Red - rumped Swallow - (Cecropis daurica) (Laxmann, 1769) Μιλτοχελίδονο - Cyprus

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Τα 5 είδη χελιδονιών της Κύπρου (WEB TV) - Του Γιώργου Κωνσταντίνου - Εφημερίδα πολίτης 11/6/2018

The red-rumped swallow (Cecropis daurica) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory. They winter in Africa or India and are vagrants to Christmas Island and northern Australia.

Red-rumped swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to the other aerial insectivores, such as the related swallows and the unrelated swifts (order Apodiformes). They have blue upperparts and dusky underparts.

They resemble barn swallows, but are darker below and have pale or reddish rumps, face and neck collar. They lack a breast band, but have black undertails. They are fast fliers and they swoop on insects while airborne. They have broad but pointed wings.

Red-rumped swallows build quarter-sphere nests with a tunnel entrance lined with mud collected in their beaks, and lay 3 to 6 eggs. They normally nest under cliff overhangs in their mountain homes, but will readily adapt to buildings such as mosques and bridges.

They do not normally form large breeding colonies, but are gregarious outside the breeding season. Many hundreds can be seen at a time on the plains of India

The red-rumped swallow breeds across southern Europe and Asia east to southern Siberia and Japan, These populations, along with Moroccan birds, are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa or south Asia. There are resident races in Africa in a broad belt from West Africa east to Ethiopia and then south to Tanzania, and most Indian and Sri Lanka breeders are also year-round residents. The African and Asian subspecies may undertake local seasonal movements. This species is a regular vagrant outside its breeding range.

These swallows are usually found over grassland where they hawk insects. They may sometimes take advantage of grass fires and grazing cattle that flush insects into the air. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Troodos by George Konstantinou 

Common Swift (Apus apus) (Linnaeus,1758) Πετροχελίδονο - Μαυροσταχτάρα - Βίζις - Cyprus

The common swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles. Swifts' nearest relatives are thought to be the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.

Their scientific name comes from the Ancient Greek words α "without", and πούς, "feet". ἄπους, apous, meaning "without feet". These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces (hence the German name Mauersegler, literally meaning "wall-glider"). They never settle voluntarily on the ground, where they would be vulnerable to accidents and predation.

Swifts may nest in former woodpecker tree burrows found in ancient forests, such as some 600 reported nesting in the Białowieża Forest of North Eastern Poland, or the small colony found in a combination of woodpecker holes and tree nestboxes on the RSPB's reserve at the Caledonian Forest in Abernethy, Scotland. While tree holes together with cliffs may have comprised their historic nesting resource, the almost complete removal of ancient forest from their nesting range has resulted in adaption to man-made sites. Swifts build their nests of air-borne material caught in flight, bonded with their saliva, in suitable buildings hollows, such as under tiles, in gaps beneath window sills, and most typically under eaves and within gables. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Athienou by George Konstantinou

Τα πουλιά είναι για μένα σχεδόν όλος μου ο κόσμος καθώς όλη μου την ζωή τα παρακολουθώ και τα μελετώ με πάθος. Τα πουλιά πάντα με ημέρευαν, με ησύχαζαν από τις σκέψεις και με έκαναν ευτυχισμένο. Ιδιαίτερα πουλιά για μένα όμως είναι οι Σταχτάρες που πάντα με συνάρπαζαν ιδιαίτερα. Οι Σταχτάρες είναι αερόβια πουλιά και περνούν όλη τους την ζωή στον αέρα εκτός την εποχή που αναπαράγονται. Στον αέρα τρέφονται, πίνουν νερό, κοιμούνται, ζευγαρώνουν, ακόμα και τα υλικά που φτιάχνουν την φωλιά τους στον αέρα τα βρίσκουν (φτερά και μαλακά άχυρα που τα παίρνει ο αέρας).. Πρόκειται για τα πιο γρήγορα αποδημητικά πουλιά στον πλανήτη και αναπαράγονται στον τόπο μας σε κεραμίδια και τρύπες κυρίως παλιών κτιρίων. Εκπληκτικό είναι το γεγονός ότι όταν τα νεαρά πετάξουν από τις φωλιές τους για πρώτη φορά μένουν στον αέρα για τρία ολόκληρα χρόνια μέχρι να γίνουν αναπαραγωγικά ώριμα και να φωλιάσουν. Έχω παρακολουθήσει αμέτρητες φορές τα πουλιά αυτά αυτή την εποχή να πετούν με ιλιγγιώδη ταχύτητα σε απόσταση αναπνοής από τα κτίρια ξεσηκώνοντας τον κόσμο με τις δυνατές τους φωνές και πάντα νοιώθω την ψυχή μου να φεύγει για λίγο και να πετά σαν αστραπή μαζί τους νοιώθοντας τι θα πει αληθινή ελευθερία.
Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου

Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (Linnaeus,1758) Σπίνος - Φρυγίλλος ο άγαμος - Cyprus

The common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), usually known simply as the chaffinch, is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is much duller in colouring but both sexes have two contrasting white wings-bars and white sides to the tail. The male bird has a strong voice and sings from exposed perches to attract a mate.

The chaffinch breeds in much of Europe, across Asia to Siberia and in northwest Africa. It prefers open woodland and often forages on the ground. The female builds a nest with a deep cup in the fork of a tree. The clutch is typically 4–5 eggs, which hatch in about 13 days. The chicks fledge in around 14 days but are fed by both adults for several weeks after leaving the nest. The chaffinch is a partial migrant; birds breeding in warmer regions are sedentary while those breeding in the colder northern areas of its range winter further south.

The chaffinch breeds in wooded areas where the July isotherm is between 12 and 30 °C (54 and 86 °F). The breeding range includes northwest Africa, most of Europe and extends eastwards across temperate Asia to the Angara River and the southern end of Lake Baikal in Siberia. There are also a number of distinctive subspecies on the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Madeira Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The chaffinch was introduced from Britain into several of its overseas territories in the 19th century. In New Zealand the chaffinch has colonised both the North and South Islands and is now one of the most common passerine species. In South Africa a very small breeding colony in the suburbs of Constantia, Hout Bay and Camps Bay in Cape Town is the only remnant of another such introduction.

This bird is not migratory in the milder parts of its range, but vacates the colder regions in winter. This species forms loose flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with Bramblings. This bird occasionally strays to eastern North America, although some sightings may be escapees.

The main food of the chaffinch is seeds, but unlike most finches, the young are fed extensively on insects, and adults also eat insects in the breeding season.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos and videos Troodos by George Konstantinou

Laughing dove or palm dove and Senegal dove - Streptopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) - Φοινικοτρύγονο, Φοινικοπερίστερο - Cyprus

Το φοινικοτρύγονο είναι είδος τρυγονιού που εξαπλώνεται στην Υποσαχάρια Αφρική, τη Μέση Ανατολή και την Ινδική υποήπειρο. Στην Κύπρο το φοινικοτρύγονο θεωρείται τυχαίος επισκέπτης και τα τελευταία χρόνια άρχισε να εποικίζει τον τόπο μας με γοργούς ρυθμούς. Το συναντούμε κυρίως σε κατοικημένες περιοχές και φωλιάζει συνήθως σε δέντρα σε κήπους σπιτιών με προτιμήσει τα γνωστά μας Γιούκα με τα πυκνά φυλλώματα. Την γρήγορη του εξάπλωση την οφείλει στο γεγονός ότι αναπαράγετε αρκετές φορές τον χρόνο ακόμα και στην καρδιά του χειμώνα. Είναι ένα πολύ φιλικό είδος με τον άνθρωπο και πλησιάζετε εύκολα και για αυτό την εποχή του κυνήγιού δυστυχώς αποδεκατίζονται από τους κυνηγούς.

Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου

The laughing dove (Streptopelia  senegalensis) is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East east to the Indian Subcontinent. This small long-tailed dove is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground. A rufous and black chequered necklace gives it a distinctive pattern and is also easily distinguished from other doves by its call. Other names include palm dove and Senegal dove while in India the name of the little brown dove is often used. It was introduced in Western Australia and has established itself in the wild around Perth and Fremantle.
It is a common and widespread species in scrub, dry farmland and habitation over a good deal of its range, often becoming very tame. The species is found in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It is also found in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE and Turkey (these populations may be derived from human introductions). They are mostly sedentary but some populations may make movements. Birds ringed in Gujarat have been recovered 200 km north in Pakistan and exhausted birds have been recorded landing on ships in the Arabian Sea. The species (thought to belong to the nominate population) was introduced to Perth in 1889 and has become established around Western Australia. Birds that land on ships may be introduced to new regions.
The species is usually seen in pairs or small parties and only rarely in larger groups. Larger groups are formed especially when drinking at waterholes in arid regions. Small numbers assemble on trees near waterholes before flying to the water's edge where they are able to suck up water like other members of the pigeon family. Laughing doves eat the fallen seeds, mainly of grasses, other vegetable matter and small ground insects such as termites and beetles. They are fairly terrestrial, foraging on the ground in grasslands and cultivation. Their flight is quick and direct with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Zakaki , Aradippou by George Konstantinou

Short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla dorotheae) (Brehm,1820) Δεντροβάτης - Endemic Subspecies of Cyprus.

The short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European treecreeper species, the common treecreeper, with which it is easily confused where they both occur. The short-toed treecreeper tends to prefer deciduous trees and lower altitudes than its relative in these overlap areas. Although mainly sedentary, vagrants have occurred outside the breeding range.

The short-toed treecreeper is one of a group of four very similar Holarctic treecreepers, including the closely related North American brown creepers, and has five subspecies differing in appearance and song. Like other treecreepers, the short-toed is inconspicuously plumaged brown above and whitish below, and has a curved bill and stiff tail feathers. It is a resident in woodlands throughout its range, and nests in tree crevices or behind bark flakes, laying about six eggs. This common, unwary, but inconspicuous species feeds mainly on insects which are picked from the tree trunk as the treecreeper ascends with short hops.

The Short-toed nests in tree crevices or behind bark flakes. Old woodpecker nests, crevices in buildings or walls, and artificial nest boxes or flaps are also used.

The nest has an often bulky base of twigs, pine needles, grass or bark, and a lining of finer material such as feathers, wool, moss, lichen or spider web. The eggs are laid between April and mid June (typical clutch 5–7 eggs); they are white with purple-red blotches, 15.6 x 12.2 mm (0.6 x 0.5 in) in size. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for 13 – 15 days until the altricial downy chicks hatch; they are then fed by both parents, but brooded by the female alone, for a further 15 – 18 days to fledging. This species often raises a second brood. The male starts constructing a new nest while the female is still feeding the first brood, and when the chicks are 10–12 days old, he takes over feeding duties while the female completes the new nest.

A Spanish study suggests that forest fragmentation adversely affects the numbers of short-toed treecreepers present, as is also the case with the common treecreeper. Species that depend on relatively scarce resources, such as tree trunks, only occupy the larger forests, whereas those such as tits and common firecrests that exploit abundant, ubiquitous resources are distributed uniformly through woodlands of all sizes

The short-toed treecreeper typically seeks invertebrate food on tree trunks, starting near the tree base and spiralling its way up using its stiff tail feathers for support. Unlike a nuthatch, it does not come down trees head first, but flies to the base of another nearby tree. It uses its long thin bill to extract insects and spiders from crevices in the bark. Although normally found on trees, it will occasionally feed on walls or bare ground, or amongst fallen pine needles. It may add some seeds to its diet in the colder months. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Troodos by George Konstantinou