World swift day 2024 …. difference between swifts & swallows

How to identify swifts The swift is dark brown all over, often appearing black against the sky, with a small, pale patch on its throat. They’re larger than swallows and martins, with long curving wings that make them look a bit like a boomerang when in the air. Swifts are very sociable and can often be spotted in groups wheeling over roofs and calling to each other with high-pitched screams. Unlike swallows and martins, swifts are almost never seen perching. They spend most...

Indonesia names its eighth Wetland of International Importance

  Indonesia has designated Menipo Nature Recreational Park as its newest Wetland of International Importance. This “Ramsar Site” (Site no. 2543 on the “Ramsar List”), established in 2010 as a National Recreation Park, is located in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province. Its coastal wetlands include mangroves and intertidal mud, sand and salt flats. The Site includes Menipo Island, which is separated from the island of Timor by a narrow strait and features freshwater lakes and marshes. Menipo Island provides habitat for vulnerable...

TREE TUESDAY | The cabbage tree

The cabbage tree is one of the most distinctive trees in the New Zealand landscape, especially on farms. They grow all over the country, but prefer wet, open areas like swamps. Commonly known as the cabbage tree, or by its Māori name of tī or tī kōuka, is a widely branched monocot tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to 20 metres tall with a stout trunk and sword-like leaves, which are clustered at the tips of the branches...

Creature Feature | Richmond birdwing butterfly

  The Richmond birdwing butterfly  – Ornithoptera richmondia – is the largest subtropical Australian butterfly, found only in subtropical northern New South Wales and South East Queensland. Richmond birdwing butterfly populations have declined in Queensland since the 1920s following the loss and fragmentation of their habitats, mainly rainforests. The species is protected in Queensland, where it is classified as a threatened species at risk of extinction. The RBCN – Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network – hopes to recover the vulnerable Richmond...

Threatened species of parrots includes NZ unique bird

World day for parrots is May 31st. The most threatened parrots of the world include….  Kakapo (New Zealand): With its unique features,  is one of the most interesting birds of the world. See related post   Puerto Rican Amazon. … Blue-throated Macaw. … Sinú Parakeet. … Orange-bellied Parrot – … Coxen’s Fig Parrot – … Spix’s Macaw – … New Caledonian Lorikeet   LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

The unique otter

With World Otter Day,, the focus is on……. Groups of otters can be referred to as a bevy, family, lodge, romp, or raft when in water, indicating their social and playful characteristics. Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among other animals.   LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

The very unique (strange) ‘monotremes’

A previous post has explained why the platypus is so special.  This wild animal – often called a ‘freak of nature’ – and the echidna – together make up the ‘monotremes’ …. Monotremes are different from other mammals because they lay eggs and have no teats. The milk is provided for their young by being secreted by many pores on the female’s belly. The echidna The Short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus is the only species of echidna in Australia. There are...

Celebrating turtles everywhere

Yes, regretfully, the unique ‘turtle’ is on the list of the world’s most endangered species… Every year, World Turtle Day is observed to spread awareness about the habitat and lifestyle of turtles and tortoises. This is also an occasion to ask people to understand them better and also contribute to their well-being. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TURTLES & TORTOISES     LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

Loss of biodiversity a critical concern!

Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter. As humans put increasing pressure on the planet, using and consuming more resources than ever...

Hot Topic | plastics massive global problem

Plastics, although a very helpful ( and some might say an indispensible) part of our human lives, is a scourge of the planet … Our seemingly insatiable demand for bottled water has exaggerated the problem. Also, our use of plastic bags which then choke marine life… The below graphics look at what exactly happens to plastic …. and why they are such as very REAL problem to life on earth.                    ...

A to Z of wildlife | animals beginning with letter A ….

Here are a selection of species whose names begin with ‘A’ . I will be looking at each species over time in separate posts in due course. Note this series is about ‘wildlife’ not domestic livestock. Adele penguin African penguin African bust elephant African elephant African hunting dog Albatross                 alligator Amazon river dolphin Amur leopard Antelope   Arctic hare Arctic wolf Armadillo Asian elephant Asiatic black bear          ...

Celebrating bees

World Bee Day 2024 will be celebrated globally on May 20th. This date was designated by the United Nations (UN) in honour of the birthday of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping in the 18th century.   Lately, the concerns about bees being endangered have become widely noted among people all over the world, but information on how to take action about it has become scarce in this age. That’s why World Bee Day exists to educate people about the...