The Bornean Bristlehead is more or less the megastar chicken of Sepilok. eBird calls it “a ‘grail chicken’ of many birders visiting Borneo.
Satirically, whilst I used to be very fascinated by seeing it right through my week at Sepilok, I assumed I failed to take action best to comprehend later – going thru my pictures – that I had certainly noticed it. If that sounds unbelievable to you, I totally agree. In particular for the reason that eBird calls the species “distinctive and unmistakable”. Neatly, I assume the everyday eBirder is a greater birder than me.
It’s indexed as Inclined or Close to Threatened (the HBW charmingly offers each classes in its species portrait, thus assuring that one of the crucial two nearly without a doubt is proper).
Its clinical species identify gymnocephala way naked-headed slightly than bristle-headed, which is a little disappointing as I used to be hoping to be told the Latin or Greek phrase for bristle. Perhaps bristles weren’t invented but in the ones vintage occasions.
The Blue-eared Kingfisher seems like a top class model of the Not unusual Kingfisher present in Europe – it’s smaller and has deeper blue upperparts with out turquoise blue tinge and blue ear-coverts (supply).
In line with the HBW, the species “dives vertically into water and returns to perch with the catch, which is struck on perch prior to being swallowed head first”. So, most likely the fish at the picture remains to be alive.
Unusually, the representation proven within the HBW access for the Rufous-backed Kingfisher does no longer truly fit the picture under rather well. Thankfully for me (however moderately sadly for the HBW), this isn’t my ID mistake, because the pictures within the HBW access display. In the past, I assumed that the B within the HBW stands for chicken, however I assume I used to be mistaken.
The moderately extra open spaces close to the Sepilok Rainforest reserve are a excellent location to look the wrecks of rusty vehicles in addition to two munia species: Chestnut Munia …
… and Scaly-breasted Munia
As I already discussed the Sabah Partridge in a up to date publish, I do not need a lot so as to add right here – despite the fact that the pictures I took at Sepilok are higher and don’t best display a dozing chicken. That’s what growth is all about.
Scientifically talking, the Darkish-throated Oriole is the Yellow-backed Oriole (xanthonotus).
It’s indexed as Close to Threatened. Those two pictures display a male – the feminine is most commonly olive-colored slightly than yellow. If truth be told, for the reason that those pictures had been taken in Sabah, they possibly display the Ventriloquial Oriole (consobrinus), if this paper is proper. The 2 species vary in genetics and in music, it seems that.
The Lesser Inexperienced Leafbird may be categorised as Close to Threatened. I to find it relatively attention-grabbing how smartly it blends into the leaves.
Its clinical species identify cyanopogon does no longer confer with a dance taste most popular through punks however slightly to its darkish blue beard (which best the male has, after all).
In the event you love to examine avian sicknesses, a paper on iron garage illness in a Lesser Inexperienced Leafbird is usually a good selection for you.
If like me you revel in lovely birds, you are going to just like the Malaysian Pied Fantail.
In line with Wikipedia, it’s in the neighborhood known as murai gila, actually “loopy thrush” within the Malay language.
There also are a number of bulbul species at Sepilok. The identify Furry-backed Bulbul makes the species sound slightly unappealing (by some means I affiliate furry backs with unsightly males in low-budget softporn films), however it’s in fact a slightly nice-looking chicken …
… with what eBird calls “surprised-looking massive darkish eyes”.
The English identify would possibly not instantly make sense judging from the pictures however the HBW mentions “hair-like filoplumes (as much as 50 mm lengthy) lengthen[ing] from nape and mantle over again (infrequently visual in box)”.
The identify of the Asian Crimson-eyed Bulbul is a lot more glaring.
Even though unusually, for the clinical species identify brunneus (brown), a far much less glaring function was once decided on.
The tips at the conservation standing of the Gray-cheeked Bulbul within the HBW is especially muddled, even through the HBWs low requirements. Inside of the similar paragraph, the species is described as Inclined, Close to Threatened and Least Fear – most likely because the access is it seems that the results of lumping a number of bulbul species.
Like every of the bulbul species discussed above, the HBW calls the Olive-winged Bubul “unassuming”.
The clinical identify plumosus (“feathered”) obviously separates this bulbul species from the entire unfeathered birds.
Verditer Flycatchers it seems that love to nest in human properties as they supply excellent nesting websites – by contrast, Daurian Redstarts select human properties since the presence of people lowers the predation possibility (supply).
And in what turns out to me to be a slightly far-out paper, some Chinese language researchers have advanced a camouflaged short-range communique approach in line with the imitation of Verditer Flycatcher songs. It’s not that i am making this up.
Wallace’s Hawk-eagle with ease nests in a tree on the subject of one of the crucial remark towers at Sepilok, bearing in mind excellent pictures of the one chick.
The species is classed as Inclined, with an estimated inhabitants of 2500–9999 mature people.
It seems that, the business in birds has partially shifted on-line from brick-and-mortar marketplaces – a paper lists one Wallace’s Hawk-eagle to be had on-line. Growth this isn’t.
Within the time-honored and resource-saving custom of doing chicken surveys at the commonest of habitats – college campuses – there may be a paper at the species in a woodland round Kota Kinabalu College. It contains observations of Wallace’s Hawk-eagle.
There’s a lengthy Wikipedia article on Alfred Russell Wallace, the namesake of this species – it kind of feels that except for bobbing up with the idea that of evolution impartial of Charles Darwin, he additionally had fascinating ideas on quite a lot of different subjects. For instance, he wrote a paper advocating a natural paper cash gadget, no longer sponsored through silver or gold, which galvanized the economist Irving Fisher such a lot that he devoted his 1920 guide “Stabilizing the Greenback” to Wallace.
Alternatively, this didn’t stay him from shedding severe cash in a chain of dangerous investments in railways and mines.
It seems that, some younger birders at Sepilok name the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha the superhero chicken. The face masks, I assume. I frequently really feel that the creativity of youngsters is massively puffed up.
A neighborhood Sandakan birder and knowledgeable chicken photographer, YC Lee, has taken an improbable video of the chicken.
The clinical species identify curvirostris (“curved-billed”) is a little ordinary given the hanging colours of the chicken, which appear a lot more price highlighting.
Whilst the HBW typically does no longer appear to be too fascinated with birds, they appear to have taken a shine to the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, talking of the “slightly clown-like look this is wholly unique” and including that “the species is pleasingly relatively commonplace”.
It principally feeds on bugs, as there are not any comfort retail outlets in its woodland habitat.
Like the opposite malkohas, it isn’t a brood parasite regardless of being a cuckoo.
Given the exaggerated function of Sir Stamford Raffles within the established order and good fortune of Singapore – and the parallel underestimated function of William Farquhar – Raffles’s Malkoha would possibly higher be referred to as Farquhar’s Malkoha – despite the fact that this assumes that deserves for excellent deeds are attributed to those that do them, no longer their superiors. Everybody who has ever labored in an organization is aware of that this isn’t the case.
It’s the best malkoha species with marked sexual dimorphism (i.e., if the birds had been to make use of bogs assigned to other sexes, the 2 indicators at the two doorways would glance other).
That suggests it will be important to turn a minimum of two pictures – the feminine …
… and the male.
Within the “Different” segment finishing this publish, now we have some animals that experience the benefit of no longer being mammals. At all times a bonus given how simply mammals are related to Donald Trump.
It’s fascinating to note that some animals – reminiscent of this earthworm being eaten through a snake no longer a lot larger than itself – fight a ways much less when going through loss of life than Mr. Trump struggles with admitting he has misplaced an election.
