American Bison:The spectacular American buffalo

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In the great plains and vast grasslands of Americas, the American Bisons once wandered in form of massive flocks. They were millions in number till the eighteenth century, but during the nineteenth century these spectacular American buffaloes faced a brutal butchery and extermination and their population was reduced to 1,091 in 1889. But thanks to some of their protected areas and national parks, their population is now increased up to 500,000; although they are completely extinct from their original homelands.  The American Bison is a herbivore and this spectacular American buffalo feeds on the grasses of the prairie land and roams in search of water bodies all year round.

American Bison - A spectacular American buffalo - Image by Dan Dzurisin

American Bison – A spectacular American buffalo – Image by Dan Dzurisin

American Bison is a mighty mammal with splendid appearance with dark chestnut brown hair. They have longer, darker hair around their head, shoulders, and chest. They have a pair of upward-curved horns and a large shoulder hump. Male bison is slightly larger than the females but both the male and female have an extraordinary large head and a scraggly beard. Historically, the American bison was a traveller of the long distances accross America in order to graze themselves in open or semi-open grasslands, semi-arid lands and scrublands.

American Buffalo or Bison on the Yellowstone Prairie - Devin Westhause

American Buffalo or Bison on the Yellowstone Prairie – Devin Westhause

The average length of the American bison is about 7-11 feet and it weighs almost 770-2200 pounds. This spectacular American buffalo is naturally a migratory mammal and herd migrations can be directional as well as altitudinal in some areas.

The female American Bison along with her calf - Image by dbarronoss

The female American Bison along with her calf – Image by dbarronoss

The American Bison reaches sexual maturity between the ages of 2 and 3 years. Usually the American Bison breeds from June to September and the females can give birth to one calf per year and provide sole care for their young. Males do not protect or care for the calf. Newborn calves have a reddish, light brown coat and lack the distinctive hump of the adult bison. They begin turning brown and developing the hump after a few months.

The-herd-of-the-American-Bison-A-natural-way-of-roaming-around - Image by Becky Gregory

The-herd-of-the-American-Bison-A-natural-way-of-roaming-around – Image by Becky Gregory

The American Bison Bison bison have poor eyesight, but have acute hearing and an excellent sense of smell. They will generally rest during the day and graze in the mornings and evenings.  They can reach speeds of up to 35 mph.The American bison is often used in North America in official seals, flags, and logos.

‘Akepa: An agile forest bird from Hawaii

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‘Akepa is an agile and small forest bird from Hawaii which is famous for its active foraging at branch tips. The natural habitats are the highland and ancient rainforests of Hawaii and their surviving population live only on the island of Hawaii above 4000′ elevation. ‘Akapi has normally a rounded head, black eyes, and black wings and tail. Adult males sport one of the most brilliant orange colors found in any bird, a plumage which takes four years to develop. Females are greenish gray on back, lighter grey on front, with varying amounts of yellow and sometimes pale orange on the breast and belly. Juveniles appear similar to females, though are generally duller in color. All ‘Akepa birds have an unusual cross-bill. When closed, the upper bill tip slightly overlaps the lower bill tip to one side (this cannot be seen in the field). When opening the bill, as in prying open leaf buds to extract small caterpillars, the bills swing dramatically sideways, and this is easily seen in the hand. ‘Akepas is mainly feed themselves on ‘Ohi’a -lehua trees and Koa trees and their bill is specialized for opening ‘Ohi’a-lehua leaf buds in search of small caterpillars. These birds have a breeding season in spring.

'Akepa - An agile forest bird from Hawaii - Image by HarmonyonPlanetEarth - flickr

‘Akepa – An agile forest bird from Hawaii – Image by HarmonyonPlanetEarth – flickr

The population of ‘Akepa, an agile forest bird from Hawaii is at high risk and highly endangered and according to a rough estimate, about 14,000 Hawai’i ‘Akepa remained in the lovely planet. The diseases like avian malaria and avian pox have played a role in killing off populations of ‘Akepa. The introduction of the alien birds and ectoparasites in the native homeland of ‘Akepa is also a major threat as ‘Akepa and other native species have shown signs of starvation and runty nestlings, as well as declining population during this time. Although the largest populations of ‘Akepa live within protected lands, large trees appear to be falling faster than they are replaced. Scientifically, ‘Akepa is known as Loxops coccineus.

Green Violetear: A glamorous hummingbird of Mexico

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Green Violetear is a glamorous hummingbird of Mexico which is endemic of the forests and shrublands of Mexico and the northern parts of the Latin America. Overall, the Green Violet-ear has a very large range, estimated globally at 800,000 square kilometers.

