View allAll Photos Tagged average
A text, in english, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) (ex-Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation (Lewis 2005). They nest and roost in burrows, such as those abandoned by prairie dogs. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day. However, most hunting is done at dusk or at night.
Burrowing owls are able to live for at least 9 years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity.[citation needed] They are often killed by vehicles when crossing roads, and have many natural enemies, including badgers, coyotes, and snakes. They are also killed by both feral and domestic cats and dogs.
Burrowing owls have bright yellow eyes. The bill can be yellow or greenish depending on the subspecies. The legs are incompletely feathered, and the toes are grayish in color. They lack ear tufts and have a flattened facial disc. The owls have prominent white eyebrows and a white "chin" patch which they expand and display during certain behaviors.
Adult owls have brown upperparts with white spotting. The breast and belly are white with variable brown spotting or barring. Juvenile owls are similar in appearance, but they lack most of the white spotting above and brown barring below. Also, the young owls have a buff bar across the upper wing and their breast may be buffy rather than white.
Males and females are similar in size and appearance. However, adult males sometimes appear lighter in color because they spend more time outside the burrow during daylight, and their feathers become sun-bleached. The average adult is slightly larger than an American Robin, at 25 cm (10 inches) length, 53 cm (21 inches) wingspan, and 170g (6 oz) weight (Lewis 2005).
The typical "who who" call of a burrowing owl is associated with territory defense and breeding, often given by adult males to attract a female to a promising burrow. They also make other sounds, which are described as chucks, chattering, and screams. These sounds are usually accompanied by an up and down bobbing of the head. When alarmed, young birds will give a hissing call - a case of acoustic Batesian mimicry - that sounds like a rattlesnake (Haug et al. 1993).
Before European colonization, burrowing owls probably inhabited every suitable area of the New World, but they have experienced some restrictions in distribution since. They range from the southern portions of the western Canadian provinces through southern Mexico and western Central America. They are also found in Florida and many Caribbean islands. In South America, they are patchy in the northwest and through the Andes, but widely distributed from southern Brazil to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
Burrowing owls are year-round residents in most of their range. Birds that breed in Canada and northern USA usually migrate south to Mexico and southern USA during winter months.
The burrowing owl is endangered in Canada[1], threatened in Mexico, and a species of special concern in Florida and most of the western USA. It is common and widespread in open regions of many Neotropical countries, where they sometimes even inhabit fields and parks in cities. In regions bordering the Amazon Rainforest they are spreading with deforestation. It is therefore listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The major reasons for declining populations in North America are control programs for prairie dogs and loss of habitat, although burrowing owls readily inhabit some anthropogenic landscapes, such as airport grasslands or golf courses (Korfanta et al. 2005).
Burrowing owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They are also included in CITES Appendix II.
Genetic analysis of the two North American subspecies indicates that inbreeding is not a problem within those populations (Korfanta et al. 2005).
The nesting season begins in late March or April in North America. Burrowing owls are usually monogamous, but occasionally a male will have two mates (Lewis 2005). Pairs of owls will sometimes nest in loose colonies. Their typical breeding habitat is open grassland or prairie, but they can occasionally adapt to other open areas like airports, golf courses, and agricultural fields. Burrowing owls are slightly tolerant of human presence, often nesting near roads, farms, homes, and regularly maintained irrigation canals.
The owls nest in an underground burrow, hence the name Burrowing Owl. They use burrows created by other burrowing animals such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels, or badgers (Holt et al. 1999). If burrows are unavailable and the soil is not hard or rocky, the owls may excavate their own. Burrowing owls will also nest in shallow, underground, man-made structures that have easy access to the surface.
The female will lay as many as 8-12 eggs over a two week period. She will then incubate the eggs for three to four weeks while the male brings her food. After the eggs hatch both parents will feed the chicks. Four weeks after hatching, the chicks are able to make short flights and begin leaving the nest burrow. The parents will still help feed the chicks for 1 to 3 months. While most of the eggs will hatch, only four to five chicks usually survive to leave the nest.
During the nesting season, burrowing owls will line the burrow with mammal dung, usually from cattle. The dung helps to control the microclimate inside the burrow and to attract insects, which the owls may eat (Levey et al. 2004).
