Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

The Spotted Redshank is quite the little traveler. These birds spend their summers in Scandinavia and in parts of Siberia. When the autumn comes, they head south. Some go as close as the British Isles or the Mediterranean, while others make it all the way to Southeast Asia and even Australia! These migrations can start as early as late June, and will take months to complete with several stopover points.

Spotted Redshanks are wading waterbirds that can be found in marshes, forests, and wetland regions in whatever country they happen to be in at the time. They feed on very small water dwelling creatures, usually insects and their larvae, though they will take small vertebrates on occasion as well. Spotted Redshanks typically wade in order to feed, but they will also swim into deeper water and upend themselves like ducks do.

The population of Spotted Redshanks is currently stable, but that may not always be the case. Habitat degradation is happening in many of their winter and summer homes, as well as in many of their extremely important migration stopover points. For now though, their population size and massive range is enough to keep them listed as being of Least Concern, though they are listed by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Europe and Asia
Size : Length up to 12in (31cm), Wingspan up to 26in (67cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Scolopacidae -- Genus : Tringa -- Species : T. erythropus

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed Location : Cent

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog