Bird Word: Colonial
- Colonial: species of birds that roost or nest in communal groups, or colonies, are said to live in colonial groups.
Some species roost alone, some roost in small groups and yet others roost in large groups, or colonies. The same is true of nesting; many nest alone, some nest in groups while others nest in large colonies, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands.
Those that roost or nest in colonies include the penguins, cormorants, many species of ibis, pelicans, stilts, avocets, terns and gulls. Some of these species feed alone but colonial nesting and roosting species often feed in large groups as well. For example, it is quite common in parts of Australia to see hundreds of Straw-Necked Ibis and White Ibis feeding together in the same paddock or dairy flat. Likewise, thousands of stilts and other wading birds are often seen in shallow water on estuaries or tidal flats.
Photo: The Black-Winged Stilt is just one of many species of bird that roosts, nests and feeds in large colonial groups.
For more in this series of articles check out the Glossary of Bird Words here.
Black-Winged Stilt
How to be a lazy birder part 12
This is part 12 in the series of articles for The Lazy Birder.
How to use films for birding.
- Select your favourite film.
- Place the DVD or video in the appropriate player.
- Switch on the television.
- Sit in your most comfortable chair.
- Watch the film, not for the story, but rather watching out for any birds or bird calls while you watch.
- Make a list of the birds you see. Add this to your list of all the birds you have seen on films. (You haven’t got such a list?? Then start one!)
- Warning: if the film is set in a foreign country you may need to borrow a field guide of birds of that country.
To read 20 more hints on how to be a birder click on the link below:
- How to be a birder – some hints.
To read the other articles in this series click on this link:
- The Lazy Birder – 12 fun articles written very much with tongue in cheek.
Diamond Firetail Finch
Bird Word: Endangered
- Endangered: a species so few in number it is in danger of becoming rare or even extinct.
Unfortunately Australia has a large and growing number of endangered species of birds. There are many reasons for this which I do not wish to go into here. Many of the reasons are political and at this stage I do not really wish this site to go in that direction.
Some species are so at risk that they are on the “Critically Endangered List.” Some are only critically endangered in certain localities. These include:
- Orange Bellied Parrot
- Helmeted Honeyeater
- Southern Emu-Wren (Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia)
- Spotted Quail-thrush (Mt Lofty Ranges in South Australia)
More species are on the “Endangered List” including:
- Black-eared Miner
- Plains Wanderer
- Forty Spotted Pardalote
- Gouldian Finch
For the complete list go to the Birds Australia site here.
How to be a lazy birder part 11
No Comments »10th January, 2007; Category: The lazy birder
This is part 11 in a series of articles written for The Lazy Birder.
- Switch on your computer.
- Connect your computer to the Internet.
- Type the word “bird” or “birds” into your browser.
- Click on a site that looks interesting.
- Enjoy.
- Click on another interesting site.
- Enjoy.
- Keep on surfing all those thousands of wonderful birding sites.
- Alternative method: just keep reading articles on my blog. It saves you effort in looking for other sites.
For 20 more articles on advice on being a birder click on this link:
- How to be a birder – some hints.
Spotted Nightjar
Bird Word: Eclipse Plumage
- Eclipse Plumage: for some months after breeding some species, for example, some male ducks and male wrens, take on a duller plumage colour before resuming their normal plumage.
The male wren in the photo below is certainly NOT in eclipse plumage. He is in full breeding plumage. I show this photo because I do not yet have one taken of the male in eclipse plumage. The female, shown on the left, is confusingly like the male when he is in his eclipse moult.
Superb Blue Wrens