View allAll Photos Tagged SPECIES
Mutualisms between ants and treehoppers are so effective that sometimes multiple species can occur together on the same plant without conflicts. Here, a Myrmecaria ant worker tends to a short-horned Tricentrus sp., while an extravagantly adorned Pyrgauchenia biuni feeds nearby. Both of these treehoppers feed on the plant phloem, tapping into the stem with their proboscis, and secrete excess sugary fluid which the ants gather. In return the ants not only fiercely protect the treehoppers from predators, but sometimes also assist in distributing the young hoppers to suitable branches on the host stem. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific.
The Atlantic puffin breeds in Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and many North Atlantic islands, and as far south as Maine in the west and the British Isles in the east.
The Atlantic puffin has a large population and a wide range. It is not considered to be endangered although there may be local declines in numbers. On land, it has the typical upright stance of an auk. At sea, they swim on the surface and feed mainly on small fish, which they catch by diving underwater, using their wings for propulsion.
The Atlantic puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage. It moults while at sea in the winter and some of the bright-coloured facial characteristics are lost. The external appearance of the adult male and female are identical except that the male is usually slightly larger.
The juvenile has similar plumage but its cheek patches are dark grey. The juvenile does not have brightly coloured head ornamentation, its bill is less broad and is dark-grey with a yellowish-brown tip, and its legs and feet are also dark. Puffins from northern populations are typically larger than their counterparts in southern parts of the range. It is generally considered that these populations are different subspecies.
The Atlantic puffin spends the autumn and winter in the open ocean of the cold northern seas and returns to coastal areas at the start of the breeding season in late spring. It nests in clifftop colonies, digging a burrow in which a single white egg is laid. The chick mostly feeds on whole fish and grows rapidly. After about six weeks it is fully fledged and makes its way at night to the sea. It swims away from the shore and does not return to land for several years.
Colonies are mostly on islands where there are no terrestrial predators but adult birds and newly fledged chicks are at risk of attacks from the air by gulls and skuas. Sometimes a bird such as an Arctic skua will harass a puffin arriving with a beakful of fish, causing it to drop its catch. The striking appearance, large colourful bill, waddling gait and behaviour of this bird have given rise to nicknames such as "clown of the sea" and "sea parrot". It is the official bird symbol for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This image was taken on a whale watching trip with Elding from Reykjavik, Iceland
Acraea species? Any further ID help is appreciated greatly.
Kakamega Forest Nature Reserve, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Species 49 in the lockdown bird challenge is the Starling, or to be more precise, their chicks. I had not posted a Starling, probably through oversights they are pretty common. However, yesterday whilst out walking I was attracted by a cacophony of sound on the edge of a field and there were literally 40 or so Starling Chicks gathered in a large group all being waited on by their parents. I managed to catch these two waiting to be fed!
Psathyrella species unfortunately we didn't pay enough attention to these two so don't know which they are, any information would be welcome
Buzzard,
Order,- Accipitriformes, Family,- Accipitrdae, Species,- Butea buteo,
One of the most common and widespread British bieds of prey, the Buzzard is therefore a useful yardstick by which to judge other, rarer birds, It is, however, well worth watching in its own right, too, being an impressive and exciting raptor, It is very variable, albeit around a relatively constant basic pattern, It soars in wavering, rising circles over nesting woods and perches on telegraph poles and fence posts, In some areas, such as the wooded valleys of Wales, It may be the most common bird of prey,
Occurrence, Widespread except in far N Furope ( summer visitor in NE Europe ), in woodland farmland, hills, and moors near crags and forest. Many move to Low Countries and France in winter, occupying low, flat ground with scattered woodland,
Voice,- Noisy, frequent ringnig pee-yaah scteam or weaker mew, calls often while flying,
Nesting,- Stick nest in tree, or at base of bush on cliff ledge, 2 - 4 eggs, 1 brood, March - June,
Feeding,- Catches small mammals, rabbits, beetles, earthworms, and some birds, eats much dead meat, including road-kill rabbits,
Length,- 50 - 57 cm ( 20 - 22.5 in ),
Wingspan,- 1,13 - 1,28 m ( 3.75 - 4.25 ft ),
Weight,- 550 - 1,200g ( 20 - 43 oz ),
Lifespan,- Up to 25 years,
Social,- Family groups,
Status,- Secure,
(Jabiru mycteria)
Pantanal
Brasil
Unlike humans the animals don't have facial expressions, but here this jabiru (with two flies) seems to me quite comic
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All my photos are now organized into sets by the country where they were taken, by taxonomic order, by family, by species (often with just one photo for the rarer ones), and by the date they were taken.
