GREAT TITMOUSE

ORDER Posseriformes

FAMILY Poridoe

GENUS fit SPECIES Porus major

The great titmouse is the largest of the European titmice. Highly agile, this lively bird entertains bird-watchers with its acrobatic

antics as it searches for insects and other food.

KEY FACTS

SIZES Length: 5-6 in. Weight: About ~ oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: Early spring. No. of broods: 1, rarely 2. Eggs: Up to 12. White with reddish spots. Incubation: 13-14 days. Fledging period: 16-22 days.

LIFESTYLE Habit: Sociable, forming flocks of 6 or more. Often flocks with other

titmice. Diet: Insects, seeds, and nuts. Lifespan: Average 2-3 years, but few chicks reach adulthood.

RELATED SPECIES Relatives include the blue titmouse, Porus caeruleus, in Europe and the black-capped chickadee, P. otri­capillus, in North America.

FEATURES OF THE GREAT TIT

Flight: A se­quence of rapid wingbeats and short glides gives the great titmouse its "bouncing" flight.

• Range of the great titmouse.

DISTRIBUTION

Found throughout Europe and Asia, from Great Britain and Portugal to Japan and Malaysia, except above the timberline in mountain areas and in desert regions and Arctic tundra. Also found in northwestern Africa .

CONSERVATION

The great titmouse is common throughout its range and is not in any danger of extinction.

Plumage: Its brightly colored plumage makes the great titmouse easy to recognize. But in its wood­

land home, sunlight coming through the trees makes the blue,

green, yellow, and black

Eggs and nest: The tightly woven nest has an open top. Up to 12 white eggs are camouflaged with

Male: Coloring is brighter and black chest stripe is broader than on the female .

reddish flecks.

© MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM PRINTED IN U.S.A. 0160200451 PACKET 45

The great titmouse, or great tit, is one of the most

beautiful birds in Europe. A relative of the black-capped

chickadee, it is easily recognized by its colorful yellow

and black plumage. At home in all types of woodlands,

the great titmouse is also frequently found in gardens,

where it readily moves into birdhouses and

picks up nuts and seeds from bird feeders.

~ HABITS The great titmouse usually lives

in woods but can also be found

in marshes, hedgerows, parks,

and gardens. It is very sociable,

and in winter it often searches

for food in small flocks. Some­

times it is joined by the blue

tit and other woodland birds.

Feeding in flocks is a safety

Right: The great titmouse has a range of songs.

Center: Even after they leave the nest, young great tits may be fed by their parents for several days.

measure. If one bird spots a

predator, it warns the others.

At the start of the breeding

season, the male great tit­

mouse becomes aggressive

and fiercely defends his ter­

ritory. As soon as the eggs

hatch, however, the birds live

together again in harmony.

~ FOOD & FEEDING The great titmouse eats mainly

insects and their larvae, which

it collects from the leaves and

twigs of trees. At times it ham­

mers at bark with its short beak

to find food in the cracks. In

winter insects are scarce, so the

great titmouse eats nuts and

seeds, especially acorns.

The great tit is always on the

left: The great titmouse's varied diet includes buds, seeds, spiders, and caterpillars.

DID YOU KNOW? • In its search for food, the great tit has learned how

to pierce the top of a milk

bottle to get at the cream.

• In the 1 700s, French kings kept great tits in cages and

trained them to do tricks.

• To get food for their hun­gry chicks, great tits may leave

move, flitting from branch to

branch in its search for food.

Because this bird is heavier

than other titmouse species, it

keeps to the lower, stronger

branches. When foraging in a

flock, each bird keeps an eye

on its companions. As soon as

one bird finds food , the others

fly down to share it.

Right: The great titmouse feeds on insects that it finds on tree trunks and low branches.

the nest 1,000 times a day.

• Only one in six chicks sur­vives the first year. Only one

in 12 lives to two years.

• It is rare for a bird that feeds

its chicks to lay as many eggs

as the great tit does. Usually

only birds whose young feed

themselves lay so many eggs.

The blue, green, yellow, and

black feathers of the great tit­

mouse make it easy to identi­

fy. But this bird can also be

recognized by its noisy call.

More than 50 calls have been

identified, but the great tit's

most common call sounds like

~ BREEDING In early spring the male great

t it chooses a territory and de­

fends it against rival males. To

attract a female, he displays his

black throat patch. After mat­

ing, the female builds the nest

il'1 a tree hole or similar cavity.

The male helps by gathering

materials. The nest is lined

"teacher, teacher, teacher."

The great tit will nest in a

birdhouse if there is no suit­

able natural site nearby. It will

also visit a bird feeder filled

with nuts and can be seen

cracking open nuts as large

as a hazelnut.

with a soft, warm layer of

moss, hair, and plant down.

The female lays up to 12

eggs at a rate of one egg per

day. While she is laying and

then incubating the eggs, her

mate brings her food.

The eggs hatch after 1 3 to

14 days. Within three or four

days, the parents must spend

all their time feeding the chicks.

Because feeding their young is

so exhausting, great tits pro­

duce more than one brood

only if there is a good food

supply. The fledglings leave

the nest after 1 6 to 22 days.

left: When competing for a mate, the male great titmouse frightens rivals with a threat display.

COMMON SWIFT

ORDER Apodifofmes

FAMILY Apodidoe

GROUP 2: BIRDS GENUS &: SPECIES Apus opus

The common swift spends almost its entire life in the air. This bird lives up to its name as its long crescent-shaped wings

take it to high speeds to catch flying insects.

KEY FACTS

SIZES Length: About 6~ in.

Wingspan: 16-19 in. Weight: 1-2 oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 4 years.

Breeding season: May to July. No. of broods: 1 .

Eggs: 2-3, white. Incubation: About 3 weeks.

Fledging period: 5-8 weeks.

LIFESTYLE Call: Noisy. Utters shrill screams

and screeches. Habits: Sociable. Spends most of

its time flying. Diet: Insects caught in flight.

Lifespan: 21 years recorded, but a longer lifespan is likely.

RELATED SPECIES There are more than 80 species

of swift, including the familiar chimney swift, Choetura pelogico,

of North America.

Summer range of the common swift. Winter range.

DISTRIBUTION

Breeds in northwest Africa and most of Europe except in the

far north . To the east its breeding area reaches from Afghan­istan in the south to southern Siberia in the north.

CONSERVATION

The common swift has suffered from loss of breeding sites in many parts of Europe, although pairs can increasingly be found in less polluted urban areas.

IDENTIFYING THE COMMO

Wings: Long

Flight: The swift is a fast and adept flier.

It wheels and swoops as it funnels insects

into its gaping . mouth .

and sickle-shaped. The common swift alter the speed of its left and right wings independently, enabling it to turn sharply and powerfully.

© MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

Plumage: Overall dark gray-brown,

with ash gray chin and fore­

head.

ciaws: Tiny but very strong, on short feet. Able to cling to very

small cracks in a cliff or wall.

PRINTED IN U.S.A

THROAT POUCH

The swift stores insects in an expanding throat pouch to take them back to its nestlings.

FLOCKING SWIFTS

Swifts can be seen racing noisily over roofs as they prepare for a night's flying.

0160200431 PACKET 43

The common swift spends the winter in Africa,

and it can be seen in Europe and parts of Asia from May

to July. Although not related, the swift is sometimes

compared to the swallow family because of its agility

in flight and its habit of nesting on buildings.

~ HABITS The common swift feeds in

flight and spends most of its

nights in the air. It even drinks

and bathes without alighting

on the ground, landing only to

nest or to rest on high perch­

ing places. At dusk, noisy flocks

utter shrill screams as they circle

upward for a night in the air.

With its long, pointed, stiff

wing feathers, the swift is well

adapted for flight. It hardly uses

its tiny legs and feet. But it has

strong, sharp claws that enable

it to cling to vertical rock faces

or walls. In this way the bird

can rest on its migratory flights

between Africa and Europe.

The common swift's flight

combines short glides with very

fast wingbeats. The bird can

move one wing faster than the

other. This ability serves as an

important means of steering,

since the tail is too short to be

an efficient rudder on its own.

The common swift has an

average cruising speed of about

25 miles per hour, which is

much faster than that of swal­

lows and martins. As a result,

the swift can nest in towns and

cities, even though flying in­

sects are scarce there. The swift

simply travels widely over the

surrounding countryside to find

its airborne prey.

Not only are swifts frequently

more numerous in cities than

swallows, but as a group they

are now probably more numer­

ous than they were when Eu­

rope was largely covered by

forests. One reason is that

buildings provide many more

nesting sites than the cliffs

where they formerly nested.

Above: The swift often flits around old buildings looking for a place to nest.

~ MIGRATION In August the common swift

leaves Europe to spend the

winter in Africa. It returns in

April and breeds from May to

July. The short breeding period

is time for only one brood.

Although the young start the

long flight to Africa soon after

leaving the nest, common

swifts are less likely than many

other bird species to die in

their first year.

~ BREEDING Common swifts mate in flight,

after which they build a nest

on a flat surface, either in a

crevice on a cliff, in a hole in a

wall, or under roof eaves. The

nest is a shallow cup of plant

materials and feathers that the

birds cement with sticky saliva

from their special glands.

The female lays two or three

left: Even with tiny claws, the swift can cling easily to a cliff when it needs to rest.

DID YOU KNOW? • The swift's short legs and small feet hamper it from tak­

ing flight from flat ground.

It cannot raise its body high

enough to open its wings.

• The spinetailed swift from eastern Asia is thought to be

the fastest swift. It can fly

~ FOOD & FEEDING The common swift feeds on

flying insects, catching most of

them in the air at high speeds.

It stretches open its tiny bill,

which acts as a funnel to draw

in the insects. It can store the

insects it catches in a throat

pouch to take back to the nest

to feed its young.

Below: The fledgling may spend several weeks in the nest before it is fully independent.

eggs, which both adults incu­

bate. The young are often left

uncovered while the parents

seek food, but they can survive

low temperatures by becom­

ing sluggish to save energy.

The fledging period depends

on the supply of food. In bad

weather the young may not fly

until they are eight weeks old.

When the young leave the nest

they must be self-sufficient and

able to fly for long stretches, as

they will be migrating soon.

almost 200 miles per hour.

• The African palm swift uses

saliva to glue feathers to a

palm leaf, then glues one or

two eggs to this vertical pad.

The parents incubate the eggs

by clinging to the vertical

surface with their claws.

""CARD 123] ROCK PTARMIGAN

,,~--------------------------~~~~ ~

ORDER Galliformes

FAMILY Phasianidae

The rock ptarmigan is a member of the grouse family that gets its name from its rocky habitat in the Arctic. This bird

is well adapted to the cold regions where it lives.

KEY FACTS

SIZES Length: 13-15 in.

Wingspan: 21-24 in. Weight: 16-20 oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: May to July. No. of broods: 1 .

Eggs: Usually 5-10. Incubation: 24-26 days. Fledging period: About 10 days.

LIFESTYLE Call: Various croaks and clucks. Habit: Solitary. Male mates with one, sometimes two, females. Diet: Low-growing vegetation,

according to season . Lifespan: Average 4-5 years.

RELATED SPECIES There are 2 other species in the

genus Lagopus: the willow ptarmigan, L. lagopus, and the white-tailed ptarmigan, L. leucurus.

Range of the rock ptarmigan.

DISTRIBUTION Found in northern Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, Spits­bergen, Scandinavia, and across Siberia to the Bering Sea,

northern and central Kurils, and Japan. Also found in Scot­land, the Pyrenees, and the Alps.

CONSERVATION Given its harsh habitat, the rock ptarmigan is little affected by humans. Its numbers fluctuate but are stable.

FEATURES OF THE ROCK PTARMIGAN

Flight: In spring the male makes display flights. His black tail patch and

white wings are clearly Visi~bl~e~.~~~~~~~ti~:io""'

Summer plumage: Mottled , gray­brown upper parts act as camou­flage against dull vegetation. Lower parts stay white. Red eyebrow-shaped patch is brighter on I

male.

'~ MCMXCII IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILEw PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Eggs: Relatively large. Rusty

yellow, densely speckled with dark

spots.

Winter plumage: White with black edge to tail. Black

face patch on male. Dense feathers provide insulation

as well as camouflage when habitat is covered by snow.

Feet: Large and covered with feathers . On soft snow they spread

the bird 's weight so it does not sink in. The feathers also keep

the feet warm.

0160200491 PACKET 49

The plumage of the rock ptarmigan changes radically

two times a year. In winter its white feathers blend

with the snow covering the ground. In summer,

when the snow melts, the rock ptarmigan's back

turns gray-brown and merges well with rocks

in the surrounding landscape.

~ HABITAT The rock ptarmigan breeds mainly on tundra and rocky mountainsides above the tree line. In these places the vege­tation is low, including many sedges and lichen. The only taller plants are shrubs that may grow in the shelter of gullies or ravines.

In winter the rock ptarmigan often moves closer to the tree line, where tall shrubs project above the snow and offer it more protection. The bird usu­ally moves only short distances between its summer and win­ter grounds. But rock ptarmi­gans that breed in particularly harsh areas may travel quite far

Right: To help it survive, the rock ptarmigan chick is fairly mature when it hatches.

south. The female is more like­ly to move to a protected envi­ronment in winter, while the male may remain in a cold and bleak habitat.

