030120 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-changing-habitat-affects-sandpiper-s-migration/article_c2e081d2-060b-5fc8-9b97-34a46f0c439a.html

Birding On a Shoestring: Gladys Porter Zoo of Brownsville, TX, Part 5

                                                              Yellow-backed Duiker

This antelope of the forest is found mainly in western and central Africa and are now classified as near threatened.  These animals become stressed easily and will run blindly from their perceived threat, sometimes causing themselves grave injury.  As a result, they are the most heavily hunted species in their range, because they are so easily frightened.  If the present trend continues, they will soon be a threatened species.

                                                                      Bushbuck

These African antelopes are marked with geometrically shaped white patches or spots on their bodies.  They are always found near a water supply and are either alone or with their mate, shy and elusive animals.

                                                                     Stanley Crane

Also known as the blue or paradise crane, it is the national bird of Africa, listed as vulnerable.  As altitudinal migrants, they move from the lower grasslands of 1300-2000 feet to lower altitudes for the winter.  It has the most restricted distribution, but is found over a wide range like our Whooping Cranes.  Since 1980 they have been on a rapid decline, generally due to poisoning (to protect crops), conversion of grassland to tree plantations, and population growth of humans.  They can also be poisoned by bait for other animals, as well as a side effect of crop dusting.

                                                               Red-flanked Duiker

One of the smallest species of antelope, it is only 13-15 inches in height.  As an adaptable African central and western species, it managed to increase its range with human help from logging and conversion to open savannah and farmland.  Though a species of least concern, it is losing numbers due to hunting.  fortunately, it resides in a number of protected areas and reserves where it is less likely to be killed for its meat.

These are all the animals that it was possible for writer to photograph at this outing, though there are still many more there.  Many animals are also unavailable to the public due to research and breeding.  The Gladys Porter Zoo has many dedicated scientists that are working with animals to keep them from becoming extinct, just as was originally intended by the zoo's namesake.

A Chip Off the Block, Interrelationship Between Animals, Humans, and Disease

https://www.stwnewspress.com/opinion/deb-hirt-bats-covid--degradation-of-habit-oh-my/article_e66331e4-6fc6-11ea-95a1-e7c9b527a7b5.html

Birding On a Shoestring: Gladys Porter Zoo of Brownsville, TX Part 4

022420, continued

           
                                                               Ring-tailed Lemur

Endemic to Madagascar, this lemur is diurnal and omnivorous.  Normally residing in groups of thirty, this social group is female dominant.  This mammal is listed as endangered due to loss of habitat, bush meat, and the illegal pet trade, despite being the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide.

                                                                         Bontebok

This antelope comes from South Africa, and herds contain only males or only females, or mixed.  They were once extensively killed as pests, but populations rebound.  They are diurnal, good at crawling under things, but are not jumpers.  They are easily farm, easy to sustain, and are common in exotic farms.

Chimpanzee

Native to forests and savannahs of South Africa, is humans' closest living relative.  The chimp is an endangered species due to disease, poaching, and habitat loss.  Jane Goodall has been working with and studying chimps since 2960 in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.  Most of what we know about these primates is due to her work, though others have studies them as well.  

White Rhinoceros

This is a species of South Africa, and there are two species of white rhino.  The northern species is very rare, all known species (2) in zoos.  The Southern rhino has three toes on each foot, and there are two horny growths, one behind each other.  The larger horn is about two feet long, but can reach fifty-nine inches, only in females.  The ears can move independently for sound, yet it relies the greatest upon smell.  These animals are found in grassland and savannah, preferring the shortest grains, drinking water twice daily if available.  It can live four or five days without water.  Even though it is large, this agile mammal can run up to thirty-one mph.  Vulnerable to hunting due to its large size and herd living, it also has poor eyesight and unaggressive.  It is poached for the medicinal purposes of its horns.  It is now near threatened.

Marabou Stork

This large wading bird breeds in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.  It is referred to as the undertaker bird due to its physical characteristics.  Frequently a scavenger, it will consume anything that it can, and they depend upon vultures for their hooked bills, so frequently follow them.  They also will eat odd things from dump sites. 

Plains Zebra

Known as the common zebra, it is near threatened and its fragmented range is usually between eastern and southern Africa south of the Sahara.  They usually avoid deserts, permanent wetlands, and dense rainforest.  This highly social system has harems of several females, with one male and their young.  No two zebras shares the same striping.  They are classified as near threatened.

Dama Gazelle

This species is critically endangered and is the largest of all gazelles, from the Sahara.  It performs a behaving called "pronking," to warn its herd about danger.  It will jump up and down with all legs stiff, meaning that its legs leave and touch the ground simultaneously.  Humanity has caused much of its problems, including poaching and habitat destruction.  Since it lives in poor countries, very little has been done to increase populations.

Grey Crowned Crane

Also known as the African Crowned Crane, they are found in eastern and southern Africa, and holds the extinction of the National Bird of Uganda.  Their legs are long to wade through tall grasses.  One of the only two cranes that can roost in trees, it possesses a long hind toe that can grasp branches.  It is listed as vulnerable to endangered. 

Giraffe

The giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal and largest ruminant.  The giraffe come from Africa and has eight species.  Most adult animals are 14-18 feet tall, with males being the tallest of the two sexes.  The tallest male was 19.3 feet and the tallest female 17 feet.  Males darken with age and the spot pattern of the young is obtained from their mother.  Each individual has a unique pattern.  Its closest relate is the okapi.  Giraffe groupings tend to be sex-segregated, though mixed sex groups of females and young males will occur.  As males become older they are usually in pair groups or will associate with female groups.   The species is not territorial, simply driven by rain and human proximity.

