Congo Peafowl
The total population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 individuals. This
figure is supported by the estimates for range states provided by various
sources. It is placed in the band 2,500-9,999 mature individuals, equating to
3,750-14,999 individuals, rounded here to 3,500-15,000 individuals. The
species' population is suspected to be declining rapidly, in line with forest
clearance and degradation across its range.
It is threatened throughout its range primarily by commercial logging for
timber. Most sites identified in Ghana are in productive forest reserves, where
commercial logging takes place periodically. In Ghana, the species is also
threatened by bush-burning and conversion of degraded forests to plantations.
Many nesting areas in Ghana, especially those outside protected areas, have
been destroyed through clearance for agriculture and bush-burning.
In Sierra Leone, abandonment of colonies has been associated with habitat
degradation and low breeding success at some sites is associated with human
disturbance. Small populations near urban centers in Sierra Leone are very
seriously threatened by conversion to farmland.
The central feathers of the tail are long and spiralled. The female is much
less ornately adorned than the male with the bare skin on the back of the head
a much less radiant lilac-blue and with
olive to reddish-brown upperparts,dull brown wings and buff-colored underparts
with a fine uniform brown-black bars. The female also lacks the spiral tail
feathers. Immature males are very similar in appearance to the female.
Horned Guan is an unmistakable, large, black-and-white cracked, which is
distributed in humid mountain forests of southeast Mexico-(Chiapas) and
Guatemala in Central America. It is found in altitude up to 3,350 meters. Its
diet consists mainly of fruits, green leaves and invertebrates. The female
usually lays up to two eggs.
The Marvelous Spatuletail is restricted to the eastern slopes of the Rio
Utcubamba Valley (an affluent on the right bank of the río Marañón) in the
Cordillera Del Colán, Amazonas and one site in San Martîn, northern Peru at an
elevation of 7000 ft (2100-2900m) (Birdlife International 2000).
Other Names: Congo Peacock
Subspecies: None recognized.
Range: The Congo Basin in central Zaire (now known as the Democratic
Republic of the Congo).
Habitat: Rainforests
Description: The males are mostly dark blue all over with a metallic green
and purple tinge and have a much shorter tail (with no ocelli) than the Asian
species. The upright crest is white in front with a few dark feathers behind.
The throat is reddish-brown. The hen is also very different from Asian peafowl.
She has a bright chestnut breast, underparts and forehead, while the back is
metallic green.
Status in Wild: Unknown
Interesting Facts: Not known to science until the 1930s. This species shows
characteristics of both peafowl and guinea fowl, perhaps a historic link
between the two families.
Avicultural Data
Status in Aviculture: None in private collections, only held by zoological
parks at this time.
Misc. Aviculture Notes: In captivity, they are known to lay their small
clutches of 2 to 4 eggs in an elevated nest box or on platforms placed about
five feet from the ground. Incubation lasts about 26 days incubated by only the
female. Chicks rely heavily on insects as their diet for the first week of
life. Females reach sexual maturity the first year for females and males nearly
two; adult plumage is not attained until the second year.
Gray-necked
Rockfowl
The Rockfowl (or Picathartes) of Africa are strange, elusive and wonderful
birds. There are two species: Gray-necked Rockfowl in central Africa near the
Gulf of Guinea and White-necked Rockfowl of west Africa.Both are large, gangly,
forest-floor-dwelling passerines that roost and then breed in caves, where they
make mud nests. Their habitat is humid lowland forest, near streams where mud
can be gathered. Their distribution within their range is very patchy and
local, as the specific requirements must be found there. As they are so unique,
and so patchy and rare in occurrence, and difficult to find, the Rockfowl have
long been considered among the top birds of the African continent.
A member of the old world flycatcher family, the Gray-necked rockfowl has
no feathers on its brightly colored head, which is violet at the front, red at
the back, and has black side patches. The upperparts and the throat are slate
gray, and the underparts are pale orange. The Rockfowl is slender with a long
neck, tail and legs. The bill is crow-like and the feet are strong for hopping.
The wings can be black, brown or dark gray, and the tail feathers are gray.
