Sepilok is without doubt one of the greatest locations I ever frolicked birding at – I did so for every week and will have simply spent extra time there. So, with a purpose to economize a bit, the Sepilok birds are described in three separate posts.
The Ashy Tailorbird is an efficient instance of the totally different views of describing a chicken – whereas the English title focuses on the physique of the chicken, the Latin species title ruficeps refers back to the rufous head.
Whereas these images are peaceable sufficient, a paper on the predation of an Ashy Tailorbird by a paradise gliding snake has extra dramatic illustrations. Viewer discretion is suggested, significantly for those who take a look at the paper within the firm of Ashy Tailorbird chicks.
In distinction, a paper on the foraging habits of two tailorbird species (together with the Ashy Tailorbird) makes for a extra peaceable studying, which is a well mannered method of claiming that I discovered it barely boring. I suppose the gratuitous violence within the different paper is extra interesting.
Apparently, there are 12 species of babblers at Sepilok – I solely noticed three of them, partly attributable to their traits (they normally keep near the bottom and like colours corresponding to grey, brown, or black to these colours seemingly worn by newbie cyclists immediately [which I take as proof for my theory that most of these cyclists must be color blind]) and partly as a result of I’m not an excellent birder. (I simply re-read the final sentence, discovered it a bit complicated however finally determined to go away it unchanged – in any case, it’s you who has to learn it, not me).
Anyway, one of many babblers of Sepilok is the Bornean Black-capped Babbler – the results of a cut up of the Black-capped Babbler (effectively, a minimum of from a human perspective – the birds themselves are most likely fairly nonchalant about it). Because the cut up solely occurred in 2021, it should most likely take a minimum of 5 extra years for the web model of the HBW to create a separate species web page for this babbler. Perhaps the HBW must be administered by a college with a stronger curiosity in birds than Cornell.
The cut up makes the chicken one of many six species endemic to Sabah, Borneo (supply), 4 of which I noticed throughout my week at Sepilok.
The Brief-tailed Babbler is classed as Close to Threatened. eBird highlights its “virtually nonexistent stump for a tail” however then the author of this description more than likely has no tail in any respect.
I obtained alongside pretty effectively with the Brief-tailed Babblers at Sepilok as in keeping with eBird, they’re “not as social as different forest babblers”. So we agreed that I simply take a number of images of them, then we went our separate methods, not one of the ordinary spherical of drinks after a photograph capturing that appears to be virtually obligatory when coping with most different babbler species.
Probably the most attention-grabbing characteristic of the Chestnut-winged Babbler is the presence of blue pores and skin patches (although I’m afraid that my images don’t absolutely do them justice). A paper discusses the perform of those patches, hypothesizing that “blue facial pores and skin features as a visible sign in sexual communication for a variety of species, presumably as an indicator of health”. Perhaps that is additionally the place the colourful garments of the cyclists have their origin?
The paper cites the instance of the Blue-footed Booby: Its foot coloration turns into duller when the birds are malnourished. If the male’s coloration fades after the primary egg, the feminine reacts by laying a smaller second egg – seemingly deciding that it’s higher to chop her losses because the male apparently is the avian equal of a deadbeat father.
The Chestnut-winged Babbler is called one of many host species of the Asian Drongo-cuckoo in Southeast Asia (supply), a declare to fame that almost all chicken species would most likely want to keep away from. However perhaps citing a cuckoo brings good karma, who is aware of …
The 2 most simply seen pittas of Sepilok had been already mentioned in an earlier submit – the Hooded Pitta …
… and the Black-crowned Pitta (one other Sabah endemic).
Whereas monarchies and monarchs must be abolished in all places on this planet (observe to the Economist: have some rules on this matter, some spine!), the Black-naped Monarch shouldn’t.
However then, the Black-naped Monarch has by no means claimed to reign by divine proper, nor has it ever been chargeable for large-scale wars, slavery, colonialism, and so forth. (one thing that the followers of constitutional monarchies appear to overlook, focusing as a substitute on the nice and cozy and fuzzy feeling of getting a monarch as a form of ersatz father).
Realizing that in writing about this I’m speaking (or reasonably writing) myself in a heartfelt however presumably very boring and self-righteous nook, let’s get again to the poor chicken species which isn’t at fault for being referred to as a monarch. eBird talks of the “stunning azure-blue male”, which my images might not absolutely seize. On the similar time – and perhaps as compensation for the reward showered on the chicken’s look – the tune is described as “a bland, unremarkable ‘wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi-wi.’”
