The rich and rare biodiversity in Cyprus. The Cyprus biodiversity includes 1908 plants, 780 seashells, 250 fishes, more than 7.000 insects, 410 birds including migratory, 31 mammals, 9 snakes, 11 lizards,three amphibians, 120 land snails, fungi estimated 5-8 thousandand and three turtles.These numbers continually increase as a result of researc. Also see All about Cyprus.
From George Konstantinou. Email -
fanigeorge@hotmail.com -
Το υλικό της ιστοσελίδας αποτελεί πνευματική ιδιοκτησία.
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Showing posts with label Birds of Cyprus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birds of Cyprus. Show all posts
Κείμενο, φωτογραφίες, βίντεο του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου
Στην Κύπρο έχουν καταγραφεί (μαζί με τα αποδημητικά) περίπου 410 είδη πουλιών, και αυτός ο αριθμός αυξάνεται κάθε χρόνο, με νέες καταγραφές.
5 από αυτά τα πουλιά αποτελούν οι γνωστές σε πολλούς σουσουράδες ή ζευκαλάτες. Πρόκειται για αποδημητικά και αποκλειστικά εντομοφάγα πουλιά και ανήκουν όλες στην οικογένεια Σεισοπυγιδες (Motacillidae). Ανά τον κόσμο υπάρχουν 65 διαφορετικά είδη της οικογενείας αυτής και τις συναντούμε σε ολόκληρο τον πλανήτη.
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) Λευκοσουσουράδα - Ζευκαλάτη
Είναι αποκλειστικά εντομοφάγα πουλιά και τρέφονται με έντομα, με σκουλήκια, προνύμφες και αράχνες που βρίσκουν κυρίως στο έδαφος όπου και αναζητούν την τροφή τους. Είναι εδαφόβια πουλιά και στα δέντρα ανεβαίνουν μόνο για να κουρνιάσουν το βράδι συνήθως ομαδικά, και αρέσκονται σε δέντρα που βρίσκονται μέσα στις πόλεις. Εκατοντάδες σουσουράδες κουρνιάζουν την νύχτα σε δέντρα στο κέντρο της Λευκωσίας κατά τους χειμερινούς μήνες. Έρχονται πολύ νωρίς το φθινόπωρο και αποτελούν προάγγελο του χειμώνα.
Κυρίως προτιμούν ανοιχτές πεδινές εκτάσεις συνήθως κοντά σε λίμνες και νερά όπου βρίσκουν πολλά έντομα, τις συναντούμε επίσης σε χαμηλές φυτείες, σε οργωμένα χωράφια, μέσα στις πόλεις, σε γήπεδα, σε πάρκα και σε όχθες δρόμων.
Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) - Κιτρινοσουσουράδα
Είναι χαρακτηριστικό το περπάτημα αυτών των πουλιών καθώς είναι αεικίνητες και όταν περπατάνε κουνάνε την μακριά τους ουρά πάνω κάτω σαν να χορεύουν, και από την συνήθεια τους αυτή πήραν το όνομα σουσουράδες. Σουσουράδες λέμε συνήθως τις ζωηρές, επιδειχτικές και κουνιστές γυναίκες.
Στην Κύπρο τις λέμε και ζευκαλάτες διότι παλιά είχαν το συνήθειο να ακολουθούν τα ζώα που όργωναν τα χωράφια, το λεγόμενο ζευκάρι, τρώγοντας τα σκουλήκια και έντομα που έβγαιναν στην επιφάνια από το ανακάτεμα του χώματος, αυτό το κάνουν και σήμερα και ακολουθούν τα γεωργικά μηχανήματα (Τρακτέρ). Πρόκειται για πολύ ωφέλιμα πουλιά για τον άνθρωπο καθώς καταναλώνουν τεράστιές ποσότητες βλαβερών εντομών όπως ακρίδες.
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)Σταχτοσουσουράδα
Από τα 5 αυτά είδη μόνο μερικά ζευγάρια Σταχτοσουσουράδας και Κιτρινοσουσουράδας αναπαράγονται στον τόπο μας. Όλα τα είδη φτιάχνουν την φωλιά τους στο έδαφος και γένουν μέχρι και 6 αυγά.