In winter the rock ptarmigan seeks shelter at night among rocks or in ravines. It may also dig a shallow depression in the snow and lie there with only its head visible.

~ ADAPTATIONS The rock ptarmigan is well adapted to living in its snow­covered habitat. Its large, feath­ered feet help it to move easily across snow. Its winter plum­age is white with a black edge on the tail. The male also has a black face patch.

The female molts (sheds its feathers) earlier in spring than

Left: Some white remains on the rock ptarmigan's wing tips and underparts in summer.

DID YOU KNOW? • It was said that rock ptarmi­gan chicks flew so early that bits of shell still stuck to them. In fact, they cannot fly until they are 10 days old. • The rock ptarmigan popu­lation seems to have a six- to ten-year cycle. It increases,

the male to provide camou­flage as she incubates her eggs on the rocky ground. In spring the bird's wings and belly stay white, but its upper parts turn a mottled gray-brown that is paler on the female. Above each eye is a red patch, which is brighter on the male in the breeding season.

Right: The male starts to lose his white coloring later in spring than the female.

then plummets. A successful reproduction period then re­stores the numbers. • In popular mountain resort areas, skiers are a danger to this bird. Frightened into the air, it may fly into ski-lift wires and be killed.

~ FOOD & FEEDING In winter the rock ptarmigan may scratch through snow to find vegetation to eat. But usu­ally it seeks out places where the wind has blown off the snow and exposed plants. In this season it eats evergreen herbs and other low-growing

~ BREEDING In May and June the rock ptar-migan moves to higher eleva­tions to breed. The male goes first to establish a territory. He chooses a lookout point from which he can see other birds approaching. From this point he chases other males away or displays to a female.

At the sight of another male, the bird takes to the air with a call that sounds like a human belch. He then spreads his tail and, with his eye comb erect and body rocking, chases the other male away. Rival males try to hit each other with their wings and to grasp their oppo­nent's bill. This struggle can re-

Left: Both the mother and her offspring are well camouflaged against their tundra habitat.

vegetation, buds and twigs of willows and birches, and leaves of evergreen shrubs.

In spring new plant growth provides fresh food . By sum­mer, leaves and flowers are available, followed in early fall by berries and seeds.

suit in torn neck feathers and eye combs.

The male attracts the female with displays in flight and on the ground. He usually mates with only one female but in some places may mate with two. The female builds a sim­ple nest-little more than a de­pression in the ground-and incubates the eggs without help from the male.

The clutch is usually five to ten eggs. The eggs hatch after about three and a half weeks. The chicks are well developed at hatching, which is necessary for survival in their bleak sur­roundings. They leave the nest almost immediately, but they are not fully independent for about 10 weeks.

BLACK SWAN ,,~----------------------------~~~~~~~ ... ORDER ~ Anseriformes

... FAMILY ~ Anatidae

GENUS fit SPECIES Cygnus atratus

The black swan is the only swan native to Australia. It is also found in New Zealand, where it was introduced in 1864. The black swan is now a familiar sight in wildfowl collections throughout the world.

KEY FACTS

SIZES

Length: Male, 3-4 ft. Female, slightly

smaller .

Wingspan: 5-6 ft. Weight: 12-13 lb.

BREEDING

Sexual maturity: 3-4 years.

Breeding season: Varies with location.

February to August in most areas.

No. of eggs: 4-10, usually 5 or 6. Incubation period: About 6 weeks.

Fledging period: About 3 months.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Sociable.

Diet: Various plants, including duck­

weed, sedges, and grass.

Lifespan: Up to 1 ° years.

RELATED SPECIES

The black swan is 1 of 6 swan

species, which include the black­

necked swan, Cygnus melanocory­phus, and mute swan, C. alar.

Range of the black swan.

DISTRIBUTION

Found throughout most of Australia, where it is native. Intro­

duced to New Zealand in 1864 and now found widely on both

North and South islands.

CONSERVATION

The black swan was hunted by European colonists in the past,

but it has now regained most of its range. It is protected, but

limited control for crop protection is allowed.

FEATURES OF THE BLACK SWAN

Plumage: Uniformly black feathers with curly tips on the back. The bird's white Wil)gtips are IDnst clearly vi.s­ible in flight.

Male

© MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM

Bill : Large orange-red bill with white band near the tip.

Nest: Built from grasses and twigs. Stationary nests measure about 3 feet across, but floating nests are usually much larger.

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Eggs: About 5 or 6 pale green eggs are laid at intervals of 12 to 24 hours.

0160200471 PACKET 47

The hot, dry climate of Australia may not seem to be

an ideal habitat for swans. Yet the black swan is an

adaptable bird, capable of adjusting to the unpredictable

nature of its environment. It is a strong flier and can cover

great distances in search of fresh water and food.

Although it is a nomadic bird, the black swan will stay

in one place if there is a good food supply.

~ HABITAT The black swan is a nomadic bird and a powerful flier. It is one of the most adaptable of waterfowl and takes to al­most every kind of wetland habitat. But it prefers habi­tats where the water is less than three feet deep, since that is the maximum depth at which it can feed.

During the breeding season the black swan is commonly found on and around shallow

lakes. At other times this bird frequents isolated billabongs (small, stagnant pools), shel­tered bays, or saltwater coast­allagoons.

The black swan ranges wide­ly across Australia. In its trav­els it makes use of temporary habitats such as lakes and flooded agricultural land. But the swan will remain in one place in areas where food and nest sites are plentiful.

~ BREEDING The black swan's breeding sea­son usually coincides with the rainy season. In northeastern Queensland it may breed as early as February, while in west­ern Australia it may not lay its eggs until August. During peri­ods of extended drought, the bird may not breed at all.

The black swan constructs a large nest, usually on dry land but always near water. Some­times, however, it will nest in swamps and on rafts of float­ing debris.

Unlike other swans, the black swan is tolerant of neighbors. On small islands whole colonies

Left: Courting black swans swim together, craning their necks into a heart shape.

DID YOU KNOW?

• During the breeding season it is not unusual to see a nest of cygnets adrift on a lake. Al­though the nest is usually an­chored to vegetation at first, it often breaks free.

• Black swans usually travel at night, flying in single file and at high altitude. As they fly,

of black swans may nest side by side, with all the nests evenly spaced apart.

The first pale green egg is laid just after the nest is begun, and another four or five eggs are laid soon after. The adult birds take turns sitting on the eggs during the six-week incubation period. Since incubation begins when the clutch is almost com­plete, the light gray cygnets (young) usually hatch over a two- or three-day period.

When the first cygnets hatch, they quickly take to the water under the wing of a parent. The other adult stays on the nest until the remaining eggs hatch. Then the family unites in the water.

their trumpeting calls can be heard clearly.