My coronary heart sinks a bit when I’m in search of attention-grabbing info on a chicken species to move together with my images, and the one articles I can discover are both on the mitochondrial genome of the species (sure, we get it! Sure, you will get that info! In all probability with out having a single thought whereas doing it! And you’ll nonetheless get a paper out of it! You’ll be able to even add three or 4 of your mates as coauthors – as actually no one is aware of how a lot work such a paper is anyway – and hope they could return the favor later) or a paper with a title like “composition of blended species flocks” or ” survey of avian inhabitants at xy” (these papers are actually simply eBird lists became papers) or papers like “first incidence of chicken species xy at location z”. Sadly, evidently the Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike is such a chicken.
The species title hirundinaceus is a bit unusual – it means “swallow-like”, which by way of coloration may very well make some sense however aside from that, this isn’t a chicken resembling a swallow.
The Bornean Black Magpie lacks the white stripes (additionally a band title: White Stripes, see right here) of the (Malaysian) Black Magpie and is now acknowledged as a separate species. It’s endemic to Borneo.
Within the scientific literature, the Bornean Black Magpie solely makes a really temporary cameo look – a paper describes a brand new genus of chewing lice discovered on the museum specimen of this chicken. Why anybody would study a specimen collected in 1888 for mummified chewing lice is a thriller to me, however so is the attraction of Donald Trump.
I used to be anticipating to see fairly a number of barbets in Sabah however finally solely obtained respectable images of 1, the Brown Barbet. Fortuitously, barbets are pretty widespread in Yunnan, China, so it was not a specific disappointment. In truth, it is a reasonably attention-grabbing barbet, meriting the eBird description as a “distinctive, strange-looking barbet with a large invoice and vibrant crimson legs”.
Given the colour of the invoice (brown, not black), this must be a feminine.
I didn’t discover a single paper particularly overlaying this species – only a few informal mentions in papers with titles corresponding to “Elevational distribution patterns of understorey forest chicken in Western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo”. Perhaps a few of the guys spending a lot time on mitochondrial genomes might enterprise out of their labs and do some fieldwork …
The Java Myna appears to be spreading, probably crowding out another myna species such because the …
…Frequent Hill Myna.
Apparently, the Larger Coucal is related to some superstitions – in India, seeing one is believed to be auspicious, and in some areas, consuming the flesh was regarded to assist with sicknesses corresponding to tuberculosis.
In imperial British India, newcomers to India usually mistook the coucal for a pheasant and shot it, solely to be upset, calling it “evil flavored” later. I believe they only obtained what they deserved.
And naturally, some Chinese language researchers labored on the whole mitochondrial genome of the Larger Coucal. Are these the paper mills one often reads about in relation to Chinese language analysis papers?
A pretty obscure paper reviews on the Larger Coucal feeding on a Frequent Myna chick. Now, that’s what we actually need to examine! (“Das ist die Artwork von Gewalt, die wir sehen wollen. Wenn wir auch nichts spueren wollen”, ‘Los Paul‘, Das Trio).
Sepilok is an efficient place to see a variety of woodpecker species. As amongst consultants, it’s a cardinal rule to at all times observe some form of ordering precept, listed here are 5 Sepilok woodpeckers so as of measurement, ranging from the smallest one. This measurement comparability will let you simply choose the species that greatest serves all of your woodpecker wants.
The smallest on supply is the Rufous Piculet (8-9.5 cm).
It’s clearly the only option for those who like your woodpeckers small – eBird explicitly calls it an “completely miniscule woodpecker”
Its scientific species title is abnormis, and certainly it’s uncommon among the many woodpeckers (although it shares this with another piculets). In truth, John MacKinnon (of “Information to the Birds of China”) in a current Shanghai presentation referred to as it “not an actual woodpecker in any respect”, and whereas he’s improper about that, I type of see his level.
Because the payments of piculets are shorter and fewer dagger-like than these of the opposite woodpeckers, they re-use woodpecker holes for nesting, reasonably than making their very own holes. Makes them type of the renters of the woodpecker world reasonably than owners.
If the piculet is just a bit bit too small for you, why not go for the Gray-and-buff Woodpecker (13.5 cm)?
