Tuesday, June 12, 2012

To Many ROCK CONCERTS

This is the frilled coquette: what some might call the champion of crazy hair day. Or the craziest rock star in the world. Though it is not because of  this look, it is because of it's mating display. But we'll get to that later. This bird is 3 1/4 in. and weighs only 3grams. They live on the central part of the east coast and the jungles around there. It has an orange crest on top of it's head. White feather tufts spotted with black help with the matting display. Black feathers cover the neck and the back of the head and ear coverts are a blue-green reflecting color that kind of sparkles. It has an amazing tail that is brown, orange, and thin. They drink nectar from tube like flowers. Now for the mating display. Look at this! Isn't that amazing? The feather tufts are orange when the are spread out! The black feathers look puffy! The tail feathers spread!
This bird is so Awesome

Monday, June 11, 2012

What's this Speck on my Pencil?

OK it isn't a speck. But it is only 2 in. tall and this pencil is the perfect perch. This bee hummingbird  weighs almost nothing, at 2 grams. That's 1/16of an ounce. It has a striking red head that tops the deep blue wings. After two birds mate, the male leaves.This bird only lays 2 eggs. The chicks are in there eggs for a bout 22 days.(what's with all the twos?) The chicks stay with the mother for about 19 days.(Finally, a number besides 2!) Tiny but brave, this bird dive bombs anything that gets to close to the chicks, even eagles.   Native only to Cuba and a nearby Island called Isla de la Juventud this bird lives in lush green forests, and drinks nectar from tube like flowers every 5 minutes in order to live. This bird is truly extraordinary.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

It's a pilow! It's coconut! It's, it's, it's... It's a Kiwi?

That's right, a kiwi: a strange tropical bird that roams the jungles of New Zealand. However, not just any kiwi, the brown kiwi, the largest kiwi  in Stewart Island. This bird also lives on the south island and can grow to be 26in. in length. As in the name, this kiwi has brown feathers. This flightless nocturnal bird likes the lush, green, sub-tropical environment. The female store it's eggs in a burrow, and the male watches the eggs for about 70 days until the eggs hatch. When the eggs finally hatch, the chicks are born with all there feathers.After a week, they leave the burrow to fend for themselves.It has fat chicken like feet, but the back toe is very short. It has a very long, thin beak that it uses to get bugs out of the ground. It has a humpback body, and 2in. wings. Three subspecies inhabit each of the islands: North, South, and Stewart Islands. Despite these unusual facts Brown Kiwis  Are barely hearable. The male brown kiwis can only be heard 5ft away, and then nothing is to be heard. You could be walking a few feet away from a kiwi and not no it.One more fact about the kiwi is that it is New Zealand's state bird. That's all about The Brown Kiwi!