Τα 5 είδη σουσουράδων που συναντούμε στην Κύπρο είναι
1) Ικτεροζευκαλάτης – Κιτροσουσουράδα - Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) Αποτελεί το πιο σπάνιο είδος σουσουράδας για τον τόπο μας με μόνο μερικές αναφορές τον χρόνο. Έρχεται κατά τις περιόδους της μετανάστευσης που γίνετε το φθινόπωρο και την άνοιξη, μένει μερικές μέρες και συνεχίζει τον δρόμο της. Συχνάζει σε υγρούς τόπους όπως λίμνες, βάλτους και ρυάκια. Αναπαράγετε στην κεντρική Ασία σε υγρές περιοχές φτιάχνοντας την φωλιά της στο έδαφος.
2) Κιτρινοσουσουράδα - Σεισοπυγίς η κίτρινη - Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) Είναι κοινό είδος για τον τόπο μας και την συναντούμε και αυτή κατά τις περιόδους μετανάστευσης για λίγες μέρες. Την συναντούμε κυρίως σε κοπάδια σε υγρές περιοχές σε οργωμένα χωράφια σε χαμηλές φυτείες και φρεσκοκομμένα τριφύλλια όπου αναζητά την τροφή της. Γεννά στη Σκανδιναβία, Βρετανία, Ιρλανδία στη Ν. και Α. Ευρώπη και στην Β. Αφρική. Ανά τον κόσμο συναντούμε 17 υποείδη αυτού του είδους. Στην Κύπρο συναντούμε μερικά υποείδη του είδους αυτού.
3) Σταχτοσουσουράδα - Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) Την συναντούμε σε υγρούς τόπους όπως λίμνες, βάλτους και ρυάκια και μερικά πουλιά ξεχειμωνιάζουν στον τόπο μας. Αναπαράγονται στην Κύπρο μόνο μερικά ζευγάρια στην οροσειρά του Τροόδους κοντά σε ποταμούς με ολόχρονη ροΐ νερού και φτιάχνει την φωλιά της συνήθως ανάμεσα σε πέτρες και ρίζες δέντρων. Πρόκειται για πουλί που έχει εδαφική επικράτεια και όταν εισβάλει άλλο πουλί του ιδίου είδους στην περιοχή του γίνονται σκληρές μάχες.
4) Λευκοσουσουράδα – Ζευκαλάτη - White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) Πρόκειται για το πιο κοινό είδος από όλα στην Κύπρο και το συναντούμε παντού. Είναι η μόνη σουσουράδα από όλες τις άλλες που συναντούμε στον τόπο μας που δεν έχει πάνω της κίτρινο χρώμα. Μας έρχεται νωρίς το φθινόπωρο και ξεχειμωνιάζει στον τόπο μας μέχρι την άνοιξη. Ανά τον κόσμο συναντούμε 11 υποείδη του είδους αυτού. Δεν αναπαράγετε στην Κύπρο αλλά αναπαράγετε σε πάρα πολλές περιοχές του πλανήτη. Στην Ευρώπη απαντά ως καλοκαιρινός αναπαραγόμενος επισκέπτης, σε όλη την ήπειρο, ακόμη και στην Ισλανδία, ενώ φθάνει μέχρι και τις ανατολικές ακτές της Γροιλανδίας.
5) Μαυροκέφαλη κιτρινοσουσουράδα - Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava feldegg)Αποτελεί ένα από τα 17 υποείδη της Κιτρινοσουσουράδα Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) αλλά έχει προταθεί από πολλούς ερευνητές πουλιών για να γίνει ξεχωριστό είδος. Είναι ίσως το ομορφότερο από όλα τα είδη σουσουράδων που έρχονται στην Κύπρο.
Black-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava feldegg
Εχθροί των πουλιών αυτών στην Κύπρο αποτελούν τα αρπαχτικά πουλιά και οι ασυνείδητοι κυνηγοί που πολλές φορές τα σκοτώνουν κατά δεκάδες αν και πρόκειται για αυστηρά προστατευόμενα πουλιά από τον νόμο.
