ANIMALS

Meet The Small, Spiky Bird with Black-and-white Coloring That Looks Like a Tennis Ball Covered in Zebra Stripes

Black and white are two bland colors, but with only these two basic hues, mother nature generates numerous impressive living beings. This Black-crested Tit-Tyrant (Anairetes nigrocristatus) or Marañón tit-tyrant is a perfect example of the creativity of mid-air wildlife.

Source: Andres Vasquez Noboa, Loja, Ecuador

This beautiful little flycatcher with a spiky crest is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Peru, barely reaching over the border into southern Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

Source: Daniel Pacheco Osorio

The male is quite distinctive with a solid black face, black-and-white streaking, and a long crest that sticks up in front of its white crown. Females and immature are grayer with less contrasting plumage and shorter crests.

Source: Peter Boesman, Huaraz, Ancash, Peru

This bird is an insect eater. It is agile in flight while foraging, performing short flights from stem to stem. Individuals are usually seen alone or in small groups, and they may sometimes follow mixed-species foraging groups.

Source: Roger Ahlman, Reserva Utuana, Loja, Ecuador

The Black-crested Tit-Tyrant gives a fast series of harsh notes, “tree-tr-ri-i-i-i-i-i-tr-r-reu” trailing off at the end. We can also hear a shorter version of this call: “tree-tr-iiii”.

Source: Janos Olah, Utuana, Loja, Ecuador

The breeding behavior is unknown. But as males and females have similar appearances, ornithologists suppose the pairs are monogamous and defend a territory. The prominent crest probably plays a role during the displays.

Source: Daniel Pacheco Osorio

Source: Jason Leifester, Rio Chonta, Cajamarca, Peru

The Black-crested Tit-Tyrant is rare to locally common, but the species is not currently threatened. This species is listed as Least Concern in IUCN Red List.

Source: Tini & Jacob Wijpkema, Abra de Porculla, Piura, Peru

Source: Juan Carlos Figueroa

Are you fascinated by these black-striped white feathered balls and their charming song? Be sure to leave a comment and hit the like-share button! For more interesting pieces about wildlife, check out our homepage right away!

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.