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The Variable Oystercatcher or Torea-pango is endemic to New Zealand. It is one of 3 oystercatchers that breed in New Zealand, the others being the Chatham Island Oystercatcher which is also endemic and the (South Island) Pied Oystercatcher which is native but not endemic.
Its common name derives from its varied plumage, which is either pied or black, or a range of plumages in between. Generally the pied version is seen more in the north of New Zealand whereas the black is seen more in the south. In fact, the black version is the only oystercatcher that can be seen down in Stewart Island.
Sporophila corvina
Setillero
El Tapir, Braulio Carrillo
Historia Natural
Reproducción
Su nido consiste en una taza ligera de paredes delgadas, construida de raicillas rÃgidas y fibras, con un forro de unos pocos filamentos fúngicos o pelos de caballo, agarrada con telarañas a una horqueta en un árbol o arbusto, y a una altura de 0.8 a 6 m.; en raras ocasiones se localiza a 9 m.
Ponen 2 huevos y raras veces 3, de color gris pálido o gris azulado, con salpicaduras y manchones café, y a menudo con manchitas y rayones negros. Se reproducen de mayo a agosto. Por otra parte, existe un pequeño perÃodo de crÃa entre noviembre y enero. Ponen 2 nidadas al año
Alimentación
Se alimentan de semillas de pasto, bayas y semillas de árboles y arbustos. También consumen algo de insectos.
Comportamiento
Forman grupos pequeños, aunque a menudo forman bandadas con otros semilleros del gallito negro (Volatinia jacarina) y espigueros.
Con frecuencia, los machos cantan en la parte bien alta de un árbol.
Habitat y Distribución
Habitat
Frecuentan matorrales bajos, jardines, bordes de carretera y de bosque, lotes grandes de pastos altos con semillas, campos o potreros enmalezados. Por otro lado, se desplazan entre claros y atraviesan cinturones de bosque
Distribución
Es una especie abundante a lo largo de las bajuras y piedemontes del lado del Caribe. En el lado del PacÃfico es común desde Panamá hacia el norte, aproximadamente hasta el Parque Nacional Carara, y de poco común a rara hacia el norte hasta los alrededores de Cañas y la cabecera del Golfo de Nicoya. No se conoce en el Valle Central. Se localiza desde el nivel del mar hasta los 1500 m., y en ocasiones a mayores alturas en la vertiente del Caribe.
Distribución fuera de Costa Rica
Se encuentran desde el sur de México hasta el noroeste de Perú.
Distribución de Area de conservación
Amistad CaribeArenalCordillera Volcanica CentralGuanacasteOsaPacifico CentralTempisqueTortugueroAmistad PacificoHuetar Norte
Usos y Manejos
Usos
Es apreciada por los pajareros como ave de canto, por lo cual las mantienen enjauladas en cautiverio (aves de jaula).
Descripción
Descripción cientÃfica
Mide 10.5 cm. y pesa 11 grs. En el lado del Caribe, la mejor forma de distinguir a los machos de otros semilleros negros, es por el pico convexo de Sporophila; la hembra es más opaca y café que la de otros semilleros. En el lado del PacÃfico los machos difieren de Sporophila torqueola por carecer de garganta blanca, collar completo y barras alares; las hembras no muestran ningún patrón excepto el abdomen blancuzco.
El macho adulto de la raza del Caribe es completamente negro, excepto por la base de las primarias internas, el forro de las alas y la lÃnea media del abdomen, que son blancos. La raza del PacÃfico es negra por encima, con la rabadilla blanca. Las alas son similares a las de la raza caribeña, y presentan manchas blancas anchas a cada lado del cuello, que se adelgazan o desaparecen en el cuello. El resto de la cabeza, cuello, garganta, pecho y muslos son de color negro, y el resto de las partes inferiores son blanco con un barreteado negruzco indistinto en el costado y los flancos. El pico es negro y las patas negruzcas.
La hembra de la raza del Caribe es café oliva oscuro por encima, más pálido por debajo, y el forro de las alas es blanco. La raza del PacÃfico es oliva por encima, más pálida por debajo, y se torna blanco amarillento opaco en el abdomen y la región anal. El forro alar es blanco.
Los ejemplares juveniles son similares a la hembra adulta de su raza. Los machos jóvenes pueden no adquirir el plumaje de adulto completo en su primer año y reproducirse con un plumaje más o menos jaspeado.
Información taxonómica
Reino: Animalia
Filo: Chordata
Clase: Aves
Orden: Passeriformes
Familia: Emberizidae
Género: Sporophila
Si quieres, puedes verla EN GRANDE Y SOBRE FONDO NEGRO / View on black
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All rights reserved © Miguel Calleja.
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How can I, that girl standing there,
My attention fix
On Roman or on Russian
Or on Spanish politics?
Yet here's a travelled man that knows
What he talks about,
And there's a politician
That has read and thought,
And maybe what they say is true
Of war and war's alarms,
But O that I were young again
And held her in my arms!
Politics
William Butler Yeats
1865-1939
Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)
Shot this photo almost four years ago! I actually thought it was a bad photo back then. It was a little underexposed and I had to crop it a lot, but I still like it :)
Petit lézard très fréquent sur presque tout le territoire, depuis le niveau de la mer jusqu'à 2300m. Coloration très variable suivant les individus. Longueur 12-17cm, en général. Fréquente les milieux pierreux, secs et peu végétalisés. Activité diurne. Aime s'exposer au soleil, sur une pierre ou sur un mur. Très vif et peu craintif. Grimpe et nage avec aisance.
Hiverne d'octobre à mars dans les fentes des murs ou des rochers mais sort dès qu'un rayon de soleil réchauffe les pierres, même en plein hiver. Alimentation variée : insectes et araignées principalement mais aussi petits escargots et limaces, chenilles...
**
Small lizard very common on almost the entire territory, from sea level to 2300m. Very variable coloring depending on the individual. Length 12-17cm, in general. Frequent stony, dry and sparsely vegetated environments. Daytime activity. Likes to be exposed to the sun, on a stone or on a wall. Very lively and not shy. Climb and swim with ease. Winter from October to March in the cracks in walls or rocks, but goes out as soon as a ray of sun warms the stones, even in the middle of winter.
Varied diet: mainly insects and spiders but also small snails and slugs, caterpillars ...
In profile, anterior and posterior straight.
Key id. features BELOW
SPECIES DESCRIPTION part A 2Pu flic.kr/p/BG8mKq
SPECIES DESCRIPTION part B 3Pu flic.kr/p/BRHsiR
OTHER SPECIES ALBUMS
www.flickr.com/photos/56388191@N08/collections/
Key identification features of typical British specimens.
Patella ulyssiponensis
1) Basal half of pallial tentacles has opaque pigment which can be white, off-white, cream or, on large specimens, yellowish or orange. The distal half fades to a translucent tip. Opaque basal half is often distinct from translucent mantle-skirt that they arise from, so it is possible to confuse with P. depressa. It is important to use pallial tentacles in combination with foot-colour/shell-length for identification. Examples at 26Pu flic.kr/p/BGqszN .
2) Foot is NOT pitch-brown/black or dark khaki. It can be whitish when young 30Pu flic.kr/p/BGqk4q becoming yellowish 31Pu flic.kr/p/BGrKw1 and, sometimes, orange with age 21Pu flic.kr/p/AUuNww . Juveniles under 12mm length may show a blackish internal shadow through the thin pale translucent foot 30Pu flic.kr/p/BGqk4q as they lack gonads above the foot that mask the dark viscera of adults.
Similar species
Patella vulgata
Extremely variable species; foot colours and nearly all shell-features have overlaps with P. depressa and P. ulyssiponensis.
1. Pigment-less pallial tentacles are slender, translucent and same colour as mantle-skirt they arise from. 40Pu flic.kr/p/BPJ1vQ .
Cautions:
Pallial tentacles of P. vulgata may look white when arise from colourless mantle-skirt in some lighting, but no pigment 41Pu flic.kr/p/AUxuXs .
Translucency and fineness of pallial tentacles of P. vulgata often make discernment difficult, especially when mantle skirt retracted from shell-rim and pallial tentacles viewed against shell 42Pu flic.kr/p/BGtg3y ; often virtually invisible when out of water as may be retracted as well as highly translucent 43Pu flic.kr/p/AUDqUz .
Foot colour of P. vulgata varies greatly, sometimes orange resembling P. ulyssiponensis 53PualbumPvhigh.
Shell interior can be white or tinted orange in P. vulgata 53PualbumPvhigh and 44Pu flic.kr/p/BPKJ6G .
Patella depressa
[1 & 2 in combination, not singly, are diagnostic of typical specimens but exclude intermediates.]
1. Pigmented pallial tentacles are opaque chalky-white for more than half of extended-length; may have translucent tip; distinctly whiter than buff mantle-skirt from which they arise 45Pu flic.kr/p/BJLMBx . Even when mantle-skirt retracted, pallial tentacles often clearly visible contrasting with the darker mantle 46Pu flic.kr/p/AUxm6u .
2. Sole of foot pitch-brown 47Pu flic.kr/p/AUDiJH to black 46Pu flic.kr/p/AUxm6u .
3. On shell-interior, whitish projecting points of ribs have short, unglazed, chalky, pure-white central line, but reduced or lacking where projecting points of ribs eroded 48Pu flic.kr/p/BS4e7v . [This feature recently recognised by S. Payne, and applies to all in large sample examined by IFS. Unsure yet if universal on P. depressa and exclusive of P. vulgata and P. ulyssiponensis.]
Caution:
Shell interior can be orange-cream in P. depressa 49Pu flic.kr/p/BixiVz
Patella caerulea Linnaeus, 1758.
Does not occur in Britain. In Iberia and Mediterranean, separation from it of some specimens of P. ulyssiponensis could not be achieved with foot colour and shell morphology by Sanna et al. (2011) who relied on the use of DNA sequencing. They did not mention attempting the use of pallial tentacle colour on live specimens; it may be worth investigation. See Sanna et al. for images of P. caerulea.
A number of them on the beach today. Lots of noise and sorting into pairs for the breeding season.
Hawke's Bay, NZ
Found these growing on a twig, I do like these such a colour and you can still see the felt/fur on the outside of the fungi.
Pennington Flash has had some good fungi coming up this year and it's still there if you look.
See more images of the highly variable and photogenic robber flies in my photostream HERE.
Pu'er, Yunnan, China