Τον Απρίλιο του 2018 προς μεγάλη έκπληξη όλων των παρατηρητών πτηνών εμφανίστηκε στους υγροτόπους στο Φασούρι η πολύ σπάνια για την Κύπρο σουσουράδα East Siberian White Wagtail (Motacilla alba ocularis) που αποτελεί ένα από τα 11 υποείδη της Λευκοσουσουράδας - White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) και αποτελεί για την Κύπρο την πρώτη αναφορά στα χρονικά. Το είδος αυτό αναπαράγετε στην Αλάσκα. Έμεινε στο Φασούρι περίπου για μια βδομάδα και έφυγε. Έχω πάει αρκετές φορές για να την δω και να την φωτογραφίσω αλλά δυστυχώς δεν μου έκανε την χάρη. Προφανώς το ίδιο πουλί εμφανίστηκε στην ίδια περιοχή και την ίδια εποχή το 2019.
Επικοινωνία fanigeorge@hotmail.com
ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ
Ο Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου γεννήθηκε το 1960 στη Λευκωσία και είναι φυσιοδίφης ερευνητής της κυπριακής βιοποικιλότητας. Φωτογράφος και κινηματογραφιστής αγρίας ζωής και πρόεδρος του συνδέσμου προστασίας φυσικής κληρονομίας και βιοποικιλότητας της Κύπρου. Με ακούραστη δράση στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης όσον αφορά το περιβάλλον και την βιοποικιλότητα του τόπου μας.
The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
The nest is usually built among reeds at the edge of bodies of water. The female incubates the clutch of eggs and feeds the young chicks, which leave the nest when about two weeks old. She continues to care for them until they are fully fledged some six weeks later.
With its specific habitat requirements and the general reduction in wetlands across its range, the population is thought to be in decline globally. However the decline is slow, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern". Nevertheless, some local populations are at risk and the population of the southern race has declined more dramatically and is cause for concern. In the United Kingdom it is one of the most threatened of all bird species. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It belongs to a group of more terrestrial species, often called chats.
The common nightingale is slightly larger than the European robin, at 15–16.5 cm (5.9–6.5 in) length. It is plain brown above except for the reddish tail. It is buff to white below. The sexes are similar. The eastern subspecies (L. m. golzi) and the Caucasian subspecies (L. m. africana) have paler upper parts and a stronger face-pattern, including a pale supercilium. The song of the male nightingale[6] has been described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature, inspiring songs, fairy tales, opera, books, and a great deal of poetry. However, historically most people were not aware that female nightingales do not sing.
It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in forest and scrub in Europe and the Palearctic, and wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is not found naturally in the Americas. The distribution is more southerly than the very closely related thrush nightingale Luscinia luscinia. It nests on or near the ground in dense vegetation. Research in Germany found that favoured breeding habitat of nightingales was defined by a number of geographical factors. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eastern Bonelli's warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis), sometimes known as Balkan warbler, is a "warbler" in the leaf warbler genus Phylloscopus. It was formerly regarded as the eastern subspecies of a wider "Bonelli's warbler" species, but as a result of modern taxonomic developments, they are now usually considered to be two species:
Western Bonelli's warbler, Phylloscopus bonelli, which breeds in southwest Europe and north Africa
Eastern Bonelli's warbler, Phylloscopus orientalis, which breeds in southeast Europe and Asia Minor
The breeding ranges of the two species do not overlap; while their appearance and songs are very similar, the calls are completely different (see below). They also show marked difference in mtDNA sequence.
The species is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a rare vagrant in Northern Europe.
Eastern Bonelli's warbler is a small passerine bird, found in forest and woodland. Four to six eggs are laid in a nest on the ground. Like most warblers, eastern Bonelli's is insectivorous.
It is a small warbler. The adult has a plain grey-green back, green-toned rump and wings and whitish underparts. The bill is small and pointed and the legs brown. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers.
