Golden Pheasant

The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", (Chrysolophus pictus) is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae. It is native to forests in mountainous areas of western China, but feral populations have been established in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In England they may be found in East Anglia in the dense forest landscape of the Breckland.

 

The adult male is 90–105 cm in length, its tail accounting for two-thirds of the total length. It is unmistakable with its golden crest and rump and bright red body. The deep orange "cape" can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers all of the face except its bright yellow eye with a pinpoint black pupil.

Males have a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The wattles and orbital skin are both yellow in colour, and the ruff or cape is light orange. The upper back is green and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow. The tertiaries are blue whereas the scapulars are dark red. Other characteristics of the male plumage are the central tail feathers, black spotted with cinnamon, as well as the tip of the tail being a cinnamon buff. The upper tail coverts are the same colour as the central tail feathers. The male also has a scarlet breast, and scarlet and light chestnut flanks and underparts. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow.

The female (hen) is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage similar to that of the female Common Pheasant. She is darker and more slender than the hen of that species, with a proportionately longer tail (half her 60–80 cm length). The female's breast and sides are barred buff and blackish brown, and the abdomen is plain buff. She has a buff face and throat. Some abnormal females may later in their lifetime get some male plumage. Lower legs and feet are a dull yellow.

Both males and females have yellow legs and yellow bills.

Despite the male's showy appearance, these hardy birds are very difficult to see in their natural habitat, which is dense, dark young conifer forests with sparse undergrowth. Consequently, little is known about their behaviour in the wild.

They feed on the ground on grain, leaves and invertebrates, but they roost in trees at night. While they can fly, they prefer to run. If startled, they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed and with a distinctive wing sound.

Although they can fly in short bursts, they are quite clumsy in flight and spend most of their time on the ground. Golden Pheasants lay 8-12 eggs at a time and will then incubate these for around 22–23 days. They tend to eat berries, grubs, seeds and other types of vegetation.

The male has a metallic call in the breeding season.

The Golden Pheasant is commonly found in zoos and aviaries, but often as impure specimens that have the similar Lady Amherst's Pheasant in their lineage.

There are also different mutations of the Golden Pheasant known from birds in captivity, including the Dark-throated, Yellow, Cinnamon, Salmon, Peach, Splash, Mahogony and Silver. In aviculture, the wild type is referred to as "Red Golden" to differentiate it from these mutations.
Data refer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Pheasant

Bird Watching for Beginners - How To Identify Birds

If you enjoy watching birds, more than likely you are going to want to learn how you can identify them. While it can be exciting to be able to identify birds, it isn't always a simple task; in fact, it can be downright frustrating much of the time. Of course having a good field guide is an excellent idea. However, you'll have to have some knowledge of your own even to be able to accurately use the field guide. So, if you are a beginner at bird watching, the following are a few tips that can help you more accurately identify birds.

 

Tip #1 - The Size of the Bird - One thing that will help you identify birds is to first take a look at the size of the bird you are trying to identify. Is it about the size of a large ostrich, maybe chicken size, about the size of a small sparrow, or perhaps the size of a robin? Also, consider whether the bird is plump, on the skinny side, short, or very long. The entire body should be taken into consideration, including the size of the beak, the size of the tail, and the size and shape of the wings as well.

Tip #2 - Note the Colors - Another tip that will help you to more accurately identify birds is to take note of the colors that are on the bird. As you learn which colors certain birds tend to be you'll soon learn how to identify some birds by color alone. However, colors can trick you from time to time. The lighting may affect the color that the bird appears. Be sure to check the colors that are on each part of the body as well. Are the legs a certain color, the wings a specific color, or does it have any specific markings anywhere on the body?

Tip #3 - Where are You? - Believe it or not, your location can actually help you identify birds as well. Take a look around and figure out where you are. Are you out on the water, deep inside a large forest, or perhaps in your front yard? There are certain birds that live in specific habitats. Is the bird in the water, is it wading or swimming, does it actually climb the tree, how and where does it fly, and does it move its tail? These are all questions to ask that can help you out when identifying the birds that you are watching.

Tip #4 - Listen - One of the most important tips for beginner bird watchers that want to identify birds is to listen. Every single bird has a unique song that they sing and if you listen you may be able to identify the bird just by what you hear. If you are listening closely you may even see some birds that you would have never seen otherwise, and while this won't always help you identify a bird, it can definitely help.

So, next time you go out bird watching, keep all of these tips in mind. They'll help you identify the birds you see and have a more fun and rewarding experience out in the wild.