Site fidelity rates appear to vary among populations. In some locations, owls will frequently reuse a nest several years in a row. Owls in migratory northern populations are less likely to return to the same burrow every year. Also, as with many other birds, the female owls are more likely to disperse to a different site than are male owls (Lutz & Plumpton 1999).
The highly variable diet includes small mammals, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, insects, and scorpions. But the owls mainly eat large insects and small rodents. Although burrowing owls often live in close proximity to ground squirrels, they rarely prey upon them. Unlike other owls, they also eat fruits and seeds, especially the fruit of tasajillo (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) and other prickly pear and cholla cacti. When hunting they wait on a perch until they spot prey. Then they swoop down on prey or fly up to catch insects in flight. Sometimes they chase prey on foot across the ground.
The burrowing owl is sometimes separated in the monotypic genus Speotyto. This is based on an overall different morphology and karyotype. On the other hand, osteology and DNA sequence data suggests that the Burrowing Owl is just a terrestrial version of the Athene little owls, and it is today placed in that genus by most authorities.
A considerable number of subspecies have been described, but they differ little in appearance and the taxonomy of several needs to be validated (Holt et al. 1999). Most subspecies are found in the Andes and the Antilles. Only A. c. hypugaea and A. c. floridana are found in North America. Although distinct from each other, the relationship of the Floridan subspecies to (and its distinctness from) the Caribbean birds is not quite clear (Korfanta et al. 2005).
Um texto em português:
Coruja-buraqueira (Speotyto cunicularia).
Veja um vídeo clicando no endereço a seguir:
br.youtube.com/watch?v=BhCP0YqJDnY
Ficha Técnica
Nome comum: coruja-buraqueira, coruja-martelo, coruja-do-campo, caburé-de-cupim, caburé-do-campo, coruja-barata, coruja-buraqueira, coruja-do-campo, coruja-mineira, corujinha-buraqueira, corujinha-do-buraco, corujinha-do-campo, guedé, urucuera, urucuréia e urucuriá.
Nome científico: Speotyto cunicularia
Reino: Animal
Filo: Vertebrado
Classe: Aves
Ordem: Strigiformes
Família: Strigidae
Ave muito interessante e com características peculiares é tida pelo povo grego como a ave da sabedoria. Outros povos porém, acham que causa azar e arrepios seu canto quando rasga o silêncio noturno. Dizem ainda que é sinal de mal agouro e que o seu canto está pressagiando alguma tragédia, o que é pura crendice popular, pois o que se sabe é que as corujas são muito úteis ao homem predando pragas nas lavouras e controlando a população de ratos ao redor das cidades e no campo.
Pode girar seu pecoço em 270º
Características:
A coruja-buraqueira é muito comum pelos campos do Brasil.
Mede em torno de 20-30 cm com envergadura de 50-61cm e pesando em média 170g.
Com peito branco e plumagem amarelada o macho é ligeiramente maior que a fêmea, possuem cabeça arredondada e são aves muito tímidas.
Com olhos grandes e amarelos, a coruja-buraqueira tem a visão 100 vezes mais aguçada que a do homem e seus olhos estão dispostos frontalmente, como os do ser humano.
Quando necessita olhar algum objeto ao seu redor gira o pescoço em um ângulo de até 270 graus, aumentando assim o seu campo visual.
Essa disposição frontal, proporciona à coruja uma visão binocular (enxerga um objeto com ambos os olhos e ao mesmo tempo), isso significa que a coruja pode ver objetos em três dimensões, ou seja, altura, largura e profundidade.
Pode julgar distâncias similares ao ser humano e seu campo visual é de 110 graus, sendo 70 graus de visão binocular.
Os olhos da coruja-buraqueira são bem grandes, em algumas espécies de corujas até maiores que o próprio cérebro, a fim de melhorar sua eficiência em condições de baixa luminosidade, captando e processando melhor a luz disponível.
Além de sua privilegiada visão, a coruja-buraqueira é dona de uma audição potentíssima, conseguindo localizar e abater sua presa com apenas este sentido.
Abate preferencialmente pequenos roedores, insetos, anfíbios e pássaros. A coruja é uma ave de rapina, portanto mata para se alimentar. A tradução da palavra rapina é "roubo", o que caracteriza o fato de tais aves retirarem a vida de suas presas.