The eastern Bonelli's warbler lacks the browner tinge to the upperparts that the western Bonelli's warbler has; it sometimes has a greenish tinge instead. The song is a fast monotone trill, only slightly different from western Bonelli's, and also some similarity to the wood warbler. The call of the eastern Bonelli's warbler is a hard chup, reminiscent of a crossbill or a house sparrow, and completely different from the disyllabic hu-it of the western Bonelli's warbler.
The genus name Phylloscopus is from Ancient Greek phullon, "leaf", and skopos, "seeker" (from skopeo, "to watch"). The specific orientalis is Latin for "eastern". The English name for this bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist Franco Andrea Bonelli. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bonelli's_warbler
Photos and video Oroklini lake 15/3/2020 by George
Konstantinou
The black-winged pratincole (Glareola nordmanni) is a wader in the pratincole bird family, Glareolidae. The genus name is a diminutive of Latin glarea, "gravel", referring to a typical nesting habitat for pratincoles. The species name commemorates the Finnish-born zoologist and explorer Alexander von Nordmann.
Description
It is 24–28 cm (9.4–11.0 in) long, with short legs, long pointed wings and a forked tail. It has a short bill, which is an adaptation to aerial feeding. The back and head are brown, and the wings are brown with black flight feathers. The belly is white and the underwings are black. Very good views are needed to distinguish this species from other pratincoles, such as the collared pratincole and the oriental pratincole which may occur in its range. It is marginally larger than the collared pratincole, and is shorter-tailed and longer legged. Although the dark underwing and lack of a white trailing edge to the wing are diagnostic, these features are not always readily seen in the field, especially as the chestnut underwing of the collared pratincole appears black unless excellent views are obtained.
Distribution and habitat
The black-winged pratincole is a bird of open country and is often seen near water in the evening, hawking for insects. This pratincole is found in warmer parts of south-east Europe and south-west Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, and is rare north or west of the breeding range.
Breeding
Its 2–4 eggs are laid on the ground.
Feeding
An unusual feature of the pratincoles is that, although classed as waders, they typically hunt their insect prey on the wing like swallows, although they can also feed on the ground.
Conservation
The black-winged pratincole is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
The Acanthocephalan parasite Apororhynchus paulonucleatus was discovered in the intestine of the black-winged pratincole.. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-winged_pratincole
Photo 19/9/2019 Kouklia Dam by George Konstantinou
The northern goshawk (/ˈɡɒsˌhɔːk/; Accipiter gentilis) is a species of medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the genus Accipiter, the goshawk is often considered a "true hawk". The scientific name is Latin; Accipiter is "hawk", from accipere, "to grasp", and gentilis is "noble" or "gentle" because in the Middle Ages only the nobility were permitted to fly goshawks for falconry.
This species was first described by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema naturae (1758) as Falco gentilis.
It is a widespread species that inhabits many of the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The northern goshawk is the only species in the genus Accipiter found in both Eurasia and North America. It may have the second widest distribution of any true member of the family Accipitridae, behind arguably only the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), which has a broader range to the south of Asia than the goshawk. The only other acciptrid species to also range in both North America and Eurasia, according to current opinion, is the more Arctic-restricted rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) Except in a small portion of southern Asia, it is the only species of "goshawk" in its range and it is thus often referred to, both officially and unofficially, as simply the "goshawk". It is mainly resident, but birds from colder regions migrate south for the winter. In North America, migratory goshawks are often seen migrating south along mountain ridge tops at nearly any time of the fall depending on latitude
Distribution
The northern goshawk has a large circumpolar distribution. In Eurasia, it is found in most areas of Europe excluding Ireland and Iceland. It has a fairly spotty distribution in western Europe (e.g. Great Britain, Spain, France) but is more or less found continuously through the rest of the continent. Their Eurasian distribution sweeps continuously across most of Russia, excluding the fully treeless tundra in the northern stretches, to the western limits of Siberia as far as Anadyr and Kamchatka. In the Eastern Hemisphere, they are found in their southern limits in extreme northwestern Morocco, Corsica and Sardinia, the "toe" of Italy, southern Greece, Turkey, the Caucasus, Sinkiang's Tien Shan, in some parts of Tibet and the Himalayas (India and Nepal), western China and Japan. In winter, northern goshawks may be found rarely as far south as Taif in Saudi Arabia and perhaps Tonkin, Vietnam.
