Bird Week
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakapo
Choice Excerpts:
"The Kakapo (Māori: kākāpō, meaning night parrot), Strigops habroptilus (from the Greek strix, genitive strigos: owl and ops: face; and habros: soft, and ptilon: feather), is a species of nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand."
"Kakapo are critically endangered, with only 86 living individuals known, all of whom are named."
"Kakapo are thought to live at least 60 years"
"Kakapo are large, rotund parrots: males measure up to 60 centimeters (24 in) and weigh between 3 and 4 kilograms (7-9 lb) at maturity. Kakapo are unable to fly, having short wings for their size and lacking the pronounced keel bone (sternum) that anchors the flight muscles of other birds. They use their wings for balance, support, and to break their falls when leaping from trees. Unlike other land birds, the Kakapo can accumulate large amounts of body fat to store energy.
Kakapos have moss-green feathers barred with black on the back, blending well with native vegetation. As the feathers do not need the strength and stiffness required for flight, they are exceptionally soft, giving rise to the species descriptor habroptilus."
"One of the most striking characteristics of Kakapo is their pleasant and powerful odor. It has been variously described as like flowers and honey, an air freshener, or the inside of an antique violin case. Given the Kakapo's well-developed sense of smell this scent may be a social chemosignal. The smell has often led predators right to the relatively defenseless Kakapo.
"When in the presence of a female, males apparently become sexually excited, and may attempt to copulate with objects other than female Kakapo. Little is known about copulation but it is believed to be brief."
"When Kakapo feel threatened, they simply freeze, hoping to blend in with the vegetation that they so resemble. This was a good strategy to foil their main native predator, the giant Haast's Eagle."
Depicted Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_Eagle
Choice Excerpts:
"Female Haast's Eagles weighed 10 to 14 kilograms (22 to 30 pounds), and males weighed 9 to 10 kilograms. They had a wingspan of about 2.6 - 3 meters, which is short for a bird of the Haast's Eagle's weight, but permitted them to hunt in forests. It preyed on large, flightless birds species including Moa up to 15 times its weight."
"Early human settlers in New Zealand (Māori arrived about 1000 years ago) also preyed heavily on large, flightless birds and hunted some of them, including all the Moa species, to extinction. The Haast's Eagle became extinct around 1400 AD along with its prey."
"They stood at about 5 feet tall. the eagle was said to have taken to eating the Māori people when all the moa had died out."
Also.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle
"The Wedge-tailed Eagle or Arrawa (Aquila audax) is a very large Australasian raptor and the most common of all the world's large eagles."
"As with many raptors, the female is much larger than the male, averaging around 4.2 kg and sometimes over 5 kg. Males are typically around 3.2 kg. Length varies between 0.9 and 1.1 metres, wingspan from 1.8 to 2.5 metres."
"They are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wingbeat or effort, regularly reaching 6000 feet (2000 m) and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy."
"They display considerable adaptability, and have sometimes been known to team up to hunt animals as large as the Red Kangaroo; to cause goats to fall off steep hillsides and injure themselves; or to drive flocks of sheep or kangaroos to isolate a weaker animal."
And finally: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistling_Swan
"United Airlines Flight 297 crashed on November 23, 1962 after it collided with a flock of whistling swans while the plane was cruising at 6,000 feet. All 17 onboard died."
JOIN ME NEXT WEEK FOR THE XENARTHRA ORDER AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!
Choice Excerpts:
"The Kakapo (Māori: kākāpō, meaning night parrot), Strigops habroptilus (from the Greek strix, genitive strigos: owl and ops: face; and habros: soft, and ptilon: feather), is a species of nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand."
"Kakapo are critically endangered, with only 86 living individuals known, all of whom are named."
"Kakapo are thought to live at least 60 years"
"Kakapo are large, rotund parrots: males measure up to 60 centimeters (24 in) and weigh between 3 and 4 kilograms (7-9 lb) at maturity. Kakapo are unable to fly, having short wings for their size and lacking the pronounced keel bone (sternum) that anchors the flight muscles of other birds. They use their wings for balance, support, and to break their falls when leaping from trees. Unlike other land birds, the Kakapo can accumulate large amounts of body fat to store energy.
Kakapos have moss-green feathers barred with black on the back, blending well with native vegetation. As the feathers do not need the strength and stiffness required for flight, they are exceptionally soft, giving rise to the species descriptor habroptilus."
"One of the most striking characteristics of Kakapo is their pleasant and powerful odor. It has been variously described as like flowers and honey, an air freshener, or the inside of an antique violin case. Given the Kakapo's well-developed sense of smell this scent may be a social chemosignal. The smell has often led predators right to the relatively defenseless Kakapo.
"When in the presence of a female, males apparently become sexually excited, and may attempt to copulate with objects other than female Kakapo. Little is known about copulation but it is believed to be brief."
"When Kakapo feel threatened, they simply freeze, hoping to blend in with the vegetation that they so resemble. This was a good strategy to foil their main native predator, the giant Haast's Eagle."
Depicted Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_Eagle
Choice Excerpts:
"Female Haast's Eagles weighed 10 to 14 kilograms (22 to 30 pounds), and males weighed 9 to 10 kilograms. They had a wingspan of about 2.6 - 3 meters, which is short for a bird of the Haast's Eagle's weight, but permitted them to hunt in forests. It preyed on large, flightless birds species including Moa up to 15 times its weight."
"Early human settlers in New Zealand (Māori arrived about 1000 years ago) also preyed heavily on large, flightless birds and hunted some of them, including all the Moa species, to extinction. The Haast's Eagle became extinct around 1400 AD along with its prey."
"They stood at about 5 feet tall. the eagle was said to have taken to eating the Māori people when all the moa had died out."
Also.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle
"The Wedge-tailed Eagle or Arrawa (Aquila audax) is a very large Australasian raptor and the most common of all the world's large eagles."
"As with many raptors, the female is much larger than the male, averaging around 4.2 kg and sometimes over 5 kg. Males are typically around 3.2 kg. Length varies between 0.9 and 1.1 metres, wingspan from 1.8 to 2.5 metres."
"They are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wingbeat or effort, regularly reaching 6000 feet (2000 m) and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy."
"They display considerable adaptability, and have sometimes been known to team up to hunt animals as large as the Red Kangaroo; to cause goats to fall off steep hillsides and injure themselves; or to drive flocks of sheep or kangaroos to isolate a weaker animal."
And finally: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistling_Swan
"United Airlines Flight 297 crashed on November 23, 1962 after it collided with a flock of whistling swans while the plane was cruising at 6,000 feet. All 17 onboard died."
JOIN ME NEXT WEEK FOR THE XENARTHRA ORDER AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!