succession: “kur, kur, kur” from the beginning and then gradually faded at the end. Female birds sound more like a weak snort.

Beo Nias (Gracula religiosa robusta)

Beo Nias is endemic on the Island of Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia. At present, the existence of beo Nias are very concerned because more are in the bird cage, rather than living in the wild. Beo Nias have an ability to mimic sounds, including human voice.

Beo Nias has a body length about 40 cm, with a head having a pair of bright yellow wattle, and sagging up to together in the back of the head, black fur, except a little white on the wing edges. Beo Nias have brown-colored iris, yellow-colored legs with three fingers facing forward, and one finger facing backwards. Birds that live in pairs or groups live in nests that they make by way of punching holes in trees.


Source : http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/five-endangered-indonesian-bird-species/#ixzz1OKEm6pbj

Amazing Life of The Cuckoo Bird

Cuckoo birds are found in most parts of the world.
Often the facts of bird are most interesting and if you are fond of birds you will want to know more.


Cuckoo Bird Appearance
A British Cuckoo bird is thirty eight centimetres like the size of a dove. Has a colour grey on the upper part of the body.

Various sounds of a Cuckoo Bird Cry
A male cry, like a chuckle sound, and like flutes, this is a signal for marking down their territory, and for attracting a mate.
Several species of the cuckoo is known to humans, and each one has their own characteristics that differs from the other.

Food of a Cuckoo Bird
They are insectivorous, and feed on hairy caterpillars, before eating the caterpillars they rub them on the branches or the bark of the tree.

Cuckoo Bird Habitat
Mostly found all over the world, but in the cold season they migrate to warmer places. They live in forests, with thorny bushes. With evergreen tropical rain forests, though you would find them in desert areas.

Behavior Exhibited by Cuckoo Bird
A solitary bird, and is diurnal by nature. The Cuckoo is a social parasite, it engages in brood parasitism.
They don’t Build Nests and Use Other Birds Nest

Cuckoos don’t build their own nests, but will use nests of others, the female usually finds a nest of another bird after the female has laid its eggs, are of the same species, like Robbins or dunnocks.
The foster parents have no choice but to feed all the chicks in the nest and the cuckoo birds grow rapidly.


Source: http://scienceray.com/biology/amazing-life-of-the-cuckoo-bird/#ixzz1OKDo1hWo

Top 10 Smallest Birds in The World

Do you know there are birds that are just eight cm in length? One of the smallest birds in the world was once the national bird of Philippines; do you know what is this world’s smallest bird? Know them here…
Majority of us knew bee humming birds to be the smallest birds in the world with a length of just 5 cm; however, are there any other smallest birds in the world? Yes…here is a list of top 10 smallest birds in the world.

1. Asian Brown Flycatcher

Asian brown flycatcher with grey-brown upperparts
Asian brown flycatcher is one of the smallest birds in the world with a length of 14 cm, which includes its cocked tail. These smallest birds are found in Japan, eastern Siberia, and the Himalayas. Adult Asian Brown Flycatchers have grey-brown upperparts while the younger ones have scaly brown upperparts. These birds make their nests in the holes of the trees.

2. Blyth’s Reed Warbler

The length of Blyth’s reed warbler is the same as that of Asian brown flycatcher, 14 cm. These birds are found abundant in Asia and easternmost Europe. They migrate to India and Sri Lanka during winter season. Blyth’s reed warbler has a grey back, less flattened forehead, and less strong and pointed bill. These birds are insectivorous, but like to feed on small berries as well.

3. Ashy Prinia

Ashy Prinia, insectivorous
Ashy prinia, also called as ashy wren-warbler is 13 cm long. These birds are found in Indian subcontinent, western Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Ashy Prinia has short rounded wings, short black bill, grey crown and longish graduated cream tail tip; the tail tips have black subterminal spots. These birds are insectivorous, which means they eat small insects for their food.

4. Great Tit

Great tits, colorful birds
Great tit is 13 cm long and is found in abundance in Europe, Middle East, parts of North Africa and Central and Northern Asia. These birds in general do not migrate, but if the winter is too harsh, they would migrate. This is a colorful bird with black head and neck, white cheeks, olive upperparts, and yellow under parts. Great tits are in general insectivorous like many birds, but tend to eat a variety of food during winter.

5. Pied Bushchat

Pied Bushchat eats pyralid moths and whitefly
Pied bushchat is 13 cm long and is predominantly found in West, Central, South and Southeast Asia. There are nearly 16 subspecies of pied bushchats. Male pied bushchat are in general black except for their white rump while females are drab brown in color. These birds feed on Pyralid moths and whitefly predominantly and are insectivorous.

6. Black-headed Munia

Former Philippines National Bird, Black-headed Munia
Black-headed munia is the next in line of smallest birds in the world with a length of 11 cm. These are also called as chestnut munia. Black-headed munia are very common in countries like Bangladesh, Brunei, India, China, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. These were once the national bird of Philippines. Adult black-headed munias have stubby pale grey bill, black head, and brown body.

7. Indian Silverbill

Indian silverbill are found in the dry regions of Middle East and South Asia and is of 11 cm in length. They have conical silver-grey bill, buffy flanks, buff-brown upperparts, white under parts, black tail and dark wings.
 
8. Scaly-breasted Munia

Image via Wikipedia
Scaly-breasted munia is 12 cm long and are one of the smallest birds in the world. These are also called as spotted munia. Scaly-breasted munia are native to tropical Asia, Indonesia and Philippines. Both the sexes almost look similar except that males have slightly darker markings on underside and throat. These birds have stubby dark bill, dark brown head, brown upperparts, and white under parts with black scale markings.

9. Purple-rumped Sunbird

Image via wikimedia
Purple-rumped sunbirds are 10 cm long and are native to the Indian Subcontinent. These birds have thin down-curved bills, brush-tipped tubular tongues, dark maroon upper parts for males, blue-green crown, and violet patches on the throat. They mainly feed on the nectar from plants. In this species, males are in general more colorful than their female counterparts.

10. Tickell’s Flowerpecker

Pale-billed flowerpecker or tickell’s flowerpercker, smallest next to bee hummingbird
Tickell’s flowerpecker is also called as pale-billed flowerpecker is the smallest bird next to bee hummingbird that is just 5 cm in length; these pale-billed flowerpeckers are 8 cm in length. These are found mainly in Southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are either pale brownish or olive green in color. Tickell’s flowerpecker feed on nectar and berries.


Source: http://scienceray.com/biology/top-10-smallest-birds-in-the-world/#ixzz1OCHlqYWI