Green Violtear Hummingbird - Image by Don Faulkner

Green Violtear Hummingbird – Image by Don Faulkner

The Green Violetear is roughly medium-sized by hummingbird standards. It averages around 9.7 to 12 cm (3.8 to 4.7 in) in total length. Its bill is black and mostly straight with only a slight downward curve and measures from 1.8 to 2.5 cm (0.71 to 0.98 in). The body mass can vary from 4.8 to 5.6 g (0.17 to 0.20 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 5.8 to 6.8 cm (2.3 to 2.7 in) and the tail is 3.5 to 4.3 cm (1.4 to 1.7 in). It is shining green above with a glittering violet ear-patch on the sides of its neck. Its throat and chest are a more glittering green with a shining green belly. The tail is a metallic blue-green with bronzier central feathers and a prominent black subterminal band. Colibri thalassinus is the scientific name of this glamorous hummingbird from Mexico and the Latin America.

Green Violtear Hummingbird on a flowering plant - An image by Francesco Veronesi

Green Violtear Hummingbird on a flowering plant – An image by Francesco Veronesi

The Green Violetear searches madly for the nectars and insects around the flowering trees, especially coffee-shade Inca. They feed at mid-level to canopy and often hold and defend a feeding territory.The Green Violetear has been recorded as attaining the greatest flying speed ever recorded for a hummingbird, with a pair of birds having attained 90 mph (140 km/h) during a chase, although other species may be able to attain similar speeds.

Green Violtear - A hummingbird of Mexico - Image by Laura Gooch

Green Violtear – A hummingbird of Mexico – Image by Laura Gooch

The Green Violetear makes their small nest with various plant materials, cobwebs, and down woven together to form a sturdy cup structure. The female Green Violetear lays two small white eggs within the nest and the female incubates them on her own for 14–18 days.

Himalayan wolf: The dweller of the frozen land

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Himalayan wolf is from the family of canid,which has incredible resemblance with the Tibetan wolf in appearance. According to some biologists, the Himalayan wolf is the subspecies of the Gray wolf and  the Himalayan wolf is considered a member of the ancient isolated line of wolves consisting of a small population of about 350 animals. Canis himalayensis is the biological name given to the Himalayan wolf which is the dweller of the frozen land of Himalaya.

Himalayan Wolf - An image by oh contraire on flickr

Himalayan Wolf – An image by oh contraire on flickr

Himalayan wolf is the inhabitant of the cold and long range of the great Himalaya in the north of India and Jammu & Kashmir. There is only few number of the Himalayan wolf remaining in this part of the world and unfortunately there is no sufficient literature and study material available on this rarest species if the wolf. The World Conservation Union ( IUCN ) has included Himalayan Wolf, the dweller of the frozen land in the red list of the critically endangered species of the lovely planet. In 2000-2001, four of the Zoological Parks of India kept 21 individuals. Eighteen Himalayan wolves are being bred in captivity. They were captured in the wild and are now being preserved in the trans-Himalayan region of India, at the Darjeeling zoo in Shiwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya in West Bengal, and in the Kufri Zoo with Kufri Himalayan National Park located in the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.

Regent Bowerbird: A fantastic Australian bird

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The Regent Bowerbird is endemic to Australia where it is found in the south-eastern Queensland and nthe orth-eastern New South Wales, on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. The natural habitat of this fanstastic Australian bird is forests, particularly rainforest and densely treed gullies. The Regent Bowerbird is scientifically known as Sericulus chrysocephalus which is actually a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male Regent Bowerbird bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black feet and yellow iris. The female Regent Bowerbirdis a brown bird with whitish or fawn markings, grey bill, black feet and crown.

Regent Bowerbird - An Australian endemic - Image by WarblerLady - flickr

Regent Bowerbird – An Australian endemic – Image by WarblerLady – flickr

The male Regent Bowerbird, in common with all male bowerbirds, builds and maintains a bower at which it mates with several females. The male does not participate in nest building nor feeding the young. The bower is a small open ‘avenue type’, which means it is not attached at the top. It consists of twigs and is 15 cm – 20 cm long and 30 cm high. The actual nest, constructed by the female, is a shallow saucer of twigs and leaves, lined with leaves. It is often placed in a clump of mistletoe or a thin fork. The nest of this fantastic Australian bird may be well away from the male’s bower. Only the female incubates and cares for the young.