Collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris)

Collared kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) is a species of animal in the Alcedinidae, 23-25 cm long, males weighing 51-90 grams, females weighing 54-100 grams, living around streams in forests and agricultural land.

T. chloris varies in color from blue to green on the top, while the underside can be white or buff and a white collar around the neck. Some breeds have a white stripe or buff above the eyes, while others have a white spot between the eyes and the beak. There may be a black line through the eye.

The bill is large and black with a pale yellow base to the lower jaw. Females tend to be greener than males. Juveniles are duller in color than adults with dark scaly markings on the neck and chest.

They have a variety of vocations that vary geographically. The most common call is a loud, metallic "kee-kee-kee" which is repeated several times.

The river lion mainly feeds on small crabs and shrimp. They also eat beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths and butterflies, spiders, earthworms, snails, frogs, lizards, small snakes, small fish and sometimes birds and small rodents.

Often perches barely moving for long periods of time waiting for prey. When they see something, they slide down in an ambush and then fly back to their perch where larger objects are pounded into branches. The indigestible remains are regurgitated as pellets.

Nests are natural holes in trees or burrows that birds dig themselves in rotting trees, arboreal termite nests or soil edges. The female produces 2-5 whitish eggs which are laid directly on the floor of the burrow without the use of nesting material.

Both parents take part in incubating the eggs and feeding the babies. The young birds leave the nest about 44 days after hatching. Two broods often breed in a year.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus: Todiramphus
Species: Todiramphus chloris
Subspecies: Todiramphus chloris ssp. abyssinicus, Todiramphus chloris ssp. armstrongi, Todiramphus chloris ssp. azelus, Todiramphus chloris ssp. chloris, Todiramphus chloris ssp. chloropterus, Todiramphus chloris ssp. collaris, Todiramphus chloris ssp. davisoni, Todiramphus chloris ssp. humii, Todiramphus chloris ssp. kalbaensis, Todiramphus chloris ssp. laubmannianus, Todiramphus chloris ssp. occipitalis, Todiramphus chloris ssp. palmeri, Todiramphus chloris ssp. teraokai, Todiramphus chloris ssp. vidali

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

Javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis)

Wooden grasshopper or Javanese grasshopper ( Valanga nigricornis ) is an animal species of Acrididae, grasshoppers that have at least 18 subspecies, insects with very wide diversity in color and size, sexual dimorphism in which females are larger in size and paler in color. V. nigricornis in males has a length of 45-55 millimeters and females 15-75 mm. The head is square and green or yellow or brown or black in color. A pair of antennas has a black color. The eyes are large and gray or white or brownish. The hind legs are very large and have a green or yellow or brown or black color, plain or brindle. The limbs have two rows of large and long spines with black tips facing backward. The wings have a length exceeding the belly, a rough surface and are brown or green or yellow or black in color with pulse lines forming spaces filled with black color. The hind wings are rose red which will be visible when flying. Nymphs are pale green or yellow or brown or blackish in color. Javanese gr...

Dlium