Birding On a Shoestring: Gladys Porter Zoo of Brownsville, TX, Part 3

The Gladys Porter Zoo is home to approximately 400 animal species and about 250 tropical and neotropical species and subspecies.    The zoo opened in 1971 and was donated to the city of Brownsville by the Earl C. Sams Foundation completely planned, built, stocked, and equipped.

Mr. Sams was the President of J.C. Penney and a philanthropist, whose largest project was the Gladys Porter Zoo.  Gladys was one of Mr. Sams' two daughters and she had a great concern for the wild animals of the world.  She was very closely involved with this project.

In 1980, Mrs. Porter passed away.  She had been President of the Board of Directors and proved that one person could make a difference with her outstanding love for animals.  The zoo is dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation, and research.  It truly is a world class facility and never would have been a reality had it not been for Gladys Porter.

022520

                                                                     Scarlet Ibis

This bird inhabits tropical South America and the Caribbean Islands.  The only non-scarlet parts of its body are the distal third of the outer four primaries, the bill, and the eye, which are all black.  It is restricted to the northern third of South America, where its habitat ranges from mangrove swamps, shallow lakes, and anthropogenic wetlands where it feeds generally on crustaceans.

                                                                Lesser Whistling Duck

This duck is also known as the Lesser Whistling Teal or Indian Whistling Duck which breeds in southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.  They feed nocturnally on water plants, cultivated rice grains, frogs, mollusks, and small fish.  When waddling about on land, they are frequently followed by the Common Myna on the grass.

             
                                                                   Chiloe Wigeon

The Southern Wigeon hails from southern South America, including the Chiloe Archepelago.  The species is monogamous.  The father helps raise his young, but soon separates from the family when the offspring molt.


             

                                                             Rhinoceros Hornbill

This large species of forest hornbill resides in Asia.  The upper part of the bill is known as a casque.  The color of both the bill and the casque come from the preen gland oil, which is located above the tail.  The eyes of the male are red with black rims, and the female's eyes are white with red rims.  This bird is clearly female.

                                                                      Black Swan

This waterbird breed mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia.  There are introduced populations all over the world, as they are very nomadic.  Pairs are usually monogamous, and it was recently learned that a third of all broods exhibit extra-pair paternity, while a quarter of all pairs are homosexual, mostly between males.  Some will have a temporary extra pairing with a female to obtain eggs, then drive her off.

                                                                       Cassowary

These flightless birds have no keel and are native to the tropical forest of New Guinea to northeastern Australia.  They subsist mainly on fruit, and are very wary of humans, whereby they can inflict serious injuries if provoked or even death.  This may make them the most dangerous bird.  These shy individuals are found in the deep forest.  They have a keratinous skin-covered casque on the head that gets larger with age and is hollow, believed to have an acoustic function to amplify sound.  Cassowaries are keystone species of rainforests, as they eat fallen fruit whole, and reseed the jungle floor.  The average lifespan of wild birds is 40-50 years.

 The female will not care for the eggs or chicks.  She will just move on in her territory to lay eggs in the nests of multiple males, leaving the responsibility of care to him.

                                                                      Arabian Oryx

This medium-sized antelope has a distinct shoulder bump out, tufted tail, and long, thin, straight horns.  The white oryx can detect rain and will head in that direction, which means that their range is tremendous.  They simply follow the trail of fresh plant growth.  Their only predator is the wolf, and they are susceptible to malnutrition and dehydration.  Fights, drowning during floods, snakebites, and disease also take a toll on these ungulates.  Their horns are hollow, so if one is lost, it cannot be regrown due to the lack of blood supply.

This species was saved from extinction through several world zoos (including the Phoenix Zoo) under the auspices of the World Wildlife Fund in 1962.  Starting with nine animals, Phoenix Zoo had over 240 births.  They relocated animals to other zoos and parks to begin new herds.

                                                                         Muscovy

This tree cavity nester originated in Central America and Mexico expanding to Texas in the 1980s.  There are several feral populations in the US, and it can thrive under very cold conditions, even as a tropical bird.

There are also domestic muscovy ducks, which also explain pure white birds and and other mixed coloring with black.

                                                                 Red-crowned Parrot

This bird is wild, even though it is located at the zoo.  There are several feral populations in northwest Mexico, Texas, and southeast Arizona.  This endangered Amazon parrot is decreasing in population, even in established sites due to loss of habitat, the illegal pet trade, and illegally trapped birds from Mexico.

Gathering in large flocks from early morning to evening, these parrots are at their most noisy stage.  They nest in tree cavities and roost in trees overnight.  They reach sexual maturity at the age of five.

Birding On a Shoestring: South Padre Island Beachfront, Part 2

My companions and I were suffering from yesterday's sixteen hour drive, as traffic took an extra two hours away from us.  However, when birds are in the area, my motto is to carry on.  So I did.

Pre-Early Evening 022220

                                                  Juvenile Laughing Gull, winter plumage

                                                    Sanderling, obtaining spring plumage

                                                               Adult Laughing Gull


Even I succumbed to exhaustion eventually.

032220 Muskogee Edition, Birding Today

https://www.muskogeephoenix.com/news/lifestyles/birding-today-how-to-identify-warblers/article_22118f5e-12fe-5b90-9d12-e4dc7ec877bd.html