In North America, they are most broadly found in the western United States, including Alaska, and western Canada. Their breeding range in the western contiguous United States largely consists of the wooded foothills of the Rocky Mountains and many other large mountain ranges from Washington to southern California extending east to central Colorado and westernmost Texas. Somewhat discontinuous breeding populations are found in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, thence also somewhat spottily into western Mexico down through Sonora and Chihuahua along the Sierra Madre Occidental as far as Jalisco and Guerrero, their worldwide southern limit as a breeding species.
The goshawk continues east through much of Canada as a native species, but is rarer in most of the eastern United States, especially the Midwest where they are not typically found outside the Great Lakes region, where a good-sized breeding population occurs in the northern parts of Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and somewhat into Ohio; a very small population persists in the extreme northeast corner of North Dakota. They breed also in mountainous areas of New England, New York, central Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey, sporadically down to extreme northwestern Maryland and northeastern West Virginia. Vagrants have been reported in Ireland, North Africa (central Morocco, northern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt); the Arabian Peninsula (Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia), southwest Asia (southern Iran, Pakistan), western India (Gujarat) and on Izu-shoto (south of Japan) and the Commander Islands, and in most of the parts of the United States where they do not breed.
Northern goshawks can be found in both deciduous and coniferous forests. While the species might show strong regional preferences for certain trees, they seem to have no strong overall preferences nor even a preference between deciduous or coniferous trees despite claims to the contrary. More important than the type of trees are the composition of a given tree stand, which should be tall, old-growth with intermediate to heavy canopy coverage (often more than 40%) and minimal density undergrowth, both of which are favorable for hunting conditions. Also, goshawks typically require proximity to openings in which to execute additional hunting. More so than in North America, the goshawks of Eurasia, especially central Europe, may live in fairly urbanized patchworks of small woods, shelter-belts and copses and even use largely isolated trees in central parts of Eurasian cities. Even if they are far more wary of human presence than the Eurasian sparrowhawk, northern goshhawks are known to live in some relatively densely wooded areas of large cities of Central Europe, such as Berlin and Hamburg; it is a relatively new phenomenon that started in the 20th century. Access to waterways and riparian zones of any kind is not uncommon in goshawk home ranges but seems to not be a requirement. Narrow tree-lined riparian zones in otherwise relatively open habitats can provide suitable wintering habitat in the absence of more extensive woodlands. The northern goshawk can be found at almost any altitude, but recently is typically found at high elevations due to a paucity of extensive forests remaining in lowlands across much of its range. Altitudinally, goshawks may live anywhere up to a given mountain range's tree line, which is usually 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in elevation or less. The northern limit of their distribution also coincides with the tree line and here may adapt to dwarf tree communities, often along drainages of the lower tundra. In winter months, the northernmost or high mountain populations move down to warmer forests with lower elevations, often continuing to avoid detection except while migrating. A majority of goshawks around the world remain sedentary throughout the year
Νεαρό έξω από την φωλιά του. Φωτογραφίες στον ποταμό Διάριζο στον εκδρομικό χώρο Κομιτιτζή κοντά στο χωριό Μυλικούρι στις 18/6/2021
Photos Milikouri 18/6/2021by George Konstantinou
Breeding
The northern goshawk is one of the most extensively studied raptors in terms of its breeding habits. Adult goshawks return to their breeding grounds usually between March and April, but locally as early as February. If prey levels remain high, adults may remain on their breeding ground all year. Courtship flights, calls and even nest building has been recorded in Finland exceptionally in September and October right after young dispersed, whereas in most of Fennoscandia, breeding does not commence any earlier than March and even then only when it is a warm spring. Most breeding activity occurs between April and July, exceptionally a month earlier or later. Even in most areas of Alaska, most pairs have produced young by May. Courtship flights typical are above the