Also known as Gray-necked picathartes, redheaded rock fowl.
A non-migratory bird, the Gray-necked rockfowl flies only short distances,
preferring to hop along the rocky forest floor between trees, where it picks up
insects, molluscs, frogs and lizards to eat, as well as feeding on passing ant
columns. Whilst the bird is silent when foraging, it has a breathy shisss call
as well as other clucks and clicks .
Mud nests are often built in colonies within caves or on cliffs surrounded
by vegetation. Two eggs are laid per clutch. Little is known about the
reproductive biology of this extremely elusive bird.
The Gray-necked rockfowl is found in southern Cameroon, southwestern Gabon,
northwestern Equatorial Guinea, northeastern Congo and on Bioko Island. Whilst
the range covers 314,000 km², it is known to be highly fragmented with a
population of 2,500 to 10,000.
Inhabiting sub-tropical and tropical forests, this species has very
specific nesting site requirements.Nests are built on cliffs or in caves with
overhanging rocks above for shelter from the rain and a sheer drop beneath for
protection from predators.
White-necked
Rockfowl
This species now has a highly fragmented distribution; the majority of the
breeding colonies is extremely small and isolated, and many are close to the
minimum for long-term viability. Forest throughout its range is disappearing
rapidly, leading to further fragmentation and rapid decline of remaining
populations. It is therefore classified as Vulnerable. Its long-term future
will depend on the continued existence and proper management of the forest
reserves and other protected areas in which it occurs.
There are now protected sites in both Ghana and Sierra Leone for
White-necked Rockfowl.It's also known as Picathartes gymnocephalus.
Large, unusual bird with brightly colored, naked head. Bright,
chrome-yellow and black head is diagnostic. Neck and underparts gleaming white
with dark, bluish-gray upperparts and tail. Voice Breathy chess and other soft
took calls, but usually silent.
Along with the Congo Peafowl, African field ornithologists have long
considered the two rockfowls to be the best birds of Africa. This west African
representative is now very rare in the fragments of forest still extant.
KAGU
The Kagu is a
flightless bird with gray plumage; its pale coloring has led to the name of the
ghost of the forest' by local people. The sexes are similar in appearance with
mainly ash-gray plumage apart from black barring on the wings that is only
visible when they are out-stretched.There is a prominent crest of feathers on
the back of the head, which may be erected in display and the legs and bill are
orange in color.
The Kagu lives only on the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific
Ocean.Their numbers have decreased due to attacks by dogs and pigs that people
brought to the island. Total length: 55cm.
Kagu pairs occupy territories that are 10 to 28 hectares in size.They are
active during the day,sleeping on nests at night.A single chick is raised each
year although in particularly dry years even this may not be possible.Kagus
feed on a variety of Invertebrates such as worms and snails and even some small
vertebrates such as lizards.
The Kagu uses its beak to hunt and eat creatures that live in the
ground.The Kagu only lays one egg a year.The parents take great care in raising
the hatchling.
For many years, the Kagu did not have a natural predator on the island.
Therefore,it never had to flee to the skies, which is why it evolved into a
flightless bird.However, when Captain Cook discovered the island of New
Caledonia in the 18th century,many people came to the island from Europe, and
the island ceased being paradise for the Kagu.The dogs people had brought with
them attacked the Kagu, and the pigs went after their eggs.
The loss of much of New Caledonia's native forests has caused the numbers
of kagus to decline. Forests have been cleared for timber and to make way for
agriculture and these birds have also traditionally been hunted for their meat.
Kagus are island birds that have evolved in isolation and in the absence of
terrestrial predators; when Europeans first arrived in New Caledonia they
bought with them rats, cats and dogs and these flightless birds represented
easy prey.Today, dogs may represent the most important threat to the survival
of this species.
Additionally, the island of New Caledonia is rich in nickel, and many
forests were cut down in order to mine it. Left with a severely limited number
of safe refuges, the Kagu's numbers almost declined to the point of extinction.
However,recent efforts to develop sanctuaries and return the raised Kagu to the
wilderness are starting to pay off. Their numbers are slowly recovering and now
there are signs of hope for the future of the Kagu.
