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Yala Swamp
The Yala Swamp is a wetland region of about in Western Kenya. Location The Yala Swamp at the mouth of the Yala River covers about along the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria. The swamp contains the Lake Kanyaboli, a freshwater deltaic wetland with an average depth of , which is fed by the floodwaters of the Nzoia and Yala rivers and by the backflow of water from Lake Victoria. The wetland is in Siaya and Busia counties in Kenya. It acts as a filter for waters that flow into Lake Victoria from two major rivers, the Yala River and Nzoia River. It is sometimes considered the source of the Nile. In the past the Yala River flowed through the eastern 20% of the Yala Swamp into Lake Kanyaboli, then into the main swamp, and then through a small gulf into Lake Victoria. Today the eastern part of the swamp has been drained, and the river flows directly into the main swamp. It is cut off from Lake Kanyaboli by a silt-clay dyke. Lake Kanyaboli now receives its water from the surro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egyptian White Lotus
''Nymphaea lotus'', the white Egyptian lotus, tiger lotus, white lotus or Egyptian white water-lily, is a flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae. Distribution It grows in various parts of East Africa and Southeast Asia. The Nymphaea lotus var. thermalis, ''Nymphaea lotus'' var. ''thermalis'' is a Tertiary relict variety endemic to the thermal waters of Europe, for example the Peţa River in Romania or the Hévíz lake in Hungary . Cultivation It was introduced into Western cultivation in 1802 by Loddiges Nursery. Eduard Ortgies crossed ''Nymphaea lotus'' (''N. dentata'') with ''Nymphaea pubescens'' (''N. rubra'') to produce the first ''Nymphaea'' hybrid, illustrated in ''Flore des serres'' 8 t. 775, 776 under the name ''Nymphaea ortgiesiano-rubra''. It is a popular List of ornamental aquatic plants in Venezuela, ornamental aquatic plant in Venezuela. Description This species of water lily has lily pads which float on the water and blossoms which rise above the water. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitatunga
The sitatunga or marshbuck (''Tragelaphus spekii'') is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of Southern Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Ghana, Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The sitatunga is confined to swampy and marshy habitats. Here they occur in tall and dense vegetation as well as seasonal swamps, marshy clearings in forests, riparian thickets and mangrove swamps. Taxonomy and genetics The scientific name of the sitatunga is ''Tragelaphus spekii''. The species was first described by the English explorer John Hanning Speke in 1863. Speke first observed the sitatunga at a lake named "Little Windermere" (now Lake Lwelo, located in Kagera, Tanzania). In his book ''Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile'', Speke called the animal "nzoé" ( Kiswahili name for the animal) or "water-b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wetlands Of Kenya
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from terrestrial land forms or Body of water, water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique anoxic hydric soils. Wetlands are considered among the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal species. Methods for assessing wetland functions, wetland ecological health, and general wetland condition have been developed for many regions of the world. These methods have contributed to wetland conservation partly by raising public awareness of the functions some wetlands provide. Wetlands occur naturally on every continent. The water in wetlands is either freshwater, brackish or saltwater. The main wetland t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baillon's Crake
Baillon's crake (''Zapornia pusilla''), also known as the marsh crake, is a small waterbird of the family Rallidae. Distribution Their breeding habitat is sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across the Palearctic. They used to breed in Great Britain up to the mid-19th century, but the western European population declined through drainage. There has been a recovery in north-western Europe in recent years, with the recolonisation of Germany and the Netherlands, and breeding suspected in Britain; an Irish record in 2012 was the first there since the 1850s. They nest in a dry location in wet sedge bogs, laying 4–8 eggs. This species is migratory, wintering in east Africa and south Asia. It is also a resident breeder in Africa and Australasia. There is a single North American record of this species on Attu Island in September 2000. Subspecies There are at least five subspecies of Baillon's crake: * Marsh crake ''Porzana pusilla affinis'' in New Zealand * ''Porzana pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-winged Swamp Warbler
The white-winged swamp warbler (''Bradypterus carpalis''), also known as the white-winged scrub-warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ... is swamps. References white-winged swamp warbler Birds of Central Africa Birds of East Africa white-winged swamp warbler white-winged swamp warbler Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Locustellidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papyrus Canary
