See also
List of Birds of Cyprus - Κατάλογος πουλιών της Κύπρου - And all the bird species in this blog
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.
See also
List of Birds of Cyprus - Κατάλογος πουλιών της Κύπρου - And all the bird species in this blog
See also - List of Birds of Cyprus - Κατάλογος πουλιών της Κύπρου - And all the bird species in this blog
Family: MuscicapidaeThe 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
Found at Kouklia Dam by Vasos Vasiliou
See also
European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (Linnaeus, 1766) Mαυρολαiμης - Παπαδκιά - Φίστρακκας - Cyprus
See also
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.
Photos Limassol 17/2/2022 by George Konstantinou
The red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus), also known as the orange-flanked bush-robin, is a small passerine bird that 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, and related species, are often called chats.
Habitat
It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forest with undergrowth in northern Asia and northeastern Europe, from Finland east across Siberia to Kamchatka and south to Japan. It winters mainly in southeastern Asia, in the Indian Subcontinent, the Himalayas, Taiwan, and northern Indochina. The breeding range is slowly expanding westwards through Finland (where up to 500 pairs now breed), and it is a rare but increasing vagrant to western Europe, mainly to Great Britain. There have also been a few records in westernmost North America, mostly in western Alaska, but one on San Clemente Island off the southern California coast. And one overwintering on the Central California coast in Santa Cruz, California 2023
Description
At 13–14 cm long and 10–18 g weight, the red-flanked bluetail is similar in size and weight to the common redstart and slightly smaller (particularly with a slimmer build) than the European robin. As the name implies, both sexes have a blue tail and rump, and orange-red flanks; they also have a white throat and greyish-white underparts, and a small, thin black bill and slender black legs. The adult male additionally has dark blue upperparts, while females and immature males are plain brown above apart from the blue rump and tail, and have a dusky breast. In behaviour, it is similar to a common redstart, frequently flicking its tail in the same manner, and regularly flying from a perch to catch insects in the air or on the ground. The male sings its melancholy trill from treetops. Its call is a typical chat "tacc" noise. The nest is built on or near the ground, with 3–5 eggs which are incubated by the female.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Achna dam 15 - 20/11/2021 by George Konstantinou
3rd Cyprus record.