ANIMALS

The Stunning Sunbird, The Magnificent Bird with a Bright Red Plumage, and Striking Fu Manchu Mustache

Spot the Striking Sunbird: A Beautiful Bird with Bright Red Feathers and Eye-catching Fu Manchu Mustache, Introducing Temminck’s Sunbird

Image source: Instagram/matthewalbanus

Meet the Temminck’s Sunbird: A Colorful Bird Found in Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, and Southwest Thailand. The male bird stands out with its vibrant red chest and upper body. Its head features two stripes that connect to form a patch on the back of its neck. Additionally, it has two malar stripes running down its throat, resembling a distinct Fu Manchu mustache in a dark bluish-purple hue.

Image source: Instagram/kenkwan0208

The male Temminck’s Sunbird has bright red wings, with dark brown flight feathers outlined in greenish-brown. Its backside is yellow, transitioning to brown below with a noticeable purple spot on the lower portion. Its sides are mostly white, changing to a pale yellow or olive-green color on the belly. The male sunbird also boasts a lengthy red tail. Its eyes are shiny black, and it has a slightly curved bill and legs that appear blackish-brown.

Image source: Instagram/fahadsphotography

The female bird of Temminck’s Sunbird is not as vibrant as the male. She is mostly gray, with hints of pale yellow and green. Her lower belly and feathers below her tail are also yellow. The wings and tail feathers have red edges.

Image source: Doi Ang Khang / CC BY-SA 4.0

During the breeding season, which lasts from February to August, Temminck’s Sunbirds create unique nests that resemble eggs and hang from twigs. They construct these nests using dry grass and fibers, creating an entrance hole and a small porch at the top. Inside, up to three eggs are laid, and they take about 13 to 15 days to hatch. The chicks are then cared for by both parents for about 14 to 19 days until they are ready to fly on their own.

Image source: Instagram/fahadsphotography

In their native homes in Southeast Asia, Temminck’s Sunbirds can be spotted in lush forests with trees that keep their leaves throughout the year. They can also be found in areas where forests have regrown or on mountainsides. These sunbirds are commonly seen near trees and shrubs that have beautiful blossoms, particularly mistletoe. Their diet consists of a diverse range of sweet nectars from flowers, as well as some small insects and other similar creatures.

Image source: CC BY-SA 2.0

Temminck’s Sunbirds can be found across a large area. While their population is decreasing, they are currently classified as a species of least concern by the IUNC, which means they are not at immediate risk of extinction.

Watch the Video here:

Source: One Big Birdcage

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.