Germain’s Peacock-pheasant is among the star points of interest of Cat Tien NP.
Particularly, it is because it readily involves the Cat Tien hides and may be seen nicely there regardless of the eBird comment that the species is “typically shy and reclusive and really tough to see nicely.”
The title commemorates Louis Rodolphe Germain (1827–1917), a French Military veterinarian who when based mostly in Indochina despatched a specimen to a museum in Paris.
The Inexperienced-legged Partridge is each an outdated breed of hen indigenous to Poland (essential Wikipedia entry) and an Indochinese partridge species (alternate Wikipedia entry, and the chicken proven under).
Just like the peacock-pheasant, it’s “very tough to see normally; more than likely encountered at staked-out blinds” (eBird). Although eBird appears to be considerably dissatisfied by the species, noting that it’s a “cryptically-colored ground-dweller with out the intense colours and daring head patterns boasted by a lot of its relations”
One of many nest predators of this partridge – the Northern Treeshrew – is proven on the finish of this put up.
The bulbuls round Cat Tien are primarily the Stripe-throated Bulbul …
… and the Streak-eared Bulbul.
Siberian Blue Robins are pretty simple to see in Shanghai throughout migration – however it’s good to fulfill them of their winter quarters as nicely.
For causes no one appears to know, the Widespread Emerald Dove is the state chicken of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (supply). Fairly ineffective info, I do know.
And now for one thing fully completely different – some chicken pictures. Of Indochinese Blue Flycatcher …
… and Black-winged Cuckooshrike.
eBird calls the Gray-faced Tit-babbler a boring brown babbler.
So, perhaps William Vallandigham Kelley (1861-1932) wouldn’t be too happy that they named the chicken Mixornis kelleyi. However by then (in 1932), perhaps all the nice birds similar to Germain’s Peacock-pheasant already had names …
Kelley was a Chicago producer and a sponsor of the Area Museum of Pure Historical past’s 1928 expedition to Jap Asia. If you wish to go to him, you are able to do so on the Lake Forest Cemetery in Illinois.
I’m positive I’ve written the identical factor earlier than, however apparently the one that gave the title to the Bronzed Drongo didn’t have any clue about what bronze shade seems to be like.
Sadly, I didn’t see a Bronzed Drongo nesting – it makes for quite cute pictures, as this instance reveals.
Apparently, the physique of the Slaty-legged Crake is laterally compressed to allow them to go quietly by means of thick vegetation (supply).
The species performed a cameo function in an version of the Philippine Journal of Veterinary Medication when a brand new species of trematode parasite was found from it.
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater has its followers at eBird, which calls it a “lovely, dainty bee-eater”.
The scientific title Merops leschenaulti commemorates Jean Baptiste Louis Claude Théodore Leschenault de la Tour (1773-1826), a French botanist and ornithologist who presumably all through his life cursed his lengthy title every time he needed to fill out official kinds.
The Wikipedia entry on him is quite important of his work ethic. As chief botanist on Nicolas Baudin’s expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803, he collected many new specimens “although Baudin’s journal means that he didn’t work significantly laborious; apparently the poorly educated gardener’s boy Antoine Guichenot collected extra plant specimens than Leschenault did, and gave them extra helpful labels.”
It’s a jungle on the market – no one is aware of that higher than the Crimson Jungle Fowl.
Certainly, essentially the most dominant cocks and hens produced a lot of the adults of succeeding generations. In a single examine, the genetically efficient breeding dimension of the inhabitants was solely about 13% of the full variety of adults (supply).
Each sexes of Crimson Junglefowl are promiscuous. Males goal to draw females and repel different males, whereas females goal to mate solely with their most popular males (supply).
Crimson Junglefowl are the ancestors of domesticated hen – how this occurred is described right here.
Apparently, there’s a shut hyperlink between rice cultivation and the domestication of chickens – fairly in all probability this solely occurred after people started cultivating rice inside vary of the wild purple jungle fowl.
One factor that occurred as soon as the Crimson Junglefowl bought domesticated is that its mind dimension shrunk – apparently mind dimension discount is a typical trait in domesticated species (supply).
At the very least within the chickens, the shrinkage could also be a results of people deciding on these people for domestication which have the bottom stage of worry of people – which occur to be those with the smallest brains (supply).
Lastly, 3 of the about 235 woodpecker species on the planet. Beginning with the Laced Woodpecker.
Subsequent, the Widespread Flameback.
greenmatters.com claims that woodpeckers would possibly characterize non secular safety, which makes me quite a bit weary of them as I’m not too keen on spirituality.
In the event you want extra of this mumbo-jumbo, go to a web site named whatismyspiritanimal.com and study issues like “Native People inform us that Woodpecker represents journeying into the astral aircraft”.
In desires, woodpeckers supply a number of flexibility, so you may just about interpret an look in any manner you need: “Woodpeckers in desires can point out something from thriller and magic to knowledge and alternative” (supply). That ought to make woodpeckers quite widespread with dreamers and individuals who interpret desires.
Lastly, the Lesser Yellownape.
Did you ever construct a home after which had someone else transfer in in opposition to your will? I hope not … However as cavities are in nice demand for nesting by different cavity nesters, woodpeckers face competitors for the nesting websites they excavate from the second the outlet turns into usable (supply).
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the witch Circe turns a really attractive man named Picus right into a woodpecker when he refuses to be disloyal to his spouse and turns Circe away. Hell hath no fury …
In October 2022, a marketing campaign named “Woodpecker” was began in China’s Shandong province. The marketing campaign requested locals to search out incorrect English translations in public amenities and inform the authorities about them. The highest 10 “woodpeckers” acquired presents (supply).
Different animals seen at Cat Tien included a treeshrew – the Gollum of the mammal world – …
… and the critically endangered Black-shanked Douc Langur.
All pictures taken at Cat Tien in late March 2024.
