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Okay, this one is for Les specifically and anyone else who wants to add their knowledge.
I loved waking up this morning and just laying there listening to the birds chirping and clicking and talking to each other. Do they all have nests? I mean...I know this sounds "simple" but some birds look like walking birds to me (those mynas with the yellow feet). And some obviously rarely touch the ground.
Do they have preferences about the trees they live in?
Do some live in the brush?
I hope this doesn't sound too sophomoric...just wondering really.
Carrie
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com
"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
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Carrie, found this:
"The nest is a cup of dry grass, twigs and leaves, usually in a hole of a tree, cliff, building or other structure, but sometimes they will nest in a thick tangle of vegetation."
From:
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=108&fr=1&sts=
We also have White eyes & sparrows & such that often have nests in our oranges & the moringa (wind falls are more common in that tree) and a few birds braved the thorns in the lactea the we trimmed down.
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Carey - thanks! They nest IN your oranges?!
The cardinals are gorgeous...we see them in pairs most often. They will come right up on the back lanai and hop around for a while. In Arizona the Cardinals are black with red heads only.
Carrie
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com
"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
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Orange TREES (sorry 'bout that) today saw some java finches doing something in one of our large dracenia (BTW heavenly scent this year from the blossoms!)
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Carrie,
Birds lay eggs in nests and raise their young'uns in them. At other times of the year, they don't use nests at all. Some species, like woodpeckers (none in Hawai'i, of course), will roost (sleep) in their nest sites (cavities in trees, rocks). But when they do so, they don't line the nests with soft material as they do when nesting. Starting roughly around now through maybe August, birds living in Hawai'i may be building nests, laying eggs and raising young. Just the other day, I saw a Red-vented Bulbul building a nest outside a window at the place I'm staying (on O'ahu). Birds in Hawai'i have an extended nesting season because of the mild weather. All of the other birds that are not breeding find safe places in trees and shrubs to settle down for the night, to sleep. They are usually silent at night. Natural selection removes those birds that don't choose safe places to sleep or make a lot of noise at night. Well, nocturnal predators do the removal; the "system" is called Natural Selection.
Some birds do spend a lot of time on the ground foraging. But at night, they fly up into trees. Goes for mynas, turkeys, and pheasants. I think that kolea (plovers) and other shorebirds fly down to a pond to gather in a flock (safety in numbers) and stand on rock islands or in shallow water while catching some z's. The water serves as a predator barrier.
Some birds do have specific tree preferences for various reasons. 'Akiapola'au, a rare and interesting native honeycreeper, feeds in koa, in search a species of cerambycid beetle larva that are specific to the tree. They are only known to nest in larger, old koa, but will feed in smaller, young koa. They will also drill and drink from sapwells in certain 'ohia, much like sapsuckers do on the mainland. But aside from these preferences, they may roost in any available tree. Of course, it is difficult to find evidence of the night activity of any species.
Speaking of great morning bird sounds, in the surrounding forest where I'm staying on O'ahu, there are White-rumped Shama (aka, Shama Thrushes) introduced from Southeast Asia. These are probably the best songsters in the Islands. Beautiful, complex songs and vocalizations. And they mimic, too. At least there's one nice thing about being on O'ahu.
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Thanks Les. That was fascinating. Such a simple question I know, but frankly never really thought about where they go at night. They are so quiet. So I'll bet the ohias are bird condos at night here. Seems like they'd have some good "cover."
How long are you on Oahu?
Carrie
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com
"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
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One of the sad things about the introduction of the mongoose is the near elimination of ground nesting birds. The mongooses eat the eggs. On Kauai, you hear birds you don't hear on the other islands because the mongoose was not introduced there.
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Glen, that's somewhat true. No mongoose on Kaua'i, but the endemics there seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate. The entire picture is not known, but some possibilities: the spate of direct hurricane hits that destroyed lots of the native forests; mosquitoes transmitting bird malaria and pox. Kaua'i is only 5K+ max in elevation. Mosquitoes in Hawai'i have populated up to around 4500 ft. elevation, and they are the vectors for bird forms of malaria and pox. Kaua'i has some beautiful rainforests, but the combined factors (perhaps more than I've mentioned) have been linked to the precipitous drop in native species populations. And I think they have rats: nocturnal, tree-climbers, egg eaters....
The Big Island is in a relatively better position because of the existence of higher elevation rainforests, but its native species are still threatened by habitat loss from cattle grazing, development, feral ungulate destruction of forests, besides the impacts from mosquitoes, mongoose and rats.
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quote:
And I think they have rats: nocturnal, tree-climbers, egg eaters....
AAAAAEEEEEEEEEHHH!![:p]
Carrie
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://www.vintageandvelvet.blogspot.com
"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