canopy on sunny, relatively windless days in early spring with the goshawks’ long main tail feathers held together and the undertail coverts spread so wide to give them an appearance of having a short, broad-tail with a long dark strip extending from the center. Display flights not infrequently escalate into an undulating flight, similar to a wood pigeon but with sharper turns and descents, and are sometimes embellished with sky-dives that can cover over 200 m (660 ft). One study found undulating display flights more than three times more often done by males than females. After display flights have concluded, the male typically brings a prepared fresh prey item to the female as part of the courtship. In general, these displays are presumably to show (or reinforce) to the potential mate their health and prowess as breeding partner. Copulation is brief and frequent, ranging up to nearly 520 times per clutch (on average about 10 times a day or 100-300 throughout the season), and may be the male's way of ensuring paternity since he is frequently away gathering food by the time of egg-laying, although extra-pair copulation is extremely rare. Female solicits copulations by facing away from male with drooped wings and flared tail-coverts. The male, wings drooped and tail-coverts flared, drops from a branch to gain momentum, then swoops upward and mounts her back. Both birds usually call while mating Fidelity studies from Europe show that about 80–90% of adult females breed with the same male in consecutive years, whereas up to 96% of males mate with the same female in consecutive years. In California, 72% of males retained relationship with the same mates in consecutive years while 70% of females did the same. Males intruding in Hamburg, Germany territories were in some cases not evicted and ended up mating with the female, with the male of the pair not stopping it. In migratory, northernmost populations, mate retention in consecutive years is low. Males are sometimes killed by females during courtship and encounters can be dangerous especially if he does not bring food to courtship and he often seems nervous withdrawing with a trill at a given chance
Nest characteristics
Nesting areas are indefinite, a nest may be used for several years, also a nest built years prior may be used or an entirely new nest may be constructed. When nest constructing, the pair will often roost together. Males construct most new nests but females may assist somewhat if reinforcing old nests. While the male is building, the female perches in the vicinity, occasionally screaming, sometimes flying to inspect the nest. At other times, the female may take a more active role, or even the primary one, in new nest construction and this is subject to considerable individual variation. For the nesting tree, more than 20 species of conifer have been used including spruce, fir, larch, pine and hemlock. Broadleaf trees used including ash, alder, aspen, beech, birch, elm, hickory, hornbeam, lime, maple (including sycamore), oak, poplar, tamarack, wild cherry and willow. In some areas, the nests may be lined with hard pieces of bark and also with green sprigs of conifers. Often the tallest tree in a given stand is selected as the nest tree and this is often the dominant tree species within the given region and forest. Therefore, hardwood trees are usually used as the nesting tree in the eastern United States while conifers are usually used in the western United States. Most nests are constructed under the canopy or near the main fork of a tree and in North America, averaging nest height ranged from 5.8 m (19 ft) (in the Yukon) to 16.9 m (55 ft) (in New Mexico), elsewhere as in Europe average height is between 9 and 25 m (30 and 82 ft In the dwarf trees of the tundra, nests have been found at only 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) off the ground, and, in the tundra and elsewhere, very rarely on felled trees, stumps or on the ground. In some studies from North America up to 15% of nests are in dead trees but this is far rarer in Eurasia. More significant than species is the maturity and height of the nesting tree, its structure (which should have ample surface around the main fork) and, perhaps most significantly, little to no understory below it. Multiple studies note the habit of nests being built in forests close to clear-fellings, swamps and heaths, lakes and meadows, roads (especially light-use logging dirt roads), railways and swathes cut along power cables, usually near such openings there'd be prominent boulders, stones or roots of fallen trees or low branches to use as plucking points. Canopy cover averaged between 60 and 96% in Europe. As is typical in widely distributed raptors from temperate-zones, those from cold regions faced south, 65% in Alaska, 54% in Norway and also in high latitudes such as sky-forests of the Arizona Rockies, otherwise usually nests face north and east.
Nests, especially after initial construction, may average between 80 and 120 cm (31 and 47 in) in length and 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) in width, and are around 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 in) deep. After many uses, a nest can range up to 160 cm (63 in) across and 120 cm (47 in) in depth and can weigh up to a ton when wet. Northern goshawks may adopt nests of other species, common buzzards contributed 5% of nests used in Schleswig-Holstein, including unusually exposed ones on edges of woods and another 2% were built by common ravens or carrion crows, but 93% were built by the goshawks themselves. While colonizing peri-urban areas in Europe, they may displace Eurasian sparrowhawks not only from their territories but may actually try to use overly small sparrowhawk nests, usually resulting in nest collapse.[9] One nest was used continuously by different pairs for a period of 17 years. A single pair may maintain up to several nests, usually up to two will occur in an area of no more than a few hundred meters. One nest may be used in sequential years, but often an alternate is selected. During an 18-year-study from Germany, many alternate nests were used, 27 pairs had two, 10 had 3, 5 had 4, one had five and one pair had as many as 11. Other regions where pairs had on average two nests were Poland, California and Arizona’s Kaibab Plateau. The extent of use of alternate nests is unknown as well as their benefit, but they may reduce significant levels of parasites and diseases within the nest. In central Europe, the goshawk's nest area can be as small 1 to 2 ha (2.5 to 4.9 acres) of woods and less than 10 hectares are commonplace. Usually only one active nest occurs per 100 ha (250 acres), are they avoid edges as nest sites and occupied nests are seldom less than 600 m (2,000 ft) apart.[clarification needed] The most closely spaced active nests by a separate pair on record was 400 m (1,300 ft) in central Europe, another case of two active nests 200 m (660 ft) apart in Germany was a possible case of polygamy. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eggs
Subspecies
Accipiter gentilis albidus
Accipiter gentilis apache
Accipiter gentilis arrigonii
Accipiter gentilis atricapillus
Accipiter gentilis buteoides
Accipiter gentilis fujiyamae
Accipiter gentilis gentilis
Accipiter gentilis laingi
Accipiter gentilis marginatus
Accipiter gentilis schvedowi (eastern goshawk)
Photos Armirolivado 2022 and Marathasa valley 2023 by Constantinos Antoniou
The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled mynah, is a bird in the family Sturnidae, native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments.
The range of the common myna is increasing at such a rapid rate that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission declared it one of the world's most invasive species and one of only three birds listed among "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Species" that pose a threat to biodiversity, agriculture and human interests. In particular, the species poses a serious threat to the ecosystems of Australia, where it was named "The Most Important Pest/Problem" in 2008
Invasive species
The IUCN declared the common myna as one of only three birds among the world's 100 worst invasive species (the other two being the red-vented bulbul and the common starling). The French introduced it in the 18th century from Pondicherry to Mauritius with the aim of controlling insects, even levying a fine on anyone persecuting the bird. It has since been introduced widely elsewhere, including adjacent areas in Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the Middle East, South Africa, the United States, Argentina, Germany, Spain and Portugal, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and various oceanic islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including prominent populations in Fiji and Hawaii.
The common myna is regarded as a pest in South Africa, North America, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific islands. It is particularly problematic in Australia. Several methods have been tried to control the bird's numbers and protect native species. .From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Νέο ξένο εισβλητικό είδος στην Κύπρο
Η ινδική Μάινα, ένα πουλί ιθαγενές στη νότια Ασία, έχει κάνει από τον Ιανουάριο του 2022 την εμφάνισή του στην Κύπρο. Πρόκειται για ένα από τα 100 κορυφαία ξένα εισβλητικά είδη παγκοσμίως και το οποίο αποτελεί σοβαρή απειλή για την τοπική ορνιθοπανίδα και τα οικοσυστήματα, καθώς ανταγωνίζεται τα ιθαγενή είδη.
Ο αντίκτυπος των ξένων εισβλητικών ειδών παγκοσμίως δεν πρέπει να υποτιμάται. Τέτοιοι εισβολείς αποτελούν τη δεύτερη μεγαλύτερη αιτία απώλειας ειδών μετά από την απώλεια βιοτόπων.
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