Because the rice paddies close to Kota Kinabalu described in an earlier submit, Tanjung Aru seashore isn’t actually a significant birding spot in its personal proper. Nevertheless, it’s only a brief taxi experience away from the airport the place most vacationers will arrive at – higher to see birds as an alternative of simply consuming quick meals whereas ready for a connecting flight.
Tanjung Aru seashore is a well-liked spot for the locals to benefit from the seaside, watch the sundown, and select between an enormous number of fruit juices bought at a barely chaotic meals market. Even higher, only a few meters away from the meals distributors, it’s not too crowded, and the palm bushes entice plenty of birds, together with two species of parrots. The primary one is the Blue-naped Parrot.
The HBW describes the inhabitants of the Blue-naped Parrot at Kota Kinabalu as feral – sounds a bit harsh to me given the proximity of Kota Kinabalu to these areas the place the species is deemed a correct resident.
That’s primarily the Philippines, as indicated by the species title lucionensis (Luzon is the Philippines’ greatest island).
It’s listed as Close to Threatened, partly because of the common incidence of unlawful commerce for the pet market.
It appears there may be not a lot analysis finished particularly on Blue-naped Parrots – the solely paper I may discover that includes the species was from 1981 and had the considerably unappealing title “A Preliminary Research Evaluating the Pharmacokinetics of Ampicillin Given Orally and Intramuscularly to Psittacines: Amazon Parrots (Amazond spp.) and Blue-Naped Parrots (Tanygnathus lucionensis)”. As a substitute of studying that paper, perhaps watch the video?
A paper by the Division of Surroundings and Pure Assets of the Philippines argues that trapping the parrot is basically a approach of losing cash. Apparently, the shopping for worth per Blue-naped Parrot in Bataraza city in Palawan is just about US$ 4 whereas its worth for commerce and tourism is about US$ 100 and its ecological worth in forest ecosystems is US$ 3600 per fowl. Sadly, this may occasionally not impress the villager who can earn US$ 4 for a trapped fowl. Or US$ 8 for the pair beneath.
The Lengthy-tailed Parakeet can typically be seen right here feeding proper subsequent to the Blue-naped Parrot.
It’s listed as susceptible, once more as a consequence of unlawful commerce and habitat loss. There’s a track by a band named Godspeed You! Black Emperor titled “Bosses dangle”. As it’s completely an instrumental, I feel we will for our functions simply rename it to “Chicken Trappers Hold”.
Wikipedia describes the Lengthy-tailed Parakeet as “an especially social fowl, at all times seen speaking with different birds of its species”, …
… including that it is also “a curious species, as it’s usually seen enjoying with sticks or different supplies present in its setting”.
There are additionally two species of pigeons. The Inexperienced Imperial Pigeon is described as a “stately giant pigeon” on eBird, in all probability as a result of calling it an “imperial-looking pigeon” would sound a bit silly.
It has an in depth entry within the HBW (for instance, there may be an entry on its molt that’s longer than the entire species entry for a lot of different fowl species), indicating that it in all probability lives in comfy proximity to numerous ornithologists.
Alternatively, some knowledge that one would assume is comparatively simple to acquire, such because the incubation interval, appears to be unavailable.
As common when species are well-examined, the variety of subspecies appears to multiply, although apparently a few of these subspecies have lately been culled with a purpose to simplify the lifetime of birders.
Perhaps some subspecies akin to this one described in a paper from 1947 merely fell out of vogue.
Inexperienced Imperial Pigeons have additionally been noticed exposing their “armpits” within the rain. I try this too, although normally within the bathe after working, not outdoors within the rain. Superb parallels. Nevertheless, there aren’t any movies of me accessible on-line, which is completely different to the pigeon – it may be watched right here and right here and right here (although all three movies look very comparable).
One other pigeon at Tanjung Aru seashore is the Pink-necked Inexperienced Pigeon. Like many people, it’s presumed to be monogamous (supply: HBW).
The US firm NE Pigeon Provides presumably is concerned in supplying supplies to maintain and breed pigeons. In addition they have a web page devoted to the Pink-necked Inexperienced Pigeon. Nevertheless, the primary photograph on that web page exhibits not a Pink-necked Inexperienced Pigeon however somewhat a Widespread Emerald Dove, which in some way makes me doubt their experience.
A research carried out in Singapore discovered that forest-edge frugivores such because the Pink-necked Inexperienced Pigeon are particularly susceptible to constructing collisions.
A Malaysian paper contains the Pink-necked Inexperienced Pigeon in an inventory of “aesthetically helpful city fowl species” and lists the species because the second commonest one inside this class and in city areas. Nonetheless, a bizarre and uncomfortably human-centric approach of categorizing fowl species, should you ask me, which I’m fairly certain you’ll not.
In any case, I wonder if the feminine – not fairly as colourful because the male, see beneath – additionally qualifies as an “aesthetically helpful city fowl species”.
The third pigeon species round right here is the Zebra Dove.
I may think about that if I lived in Kota Kinabalu, I might finally get bored with watching and taking images of sunbirds, akin to this Brown-throated Sunbird …
… or this Olive-backed Sunbird.
However it could take a few years.
When Sunda Pygmy Woodpeckers wish to get pleasure from a time out on the seashore, in addition they come to Tanjung Aru.
For completeness’ sake, a number of extra species that may simply be seen right here: Asian Shiny Starling …
… White-breasted Waterhen …
… and Yellow-vented Bulbul.
Whereas birds have developed a method of coping with gravity, flying, different animals have discovered alternative ways, for instance, simply ignoring it.
A number of the distant family members of this lizard presumably had been styled by a cubist painter who switched jobs to turn into a minor god within the division for evolutionary design.
