Beautiful World of Birds

Peacock has magnificent feathers.

Since 2018 was announced as “Year of Bird” by world known organizations such as National Geographic, National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we are here going to share the same spirits to know more about the bird’s world. There are plenty of articles about birds in this blog but mostly written in Malay. Today we will see another special characters about this wonderful creature.

Birds are known for their colourful plumage, beautiful sounds and the most important ability to fly. Even though not all birds share the same capabilities as some of them have dull colouration nor the ability to flies. Birds same as any other species in the world plays important roles in the ecosystem and most of them are threaten to extinction.

Pigeon can adapt to live among human.

Flightless bird have ability to protect itself.

There are around 9,800 to 10,500 species of birds (well the numbers are varies caused by the classification of taxonomic viewpoint), but still showing large numbers of species. From that numbers only some of them can survive in modern day world to live among human such as pigeons, crows, house sparrow, starling, robin, falcon and few others. Unfortunately living in their unnatural habitats, most of these birds are considered as pest rather than how beautiful they are supposed to be.

In this short article we are going to see how beautiful the birds can be. Since the birds has the ability to fly, some bird plumage are totally to attract mates rather than to avoid predators. These are true mostly for birds of paradise that lives millions of years isolated from predators. While some other lost their ability to fly such as kiwi, dodo, kakapo, penguins, ostrich, emu, and cassowary. Most of the flightless birds already extinct.

The most elaborate feathers in peacock.

Perhaps we all know the most elaborate plumage of peacock where the length of their tail’s feathers exceed their body’s length. The peacock also have iridescent colours of blue, green and mixture of yellow and brown. Peacock had inspired human in many ways, and their plumage been used for decorations in sacred rituals.

Scarlet Macaw have the brightest colours in parrot's family.

Then they are family of parrots. Another stunning colourful birds - mostly found in tropical forest. Not just their colourful feathers are so stunning, their beak shapes also make it looks cuter. Parrots of the tropics has more colourful plumage with iridescent colours. Here in the tropics their colours still blend in perfectly to the dense of forest canopy.

Flamingo live in large group.

Different with flamingo with shades of pink colours. Their colours actually come from their food source. They are born with white feathers, as their parents feed them – the parent’s colours will turn pales while theirs chicks will change to pink.

Greater Bird of Paradise showing their beautiful plumage.

The distribution of Birds of Paradise in Papua New Guinea.

As we mentioned above, far-far away in the East at Papua New Guinea there are groups of birds known as birds of paradise with different characters. These groups of birds not only have beautiful plumage, but most of them have special ways to attract mates - all species have their own unique courtship dance. Here in this island, these birds can concentrate their energy to attract mates than thinking about to avoid predators.

Since there are thousands of birds and most of them have colourful plumage, here are small examples that you can start with. The more we know about these beautiful creatures the more we understand how to help them to survive in the wild or perhaps in the urban areas too.

Micro Post: Seahorse

More like a horse than a fish.

Seahorse is a wonderful creature since it resembles a horse while in fact it is a fish. There are 54 species of seahorse most of them found in shallow tropical and temperate water throughout the world. They mainly live in the areas with sea grass beds, estuaries, coral reefs or mangroves. Using its tail, seahorse will bind itself to vegetation to aid it from drift by the currents.

Seahorses’ sizes range from 1.5 to 35.5 cm (0.6 to 14.0 in). Not like any other fish, seahorse is the only species come with neck and tail, but like any other fishes, they have gills to allow them to breath in the water. Seahorse not a good swimmer and spend their whole life in the same small areas, sometimes just few meters cubic areas. They are not suitable for rough current areas and will die if caught in the storm-roiled seas.

Seahorse anatomy.

Hard to identify, seahorse resemble their surrounding.

Tied itself to corals or sea grass.

Previously thought that seahorses mate for life but further observation shows that some species will stay close together for the breeding season, while some species show a higher level of mate fidelity than others. One thing unique about seahorse is the male will get pregnant instead of the female. With the gestation periods will take around two to four weeks in most of species.

Despite of their slow movement, seahorse is voracious eaters and need to continually eating by consuming almost 3,000 or more brine shrimp per day. By sticking themselves to sea grasses or corals with its prehensile tails, they waiting for their prey to get closer and then suck them with its elongated snout.

Beautiful species of seahorse.

Another unique species of seahorse.

Pollution affected the life of this wonderful creature.

They area many other wonderful things about seahorses, because many of them not just be able to change their colours but some of them can make themselves look like their surroundings to avoid their predators and at the same time to increase chances of catching preys. Some of these wonderful species will be highlighted in their own dedicated articles. 

Micro Post: Whooping Crane

Elaborate courtship dance of whooping cranes.

Cranes are the symbol of long life and fidelity in eastern Asia. They inspired artists to picture them in their paintings since antiquity. Human admire cranes for its qualities such as mate for life, their elaborate courtship dance, their white plumage and many other.

Whooping crane also can be found in North America and almost extinct when their total numbers were less than 20 birds by 1941 - caused by lost of their wetland habitats. Their breeding areas are in the Midwest and Canada, and migrating to the Gulf coast during the winter. Their number had increased up to 600 today through captive breeding, wetland management and by teaches young cranes to migrate.

Whooping crane will keep on moving while searching for foods.

It can be in small flock.