Rapineira e atenta à tudo
A coruja como a grande maioria dos animais possue território de caça. São ""equipadas "" com adaptações especiais que as tornam predadoras eficientes, sendo uma delas o vôo.
Sempre muito silenciosa e sorrateira, isso devido às penas especiais de sua asa, muito macias e em grande quantidade, conseguem cortar o ar e planar por muito tempo sendo muito discretas e imperceptíveis às suas presas.
A observação das presas se dá no alto de árvores ou em mourões de cercas nos pastos e até durante o vôo silencioso, quando fazem uma varredura na área de caça. Quando um alvo é avistado a coruja voa silenciosamente até ele, mantendo sua cabeça em linha reta ao alvo, quando então a joga para trás e empurra suas garras para frente a fim de prender seguramente sua presa. A força do impacto é violenta e certeira não dando chances à presa. Posteriormente a vítima é morta pela pressão do bico, num processo de abatimento de presas no solo.
O período reprodutivo da coruja-buraqueira começa nos meses de março e abril, os ninhos são feitos no solo, aproveitando antigas tocas de tatus ou simplesmente promovem a abertura de novos ninhos, num trabalho revezado entre o casal.
Os ninhos são escavados com os pés e bicos, formando uma galeria horizontal de até 3 m de profundidade por 30cm-60cm de largura.
Em média botam de 6 a 12 ovos, que são incubados por 28 dias pela fêmea; fica por conta do macho proteger o ninho e procurar alimento para toda a prole.
Com 14 dias os filhotes já ficam empoleirados na saída da cova, aos 44 dias saem do ninho e com 60 dias estão caçando pequenos insetos.
Informações do site: www.cuestajardins.com.br/?id=149&codigo=426&PHPSE...
Arcola, Illinois, native Joe Ernst was a World War II hero, but he also was noted for something he did in 1941. A bus load of African-American travelers motoring south from Chicago on U.S. Route 45 had been refused service by several restaurants until reaching Arcola and visiting a restaurant managed by Ernst.
He agreed to serve them so long as they paid for their meals. Among those on the bus was the singer Ella Fitzgerald, who took charge of the cash register and collected money from the patrons.
When the restaurant owner found out the next day that Ernst had served a bus load of "colored" people he promptly fired him. After World War II, Ernst returned to Arcola where he owned a service station and an auto dealership.
Creation of this mural was overseen by Dave Correll in June 2012.
The average Military retiree roughly serves over 20 years, now let’s times that by 7 and it relates to these Soldiers. K-9s of the 289th Military Police company, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. infantry Regiment have fulfilled their military tour.
Today The Old Guard says goodbye to six military working dogs assigned to the 289th MP Company, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. infantry Regiment with an awards ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, VA February 6, 2015.
These K-9’s served multiple functions both here at home and abroad, with numerous deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom where they protected our Soldiers outside the wire.
So what happens next for man’s best friend? They have all been adopted by their handlers and will continue life outside the Army supporting their service-members in a different manner, as companions.
Are you above average? Of course you are!
Those age 14 and older can sign up for the Above Average Reader challenge on Beanstack (lesterlibrary.beanstack.com/reader365). Read 13 books to earn this very sturdy tote. If you log 52 books in 2022, get a custom patch to attach which will identify you as a SUPERIOR reader.
And don't forget our winter reading challenges for ALL ages continuing through April 30; read and earn prizes! Lester Public Library, Two Rivers, Wisconsin
who lives at the Eden project in Cornwall. He is built from a collection of the waste electrical and electronic equipment produced during the average lifetime - I presume this applies in the industrial developed countries.
I have put a solarising filter on this shot to emphasise the colours of the sculpture - the sky was a normal cloudy November issue !
More info - www.edenproject.com/about/1762.html
This house has nice colours and they have a sunken garage. My only suggestion would be to clean the yard up a little and maybe some flower boxes under the windows, other than that is is fine.
You can check out my curb appeal blog at www.exteriorencounters.com
Caption: January 1951. Taken July or August, 1950. Carib children who attended Spanish service in G. T. Miller yard. Caribs are a mixture of native Indian and African negro. They use Moreno dialect. Children know little Spanish until they attend grade school. Last year attendance averaged 50 to 60. At present, some less, but stable group.