• The first black swans were shipped to Europe during the middle of the 18th century. In England these birds were at first considered unlucky, possibly because of their all­black plumage.

~ BLACK SWAN & MAN

The black swan was once com­mon throughout Australia. But colonists hunted it for food and depleted the population in the south. The large black bird was an easy target, especially during its flightless molting period.

In more remote areas black swans continued to prosper, as

~ FOOD & FEEDING The black swan feeds exclu­sively on plants, including al­gae and duckweed. It eats insects or invertebrates only by accident.

This water bird feeds mainly while it is swimming. It sub­merges its head and neck to reach plants growing beneath

Left: The black swan secretes a waterproofing oil from its bill, which it applies to its feathers when preening.

did those that were introduced in New Zealand. After receiving legal protection, the black swan rapidly increased its numbers. The population has now grown so much that its numbers are controlled in some areas to limit the damage that large flocks can do to crops.

Above: A few hours after hatching, the fluffy gray cygnets take to the water.

Left: The black swan prefers to feed in shallow water, where food is more accessible.

the surface. In deeper water, it willI/upend," extending

its reach by plunging its long neck deep into the water and pointing its tail skyward. It also wades in the shallows, nibbling at whatever plants come within range of its long neck and powerful red bill.

The black swan is frequently seen grazing inland, far from water, as it has a taste for cer­tain grain crops.

"'CARD 125 I

GREATER RHEA " GROUP 2: BIRDS ,,-------------------------------------------~ ~

ORDER Rheiformes

FAMILY Rheidae

GENUS &: SPECIES Rhea americana

The greater rhea is a large South American bird that resembles a small ostrich. The rhea cannot fly, but its powerful legs enable

it to move with great speed across the pampas.

KEY FACTS

SIZES

Height: Up to 5 ft. Male slightly

larger than female.

Length of beak: 3-5 in.

Weight: 44-55 lb.

BREEDING

Sexual maturity: 2-3 years.

Breeding season: September to

December.

No. of broods: 1 .

Eggs: 13-30. Ivory or golden

yellow; shiny.

Incubation: 25-40 days, by male.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Sociable. Lives in flocks of

up to 50 birds.

Diet: Grasses and herbs; insects

and other small animals.

Call: Deep, loud "nan-du" call.

RELATED SPECIES

Also from South America, the lesser

rhea, Pterocnemia pennata, is the

only other species in the family

Rheidae.

Range of the greater rhea.

DISTRIBUTION

Inhabits grassy plains in South America, from northeastern Brazil to

central Argentina. Prefers damp areas near rivers or swamps.

CONSERVATION

The greater rhea is hunted for its eggs and for its feathers, which

are used to make feather dusters. The main threat to the bird is

from ranchers, who are fencing off the pampas to provide pas­

ture for cattle and sheep.

FEATURES OF THE GREATER RHEA

Plumage: Grayish brown; useless for flight. Soft and fluffy on upper parts and wings. Feathers on thighs and rump are much shorter and more compact.

(c)~Ar:~AXr:\l1 I~AP R\lII~AP INr: WII nl IFF FAr:T FII pM

Beak: Up to 5 inches long. Used to bite

PRINTFD IN lJSA

RHEA AND OSTRICH COMPARED

At a maximum height of 5 feet, the South American rhea is much smaller than the African ostrich, which measures up to 8 feet.

Feet: 3 large, widely spaced toes give the bird a sure footing when it runs .

us P 6001 12054 PACKET Fi4

The greater rhea is the largest bird in the Americas.

Although it is a flightless bird, the rhea's wings are large

and well developed. The wings are usually folded over

the bird's body like a cloak. During the breeding season,

the rhea uses its wings in an elaborate courtship ritual.

The wings also help this bird make sudden, sharp changes

in direction when running away from a predator.

~ HABITS The greater rhea inhabits the grassy plains of South America known as the pampas. It pre­fers areas with tall vegetation near swamps or rivers.

Greater rheas usually live in flocks of 20 to 30 birds. Dur­ing the breeding season, the flocks separate into smaller

groups made up of 5 to 10 hens (females) and headed by one cock (male). The cock leads the hens to his territory,

which he vigorously defends from rival males.

The greater rhea has excel­lent hearing and vision. With its long neck and legs it can easily see over the tall grass of the pampas to spot intruders.

The rhea has few enemies, and it can usually sprint to safety if it becomes aware of danger. Its powerful legs and large, widely spaced toes let it take long, bounding strides, each of wh ich may span up to six and a half feet. If pursued, the bird takes off at a run with its neck stretched out in front. To confuse its pursuer, the rhea utters a series of loud calls. In addition it keeps swerving and

changing direction, which it is able to do by spreading out one wing and then the other as it runs.

Right: Although the rhea has large wings, its soft, fluffy feathers are use­less for flight.

~ FOOD & FEEDING The greater rhea feeds mainly on herbs and grasses, such as alfalfa and clover. It also eats insects and other small ani­mals, which it catches with a darting lunge of its long, curved neck. The rhea gets most of its water from vege­

tation. It needs to drink only during dry periods when the

Left: Rhea chicks grow quickly. At five or six months old, they are the same size as their parents.

DID YOU KNOW? • During the breeding season, a rhea cock in a zoo may chase

I his keeper from the cage, just as a wild bird would chase a

I rival from his territory.

• Flocks of rheas may mingle with herds of bush deer, which benefit from the rhea's ability to detect predators from afar.

plants contain little moisture. In some regions the rhea is

considered a pest because it competes with sheep for food.

But some ranchers find the rhea helpful because it eats burrs that get tangled in the sheep's wool . This saves ranch­ers the trouble of untangling the sheeps' coats.

Right: The rhea feeds on a variety of plants but also eats animals such as insects, snails, and lizards.

• One rhea egg is equal in vol­ume to 12 chicken eggs and is

highly valued as food.

• The rhea is also called the nandu, after the sound of its loud call.

• Argentinian ranchers often use dogs to keep aggressive male rheas at bay.

The greater rhea breeds from September to December, de­

pending on its location . Dur­ing this time the cocks fight

often, biting and kicking each other with their necks inter­twined. After establishing a breeding flock of hens and driving rivals from his territo­ry, the cock begins his court­

ship display. He runs around, abruptly changing direction, while his thick feathers billow out and his neck swings from side to side. As he does this, he keeps on uttering his loud "nan-du" call .

After mat ing with the hens,

the cock finds a dry, sheltered nest site and lines a shallow

Left: The rhea's large beak can serve as a weap­on. During the breeding season, the male may use it to inflict pain­ful bites on his rivals. He may even snap at humans that intrude on his territory.

hole with vegetation . The cock watches over the hens as they lay their eggs. If a hen lays out­side the nest, the cock uses his beak to roll the eggs into it.

