~*Kakapo*~
The ancient, flightless Kakapo is the world's rarest and strangest parrot. It the only flightless and nocturnal parrot, as well as being the heaviest in the world, weighing up to 3.5 kilograms (8 lbs).Its name means "night parrot" in the Maori language.
The kakapo has soft moss-green feathers barred with black on its back, pale yellow-green feathers underneath and, hidden away, an unusually soft layer of downy feathers. (Old specimens of pure yellow kakapo are existing in various museums around the globe.) The females are smaller and less brightly colored than the males. It has an owl-like face with 'whiskers', and a large ivory and pale blue beak. The kakapos' unique bill structure is adapted for grinding food finely; the gizzard, the organ in which food is ground in most parrots, is small and degenerate.
It has a virtually keel-less sternum which makes it incapable of flying in the true sense: it can only 'parachute' from trees using its wings for balance and braking. It is nocturnal, solitary and secretive. It lives mainly on the ground but can climb trees. It is the only parrot to have a "lek" mating system: males compete for "calling posts", specially dug out bowls in the earth and "call" each night for up to four months for a female. The male’s low-frequency mating boom travels up to five kilometres. It is the only parrot to have an inflatable thoracic air sac. The birds are herbivores and eat variety of foods such as roots, leaves and fruit.
The birds live in New Zealand, an island country which had virtually no mammals living on it for millions of years. It was a place inhabited by birds and reptiles. The only types of mammal were two species of bats. The Kakapo did not learn the defense mechanisms to combat or escape mammalian predators. This made the parrot very vulnerable when new animals started showing up.
The arrival of Polynesian peoples thousands of years ago, of Europeans in the 1800's, and ultimately the pets and livestock they brought with them resulted in the massive decline of Kakapo populations from hundreds of thousands to a mere handful of birds.
Once common throughout the three main islands of New Zealand, there are now approximately 62 Kakapo left. These remaining birds have been relocated to six predator free island habitats, where the birds are relatively safe and have been breeding!
Info found at The Fabulous Kakapo
~*How To Help*~
Kakapo Recovery Programme
Dedicated to bringing the kakapo back from the brink of extinction and reintroducing them back to the mainland of New Zealand. They oversee the breeding process and habitat mangement. Donate today!!
~*Whooping Crane*~
The whooping crane is the tallest of all North American birds, standing nearly five feet tall with a wingspan of more than seven feet. With the exception of black wing tips (primary feathers) and a black mustache, the body plumage is snow white. Red skin and sparse, black hair-like feathers cover the bird’s crown. Eye color is golden yellow while the bill is yellowish and sometimes tipped with dull green. Visible portions of the legs and toes are black. Juveniles have entirely feathered heads.
Juvenile plumage, except for primaries, is whitish and heavily mottled with cinnamon feathers that diminish as the chick ages. The primaries are dullish black. Whooping crane chicks are one of two species born with blue eyes that later turn yellowish.
Until their decline, whooping cranes nested mainly in the tall-grass prairies of the Midwest and the forests of Canada, but today they only nest in the taiga and sub-Arctic regions of the Northwest (during the summer) and in the marshes of Louisiana (during the winter). There is only one wild migratory flock of whooping cranes of about 194 birds. The flock migrates from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. This arduous journey of 2,700 miles takes weeks. In the 1950s, there were less than 20 birds left. Governments and conservation groups helped save the flock.
Whooping cranes mate for life and engage in complex "unison calls", which are distinctive "whooping" sounds that gave this species its name. While calling, cranes stand in an upright posture, usually with their heads thrown back and beaks skyward during the display. The female initiates the display and utters two, higher-pitched calls for every lower, male call. The male lifts his wings over his back during the unison call while the female keeps her wings folded at her sides. All cranes engage in dancing, which includes various behaviors such as bowing, jumping, running, stick or grass tossing, and wing flapping. Though it is commonly associated with courtship, dancing can occur at any age and season. Dancing is generally believed to be a normal part of motor development for cranes and thwarts aggression, relieves tension, and strengthens the pair bond. The whooping crane’s nests are constructed of bulrush and other wetland vegetation in shallow water. Females usually lay two eggs and incubation (by both sexes) lasts 29-30 days. The male takes the primary role in defending the nest against possible danger. Chicks fledge (first flight) at 80-90 days.