Citation: Mennonite Community Photographs, 1947-1953: Service. HM4-134 Box 1 Photo 030-9. Mennonite Church USA Archives - Goshen. Goshen, Indiana.
CP 182 passes the cement company in Des Plaines, IL with freshly rebuilt CP SD60 6241 in tow. Even though the weather is just so wonderful, I'm not taking my chances with this Soo power.
.Copyright - All Rights Reserved - Black Diamond Images
Family : Marasmiaceae
I had previously considered Campanella tristis as suggested below.
IDENTIFYING AUSTRALIAN RAINFOREST PLANTS,TREES & FUNGI - Flick Group --> DATABASE INDEX
This is the final photograph created from the five individual photos.
The Nokia N800 camera is noisy in low-light situations, and the resolution isn't really all that great, so I figured it would provide useful photos to experiment with.
Lobaria pulmonaria
Lungwort, Lung Lichen, Echte Lungenflechte
Slo.: navadni pljučar
Dat.: Sept. 3. 2012
Lat.: 46.34563 Long.: 13.73455
Code: Bot_653/2012_IMG0954
Habitat: Mixed, old predominantly Picea abies mountain forest, calcareous ground, almost flat terrain, quite humid place, in shade, partly protected from direct rain by tree canopies, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 2-4 deg C, elevation 1.380 m (4.500 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.
Substratum: live Carpinus betulus.
Place: Dol pod Plazmi, west of Lepo Špičje ridge, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC
Comment: Growing in groups, many species. Several large moist (after rain) thalli with isidia, soralia as well as with fairly rare apothecia in Europe. The tree trunk was covered by the lichen from ground to up to 4 m (12 feet) above the ground. Peltigera sp. present on the same trunk.
Ref.:
(1) I.M. Brodo, S.D. Sharnoff, S.Sharnoff, Lichens of North America, Yale Uni. Press (2001), p 417.
(2) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Wuerttembergs, Vol.2. Ulmer (1995), p 563.
(3) F.S. Dobson, Lichens, The Richmonds Publishing Ca.LTD (2005), p 255.
Raptors. Bateleur. Kruger National Park. Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge. South Africa. May/2021
Bateleur
The bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. Its closest relatives are the snake eagles. It is the only member of the genus Terathopius and may be the origin of the "Zimbabwe Bird", national emblem of Zimbabwe.[2] It is endemic to Africa and small parts of Arabia. "Bateleur" is French for "street performer"
The average adult is 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in) long with a 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) wingspan. The wing chord averages approximately 51 cm (20 in). Adult weight is typically 2 to 2.6 kg (4 lb 7 oz to 5 lb 12 oz).[4]
The bateleur is a colourful species with a very short tail (ecaudatus is Latin for tailless) which, together with its white underwing coverts, makes it unmistakable in flight. The tail is so small the bird's legs protrude slightly beyond the tail during flight. The bateleur is sexually dimorphic; both adults have black plumage, a chestnut mantle and tail, grey shoulders, tawny wing coverts, and red facial skin, bill and legs. The female additionally has tawny secondary wing feathers. Less commonly, the mantle may be white.[5] Immature birds are brown with white dappling and have greenish facial skin. It takes them seven or eight years to reach full maturity
Source: Wikipedia
Águia Nailarina
A Águia-nailarina (Terathopius ecaudatus) é uma águia de tamanho médio da família Accipitridae. Seus parentes mais próximos são as águias de cobra. É o único membro do gênero Terathopius e pode ser da origem da "Zimbábue Bird", emblema nacional do Zimbábue. É endêmico na África e em pequenas partes da Arábia. "Bateleur" é francês para "artista de rua"
O adulto médio tem 55 a 70 cm (22 a 28 polegadas) de comprimento e uma envergadura de 186 cm (6 pés 1 in). O acorde de asa mede aproximadamente 51 cm (20 pol). O peso adulto é tipicamente de 2 a 2,6 kg (4 lb 7 oz a 5 lb 12 oz).
