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Cuban Tody
The Cuban tody (''Todus multicolor'') is a bird species in the family Todidae that is restricted to Cuba and the adjacent islands. Description The species is characterized by small size with a length of and weighing . It has a large head relative to body size, and a thin, flat bill. Similar to other todies, the coloration of the Cuban Tody includes an iridescent green dorsum, pale whitish-grey underparts, and red highlights. This species is distinguished by its pink flanks, red throat, yellow lores, and blue ear-patch. The bill is bicolored: black on the top and red on the bottom. Distribution and habitat The Cuban tody is a year-round resident of only portions of Cuba and the islands just off the Cuban coast. Analysis of song variation suggests that the species is structured into two populations, corresponding to eastern and western Cuba. The tody, like many resident Cuban bird species, is a habitat generalist. It is known to live in dry lowlands, evergreen forests, coastal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cayo Guillermo
Cayo Guillermo is a cay of the Jardines del Rey archipelago. It is located on the northern coast of Cuba, between the Bay of Dogs (''Bahia de Perros'') and the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Ciego de Ávila Province, and lies in the Morón municipality. History Sparsely inhabited in early years by fishermen and charcoal producers, the island gained fame in the 1960s with deep sea fishermen. The first resort was built in 1993 in an era described by critics as " tourist apartheid", as Cuban citizens were not allowed on the island unless they worked at the resorts serving tourists or had other specific permission. However this restriction was lifted after 2000 and Cubans who can afford motor transport often visit Playa Pilar on the island. Many staff who work in the hotels commute from the mainland towns of Morón and Ciego de Avila. Tourism The island is a popular tourist destination. One of the country's best beaches, the ''Playa Pilar'' (Pilar Beach) is located at the weste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main lineages between 19.1 and . There is a large introduced population on the islands of Hawaii. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds. Etymology The name is derived from names used in India for ''Herpestes'' species: or in classical Hindi; in Marathi; in Telugu; , and in Kannada. The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "- goose" ending by folk etymology. It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plural form is "mongooses", although "mongeese" is also used. Characteristics ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Birds Of Cuba
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or becomin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Todus
''Todus'' is a genus of birds found in the Caribbean. It is the only genus within the todies family Todidae. The five species are small birds of the forests of the Greater Antilles: Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba, with adjacent islands, have one species each, and Hispaniola has two, the broad-billed tody in the lowlands (including Gonâve Island) and the narrow-billed tody in the highlands. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Todus'' was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the Jamaican tody (''Todus todus'') as the type species. ''Todus'' is a Latin word for a small bird mentioned by the Roman playwright Plautus and the grammarian Sextus Pompeius Festus. This name had earlier been used for the Jamaican tody by the Irish physician Patrick Browne (physician), Patrick Browne in his book ''The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica'' that was published in 1756. Extant species Five species are recognized: Former species * Emperor fairywren (as '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puerto Rican Tody
The Puerto Rican tody (''Todus mexicanus''), locally known in Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish as ''San Pedrito'' ("little Saint Peter"), is a bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the Geography of Puerto Rico, main island of Puerto Rico. In 2022, the tody was approved as the official List of national birds, national bird of Puerto Rico by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, legislative assembly. However, the proposal did not advance, largely due to the Binomial nomenclature, scientific name of the bird which erroneously identifies it as a native of Mexico. In 2023, the assembly approved a petition to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) seeking the renaming of the tody as ''Todus borinquensis.'' Taxonomy Todies are the closest relative to the motmots of Central America. It is thought that the Jamaican tody (''Todus todus'') gave rise to the Puerto Rican tody after hurricane dispersals, but the relati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broad-billed Tody
The broad-billed tody (''Todus subulatus'') is a species of bird in the family Todidae, and one of two Todus species found on Hispaniola, along with the narrow-billed tody. They are small insectivorous birds, characterized by their bright green feathers, pink flanks and red throats. They occur at elevations lower than 1700 meters and prefer drier habitats to that of wet rainforests. The broad-billed tody does not migrate and occupies very small territories. These birds are often seen hopping along perches, foraging for insects with their long bills among the leaves. Broad-billed todies have two principle vocalizations, the first being their general call which sounds like a whistle and the second call sounding more trilly, when they encounter a predator. They can also create a rattling noise by running wind through their feathers. Their breeding season runs from April to July, in which the female will lay one clutch of eggs, containing one to four eggs. The nestlings take th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narrow-billed Tody
The narrow-billed tody (''Todus angustirostris'') is a species of bird in the family Todidae. It is one of two Todus species endemic to Hispaniola, a Caribbean island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Taxonomy and systematics The narrow-billed tody and the other Hispaniolan tody, the broad-billed (''T. subulatus''), were originally thought to share a recent common ancestor, because the other three todies are each the only one on different islands. However, phylogenetic analysis suggests that the narrow-billed tody descended from the Cuban tody (''T. multicolor'') and the broad-billed tody descended from the Puerto Rican tody (''T. mexicanus''). The separation between the lineages occurred two to three million years ago, before either ancestor colonized Hispaniola.Overton, L. C. (2020). Narrow-billed Tody (''Todus angustirostris''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamaican Tody
The Jamaican tody (''Todus todus'') is a species of bird in the genus '' Todus'' endemic to Jamaica. Local names for the Jamaican tody include ''rasta bird'', ''robin'' and ''robin redbreast''. Taxonomy The Jamaican tody was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the kingfishers in the genus '' Alcedo'' and coined the binomial name ''Alcedo todus''. Linnaeus cited earlier works including the 1713 description by the English parson and naturalist John Ray, the 1725 description by the collector Hans Sloane, the 1750 description and hand-colour etching by George Edwards and the 1756 description by Irish physician Patrick Browne. The Jamaican tody is now one of five species placed in the genus '' Todus'' that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. Description The Jamaican tody is a small, chunky bird that averages about 9 cm (or 4.25”) in size. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing#Evolution of hairlessness, hairlessness, bipedality, bipedalism, and high Human intelligence, intelligence. Humans have large Human brain, brains, enabling more advanced cognitive skills that facilitate successful adaptation to varied environments, development of sophisticated tools, and formation of complex social structures and civilizations. Humans are Sociality, highly social, with individual humans tending to belong to a Level of analysis, multi-layered network of distinct social groups — from families and peer groups to corporations and State (polity), political states. As such, social interactions between humans have established a wide variety of Value theory, values, norm (sociology), social norms, languages, and traditions (co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mixed-species Foraging Flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock (birds), flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These are different from feeding aggregations, which are congregations of several species of bird at areas of high food availability. While it is currently unknown how mixed-species foraging flocks originate, researchers have proposed a few mechanisms for their initiation. Many believe that nuclear species play a vital role in mixed-species flock initiation. Additionally, the forest structure is hypothesized to play a vital role in these flocks' formation. In Sri Lanka, for example, vocal mimicry by the greater racket-tailed drongo might have a key role in the initiation of mixed-species foraging flocks, while in parts of the Americas, American tropics packs of foraging golden-crowned warblers might play the same role. Composition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Gould
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. Because of his 1840s seven-volume series ''The Birds of Australia (Gould), The Birds of Australia'' and its updates he has been considered the father of bird study in Australia, and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, ''On the Origin of Species''. Early life John Gould was born in Lyme Regis, the first son of a gardener. Both father and son probably had little education. After working on Dowager Lady Poulett's glass house, his father obtained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecology
Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, and natural history. Ecology is a branch of biology, and is the study of abundance (ecology), abundance, biomass (ecology), biomass, and distribution of organisms in the context of the environment. It encompasses life processes, interactions, and adaptations; movement of materials and energy through living communities; ecological succession, successional development of ecosystems; cooperation, competition, and predation within and between species; and patterns of biodiversity and its effect on ecosystem processes. Ecology has practical applications in fields such as conservation biology, wetland management, natural resource m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