The cock incubates the eggs

for up to 40 days, stretching out his neck and hissing vio­lently to protect them from intruders. There may be up to 60 eggs in a nest, but up to 30 is more common . Since the cock cannot incubate all the eggs, a high percentage do not hatch .

The cock tends the chicks for six months, until they are fully grown and independent. They reach sexual maturity at two or three years old .

RED-BILLED QUELEA

,,-----------------~----------------~~~~~~ ORDER Posseriformes

FAMILY P/oceidoe

GENUS &: SPECIES Que/eo que/eo

The African red-billed quelea is one of the world~ most numerous birds, with a population of about a hundred billion. It is often described

as a feathered locust because of the damage it does to crops.

KEY FACTS

SIZES

Length: 5 in.

Weight: ~ oz.

BREEDING

Sexual maturity: 1 year.

Breeding season: Beginning of

the rainy season. Varies according

to the region .

Eggs: 2-4, pale blue.

Incubation period: 12 days.

Fledging period: 2 weeks.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Lives in large flocks.

Diet: The seeds of wild grasses and

cultivated crops.

Lifespan: 2-3 years.

RELATED SPECIES

There are more than 140 species

of weaver and sparrow in the P/o­

ceidoe family. The genus Que/eo in­

cludes the red-headed and cardi­

nal queleas, Q. erythrops and Q.

cardinolis, both confined to Africa.

Range of the red-billed queJea.

DISTRIBUTION

Found in most parts of central and southern Africa south of the

Sahara Desert.

CONSERVATION

In regions where the red-billed quelea raids crops/ it is consid­

ered a pest, and attempts have been made to control it. Its

population has declined recently, but the cause is unknown.

FEATURES OF THE RED-BILLED QUELEA

NONBREEDING PLUMAGE

Outside the breeding season , the male's brown plumage is similar to that of the female . He is distin­guished only by his red beak.

Male: Develops a black face mask and a red ti nge to his chest and head plumage during the breeding season.

Bill : Short and conical. Ideal for stripping and crush ing seeds.

DQI/\IT~n 1/\1 II c: 11

Eggs: 2-4 , pale blue. In­cubated by the female for 12 days.

Female: Brownish yellow plumage similar to that of a sparrow.

The red-billed quelea is a highly social bird that

prefers to live and breed in colonies. When large

numbers of these sparrow-size weaver finches take

to the air as a flock, they can easily be mistaken for

clouds of rippling smoke. As they jostle for perches

in a crowded tree, individual birds in the flock

can be seen making quick, darting flights.

~ HABITS Red-billed queleas inhabit the grasslands of Africa south of the Sahara. They fly, feed, and roost in enormous flocks that frequent­ly swoop low over water. The lowest-flying birds drink while in flight. Like other weaverbirds, the red-billed quelea is very so­ciable and lives close to people. It often devastates cultivated

lands when searching for food. The quelea has the short, stout

bill of a seedeater. Its crop (the pouched enlargement of its gul­let) can hold so much that, when full, the seeds can be identified through the taut skin.

Right: The red-billed que/eo builds its oval nest out of grass among acacia bushes.

~ BREEDING Outside the breeding season the male and the female que­lea both have brownish yellow plumage. In the breeding sea­son the male develops the main feature of his courtship colora­tion-a black mask around the face. The female's bill changes from red to yellow-brown at the height of the season.

During courtship the male builds part of a nest, where he perches and displays himself to

Left: During the breeding season the male develops a red tinge on his crown and chest plumage.

a female. The oval-shaped nest is completed after mating.

The female lays two to four pale blue eggs that she incu­bates for 12 days. When the chicks have hatched, both par­ents bring them food. For a few days the young are fed with caterpillars and adult insects; then they are given seeds. At two weeks of age the chicks leave the nest. At four weeks they are entirely independent.

Right: The quelea has a short con­ical bill that is ideal for its diet of seeds.

Left: Flocks are silent most of the year, but the birds chat­ter constantly throughout the breeding season.

DID YOU KNOW? e The red-billed quelea often ing colonies are so densely travels 30 to 40 miles each day packed that one small tree in search of food. Sometimes may hold as many as 500 it migrates vast distances to nests. Up to 6,000 nests have find a food supply. been seen in larger trees. e The red-billed quelea is also e Branches sometimes break commonly known as the red- under the weight of a tightly billed dioch. packed flock of red-billed

L.-e_T_h_e_r_e_d_-b_i_"e_d_q_U_e_l_ea_'_s _n_es_t_- _ q_U_e_le_a_s_ro_o_'ting tOgeth:.J

~ FOOD &: FEEDING The red-billed quelea's natural diet is wild grass seed. At dawn the flock leaves the roost to find a good feeding area. The birds settle together over a large area of land to eat.

As the day grows hotter, the red-billed quelea flies off to roost in a shady place close to water. There it rests, preens,

and drinks. When the day cools, the quelea resumes its search for food before roosting for the night. If the supply of grass seed becomes depleted, the quelea feeds on crops of wheat, corn, and rice. Thou­sands of queleas often con­verge on fields, stripping the crops bare in a few days.

"'" CARD 127 I EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK \(~------------------------------~~~~~~ .. ORDER ~ Falconiformes

FAMILY Accipitridae

.. GENUS & SPECIES ~ Accipiter nisus

The Eurasian spa"owhawk almost disappeared from parts of Europe in the 1960s due to the deadly effects of pesticides. Today,

this bird of prey is widespread throughout the region.

KEY FACTS

SIZES Length: 12-16 in .

Wingspan: About 2 ft . Weight: Male, 3-7 oz. Female,

6-12 oz.

BREEDING Sexual maturity: 2 years,

occasionally 1 .

Breeding season: Spring and

early summer.

No. of broods: 1 .

Eggs: 4 to 6, bluish white

speckled with brown.

Incubation: About 5 weeks.

Fledging period: About 4 weeks .

LIFESTYLE

Range of the Eurasian sparrowhawk.

DISTRIBUTION Habit: Solitary except during

breeding season .

Diet: Small birds in flight.

Call: Loud chattering.

Lifespan: 12 years recorded.

Found in coniferous and deciduous woodland, farmland

with groves, and plantations. Breeds throughout Europe

and across Asia to the Pacific; also in northern Africa.

CONSERVATION

RELATED SPECIES

There are about 50 species of the

genus Accipiter in the world .

The Eurasian sparrowhawk was almost wiped out in Great

Britain and parts of Europe by pesticides in the 1960s, but

subsequent protection has enabled its numbers to increase.

FEATURES OF THE EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK

Flight: Great skill in the air. Darts out of cover at great speed to kill prey. Flies low over the ground in open country, skimming over hedges.

Male: Smaller than female. Dark gray upper parts; reddish brown below.

Talons: Large middle talon. Extremely sharp for piercing prey.

Bill: Short, but hooked and sharp for tearing up prey.

Eggs: 4 to 6, bluish white speckled with brown. Incubated'for 33-35 days by female.

Female: Larger than male. Grayish brown plumage. Brown and white bars on underparts.

© MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM PRINTED IN U.S.A. 0160200461 PACKET 46

Like all other rap tors, or birds of prey,

the Eurasian sparrowhawk is a master of the air.

It hunts fast-moving small birds, often launching surprise

attacks. Although other rap tors have stronger legs,

the sparrowhawk's slim legs and long talons

enable it to snatch prey easily in the air.

~HABITS The Eurasian sparrowhawk is

one of Europe's most common

raptors, or birds of prey. In all

species of raptor the female is

heavier, but the weight differ­

ence is most noticeable in spe­

cies like the sparrowhawk that

feed on fast-moving prey.

Like all birds of prey, the spar­

rowhawk is an excellent aerial

hunter. Its long tail acts like a

rudder, and its short, rounded

wings give it extra maneuver­

ability when flying between

trees in dense woodland.

The sparrowhawk has strong,

slim legs and a long middle

talon to make seizing and killing

prey easier. Its sharp, hooked bill

is well suited to plucking feath­

ers and ripping flesh.

Right: The chick depends on its parents even up to four weeks after it is fledged.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING The Eurasian sparrowhawk eats

mainly small birds such as the

sparrow, starling, chaffinch, and

thrush. It hides in a tree or bush

and darts out quickly to snatch

the victim in its talons, often kill­

ing it with the impact.

In open country the sparrow­

hawk stays close to cover, flying

low over the ground, skimming

over fences and hedges and

left: The Eurasian sparrowhawk has large, forward-facing eyes that enable it to spot prey easily.

I ~ BIRDWATCH The Eurasian sparrowhawk's

I chattering call is easy to rec­

ognize. The bird can be readi­

ly spotted in open country,

where it flies low in search of

prey. But in wooded areas, it is

DID YOU KNOW? • About 70 percent of male

sparrowhawks die in their first

year. Some are killed acciden­

tally by females, since they

are small enough to be mis­

taken for prey.

• A female sparrowhawk can

be mistaken for a male gos-

then pouncing on any prey.

The female usually catches

the larger birds, such as wood­

pigeons, and forces them to the

ground. The male tends to take

smaller birds, such as tits, often

snatching them out of the air.

The sparrowhawk always

plucks feathers from its dead

prey before eating it. It plucks

large birds on the ground, but

usually carries small prey to a

favorite tree stump or branch

for plucking.

more difficult to see, since it is

camouflaged by the leaves. In

spring the male sparrowhawk

can be seen performing his

aerial courtship displays high

above the treetops.

hawk, but a sparrowhawk has

a longer tail with a square

end, and its wings are shorter

than a goshawk's.

• In some European countries it is legal to kill sparrowhawks

because they are mistakenly

believed to kill game.

Breeding occurs in spring and

early summer so that the spar­

rowhawk chicks will hatch when

there are plenty of small birds

to hunt.

The male establishes his terri­

tory and encourages a mate

to enter. His courtship displays

consist of a series of quick soar­

ing and falling movements high

above the treetops.

The female constructs the

Above: The Eur­asian sparrow­hawk perches on a tree stump to pluck its prey.

left: The bird's sharp, hooked bill is small, but it is extremely effective for tearing flesh.

nest, and the male helps collect

some of the materials. The nest

is made of both green and dry

twigs and set in the branches of

a conifer close to the trunk.

The female lays four to six blu­

ish white eggs speckled with

brown. She incubates them un­

til they hatch, about five weeks

later. The chicks are fledged at

four weeks but may stay in the

nest for another four weeks.

""'CARD 128 I VILLAGE WEAVER ,, ___________ ~ ______________________ G~R~O~U~P~2~:~B~IR~D~S~~ ... ORDER ... FAMILY ... GENUS &: SPECIES

'11IIIIIIII Passeriformes "'11IIIIIIII Ploceidae "'11IIIIIIII Ploceus cucullatus

The village weaver is little larger than a sparrow, but its noisy colonies make it easy to locate. The trees in which it breeds are

filled with nests, each a masterpiece of construction.

KEY FACTS

SIZES

Length: 6-7 in.

Wing length: 3-4 in.

BREEDING

Breeding season: Varies depend­

ing on region.

No. of broods: 1-3 per female

each season.

Eggs: 2-3. White, pink, blue, or

green. Plain or marked with red­

dish brown.

Incubation: 2 weeks.

Fledging period: About 3 weeks.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Colonial. Bold and noisy.

Diet: Seeds and grain.

RELATED SPECIES

The village weaver is one of 100

species of typical weavers that form

the subfamily Ploceinae. A few oc­

cur in southern Asia, and the re­

mainder are African.

Range of the village weaver.

DISTRIBUTION

Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, except in the far south and

the arid northeast. Introduced in the West Indies, where it is

now a major agricultural pest on some islands.

CONSERVATION

The village weaver is common and abundant, especially near

human settlements. It is regarded as a pest in some areas be­

cause it damages crops.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VILLAGE WEAVER

Female: May have up to 3 mates in a sin­gle season.

Eggs: Color varies from white to pink, blue, or green.

I P

Frame: Made of palm leaves and grass. The nest is con­structed around the frame.

PI

Nest: Often grouped with others in a single large tree. One tree may have hundreds of nests.

Male: Does not breed until second year, so it is out­numbered by females.

P T

The vii/age weaver has bright red eyes, and the male

is distinguished by its bold yellow-and-black plumage.

It is a familiar bird in much of Africa. It is called

vii/age weaver because it is usually found near

human settlements. At times, however, this bird incurs

the wrath of farmers because it raids their crops.

~ HABITAT The village weaver is one of

Africa's most abundant and

widespread birds. It is probably

the best known of the weavers,

ranging from the edge of the

Sahara to the grasslands of

southern Africa. This bird is

found in woodland savannas,

grasslands, cultivated lands with

scattered trees, and gardens

at altitudes over 8,000 feet. It

shuns dense tropical forest and

keeps to marshy or wooded

areas in very arid regions. It likes

water, so it appears in the dry

parts of eastern Africa only dur­

ing the summer rains.

As its name implies, the vil­

lage weaver often lives near vil­

lages, especially in western and

central Africa. An entire colony

may even nest in a large village

tree. The birds feed on crops

and visit local dumps.

~ BEHAVIOR The village weaver is a noisy,

aggressive bird. Its life centers

on its breeding colonies, where

the birds crowd together and

often engage in disputes as they

build and repair their nests. In

central Africa these colonies of­

ten occur next to or even com­

bined with colonies of Vieillot's

black weaver, Ploceus nigem­mus. Mating between the two

species, with the production of

hybrids, has been recorded.

The village weaver is very

vocal in the breeding season,

DID YOU KNOW? • The male village weaver

varies in coloring. In southem

Africa his head may be gold

flecked with black. In Angola

his head and nape are all

Right: A male vii/age weaver begins to build a nest in be­tween two other nests by making a frame of grass and palm leaves.

chattering harshly. But once in

a while the whole colony sud­

denly falls silent. The village

weaver utters repeated "chuck­

chuck" notes when bringing

nesting materials to the colony.

Its alarm call is a sharp "zip."

Like most weavers and spar­

rows, the village weaver has a

thick conical bill for crushing

seeds and grain. It forages for

food both on the ground and

in trees. In some places the

bird is a pest, feeding on crops.

It also eats flower juices.

black. In West Africa a chest­

nut band may separate his

black crown and yellow nape.

• A colony may all rise into

the airfor no obvious reason.

Left: Many African farmers consider the vil­lage weaver a pest because it often raids their grain fields in search of food.

The village weaver's breeding

season varies across its range. In

humid equatorial regions, breed­

ing occurs all year, but other

areas have distinct seasons. In

Nigeria, for example, breeding

occurs from June to August,

while south of the equator in

Angola the season runs from

January to March.

During the breeding season,

the male is a bold yellow, chest­

nut, and black, but normally his

plumage is subdued, like the fe­

male's. He starts to build a nest,

often on a branch overhanging

water. First he constructs a frame

out of long grasses or palm leaf

strips, which he obtains by peck­

ing a hole in a frond, gripping

the torn rim in his beak, and fly­

ing away. The male then weaves

a thick ball- or kidney-shaped

Far left: The plumage of the breeding male vii/age weaver can be a strik­ing blend of black, yellow, and chestnut. But outside the nesting season, the male's col­oring is more in keeping with the female's subdued hues.

Left; The female vii/age weaver is not as showy as her male counterpart.

nest around the framework.

The nest's entrance is under­

neath, and the male hangs up­

side down next to it, beating his

wings and chattering to attract a

female. His mate completes the

nest by lining it with seed heads

and other soft material.

After mating, the male takes

little further interest in the nest.

He may start another nest and

attract another mate. Most vil­

lage weavers are polygamous:

males have up to five mates

and females up to three each

season. In many colonies fe­

males outnumber males.

Incubation and the rearing

of young are left to the female.

She lays two or three eggs and

incubates them for about two

weeks. Three weeks later, the

young are ready to fly.

EURASIAN WOODCOCK

ORDER Charadriiformes

FAMILY Scolopacidae

GENUS & SPECIES Scolopax rusticola

CARD 129

The Eurasian woodcock is a member of the sandpiper family that has taken to living in forests and damp heathland. It uses its

long bill to probe the ground for earthworms.

KEY FACTS

SIZES

Length: 1 3-14 in.

Bill length: 2 ~-3 in.

Weight: 1 0-11 oz.

Wingspan: About 2 ft.

BREEDING

Sexual maturity: Female, 1 year.

Male, 2 years.

Breeding season: Late March to

early April.

No. of broods: 1 .

Eggs: Usually 4.

Incubation: 3-3 ~ weeks.

Fledging period: 2-3 weeks.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Solitary except during the

breeding season.

Diet: Mainly earthworms and

ground-dwelling insects.

RELATED SPECIES

Belongs to the sandpiper family.

Related to the American wood­

cock, Scolopax minor, and com­

mon snipe, Galfinago gallinago.

Range of the Eurasian woodcock.

DISTRIBUTION

Lives in Great Britain, non-Mediterranean Europe, and east to

Japan, except in the extreme north. Northern birds winter in

western Europe, the Mediterranean, and southern Asia.

CONSERVATION

Although it is hunted across most of its range, the woodcock is

successful probably because of its camouflaging plumage. Its

main threat is habitat destruction.

FEATURES OF THE EURASIAN WOODCOCK

Flight: As the bird rises from covering vegetation , the flapping of its wings sounds like a piece of stiff paper being torn in half.

Eggs: Well camouflaged with chestnut blotches to blend in with leaf debris.

Young: The female woodcock is one of the few birds that carries

her young against her body 1 f

when flying from danger. r

Ci Mr.MXC:1 IMP BV/IMP INC: WILDI IFF FAC:T RINT A.

Eyes: Set far back on the head to allow

vision while bill is buried in ground.

Bill: Size varies but usually long

and effective for probing. Some

woodcocks have abnormally

short bills.

1 2 4 1 A 4

The Eurasian woodcock is so well camouflaged that it can

be almost invisible when on the ground. The bird's body

and wing plumage is dark brown, mottled with yellow,

cream, and black. Underneath, the plumage is light brown

with dark brown bars. The crown of the head is patterned

with dark and light stripes. The woodcock's chicks

and its eggs are also well camouflaged.

~ HABITS The Eurasian woodcock is a solitary bird that lives in for­

ests and damp heathland. Its

rounded wings and squat, dumpy body make it easy to spot in flight. It flies with its

long, straight bill pointed down­

ward, except when it is calling. The woodcock is hunted

The Eurasian woodcock is not easy to find because it is so well camouflaged. If it is dis­

turbed it will rise straight up

from the ground and flyaway quickly, whirring its wings.

both for sport and for food,

but its camouflaging plumage helps to protect it from hunt­

ers. It conceals itself on the ground in dense cover and re­

mains perfectly still. Then, just before it is stepped on, it flies

straight up into the air, beat­ing its wings rapidly.

This bird is easier to spot

when it is flying, especially during spring, when the male makes regular circular

display flights over the breed­

ing area at dawn and dusk. J

~ BREEDING The male Eurasian woodcock

displays in spring. At dawn and dusk he flies low in a circle over

the breeding area and sings. His display flight, called roding, lasts about 20 minutes while he looks

for females on the ground. The same circular route is repeated day after day, and several males

may display over the same area. The male also displays on the

ground, strutting around each

Left: The Eurasian woodcock is a solitary bird except during the mating season in spring.

DID YOU KNOW? • The woodcock is among the few birds that carry their

young when in danger. The female presses a chick to her

body with bill and feet and flies with it to safety.

• If the nest is threatened, the female woodcock will fake injury in order to divert

female with his chest feathers

fluffed out and wings droop­

ing down. After mating, the male stays

with the female until she lays

the eggs, but he takes no part in incubation or rearing the

chicks. Four yellowish eggs with brown blotches are laid in

a scrape (hole in the ground) lined with moss and leaves. The eggs are incubated for 20

to 24 days. The chicks fly at two to three weeks and are in­dependent at five to six weeks.

a predator from her chicks.