O bateleur é uma espécie colorida com uma cauda muito curta (o ecaudatus é latim para o rabo sem cauda) que, juntamente com os seus mantos de asa branca, o torna inconfundível em voo. A cauda é tão pequena que as pernas da ave se projetam ligeiramente para além da cauda durante o vôo. O bateleur é sexualmente dimórfico; ambos os adultos têm plumagem negra, um manto castanho e cauda, ombros acinzentados, coberturas de asas amareladas e pele vermelha facial, bico e pernas. A fêmea também tem penas de asa secundárias tawny. Menos comumente, o manto pode ser branco. As aves jovens são marrons com dappling branco e têm pele facial esverdeada. Leva sete ou oito anos para atingir a maturidade plena
Fonte: Wikipedia (tradução livre)
Kruger Shalati
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge. One of the most anticipated and exciting new offerings coming to the iconic Kruger National Park, South Africa. A perfect combination of Africa’s most breathtaking natural splendours with well-deserved luxuries aboard a newly refurbished train that’s reminiscent of African excellence.
Permanently stationed on the historically-rich Selati Bridge above the Sabie River, Kruger Shalati will offer the most unique luxury accommodation in a re-envisioned train which will pay homage to the guests who explored the park nearly 100 years ago while welcoming new explorers from near and far. The train celebrates where the first visits to the iconic park were allowed in the early 1920s, the train would park overnight in the exact spot where Kruger Shalati will be positioned.
Offering 31 rooms, consisting of 24 carriage rooms and 7 Bridge House rooms, all of which will provide a deeply visceral experience, tailored for immersive comfort. Whether you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind adventure, an enthralling break or to simply immerse yourself in earth’s finest creations, Kruger Shalati looks forward to welcoming you on a journey of discovery with nature in the most extraordinary way imaginable.
Source: www.krugershalati.com
Kruger Shalati: O trem na ponte. Uma das novas ofertas mais esperadas e emocionantes que chegam ao icônico Parque Nacional Kruger, na África do Sul. Uma combinação perfeita dos esplendores naturais mais deslumbrantes da África com luxos bem merecidos a bordo de um trem recém-reformado que lembra a excelência africana.
Permanentemente estacionado na histórica Ponte Selati acima do Rio Sabie, Kruger Shalati oferecerá a acomodação de luxo mais exclusiva em um trem reformulado que homenageará os hóspedes que exploraram o parque há quase 100 anos, enquanto recebe novos exploradores. O trem celebra onde as primeiras visitas ao parque icônico foram permitidas no início dos anos 1920, o trem estacionaria durante a noite no local exato onde Kruger Shalati será posicionado.
Oferecendo 31 quartos, consistindo de 24 quartos de carruagem e 7 quartos Bridge House, todos os quais proporcionarão uma experiência profundamente visceral, adaptada para um conforto imersivo. Esteja você procurando por uma aventura única, uma pausa cativante ou simplesmente mergulhar nas melhores criações da terra, Kruger Shalati espera recebê-lo em uma jornada de descoberta com a natureza da maneira mais extraordinária que se possa imaginar.
Fonte: www.krugershalati.com (tradução livre)
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of around 20,000 square kilometres in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west.
Source: Wikipedia
Parque Nacional Kruger
O Parque Nacional Kruger é a maior área protegida de fauna bravia da África do Sul, cobrindo cerca de 20 000 km2. Está localizado no nordeste do país, nas províncias de Mpumalanga e Limpopo e tem uma extensão de cerca de 360 km de norte a sul e 65 km de leste a oeste.
Os parques nacionais africanos, nas regiões da savana africana são importantes pelo turismo com safári de observação e fotográfico.
O seu nome foi dado em homenagem a Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger, último presidente da República Sul-Africana bôere. Foi criado em 31 de Maio de 1926
Fonte: Wikipedia
3-D Cross-viewing Instructions.
Cross-viewing is the best way to view 3-D (in my humble opinion). It takes about 5 minutes on average to master this technique, but it is well worth it. After that it became effortless. Better than glasses because you lose none of the color. Here's how to do it...
1.Place the image in Figure 1 in the center of your screen.
2. Sit at your normal distance.
3. Slowly cross your eyes. You will see a double image.
4. Continue to cross until the middle two images overlap.
5. Adjust focus on middle image, keeping the two images overlapped.
6. You should see the image snap into perfect 3-D.