Wilson’s
Bird-of-paradise
The birds-of-paradise have long been recognized as beautiful and
spectacular species, thanks to the diversity in ornamental plumage, dazzling
array of colors and the exaggerated,often bizarre, courtship displays and
Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is certainly no exception.
The male is easily
distinguished by the brilliant turquoise crown of bare skin on the back of its
head, which is criss-crossed by lines of fine velvety black feathers with a
coppery-bronze iridescent sheen.
A semicircular cape of bright yellow on the upper mantle contrasts with the
crimson feathers on the rest of the pack while the upper wings are
blackish-brown with the coverts edged paler brown and with crimson tips to some
of the feathers. The upper throat of the male Wilson’s bird-of-paradise is
usually velvety black, and may have a coppery-bronze to purple gloss while the
plumage of the extensive breast shield (the patch of feathers on the upper
breast) is a glossy emerald-green,sometimes appearing blue-purple or
red-purple.
Length: 16 cm. Male weight: 53 – 67 g, Female weight: 52 – 60 g.This is a
poorly known species and no population estimates are available.
This species occurs in hill forest, generally above 300 m, although it is
often heard even at low altitude (Beehler et al. 1986, Gibbs 1993, Poulsen and
Frolander 1994, Eastwood 1996b). It feeds mainly on fruits and arthropods
(Plantema 2011).
Conduct repeated surveys within its range to determine the current
distribution and abundance, as well as assess population trends and rates of
habitat loss.Conduct ecological studies to improve understanding of its
precise habitat requirements, tolerance of secondary habitats and response to
fragmentation. Ensure the future integrity of existing protected areas, e.g.Pulau Waigeo nature reserve.
Horned Guan
The horned Guan is named after the unusual red horn of bare skin on the top
of its head. The rest of the plumage is black with a glossy blue-green sheen
apart from the foreneck,breast and a broadband on the base of the tail which
are white.
The bill is yellow, the legs are red and there is also a small dewlap of
red skin on the throat.Some experts believe that the horned guan should be
placed in a separate family as it appears to represent more of a mid-point
between the guans and the currasows rather than belonging completely in one or
other of these groups.
Length: 81 - 91 cm.
Since the 1960s, logging, firewood-gathering and agricultural expansion
have caused extensive deforestation. Forest is presently threatened by
clearance for subsistence agriculture, coffee plantations, selective logging,
new road developments together with disturbance, hunting for subsistence and
live bird trade are some of the major threat’s this endangered specie faces. It's
population is thought to number 1,000-2,499 individuals,numbers have decreased
severely during the 20th century and nowhere is it better than uncommon.
Extensive deforestation for logging, the gathering of firewood and for
agricultural expansion, have occurred in the lush forests where these birds are
found. Habitat loss is consequently the greatest threat to the survival of this
species and the development of new roads has allowed ever more pristine forest
to be exploited.
The horned guan is protected in both Guatemala and Mexico, and
international trade in the species is prohibited by its listing on Appendix I
of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).A small
number of individuals have been bred in captivity and many populations are
located within reserves. Despite these measures however, the number of
individuals is estimated to be fewer than 2,500, and appears to be declining.
Marvelous
Spatuletails - Hummingbirds
The Marvelous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) is one of the world's
rarest hummingbirds that only occurs in the remote Utcubamba Valley in northern
Peru.
This hummingbird was first reported in 1835 by the bird collector Andrew
Matthews who worked for George Loddiges. He collected the skin of a male that
became the basis for John Gould's famous monograph featuring this bird -- a
portion of which artwork is shown at the rig
The Marvelous Spatuletail is endangered within its limited range (110 km2)
due to deforestation on the mountain slopes of the Cordillera Del Colán.
Locals also capture males specifically for their attractive tail feathers
and for food -- as their dried hearts are said to have aphrodisiac properties.
Additionally, one of the children established games is to shoot hummingbirds
down with catapults.