William Scott contributes bird watching advice to BirdWatchingAdvice.com, a site dedicated to helping people find the best birding binoculars.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/940332

Painted Bunting

The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) is a species of bird in the Cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America.

Painted Buntings are mostly monogamous and are solitary or in pairs during the breeding season, but sometimes exhibit polygyny. The breeding season begins in late April and lasts through to early August, with activity peaking mid-May through to mid-July. The male arrives about a week before the female and starts to establish a small territory. The nest is typically hidden in low, dense vegetation and is built by the females and woven into the surrounding vegetation for strength.[6] Each brood contains 3 or 4 gray-white eggs, often spotted with brown, which are incubated for around 10 days until the altricial young are hatched. The female alone cares for the young. The hatchlings are brooded for approximately 12 to 14 days and then fledge at that time. About 30 days after the first eggs hatch, the female Painted Bunting usually lays a second brood.[6] Nests are often parasitized by cowbirds.Common predators at the nest of eggs, young, and brooding females are large snakes, including Coachwhip Snakes, Eastern Kingsnakes, Eastern Racers, and Black Rat Snakes.[6] Bird-hunting raptors, including Short-tailed Hawks, Accipiter hawks, and even the small passerine the Loggerhead Shrike, may hunt Painted Buntings, including the conspicuous breeding-plumaged male. The Painted Bunting can live to over 10 years of age, though most wild buntings probably live barely half that long.

The male Painted Bunting is often described as the most beautiful bird in North America. Its colors, dark blue head, green back, red rump, and underparts, make it extremely easy to identify, but it can still be difficult to spot since it often skulks in foliage even when it is singing. The plumage of female and juvenile Painted Buntings is green and yellow-green, serving as camouflage. Once seen, the adult female is still distinctive, since it is one of the only truly green birds native to the United States. Adult painted buntings can measure 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) in length, span 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) across the wings and weigh 13–19 g (0.46–0.67 oz).

Distribution and habitat

The Painted Bunting occupies typical habitat for a member of its family. It is found in thickets, woodland edges with riparian thickets, shrubbery and brushy areas. In the East, the species breeds in maritime hammocks and scrub communities. Today, it is often found along roadsides and in suburban areas, and in gardens with dense, shrubby vegetation. The wintering habitat is typically the shrubby edges along the border of tropical forests or densely-vegetated savanna.The breeding range includes southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern and eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, northern Florida, coastal Georgia, the southern coast of South Carolina, and northern Mexico.They winter in South Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, along both coasts of Mexico and through much of Central America. Occasionally, they may vagrate further north outside of their normal range, including to New York,Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Painted Buntings often feed by hopping along the ground, cautiously stopping every few moments to look around. The Painted Bunting regularly eats a large quantity of grass seeds, including Panicum, Amaranthus, Oxalis, Euphorbia, and Carex. Seeds are eaten almost exclusively during winter. While breeding, Painted Bunting and nestlings mainly eat small invertebrates, including spiders, snails, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and other insects. They have been known to regularly visit spider webs to pick off small insects caught in them.
Data refer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_Bunting

Red-crowned Amazon

The Red-crowned Amazon, (Amazona viridigenalis) also known as Red-crowned Parrot, Green-cheeked Amazon, or Mexican Red-headed Parrot, is an endangered Amazon parrot native to northeastern Mexico. The current native wild population of between 1,000 and 2,000 is decreasing. The main threats to its survival are the illegal export of trapped birds from Mexico to the United States and the destruction of habitat.

 

Their appearance is generally green with the most notable features being a bright red forehead and crown, dark blue streaks behind the eyes, and light green cheeks.

Their natural range is across the lowlands of northeastern Mexico. Feral birds have bred in urban communities of southern California, southern Florida, and the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Birds in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas may be either feral, descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico, or both.

They gather in large flocks being noisiest in the morning and evening. The characteristic screeching heard of these birds usually occurs when they travel in a large flock to a new feeding area. Their diet consists of seeds, fruits, flowers and nectar. Red-crowned Amazons nest in tree cavities, like most other parrots.

This parrot is often kept as a pet and can be very affectionate and playful when given the attention they need from their owners. Although some are excellent talkers and copy voices, they are best at mimicking sounds.
Data refer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_Amazon

Bird Watching Tips - Make the Most of Bird Watching Tour

Indulge yourself in the pleasant and adventurous activity of birding by opting for a bird watching holiday this season. Explore the mystery and discover numerous bird species present in India. But before you plan for one such tour, make sure that you are ready for it all in all.