So, you may find:
- All the photos for this trip Brasil // Pantanal (2015) (263)
- All the photos for this order CICONIIFORMES (85)
- All the photos for this family Ciconiidae (Ciconiídeos) (85)
- All the photos for this species Jabiru mycteria (2)
- All the photos taken this day 2015/09/16 (25)
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Species: Parus major.
The largest UK tit - green and yellow with a striking glossy black head with white cheeks and a distinctive two-syllable song. It is a woodland bird which has readily adapted to man-made habitats to become a familiar garden visitor. It can be quite aggressive at a birdtable, fighting off smaller tits. In winter it joins with blue tits and others to form roaming flocks which scour gardens and countryside for food. Info: RSPB.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
me and some friends were looking for a Lovely Cotinga (bird) and suddenly we found a small fallen branch in front of us. I saw a Lepanthes (no big thing, probably there are hundreds around in the high elevation mountains, but we were at 900 mts of elevation). My first thought was L disticha but the leaves were too dark so I moved the branch and inmediately I recognized it was something new. It is the fourth time I am birding and a Lepanthes falls in front of us -literally-. I'll think of a name and then a way to publish it some time in the future.
I was absolutely shocked to find the once common, but now almost extinct species of Andrexius Rollius at my shoot yesterday.
Its location given away by its not very camouflaged plumage, obviously still in winter plumage.
First I spotted it hiding behind a tree, then it moved furtively to another location by a bush, then took flight onto a post, until it ended-up amazingly, on my Feeding Station
It definitely appeared to shy away at my human presence, not surprising as its being hunted down with vigour every day by almost every human-being on the planet......even in Milton Keynes!
This species prefers to use its legs rather than fly...……. as I quickly found out . Because I realised I needed some myself so went after it at speed but no chance of catching it as it had the "runs".
The relationships between the species need to be further clarified
Hidden almost out of sight, just off the Huron Street bridge in downtown Stratford, Ontario lies the Shakespearean Gardens. This well manicured English garden offers a formal setting with boxwood hedges,stone walkways, benches and gazebo yet comes alive with the brilliant colour of an amazing array of flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees.
Coelogyne species can be finicky. This plant has grown well for me but in spite of being a large plant this is the first bloom. It is a very pretty one. It was labeled as the species mossiae but is not, and Marni Turkel says it is a hybrid of cristata and flaccida. I took this photo in the greenhouse with high intensity back light.
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) typically dominate other fox species. Arctic foxes generally escape competition from red foxes by living farther north, where food is too scarce to support the larger-bodied red species. Although the red species' northern limit is linked to the availability of food, the Arctic species' southern range is limited by the presence of the former. Red and Arctic foxes were both introduced to almost every island from the Aleutian Islands to the Alexander Archipelago during the 1830s–1930s by fur companies. The red foxes invariably displaced the Arctic foxes, with one male red fox having been reported to have killed off all resident Arctic foxes on a small island in 1866. Where they are sympatric, Arctic foxes may also escape competition by feeding on lemmings and flotsam, rather than voles, as favoured by red foxes. Both species will kill each other's kits, given the opportunity.
Red foxes are serious competitors of corsac foxes, as they hunt the same prey all year. The red species is also stronger, is better adapted to hunting in snow deeper than 10 cm (4 in) and is more effective in hunting and catching medium to large-sized rodents. Corsac foxes seem to only outcompete red foxes in semi-desert and steppe areas. In Israel, Blanford's foxes escape competition with red foxes by restricting themselves to rocky cliffs and actively avoiding the open plains inhabited by red foxes.:84–85 Red foxes dominate kit and swift foxes. Kit foxes usually avoid competition with their larger cousins by living in more arid environments, though red foxes have been increasing in ranges formerly occupied by kit foxes due to human-induced environmental changes. Red foxes will kill both species, and compete for food and den sites. Grey foxes are exceptional, as they dominate red foxes wherever their ranges meet. Historically, interactions between the two species were rare, as grey foxes favoured heavily wooded or semiarid habitats as opposed to the open and mesic ones preferred by red foxes. However, interactions have become more frequent due to deforestation allowing red foxes to colonise grey fox-inhabited areas.
