Germain’s Peacock-pheasant is among the star sights of Cat Tien NP.
Specifically, it’s because it readily involves the Cat Tien hides and could be seen effectively there regardless of the eBird comment that the species is “typically shy and reclusive and really tough to see effectively.”
The identify commemorates Louis Rodolphe Germain (1827–1917), a French Military veterinarian who when based mostly in Indochina despatched a specimen to a museum in Paris.
The Inexperienced-legged Partridge is each an outdated breed of rooster indigenous to Poland (primary Wikipedia entry) and an Indochinese partridge species (alternate Wikipedia entry, and the fowl proven under).
Just like the peacock-pheasant, it’s “very tough to see generally; almost certainly encountered at staked-out blinds” (eBird). Although eBird appears to be considerably upset by the species, noting that it’s a “cryptically-colored ground-dweller with out the intense colours and daring head patterns boasted by lots of its relations”
One of many nest predators of this partridge – the Northern Treeshrew – is proven on the finish of this put up.
The bulbuls round Cat Tien are primarily the Stripe-throated Bulbul …
… and the Streak-eared Bulbul.
Siberian Blue Robins are pretty simple to see in Shanghai throughout migration – however it’s good to satisfy them of their winter quarters as effectively.
For causes no person appears to know, the Widespread Emerald Dove is the state fowl of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (supply). Fairly ineffective info, I do know.
And now for one thing utterly totally different – some fowl images. Of Indochinese Blue Flycatcher …
… and Black-winged Cuckooshrike.
eBird calls the Gray-faced Tit-babbler a boring brown babbler.
So, possibly William Vallandigham Kelley (1861-1932) wouldn’t be too happy that they named the fowl Mixornis kelleyi. However by then (in 1932), possibly all the nice birds equivalent to Germain’s Peacock-pheasant already had names …
Kelley was a Chicago producer and a sponsor of the Subject Museum of Pure Historical past’s 1928 expedition to Japanese Asia. If you wish to go to him, you are able to do so on the Lake Forest Cemetery in Illinois.
I’m positive I’ve written the identical factor earlier than, however apparently the one that gave the identify to the Bronzed Drongo didn’t have any clue about what bronze colour appears to be like like.
Sadly, I didn’t see a Bronzed Drongo nesting – it makes for somewhat cute images, as this instance reveals.
Apparently, the physique of the Slaty-legged Crake is laterally compressed to allow them to cross quietly via thick vegetation (supply).
The species performed a cameo function in an version of the Philippine Journal of Veterinary Drugs when a brand new species of trematode parasite was found from it.
The Chestnut-headed Bee-eater has its followers at eBird, which calls it a “stunning, dainty bee-eater”.
The scientific identify Merops leschenaulti commemorates Jean Baptiste Louis Claude Théodore Leschenault de la Tour (1773-1826), a French botanist and ornithologist who presumably all through his life cursed his lengthy identify at any time when he needed to fill out official types.
The Wikipedia entry on him is somewhat crucial of his work ethic. As chief botanist on Nicolas Baudin’s expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803, he collected many new specimens “although Baudin’s journal means that he didn’t work notably onerous; apparently the poorly educated gardener’s boy Antoine Guichenot collected extra plant specimens than Leschenault did, and gave them extra helpful labels.”
It’s a jungle on the market – no person is aware of that higher than the Crimson Jungle Fowl.
Certainly, probably the most dominant cocks and hens produced a lot of the adults of succeeding generations. In a single examine, the genetically efficient breeding dimension of the inhabitants was solely about 13% of the whole variety of adults (supply).
Each sexes of Crimson Junglefowl are promiscuous. Males purpose to draw females and repel different males, whereas females purpose to mate solely with their most popular males (supply).
Crimson Junglefowl are the ancestors of domesticated rooster – how this occurred is described right here.
Apparently, there’s a shut hyperlink between rice cultivation and the domestication of chickens – fairly most likely this solely occurred after people started cultivating rice inside vary of the wild crimson jungle fowl.
One factor that occurred as soon as the Crimson Junglefowl obtained domesticated is that its mind dimension shrunk – apparently mind dimension discount is a typical trait in domesticated species (supply).
Not less than within the chickens, the shrinkage could also be a results of people deciding on these people for domestication which have the bottom degree of worry of people – which occur to be those with the smallest brains (supply).
Lastly, 3 of the about 235 woodpecker species on the earth. Beginning with the Laced Woodpecker.
Subsequent, the Widespread Flameback.
greenmatters.com claims that woodpeckers may signify non secular safety, which makes me somewhat a bit weary of them as I’m not too keen on spirituality.
If you happen to want extra of this mumbo-jumbo, go to a web site named whatismyspiritanimal.com and be taught issues like “Native People inform us that Woodpecker represents journeying into the astral aircraft”.
In goals, woodpeckers supply a whole lot of flexibility, so you’ll be able to just about interpret an look in any approach you need: “Woodpeckers in goals can point out something from thriller and magic to knowledge and alternative” (supply). That ought to make woodpeckers somewhat in style with dreamers and individuals who interpret goals.
Lastly, the Lesser Yellownape.
Did you ever construct a home after which had any individual else transfer in towards your will? I hope not … However as cavities are in nice demand for nesting by different cavity nesters, woodpeckers face competitors for the nesting websites they excavate from the second the outlet turns into usable (supply).
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the witch Circe turns a really horny man named Picus right into a woodpecker when he refuses to be disloyal to his spouse and turns Circe away. Hell hath no fury …
In October 2022, a marketing campaign named “Woodpecker” was began in China’s Shandong province. The marketing campaign requested locals to seek out incorrect English translations in public amenities and inform the authorities about them. The highest 10 “woodpeckers” obtained items (supply).
Different animals seen at Cat Tien included a treeshrew – the Gollum of the mammal world – …
… and the critically endangered Black-shanked Douc Langur.
All images taken at Cat Tien in late March 2024.