The papyrus canary (''Crithagra koliensis''), also known as Van Someren's canary, is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is found primarily in papyrus stends at altitudes of between 900 and 1600 m, but is also found in cultivation near highland papyrus. It always builds its nests in papyrus stands, using papyrus leaves as the main material. The papyrus canary was formerly placed in the genus ''Serinus'' but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic. The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the papyrus canary were moved to the resurrected genus ''Crithagra ''Crithagra'' is a genus of small passerine birds in the finch family (Fringillidae). They live in Africa and Arabia. The species in this genus were formerly assigned to the genus ''Serinus'', but phylogenetic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swamp Flycatcher
The swamp flycatcher or swamp alseonax (''Muscicapa aquatica'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It ... and swamps. References swamp flycatcher Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa swamp flycatcher Taxa named by Theodor von Heuglin Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Muscicapidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papyrus Gonolek
The papyrus gonolek (''Laniarius mufumbiri'') is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. It has specialised habitat requirements, being restricted to papyrus swamps. Not yet a threatened species, it has become rare due to habitat loss and pollution. Description The papyrus gonolek is a medium-sized bush-shrike some long. The sexes are similar; the crown is dull yellow, the head, upper parts, wings and tail are black apart from a broad white bar on the wings. The breast and upper belly are vivid orange-crimson, and the lower belly whitish. Ecology This species is difficult to observe and has been little studied. It occurs singly or in pairs in papyrus swamps, lurking among the vegetation and only flying occasionally, usually a short distance over water to another patch of papyrus. Its presence can often be detected by its calls, which consist of brief whistles and grating tea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue-breasted Bee-eater
The blue-breasted bee-eater (''Merops variegatus'') is a central African species of bird. It is a member of the family Meropidae. Meropids are all visually similar and have a diet specialized in Hymenopterans. Description The blue-breasted bee-eater, ''Merops variegatus,'' exhibits several physically defining characteristics of the Meropidae. It has a relatively large head, short neck, bright plumage, long curved slim sharp beak and a broad black eyestripe. ''M. variegatus'' weights between 20 and 26 g and measures between 18 and 21 cm in length. It is primarily a green bird, with a green crown, green upper parts and light greenish-yellow underparts Primary wings are washed with rufous and secondaries are green with black tips. Overall the wings are rounded at the tip compared to the pointed tips of the migratory species in Meropidae. The tail has twelve rectrices, the outer rectrices are washed with rufous and the center feathers are green. The tail has a subterminal blac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International. There are over 13,000 IBAs worldwide. These sites are small enough to be entirely conserved and differ in their character, habitat or ornithological importance from the surrounding habitat. In the United States the Program is administered by the National Audubon Society. Often IBAs form part of a country's existing protected area network, and so are protected under national legislation. Legal recognition and protection of IBAs that are not within existing protected areas varies within different countries. Some countries have a National IBA Conservation Strategy, whereas in others protection is completely lacking. History In 1985, following a specific request from the European Economic Community, Birdlife International ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding important sites for birds, maintaining and restoring key bird habitats, and empowering conservationists worldwide. It has a membership of more than 2.5 million people across 116 country partner organizations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Wild Bird Society of Japan, the National Audubon Society and American Bird Conservancy. BirdLife International has identified 13,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and is the official International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List authority for birds. As of 2015, BirdLife International has established that 1,375 bird species (13% of the total) are threatened with extinction ( critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable). BirdLife Internation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a document written on sheets of such material, joined side by side and rolled up into a scroll, an early form of a book. Papyrus is first known to have been used in Egypt (at least as far back as the First Dynasty), as the papyrus plant was once abundant across the Nile Delta. It was also used throughout the Mediterranean region. Apart from a writing material, ancient Egyptians employed papyrus in the construction of other artifacts, such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets. History Papyrus was first manufactured in Egypt as far back as the fourth millennium BCE.H. Idris Bell and T.C. Skeat, 1935"Papyrus and its uses"(British Museum pamphlet). The earliest archaeological evidence of papyrus was excavated in 2012 an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