Don’t let the scientific title concretus (massive, sturdy, robust) idiot you – it’s certainly a small woodpecker, but it surely already fulfills a lot of the wants of common woodpecker prospects.
Apparently, this woodpecker has a considerably uncommon roosting habits, with steady teams of three and 4 woodpeckers roosting individually in close by cavities, with many extra cavities on the roosting website than woodpeckers. This permits the person birds to change cavities each evening, they usually like this added alternative a lot that the grownup males are even often engaged on the excavation of further cavities (supply).
In shopper merchandise, typically small sizes are solely on supply to make the client really feel higher about going for one thing greater. In that case, perhaps the Banded Woodpecker (23-26 cm) is the precise alternative as it’s proper in the course of the Sepilok woodpecker portfolio and thus a really strong alternative for middle-class woodpecker customers.
The species apparently tries to get extra such customers – a scientific paper states that “The Banded Woodpecker (Chrysophlegma miniaceum malaccense) has a ‘classical’ promoting name”.
Then again, eBird nonetheless regards this woodpecker as small, although with a beautiful look (“small however brightly-colored woodpecker with a spiky crest”).
So perhaps that measurement will not be sufficient, and also you need one thing just a bit bit greater, such because the Orange-backed Woodpecker (30 cm)? This species elevates you from these simply searching for a median woodpecker to those that demand a bit extra from their avian selections.
Pleasingly for these choosing this woodpecker, one web site already calls it a “pretty massive woodpecker” – although to be honest, the HBW calls it “medium-sized”. So, it’d simply be the precise alternative for discerning woodpecker customers who on the similar time need to keep away from any trace of being flashy.
Lastly, for those who already drive a Porsche and need the neighbors to envy you even within the woodpecker realm, the White-bellied Woodpecker (40-48 cm) is the precise one for you. Make your neighbors envy you much more after they learn within the HBW that it is a “massive to very massive woodpecker”!
Granted, for those who select this woodpecker, your neighbors may consider you as a little bit of a show-off. However for those who already drive a Porsche, this could probably not hassle you.
And you’ll sleep within the protected data that except your neighbors get both a Black Woodpecker or a Nice Slaty Woodpecker, yours will certainly be the largest within the neighborhood. For some males, such issues could also be necessary.
A ultimate benefit of this woodpecker is that with 14 or 15 subspecies (relying on supply), it affords a number of choices to match your precise woodpecker necessities. And it additionally comes as a video and but one other video.
And now for one thing fully totally different. The gorgeous Pink-bearded Bee-eater differs from most different bee-eaters in that it’s not a colonial breeder however reasonably nests solitary or in pairs (supply).
Thus on this case the species title amictus is smart, as this implies unsociable. It additionally means I’ve discovered one other soulmate within the avian world.
The male and the feminine Pink-bearded Bee-eater look barely totally different – the lilac crown of the male extends additional and is larger. So, what you see here’s a feminine.
This bee-eater is one other chicken species with a considerably underwhelming work ethic. A paper states that “Nyctyornis bee-eaters are sluggish throughout foraging, spending lengthy durations of time on a look-out perch within the center to higher cover stage and flying down to choose up arthropod prey when noticed”.
That paper additionally has some good images of the Pink-bearded Bee-eater on the entrance of its nest burrow, feeding its chicks.
The Blue-throated Bee-eater is far smaller than its relative, and simpler to see because it likes to hunt from open wires reasonably than contained in the forest.
Whereas about 72% of its chicks are sired by the nominal mother and father, about 7% are the results of intra-specific nest parasitism (i.e., an unrelated feminine dumps an egg right into a nest), 7-12 % are the offspring of the paired male and an extra-pair feminine, and fewer than 5% are the offspring of the paired feminine and an extra-pair feminine (supply).
Nonetheless, the 28% of chicks not associated to each mother and father could also be one of many causes for the comparatively excessive stage of infanticide among the many chicks (eggs not laid by the paired feminine usually tend to be added at a later stage of the egglaying, as the feminine ejects all eggs put into the nest earlier than she begins laying eggs herself). Thus the infanticide noticed could also be a protecting measure to cut back intra-specific brood parasitism, significantly when the meals provide is tight (supply).
At Sepilok, it may be laborious to keep away from taking images of some non-birds, corresponding to primates. As you recognize, some primates face a variety of courtroom circumstances, each legal and civil ones. Fortuitously, those at Sepilok don’t have these points and look marginally extra engaging as effectively.