On the slopes above the río Utcubamba, it has been found north and
southeast of Leimebamba, the Chachapoyas area and the town of Florida, on the
shore of Lago Pomacochas. In recent history, the only place where this hummingbird
can be found is near Florida, where it occurs in low densities and may only be
seasonally present. Its numbers are continuing to decline (Birdlife
International 2000).
This shy Spatuletail is typically found along the forest edge and isolated woodlots
on steep slopes. They favor the thorny, impenetrable Rubus thickets admixed
with Alnus trees.
The Marvelous Spatuletail is a medium-sized hummingbird that averages 10 -
15 cm in length (including its tail). The body itself is very small --it has been
described as being "about the size of a slightly fluffy ping-pong
ball." Its beak is about the size of a matchstick.
The plumage is mostly white and green below and bronzy-brown above. The
male has blue crest feathers on top of his head, a brilliant turquoise gorget
(throat patch), and a black line down the center of the otherwise white chest
and abdomen. The sides of the chest and abdomen are green.
The breeding season typically commences in late October and goes on until
early May (Birdlife International 2000).
Males use their spatules (= flat disks at the end of their tails) to
display at leks to females (leks are gatherings of males for the purposes of
competitive mating display). During this mating display, the males make
snapping sounds - which originally was thought to be generated by their long
spatule disks clapping together. However, it was found that even though the
spatules wobble very closely together, the noise was actually coming from its
mouth.
The Marvelous Spatuletails primarily feed on nectar taken from a variety of
brightly colored,scented small flowers of trees,herbs,shrubs and epiphytes.
They particularly seek out the red-flowered lily Alstroemeria (Bomarea)
formosissima as well as flowers of the "mupa mupa" trees.
Males establish feeding territories, where they aggressively chase away
other males as well as large insects - such as bumblebees and hawk moths - that
want to feed in their territory. They use aerial flights and intimidating
displays to defend their territories.
Kokako (Callaeas
cinereus)
This medium-sized wattlebird has blue-gray feathers with black legs and
bill and a black highwayman mask which is in striking contrast to the wattles
under the throat. There were two subspecies of kokako; the North Island kokako
(Callaeas cinereus wilsoni) has blue wattles on the throat whereas the
now-extinct South Island kokako (Callaeas cinereus cinerea) had orange
wattles.The wings are short and rounded.
This species declined very rapidly over the past three generations until
the end of the 20th century, thus it qualifies as Endangered.It now has a very
small effective population size because intense predation has left many
subpopulations with an excess of unpaired males; however,intensive conservation
efforts since 1990 that aimed to restore the population to c.1,000 pairs by the
year 2020 have resulted in population increases that are more rapid than
expected so this target is set to be raised.
38 cm. Large,blue-gray bird with black mask. Black,short,thick
bill.Long,thin legs. Small, round wings. North Island adult,blue wattles.South
Island adult,orange wattles. Juvenile,small pink wattles.Voice Unmistakable
low,slow song sounding like an organ.
The most distinctive feature of the kokako is its haunting song.The dawn
chorus begins with each bird opening and closing its wings and fanning its
tail,then arching the neck and uttering gentle mewing and buzzing sounds before
launching into full song.The song resembles the sound of an organ with loud,
clear and melodious notes.Males and females pair throughout the year and
sometimes for several years.
Breeding usually takes place between November and February but in years of
abundant food supply it can last from October through to May and pairs might raise up to three broods in one season.
Populations are increasing in areas of intensive conservation work and
these increases now predominate as populations at unmanaged sites are now
extinct or functionally extinct.However,declines in the earlier part of the
last three generations trend period were very rapid and hence a decline is
retained at present.
The historical decline was due to large-scale habitat destruction,
fragmentation and the introduction of predators and competitors. Predation of
eggs and chicks by black rats Rattus Rattus and brush-tailed possums
Trichosurus vulpecula is the main cause of nest failure whereas deaths to
nesting adult females were caused by stoats Mustela erminea (Flux et al. 2006).These
introduced predators are currently the primary threat to the species.
Intensive recovery planning and management since the mid 1980s has
substantially recovered North Island kokako populations. In 2007, there were 18
increasing populations totalling 850 pairs. Such intensive management is
vital,as nearly all unmanaged populations are now extinct.
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