 

Here are some important bird watching tips that you should follow on your bird watching tour to make it a pleasant and adventurous expedition altogether:

1. Learn to make bird calls as this will help you in locating birds easily. While some of the bird species can be easily seen, there are many of them which you will not even get a glimpse of. Thus, to have maximum fun and to get best out of bird watching, develop basic mimicry skills as well as expertise in bird calls and singing. Your mimicry skills not just help you to get a great view but will also provide you an opportunity to get some great shots.

2. Buy yourself a good pair of binoculars as you will be requiring them quite frequently on your tour. You can get good bird views for some common bird species, but when it comes to species flocking around the area; the only way in which you can enjoy birding is using binoculars. Make sure that your binoculars have good magnification flair and excellent field of view.

3. Be a part of bird surveys before planning to go to one of the bird watching tours. This will help you to discover more about species being surveyed. Various bird surveys are organized by conservation bodies; you may even start your individual survey.

4. Get a Good Identification Guide (Naturist) and get the chance to enjoy birding in a right manner. These Naturists not just help you to get best view but also take you to the best spots that will help you get some great shots from your camera.

5. Walk quietly while on a bird watching tour. For this, you should prefer wearing trainers/sneakers rather than boots. Boots do provide protection, but are quite noisy.

Birding in India will let you explore diversified species of migratory birds, along with opportunity to be a distinctive part of nature. Being an enthusiastic bird watcher, you will get an experience that will definitely last for life. Do not forget to bring your camera and capture ultimate clicks of these mesmerizingly beautiful creatures.

Bird watching holidays in India- Are you a professional photographer who wants to get some great shots of birds or just a tourist looking for an adventurous birding experience? Discover the species by booking bird watching tours India at WildlifeToursIndia.co.uk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6206320

5 Tips for Successful Bird Watching

#1. Get to Where the Birds Are! This sounds obvious, but many birders spend the majority of their bird watching time and energy on poor locations. Some folk have the advantage of looking out of their windows into the back yard to observe nature's best. The rest of us need to get moving. I would highly recommend visiting a National Wildlife Refuge. There are over 500 of them across the United States. To find one near you, visit http://refuges.fws.gov/

 

#2. Know What Species to Expect. There are approximately 900 species of birds in the United States and recognizing each of them is nearly impossible. So when you visit an area, do a little research first. You may find that perhaps only a few species actually inhabit that particular area. With a little preparation, you will be able to more readily identify bird species from each other. Keep a list of successfully viewed species - we'll call this tip number two and a half.

#3. Get a Great Pair of Binoculars. Spending time and money to get to the right place can be totally wasted when your binoculars are inadequate. If you have an inexpensive pair of binoculars you are not getting the most out of your viewing. Today's technologies come at a price and they provide crucial benefits in wildlife viewing. For instance, image stabilization will keep your view from shaking-very important when watching from a long distance. Other cool features include anti-fogging, low-light viewing and wide-view characteristics. Additionally, binoculars with built-in digital cameras enable you to identify birds once you get home. These benefits will definitely enhance your bird watching. A great pair of binoculars will turn a mediocre experience into a great one. You can count on it!

#4. Practice Before You Go. A key to viewing wildlife, and especially birds, is to have the ability to very quickly put your binoculars on target. Many people have difficulty finding a full moon in a pair of binoculars-but alas-learning to focus on a bird in a bush or track a bird in flight is easy for someone who has practiced prior to their outing. Try this before you go; lower your binoculars to your side and very quickly raise them to find and follow a jet airliner across the sky. After only a few attempts, you'll get good at quickly acquiring your target. Quite often, birds are visible for only a few seconds, practice to become proficient.

#5. Take Someone with You. Life is always better when shared. Not only do you get to spend time out of doors with someone you like, but they might alert you to the "Number One Sight of the Day." Share your birding experiences with your friends and family. Pass the birding excitement to a child.

The best part about wildlife viewing is that you the viewer, control almost every aspect of the experience. The more you are prepared, the more rewarding your time in our backcountry will be. Follow these 5 simple tips to get the most out of birding. Get Outdoors!

Chuck Fitzgerald is Owner and President of Arizona based BackCountry Toys, an online store providing backcountry specialty gear and educational information for outdoor enthusiasts. Visit www.BackCountryToys.com to receive the free newsletter "FreshAir” or call (800) 316-9055.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2804