• The woodcock can see well at dusk. Its eyes are set far back on the head so it can see even with its bill buried in soil.

• Woodcocks are the only

members of the sandPi:Jer family that live in woodland

rather than by water.

Above: The de­tailed camou­flage markings of its plumage help the Eur­asian wood­cock survive even though it is hunted for sport.

Left: The woodcock for­ages in damp ground, where its sensitive bill can probe for the earthworms, insects, and larvae that are its main diet.

Above: Even at one day old, the woodcock chick is camouflaged and blends in with the under­growth and leaves in its habitat. In this way the chick is well protected from daytime predators.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING The Eurasian woodcock's main

food is earthworms, but it also

eats beetles, earwigs, caterpil­lars, spiders, and centipedes.

The woodcock feeds mainly

at dusk on damp ground. It probes soft soil with its long,

slender bill, which it buries al­most completely when it de­

tects food . The bird then twists the tips of the bill outward to

grasp its victim . If the prey is very small, the woodcock may

swallow it before removing its bill from the soil.

During bad weather the

woodcock sometimes probes for freshwater mollusks near tidal rivers .

"' CARD 130 I

ROYAL ALBATROSS

'(~------------------------------~~~~~~ .. ORDER

'1IIIIIIII Procellariiformes FAMILY Diomedeidae

GENUS &: SPECIES Diomedea epomophora

The royal albatross and its relative the wandering albatross are the largest of all seabirds. For years biologists failed to

recognize that these ocean birds were separate species.

____ ~,~K~E~YFACT~S------------------------------~ SIZES

Length: 3~-4 ft. Wingspan: 1 0-11 ~ ft. Weight: Up to 27 lb.

BREEDING

Sexual maturity: 6-10 years.

Egg-laying: November or Decem­

ber in the southern summer.

Egg: 1, large and white.

Incubation: 2-3 months.

Fledging period: About 8 months.

LIFESTYLE

Habit: Solitary. Usually seen flying

over the sea. Breeds in low-density

colonies.

Diet: Fish, squid, crustaceans.

Lifespan: Up to 58 years.

RELATED SPECIES

The wandering albatross, Diome­dea exulans; the Amsterdam alba­

tross, D. amsterdamensis; and the

royal albatrosses are known collec­

tively as the "great" albatrosses.

Range of royal albatrosses.

DISTRIBUTION

Breed on Chatham, Campbell, and Auckland islands in the

South Pacific and on South Island, New Zealand. Nonbreeders

range widely over the southern oceans.

CONSERVATION

In 1940 there were an estimated 19,000 pairs of royal alba­

trosses. The population is vulnerable to the effects of pollution

and overfishing because of its low birth rate.

FEATURES OF ROYAL ALBATROSSES

Bill: Hooked and powerful. Ideal for catching and tearing apart fish and squid.

Egg: White. Large size and long incubation (2~ months) allow chick to develop.

Wings: Large surface area of wings compensate for the bird 's great

Plumage: There are 2 races of royal albatross: the north­ern race, [)fomedea epomophora sanfordi, and the south­ern race, D. e. epemophora. Sanfordl: shown here, has a completely black upper wing. Epomophora has mucl:! more white on the leading edge of the upper wing.

body weight. Long, narrow wings are ideal for soaring in updrafts and gliding on

ocean currents.

© MCMXCI IMP BV/ IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETM PRINTED IN U.S.A. 0160200471 PACKET 47

Propelled by the wind, a royal albatross can glide

for hours over the sea on its long, narrow wings.

An immature bird will roam widely for years across

the southern oceans. But a mature adult rarely strays

far from its breeding site on islands in the South Pacific.

Only when gathering food for its young does the

mature bird make a long flight over the sea.

~ HABITS Stretching its huge wings out

stiffly, a royal albratross can glide for hours without a sin­

gle wingbeat. This bird rides the wind with ease, gliding at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Flying in this way allows a royal albatross to cover vast stretches of ocean without using much energy.

Problems arise, however, when the wind slows. A royal albatross must then alternate short glides with tiring bursts of flapping. If conditions are too calm, the bird must rest on the sea until the wind picks up. Its long wings and heavy body are then a drawback:

the albatross needs a long run to become airborne.

An adult royal albatross is

most commonly seen when hunting for food for its young near breeding sites in New Zealand and on islands in the South Pacific.

Immature birds appear to spend their first six years cir­cling the southern oceans. They are regularly seen off the

South American coast as far north as Peru and southern Brazil. Later they tend to re­turn to the breeding region, lingering around their old

nesting sites before settling down to breed.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING Royal albatrosses feed on fish, squid, krill, and other crus­taceans. They take food from the ocean's surface, some­times dipping below the sur­face to grasp a fish. The bird's sharp hooked bill is ideal for holding fish and tearing flesh.

Because some sea animals,

including squid, move to the surface of the water at night, royal albatrosses often feed in

Left: Like other albatrosses, royal albatrosses have distinctive tube nostrils on their bills.

DID YOU KNOW? • The low birth rate of royal albatrosses is balanced by long life and low mortality. Only about 3 out of 100 birds die each year.

• The two-and-a-half month incubation period of royal al­batrosses is one of the longest among birds.

the dark. They sometimes cir­cle trawlers in order to snatch

discarded fish and refuse, but they scavenge less often than wandering albatrosses.

During the breeding season, an adult albatross often flies hundreds of miles over the sea to gather food for its nestling. When the parent returns, it regurgitates half-digested food for the chick.

Right: Rarely together at the nest, male and female take turns incu­bating their egg.

• Unlike most birds, royal al­batrosses may court at sea and arrive at breeding grounds

already paired.

• If disturbed, a young chick may spit an oily, smelly sub­stance at intruders. This by­

product of its fish diet is also used to waterproof feathers.

~ BREEDING In October many breeding adults return to the colonies where they mated two years earlier. These colonies are on islands in the South Pacific and off New Zealand. The male usually arrives first to prepare a new nest site or restore an old one.

An unpaired adult searches for a mate. The pairs of birds then engage in striking courtship ritu­als, facing each other with their bills pointed upward and wings spread. Old pairs perform simi­lar displays.

Left: The chick's fat reserves and down help it fight cold in the nest for eight months.

Left: Royal albatrosses conserve ener­gybygJiding on air currents over water. Their webbed feet act as sta­bilizers in flight and as air brakes when landing.

The nest is about 30 inches

wide and filled with wet mud and grass. The male and female

take turns incubating the egg for about a week at a time.

After hatching, the chick is brooded for four to five weeks. Then both parents fly out to find food. As sea trips become longer, feeding visits are less frequent. After eight months at the nest site, the parents leave

their young. They retire to the sea for several months of rest, which they need after more than a year's breeding effort. Royal albatrosses are therefore among the few birds that breed only every two years.