Indian Roller Bird

Three subspecies are generally recognized. However the nominate form can be found from West Asia (Iraq, Arabia) east across the Indian Subcontinent, and within India north of the Vindhyas mountain ranges. The subspecies “indicus” is mainly found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The southern bird form has a darker reddish collar on the hind neck which is missing in the nominate form. The race “affinis” of northeastern India and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Indo-china) is sometimes considered a full species, but within the Indian region, it is seen to intergrade with benghalensis. 

The form “affinis” is darker, larger and has a purplish brown and un-streaked face and breast. Moreover it has underwing coverts in a deeper shade of blue. The Indian roller is widely distributed across Asia, from West Asia (Iraq), through the Indian Subcontinent (including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the islands of Lakshadweep and “Maldive Islands” into Southeast Asia. The bird main habitat is cultivation, thin forest and grassland. They’re frequently seen perched on roadside electric wires. These birds are usually seen perched on prominent bare trees or wires. 

They descend to the ground to capture their prey which may include insects, arachnids, little reptiles including “Calotes versicolor” & little snakes and amphibians. Therefore fires attract them and they’ll also follow tractors for disturbed invertebrates. In agricultural habitats in southern India, they have been seen at densities of about 50 birds per km2. They perch mainly on 3 to 10 meter high perches and feed mostly on ground insects. Approximately 50% of their prey is beetles and twenty five per cent made up by grasshoppers and crickets. 

The Indian Roller feeding behavior is habitat usage are very similar to that of the black “drongo”. During summer, they may also feed late in the evening and make use of artificial lights and feed on insects attracted to them. They’re attracted to swarms of winged termites and as many as 40 birds have been seen to perch on a 70 meter stretch of electric wires. Their habit of feeding near roadsides sometimes results in collisions with traffic. A decline in the numbers of these birds seen along roadsides in northern India has been noted.

This is an aerobatic display bird, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. The breeding season starts from March to June, to some extent earlier in southern India. The bird displays when perched include bill-up displays, bowing, “allopreening”, wing drooping and tail fanning. The holes created by woodpeckers or wood boring insects in palms are favored for nesting in few areas. Moreover nest cavities may also be made by tearing open rotten tree trunks or in cavities in building. The cavity is typically unlined and is made up mostly of debris from the wood. The normal clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs, which is normally in white and broad oval or nearly spherical. 

The both male and female incubate the eggs for about 17 to 19 days. The young bird fledges and leaves the nest after near a month. Nearly 80% of the eggs hatch and fledge. The call of the Indian roller is a harsh crow-like “chack” sound. It also makes a variety of other sounds, including metallic “boink” calls. It is particularly vociferous during the breeding season and the bird bathes in open water by plunge-diving into it, a behavior often interpreted as fishing. But it may sporadically attempt fishing from water. Moreover adding its chopped feathers to grass and feeding them to cows was supposed to increase their milk yield. The Indian roller has been selected as the state bird by the Indian states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.

Small Black Warblers Fly without Landing for Three Days

Small black Warblers that weigh (12 grams) about as much as a stack of 12 business cards fly thousands of miles across the Atlantic during their fall migration. Just imagine a journey that entails you to first pack on the pounds, and then get rid of your intestines, and to end with to forgo eating and sleeping for three days. For the blackpoll warbler, such a feat is called their fall migration. These tiny birds fly from northeastern Canada to South America every fall. But no one exactly knew what path they took. It turns out the warblers fly nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean, researchers report March 31 in the journal Biology Letters. Ecologists affixed lightweight tracking devices to five blackpoll warblers during the fall 2013 migration to discover the animals' overwater route.

The warblers fuel up on fat for the journey, going from 0.4 ounces to 0.6 ounces, some overachievers double in weight. Actually, these little meatballs with wings, and then they absorb internal organs they won't want for the trip, like their intestines, to cut excess weight. Moreover to reduce to fat, feathers, and muscle, the birds leave, taking advantage of trade winds for their journey south. The warblers can't catch these winds on their way back, so they take an overland route in the spring. Researchers aren't sure why the warblers fly south over the ocean but return over land. It could be a remnant of ancient migratory pathways, or it could actually be safer.

Furthermore flying over big land, birds have to contend with predators and collisions with anyone like buildings or cars. Migrators from birds to butterflies face a gauntlet of danger. Even though big birds that can carry extra fuel travel farther such as the Arctic tern, which hopscotches from Greenland to Antarctica and back with stops in Africa, South America, and the Arctic. This bird species is perhaps one of the most common warblers in North America. However it is also one of the fastest declining species, and researchers don't know about exact reason, why the birds are disappearing and whether the problem lies in North or South America. Researchers hope to collaborate with South American researchers to find out where these birds spend their time and what threats they’re facing. Source: National Geographic

Scientist Expects, Antarctica May Have Hit Highest Temperature on Record

Experts have measured what is expected the highest temperature ever on Antarctica: 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit (17.5 Celsius). They have made measurements at Argentina's Esperanza Base, on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the meteorological website Weather Underground. The preceding hottest recognized temperature on the Antarctica was 62.8°F (17.1°C), recorded at Esperanza Base on April 24, 1961. 

The Weather Underground called last week's temperatures a remarkable heat wave, though they happened during the end of the austral summer, when Antarctic temperatures are naturally highest. The temperature has yet to be certified as an official record for the continent by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). Therefore it is hard to draw much conclusion from a single temperature record, cautions Gavin Schmidt, a climate researcher with NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. Last year Antarctica also logged a record cold temperature. What are more imperative are the long-term trends, says Schmidt. And when it comes to Antarctica, he points out, the past few years "have actually been quite complex. The world's ocean has been warming rapidly, absorbing much of the planet's excess heat. 

The large glaciers around Antarctica that come in contact with the warming water have been melting rapidly. But some other glaciers farther inland on the continent are actually growing. That has not been reasonably explained. The science is mostly intricate because the ozone hole continues to affect the region's climate in ways that aren't well understood. The global circulation of winds and currents remains a test for researchers to grasp. One record warm temperature doesn't cut through all that intricacy. When it comes to the entire planet, the Earth remains on track to warm by an average of at least two degrees C (3.6 degrees F) by the end of the century, experts report, though exactly how much is expected to depend on countries' abilities to lessen emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Source: National Geographic

Old Bottles Turn into Beautiful Rechargeable Lamp

Wow, I’m sure you’d like the creative idea of turn old bottles into lamps with rechargeable LED corks. We all have sufficient old bottles at home with no use. Now some of our favorite creative products and inventions are ones that give used objects/trash a second life. The rechargeable bottle light from the Foodiggity shop is a very shrewd way to constructively and simply repurpose empty glass bottles and turn them into convenient, safe and unique sources of soft light. The rechargeable bottle light developed by Suck UK, a home accessory and gift company, turns old empty bottles into attractive, simple table lamps. The stunning lamp looks much like a large tapered cork, the bottom of which is a bright white LED light. When switched on and placed inside the bottle’s neck, the lamp will shine for up to three hours before needing a new charge, which will take about an hour through its USB connection. Understandably, the white LED light will assume the color of whatever color the bottle is, giving users the chance to make both simple desk lamps and colored atmospheric lights. If you want to buy this lamp, then check out more info at Amazon Details.

 Source: Charismatic Planet