Wolves may kill and eat red foxes in disputes over carcasses. In areas in North America where red fox and coyote populations are sympatric, fox ranges tend to be located outside coyote territories. The principal cause of this separation is believed to be active avoidance of coyotes by the foxes. Interactions between the two species vary in nature, ranging from active antagonism to indifference. The majority of aggressive encounters are initiated by coyotes, and there are few reports of red foxes acting aggressively toward coyotes except when attacked or when their kits were approached. Foxes and coyotes have sometimes been seen feeding together. In Israel, red foxes share their habitat with golden jackals. Where their ranges meet, the two canids compete due to near identical diets. Foxes ignore jackal scents or tracks in their territories, and avoid close physical proximity with jackals themselves. In areas where jackals become very abundant, the population of foxes decreases significantly, apparently because of competitive exclusion.
Red foxes dominate raccoon dogs, sometimes killing their kits or biting adults to death. Cases are known of foxes killing raccoon dogs entering their dens. Both species compete for mouse-like prey. This competition reaches a peak during early spring, when food is scarce. In Tartaria, red fox predation accounted for 11.1% of deaths among 54 raccoon dogs, and amounted to 14.3% of 186 raccoon dog deaths in north-western Russia.
Red foxes may kill small mustelids like weasels, stone martens, pine martens, stoats, kolonoks, polecats and young sables. Eurasian badgers may live alongside red foxes in isolated sections of large burrows. It is possible that the two species tolerate each other out of mutualism; foxes provide badgers with food scraps, while badgers maintain the shared burrow's cleanliness.:15 However, cases are known of badgers driving vixens from their dens and destroying their litters without eating them. Wolverines may kill red foxes, often while the latter are sleeping or near carrion. Foxes in turn may kill unattended young wolverines.
Red foxes may compete with striped hyenas on large carcasses. Red foxes may give way to hyenas on unopened carcasses, as the latter's stronger jaws can easily tear open flesh that is too tough for foxes. Foxes may harass hyenas, using their smaller size and greater speed to avoid the hyena's attacks. Sometimes, foxes seem to deliberately torment hyenas even when there is no food at stake. Some foxes may mistime their attacks, and are killed.:77–79 Fox remains are often found in hyena dens, and hyenas may steal foxes from traps.
In Eurasia, red foxes may be preyed upon by leopards, caracals and Eurasian lynxes. The lynxes chase red foxes into deep snow, where their longer legs and larger paws give them an advantage over foxes, especially when the depth of the snow exceeds one metre. In the Velikoluki district in Russia, red foxes are absent or are seen only occasionally where lynxes establish permanent territories. Researchers consider lynxes to represent considerably less danger to red foxes than wolves do. North American felid predators of red foxes include cougars, Canadian lynxes and bobcats. Occasionally, large raptors such as Eurasian eagle owls will prey on young foxes, while golden eagles have been known to kill adults.
Chloranthus species are perennial herbs or evergreen shrubs found in countries of East Asia such as China, Japan, and Korea.
#Chloranthus #CUgreenhouse
Southeast Olympic National Park, Mason County
Possibly Western Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon vehiculum) due to wide range and costal groove count. The jury is still out on the exact ID.
~50mm SVL
~45mm Tail Length
16 Costal Grooves
Species: Poecile montanus.
Willow tits are between blue and great tits in size, with no yellow, green or blue. They have a large sooty-black cap extending to the back of the neck and a small untidy black bib. It is mid-brown above, with whiter cheeks and pale buff-grey underparts. Its wings show a pale panel not found in marsh tits.
Its recent population declines make it a Red List species. Info: RSPB.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
This is a small species related to Lepanthes schugii and Lepanthes tapantiensis.
Daniel found it first in Dota region, now I found it in Tapanti National Park.
Soon will be published as Lepanthes sanctiorum! =)
I'm not sure what species of spider this is, but it certainly is striking!
Update: Likely to be Thomisidae Phrynarachne spp. as per comment below.
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing's going to change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing's going to change my world
Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva, Om
Nothing's going to change my world
~Beatles/John Lennon
The original photo taken recently, to the main entrance of the UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia).