All cranes are omnivorous. Principal foods of the whooping crane on their breeding grounds are mollusks and crustaceans, insects, minnows, frogs, and snakes. In upland areas whooping cranes forage for acorns, snails, insects, and rodents.
Habitat loss and alteration is one of the greatest threats at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The construction, maintenance and use of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway erodes wetland zones within the wildlife refuge where the whooping cranes winter. Pollution is another threat to wintering cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Barge traffic through the Intracoastal Waterway carries contaminants and petrochemical products that, if spilled, could have catastrophic effects on the cranes, their habitat, and food supply.
~*How To Help*~
Whooping Crane Conservation AssociationA non-profit organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and propagating the Whooping Crane
International Crane FoundationThe International Crane Foundation (ICF) commits to a future where all crane species are secure - a future where people cooperate to protect and restore wild populations and their ecosystems.
~* Mauritius Kestrel *~
The Mauritius kestrel is a small falcon adapted to living in the dense forests of its island home off the coast of East Africa. It has short rounded wings and a relatively long tail and legs. Lacking some of the color of its North American cousin, its plumage is brown barred with black on its back, upper wings and tail. Its underside is white, spotted with dark brown and black. They measure around 8 inches from beak to tail with males being slightly smaller than females. The Mauritius Kestrel was once regarded as the world’s rarest bird with only *four* individuals known to be surviving in the remnant native forest of the Black River Gorges in 1974. Today, there are between 650 and 800 kestrels flying free in Mauritius, more than at any time in this century.
About 90% of a kestrel's diet consists of tree-dwelling geckos, augmented by other lizards, small rodents and even insects like praying mantids and walking sticks. Typically, the kestrel breeds once each year, between September and November. It will lay a second clutch of eggs, usually within 14 days, if the first clutch is lost. They nest on rocky cliff outcroppings and in the hollows of native trees. Clutch size is two to four eggs, primarily incubated by the female.
Although the original (and most serious) threats to Mauritius kestrel survival -- pesticides (DDT) and habitat destruction -- are now largely controlled, they are still vulnerable to any form of habitat degradation as well as natural disasters.
~*How To Help*~
Mauritian Wildlife FoundationDedicated to conserving and managing the indigenous flora and fauna of Mauritius and its territories, including the Mauritius kestrel.
~*Hawaiian Crow*~
The Hawaiian Crow or `Alala (which means "cry like a child" in the native language) is a medium-sized crow, 18 to 20 inches in length. The sexes are similar in color and size. The `Alala is a duller black than its North American cousins, with brown-tinged wings, and the throat feathers are stiff with hairlike webs and grayish shafts. The bill and legs are black.
Native to the Big Island, this crow favors the upland forests between 3,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation on Hualalai and on the west slopes of Mauna Loa. They are most often found in `ohi`a or `ohi`a-koa forests. They are social birds that travel in family groups. The `Alala is omnivorous, preferring fruits of native trees and shrubs, but also eating insects, mice, and sometimes the nestlings of small birds.
Breeding usually occurs from March through July. The `Alala lays one to five greenish-blue eggs, but normally only two survive. The family groups stay together until the young learn to fly and eat on their own. The Hawaiian Crow has a crow-like call: “cawk” or “ca-wak” but they also make many other sounds. Their vocalizations are more musical and varied than most other crows.
The `Alala’s natural predator is the `Io (Hawaiian Hawk), which is also an endangered species. Chicks are very vulnerable to tree-climbing rats, and, if they happen to fall out of their nests, to cats, dogs, and mongooses.
By 1978, only 50 to 150 crows were believed to exist due to coffee and fruit farmers shooting them. Disease, predation, and loss of suitable habitat due to grazing and logging are also factors in the decline of the Hawaiian Crow. Only 50 `Alala are known to exist today, and only 2 are actually living in the wild.
~*How to Help*~
Call 1-808-572-0690 or send donations to Olinda Endangered Species Captive Propagation Facility 535 Olinda Road
Makawao, Maui HI 96768-9102
USA
Email: wolfspirit419@yahoo.com
