Bird of Day 9: Lilian's Lovebird

Agapornis lilianae

This African parrot is also known as the Nyasa Lovebird (25).

Affectionate and social, it maintains strong monogamous bonds, often sitting close with its partner for long periods of time (26).

Lilian's Lovebird is listed as Near Threatened (25).

Bird of Day 8: White Stork

Ciconia ciconia

The white stork is almost silent except for the noisy mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest (24).

Bird of Day 7: Bushwren

Xenicus longipes

Sadly, this tiny songbird was last recorded in 1972 on Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is listed as extinct (22).

Bushwrens were the only flightless songbirds, and the smallest flightless birds in the world (23).

Native to New Zealand, Xenicus longipes was found on the North Island of NZ, the South Island and Stewart Island. Each sub-species were listed extinct in varying years (22).

The Bushwren fed on invertebrates (22). The wrens were ground nesters and had no defences against predatory mammals (22). Introduced rats and cats are considered to have brought about the decline of the Bushwren (22).

Here is a poem about the extinct Bushwren, by Kimiko Hahn: http://poems.com/poem.php?date=14732

Bird of Day 6: Edward's Pheasant

Lophura edwardsi

Here we have a male Edward's Pheasant on the right and on the left is the female, a less spectacular looking brown bird.

The Edward's Pheasant is native to Vietnam and is named after the French ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards.

Lophura edwardsi is on the list of endangered species having suffered from deforestation, hunting and the use of chemical sprays during the Vietnam War.

The alarm call is a puk-puk-puk.

[All text: Ref (21)]

Bird of Day 5: European Bee-Eater

Merops apiaster

Most commonly known as Gyurgyalag in Hungary, where this stamp is from (18).

These birds are strong migrators, flying in small flocks from the European continent to sub-Saharan Africa or India for the winter (19).

The European Bee-Eater breeds in holes in sandpits, riverbanks and quarries (20). The young are fed in the nest not just by their parents but also by helpers that are usually the offspring from a previous brood (20).

The call is a pleasant distinctive trill (19). Both sexes look alike (19).

Bird of Day 4: Long-eared Owl

Asio otus

This medium-sized, curious-looking woodland Owl has conspicuous "ear" tufts that give it a larger appearance (15). The Long-eared Owl is described as being cryptically marked (15).

Long-eared Owls have flexible physicalities - when perched they appear slim and slouch forward; they are able to manoeuvre in flight through dense brush; when roosting, a Long-eared Owl will stretch its body to make itself appear like a tree branch (16). They are noiseless fliers and hover, moth-like, while looking for prey (16).

The prey of Long-eared Owls are mammals (16). Sometimes it's insects, frogs and snakes (16).

To aid its ability to locate prey by sound, the Long-eared Owl has asymmetrical ear openings: the left ear opening is higher than the right (17).

The male's call is a low "hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo...", repeated 10 to 200 times. The female responds with a raspy buzz call and often duets with the male (16). The hoot of one male Long-eared Owl can be heard up to one kilometre away (17).

Long-eared Owls use stick nests built by other species, or in rare cases, will nest in cavities (16).

Bird of Day 3: Barbary Dove

Streptopelia risoria

Also Ringneck Dove , Ring Dove (10); Sacred White Dove, Java Dove (11).

Gentle natured and monogamous, the Barbary Dove exists only in domesticity as they have done for 3000 years (10). They are not a homing bird (10).

Barbary Doves appear in an assortment of colours, mostly due to specialised breeding. Barbary Doves that are white, as seen in this stamp, carry a mutation (10).

The coo of the Barbary Dove is created by muscles that vibrate air sent up from the dove's lungs. These muscles contract ten times faster than muscles that vertebrates use for running. Barbary Doves are the first bird species found to have this class of muscle (12).

The dove is traditionally the symbol of the life spirit; the soul; the passing of one state or world to another; longevity; the spirit of light; chastity; innocence; gentleness; peace; femininity; maternity (13).

The dove and the olive first appeared together in the biblical story of Noah and the Ark (14). The motif was used by early Christians as a peace symbol and became current in the 18th century (14). It was popularised by Pablo Picasso's lithograph for the 1949 International Peace Congress (14).

The white dove with the olive branch is also a symbol of the renewal of life and is the emblem of Athene (13).