Later edited with Photoshop, to confer a mixture of different blurs.
Taken in the early morning near the village of Cantobre in the Cevennes national park, France.
A small species of fly that is found in the UK whose larvae parasitise shield bugs in the most hideous manner imaginable!!
Best viewed very large.
Visit Heath McDonald Wildlife Photography
You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
2018 NJ BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT
by: Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, has released the 2018 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report.
“Two hundred-four nest sites were monitored during the nesting season, of which 185 were documented to be active (with eggs) and 19 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. Thirty new eagle pairs were found this season, 20 in the south, nine in central and one in the north. One hundred-twenty-one nests (66%) of the 182 known-outcome nests produced 172 young, for a productivity rate of 0.94 young per active/known-outcome nest. The failure rate was well above average with 61 nests (33%) failing to produce. The Delaware Bay region remained the state’s eagle stronghold, with roughly half of nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties and the bayside of Cape May County.”
The number of active nests has increased while the number of young eagles fledged has decreased since a high of 216 young fledged in 2016. During the 2018 eagle nesting season there was an abundance of cold, wet, windy and snowy weather which was the cause for a portion of the nest failures. As the eagle population increases, there are more eagles competing for territories. This can also be a contributing factor in nest failures. NJ is still in the range of 0.9 to 1.1 young per nest which is needed for population maintenance with a productivity rate of 0.94 young per known-outcome/active nest in 2018. The 2018 NJ Eagle Project Report has all the details on the project including telemetry, re-sightings and recoveries.
The success of the eagle project is due to the tremendous dedication of the NJ Eagle Project Volunteers. They monitor the nests in all types of conditions and education people about the eagles with enthusiasm.
Link to the 2018 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report: www.conservewildlifenj.org/downloads/cwnj_852.pdf
"Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works."
Carl Sagan
The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, the large cormorant in India and the black shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds.
The great cormorant is a large black bird, but there is a wide variation in size in the species wide range. Weight is reported to vary from 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)[6] to 5.3 kg (12 lb). Males are typically larger and heavier than females, with the nominate race (P. c. carbo) averaging about 10% larger in linear measurements than the smallest race in Europe (P. c. sinensis). The lightest average weights cited are in Germany (P. c. sinensis), where 36 males averaged 2.28 kg (5.0 lb) and 17 females averaged 1.94 kg (4.3 lb). The highest come from Prince Edward Island in Canada (P. c. carbo), where 11 males averaged 3.68 kg (8.1 lb) and 11 females averaged 2.94 kg (6.5 lb). Length can vary from 70 to 102 cm (28 to 40 in) and wingspan from 121 to 160 cm (48 to 63 in). They are tied as the second largest extant species of cormorant after the flightless cormorant, with the Japanese cormorant averaging at a similar size. In bulk if not in linear dimensions, the Blue-eyed shag species complex of the Southern Oceans are scarcely smaller at average. It has a longish tail and yellow throat-patch. Adults have white patches on the thighs and on the throat in the breeding season. In European waters it can be distinguished from the common shag by its larger size, heavier build, thicker bill, lack of a crest and plumage without any green tinge. In eastern North America, it is similarly larger and bulkier than double-crested cormorant, and the latter species has more yellow on the throat and bill and lack the white thigh patches frequently seen on great cormorants. Great cormorants are mostly silent, but they make various guttural noises at their breeding colonies.
Albino in Lake Kerkini, Greece
Variations
A very rare variation of the great cormorant is caused by albinism. The Phalacrocorax carbo albino suffers from loss of eyesight and/or hearing, thus it rarely manages to survive in the wild.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_cormorant
Please do not download, copy, edit, reproduce or publish any of my images. They are my own intellectual property and are not for use without my express written permission. Thank you
Nigella sativa may remind you of a more common species with smaller, blue flowers, Nigella damascena or love-in-a-mist, with which it shares its genus. N. sativa is a native of Western Asia/the Middle East. It has long been cultivated around the Mediterranean as well as in other parts of the world, where it has escaped capitivity and been naturalised. The plant's seeds have been used as a spice in many cuisines and as traditional medicines. In English and other languages, common names include black caraway and black cumin. While the seeds taste similar to these and other spices, and have been used as substitute in cooking for them, they are not actually related to any of them. Additionally, the common names black seed, black cumin and black caraway are also used to refer to Elwendia persica.