Tag: fly

Frenzy

Bulbuls are short-necked slender passerines. The tails are long and the wings short and rounded. In almost all species the bill is slightly elongated and slightly hooked at the end. They vary in length from 13 cm for the tiny greenbul to 29 cm in the straw-headed bulbul. Overall the sexes are alike, although the females tend to be slightly smaller. In a few species, the differences are so great that they have been described as functionally different species. The soft plumage of some species is colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Species with dull coloured eyes often sport contrasting eyerings. Some have very distinct crests. Bulbuls are highly vocal, with the calls of most species being described as nasal or gravelly. One author described the song of the brown-eared bulbul as “the most unattractive noises made by any bird”. Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulbul

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The photo was taken during August 2018 at Segaia Bush Retreat, Buffelsdrift Conservancy, Gauteng, South Africa.

Frenzy

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Solo

The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds, with 64 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills, and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched. They are also one of the bird groups that have powder down. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, while others, notably the bitterns, use reed beds. The herons are medium- to large-sized birds with long legs and necks. The necks are able to kink in an S-shape, due to the modified shape of the cervical vertebrae, of which they have 20–21. The neck is able to retract and extend and is retracted during flight, unlike most other long-necked birds. The neck is longer in the day herons than the night herons and bitterns. The legs are long and strong and in almost every species are unfeathered from the lower part of the tibia (the exception is the zigzag heron). In flight, the legs and feet are held backwards. The feet of herons have long, thin toes, with three forward-pointing ones and one pointing backwards.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heron

Solo

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Sipping

Bees need bee food and water to survive. Bees rarely store water, but bring it in as needed. Bees Use Water For:
1. Cooling – In the heat of summer, it is used for evaporative cooling. Similar to human-designed air conditions, the bees spread a thin film of water atop sealed brood (baby bee cells) or on the rims of cells containing larvae and eggs. The workers inside the hive then fan vigorously, setting up air flow which evaporated the water and cools the interior of the hive.
2. Humidity – Worker bees use water to control the humidity of the colony, not just the temperature.
3. Utilize Stored Food – Bees need water to dilute stored honey that has crystallized (become too high in glucose) or in the case where beekeeper feeds them dried sugar crystals, they need water to dissolve the sugar. Without water, they can’t access these food sources.
4. Larvae Food – Another type of bee in the hive is the nurse bee, who feeds the developing larvae. They consume large amounts of pollen, nectar, and water so that their hypopharyngeal glands can produce the jelly that is used to feed the larvae. A larvae diet can consist of water up to 80% on the first day of larval growth and about 55% on the sixth day.
5. Digestion – They need it in the digestion and metabolization of their food, as do most organisms.
Info source: https://growtherainbow.com/…/35730115-why-honey-bees-need-w…

Sipping

Nature, Picture of the day