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Long-tailed Cuckoo
The long-tailed koel (''Urodynamis taitensis''), also known as the long-tailed cuckoo, Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, sparrow hawk, home owl, screecher, screamer or in Māori, is a species of the Cuculidae bird family (the cuckoos). It is the only species placed in the genus ''Urodynamis''. It is a migratory bird that spends spring and summer in New Zealand, its only breeding place, and spends winter in the Pacific islands. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species and leaving them to raise its chicks. Taxonomy ''Urodynamis taitensis'' is most closely related to the channel-billed cuckoo (''Scythrops novaehollandiae''), which lives in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, according to Sorenson and Payne (2005). Accordingly, it is not part of the ''Eudynamys'' genus (the true koels), with which it has previously been placed. Description The long-tailed koel is approximately 40–42 cm in length, with a wingspan of approximately 47– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommaso Salvadori
Count Adelardo Tommaso Salvadori Paleotti (30 September 1835 – 9 October 1923) was an Italian zoologist and ornithologist. Biography Salvadori was born in Porto San Giorgio, son of Count Luigi Salvadori and Ethelyn Welby, who was English. His brother Giorgio married their cousin Adele Emiliani (daughter of Giacomo Emiliani and Casson Adelaide Welby) and had five children (Charlie, Robbie, Minnie, Nellie and Guglielmo "Willie"). His nephew Guglielmo Salvadori Paleotti married Giacinta Galletti de Cadilhac (daughter of Arturo Galletti de Cadilhac and Margaret Collier) and had three children (Gladys, Massimo Salvadori, Massimo "Max" and Joyce Lussu, Gioconda Beatrice "Joyce"). He studied medicine in Pisa and Rome and graduated in medicine at the University of Pisa. He participated in Giuseppe Garibaldi, Garibaldi's military expedition in Sicily (the Expedition of the Thousand), serving as a medical officer. He was assistant in the Museum of Zoology in 1863, becoming Vice-Direc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It may be the mature vegetation type in a particular region and remain stable over time, or it may be a transitional community that occurs temporarily as the result of a disturbance, such as fire. A stable state may be maintained by regular natural disturbance such as fire or browsing (predation), browsing. Shrubland may be unsuitable for human habitation because of the danger of fire. The term was coined in 1903. Shrubland species generally show a wide range of adaptations to fire, such as heavy seed production, lignotubers, and fire-induced germination. Botanical structural form In botany and ecology a shrub is defined as a much-branched woody plant less than 8 m high, usually with many plant stem, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old World Sparrow
Old World sparrows are a group of small passerine birds forming the family (biology), family Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, a name also used for a particular genus of the family, ''Passer''. They are distinct from both the New World sparrows, in the family Passerellidae, and from a few other birds sharing their name, such as the Java sparrow of the family Estrildidae. Many species nest on buildings and the House sparrow, house and Eurasian tree sparrows, in particular, inhabit cities in large numbers. They are primarily seed predation, seed-eaters, though they also consume small insects. Some species scavenge for food around cities and, like rock dove, pigeons or gulls, will eat small quantities of a diversity of items. Description Generally, Old World sparrows are small, plump, brown and grey birds with short tails and stubby, powerful beaks. The differences between sparrow species can be subtle. Members of this family range in size from the chestnut sparro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers , making it the List of islands by area, world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate. The most populous cities are Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson and Invercargill. Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi – Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and the historical Waitaha (South Island iwi), Waitaha – with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch. During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu Māori, Te Tau Ihu, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pipipi
The pipipi (;Gill, B. J. C., Bell, B. D., Chambers, G. K., Medway, D. G., Palma, R. L., Scofield, R. P., . . . Worthy, T. H. (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica (Fourth ed.). Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. ''Mohoua novaeseelandiae''), also known as brown creeper, New Zealand creeper or New Zealand titmouse, is a small passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. They are specialist insectivores, gleaning insects from branches and leaves. They have strong legs and toes for hanging upside down while feeding.Worthy, Trevor H., & Holdaway, Richard N. (2002) ''The Lost World of the Moa'', Indiana University Press:Bloomington, Taxonomy The pipipi was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the tits in the genus ''Parus'' and coined the binomial name ''Parus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellowhead (bird)
The yellowhead or mohua (''Mohoua ochrocephala'') is a small insectivorous passerine bird endemism, endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Once a common forest bird, its numbers declined drastically after the introduction of Black rat, rats and stoats, and it is now near threatened. Taxonomy The yellowhead was Species description, formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's ''Systema Naturae''. He placed it with the flycatchers in the genus ''Muscicapa'' and coined the binomial nomenclature, binomial name ''Muscicapa ochrocephala''. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek ''ōkhros'' meaning "pale yellow" and ''-kephalos'' meaning "-headed". Gmelin based his account on the "yellow-headed fly-catcher" that had been described in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham (ornithologist), John Latham in his book ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. The naturalist Joseph Banks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List of islands by area, world's 14th-largest island, constituting 43% of New Zealand's land area. It has a population of which is % of New Zealand's residents, making it the most populous island in Polynesia and the List of islands by population, 28th-most-populous island in the world. Twelve main urban areas (half of them officially cities) are in the North Island. From north to south, they are Whangārei, Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Zealand, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, New Zealand, Napier, Hastings, New Zealand, Hastings, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and New Zealand's capital city Wellington, which is located at the south-west tip of the island. Naming and usage The island has been known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whitehead (bird)
The whitehead (''Mohoua albicilla''; ) is a small species (15 cm in length, 18.5/14.5 g.Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, ''The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand'' (revised edition), Viking, 2005) of passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It is classified in the family Mohouidae. The male whitehead's upperparts, wings and tail are a pale brown in colour, while the head and underparts are white – in the case of the male an almost pure white in colour. Females and juveniles have similar colouration except that the nape and crown (top of the head) are shaded brown.R.A. Falla, R.B. Sibson and E.G. Turbott, ''The New Guide to the Birds of New Zealand'', Collins, 1979 The black beak and eyes contrast with the white head and the feet are bluish black in colouration. Formerly quite common and widespread in native forests in the North Island, the whitehead has suffered a marked decline in the past two centuries since European colonisation and today it is restricted to a fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohoua
''Mohoua'' is a small genus of three bird species endemic to New Zealand. The scientific name is taken from ''mohua'' – the Māori name for the yellowhead.''" Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds"; Volume 7'', edited by Peter Higgins, OUP, 2000 Their taxonomic placement has presented problems: They have typically been placed in the whistler family, Pachycephalidae, but in 2013 it was established that they are best placed in their own family, Mohouidae. A large molecular genetic study published in 2019 found that the family is sister to the family Neosittidae containing the three sittellas. All three species display some degree of sexual dimorphism in terms of size, with the males being the larger of the two sexes.Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, ''"The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand" (revised edition)'', Viking, 2005 ''Mohoua'' are gregarious (more so outside the breeding season) and usually forage in groups. They also forage in mixed species f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Māori People
Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several centuries in isolation, these settlers developed Māori culture, a distinct culture, whose language, mythology, crafts, and performing arts evolved independently from those of other eastern Polynesian cultures. Some early Māori moved to the Chatham Islands, where their descendants became New Zealand's other indigenous Polynesian ethnic group, the Moriori. Early contact between Māori and Europeans, starting in the 18th century, ranged from beneficial trade to lethal violence; Māori actively adopted many technologies from the newcomers. With the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840, the two cultures coexisted for a generation. Rising ten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pitcairn Island
Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, in the southern Pacific Ocean, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other South Pacific islands, it is not surrounded by coral reefs that protect the coast. The only access to the island is via a small pier on Bounty Bay. Adamstown is the sole settlement. Pawala Valley Ridge is the island's highest point at above sea level. The volcanic soil and tropical climate with abundant rainfall make the soil productive. The average temperature ranges from . The annual rainfall is . Fauna Indigenous fauna consists of insects and lizards. Since their introduction, rats have become an invasive species. A large number of seabirds nest along the steep shorelines. As coral reefs are absent, fishing is offshore. Sharks, sea bream Sparidae is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palau
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands, while the eastern and central parts make up the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of , making it the sixteenth smallest country in the world. The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital, Ngerulmud, is located on the largest island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest. The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years BP by migrants from Maritime Southeast Asia. Palau was first drawn on a European map by the Bohemian missionary Paul Klein based on a description g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