Conservation work; feeding the young.

Whooping crane is a large bird that can reach height up to 1.5 meter (4.9 feet) and have a wingspan up to 2.3 meters (7.5 feet). Males weigh on average 7.3 kg (16 lb), while females weigh 6.2 kg (14 lb). The next largest bird in the same family is the great egret which is over a foot (30 cm) shorter with weight one-seventh the weight of this crane.

Whooping Cranes will keep on moving, browsing and probing for food rather than hunting patiently and stealthily like heron. They can be in small flocks too. Other than that, cranes are known for its elaborate courtship dance and usually painted by artists against white snow background. 

Flying above the water.

Flapping its wings.

Flying in small group.

Popular subject in painting.

Blood Not Always Red!

We and many other animals share the same colour of the blood that is red. Anyway there are many other creatures living on earth with different colours of blood. Here we are going to find out what color and why they are coloured so.

Red blood caused by the protein known as haemoglobin. Iron atom in this molecule bind to the oxygen we breathe in order carry it to other parts of the body. The reaction changes haemoglobin's structure so it absorbs and reflects light differently; that's the reason why the oxygenated blood appears red while deoxygenated blood is darker.

While the green blood belong to some marine worms and leeches. They have molecule called chlorocruorin in their blood. The protein have similar structure to haemoglobin, anyway it make their blood green instead of red. There are also animals with blood contains both chlorocruorin and haemoglobin, and it makes their blood color closer to red. So the green blood are not belong to alien out of the space!

There are also creatures with blue blood such octopuses, squid, spiders and some other molluscs. The blue color produced by protein called haemocyanin. Haemocyanin flows freely in the vessels, and contains copper atoms rather than iron. It might appear blue when oxygenated, it is actually colourless when deoxygenated.

When those colours might be in your imagination but not this one, 'purple'. Purple blood colours belong to some species of marine worms and brachiopods. This colour contribute by the protein called haemerythrin. Similar to haemocyanin, haemerythrin is colourless in deoxygenated. While this protein contains iron atoms, compared to haemoglobin it isn't suited to binding with oxygen molecules.

So that's it. There are many other colours of blood that we can include in the next horror movies. 

Color Changing Animals

The most famous celebrity in the 'camouflage' world.
(Credit: Michel C Milinkovitch)

The ability of some animals that can change their colors whether in dealing with danger or under certain circumstances always catches our intentions. This will helps us to understand more about the nature and even something that can benefits us in the future.

In fact there are many species of animals that has this ability from different groups of families – perhaps some animals more popular than the other. Apart from just changing colors, animal such as cuttlefish (cephalopods) go beyond by changing their physical too. Let us take a closer looks the colors changes behavior across different animals.

The speed of the color changes in these animals are different from few seconds to few weeks; cephalopods family known as the fastest color changer in the animal kingdom. While chameleon will take longer time to change their color. In contrast animals such as ‘ptarmigan’ or ‘snowshoe hare’ will change their colors according to the seasons – with the cycle of the four seasons.

Thus changing colors and physical skills is one of the important characteristics possessed by many living things on earth. Even with different method, the act of converting this physical appearance is an important skill in life, especially for small and medium sized animals to help them to obtain food and avoiding enemies.

Here are few types of animals that can change color;

Chameleons – there are many types of chameleons that can live in the warm areas of Africa, Madagascar, South Europe, and South Africa to Sri Lanka. It varies with the species of small lizard that also can change their colors that know as ‘anoles’ – but in some countries peoples mistakenly thought them as chameleons.

Squid – squid together with the large families of cephalopod species; including octopus, squid and cuttlefish, changing color and resemble the surrounding environment are their specialist. The changes will take effect in very short time with stunning result. Cephalopods use these capabilities for hunting, camouflage and also for interaction between them.

Squid is the most skilled animal for changing color and physical.

Fish – there are types of fishes too that can change their color such as flounder and fish from group of ‘Acanthuridae’ that inhabit the coral reefs. Flounder hunt in shallow water and the ability to their change colors not just help them to hunt but actually to save them from their main predator; an eagles. 

Fish 'flounder' with similar environments.

Bird – not many birds can change their colors but ptarmigan will change their colors according to the seasons. Since ptarmigan not a migrating bird like most other species of birds, adaptation to their environment is very important. The different changes in their surrounding make them easy target for enemies if their colors not change.

Mammals – for some mammals such as snowshoe hare, Alaskan hare, Arctic hare and stoat change their colors as well as ptarmigan to resemble their environment of white winter. This change make is easier for them to hide from the enemies.

Snowshoe hare in winter.

Amphibians – some frogs also have the ability to change colors and the most known is the gray tree frog. Unlike any other frogs, the gray tree frog spent their time on the trees. It will be easier for them to be seen if their colors different from their surroundings.

Insects – apart from the animals mentioned above insects are also having the ability to change their colors. There are several species of spiders and beetles that can change their colors. Insect such as golden tortoise beetle can change their color according to the seasons or when disturbed.

The variety of colors 'golden tortoise beetle'.

So now we know there are many animals and insects that capable to change their colors and physicals for various purposes. If previously you only knew some of these animals know we know there are many of them that have these abilities in a wider scope. Although chameleon is the most popular in the world of changing colors, cephalopods families are still the champion in this competition.