The Giant Ibis
The Giant Ibis is the largest member of its 'Thereskiornithidae' family.
It is a bird with a distinctively long body as well as the only member of its genus.
This bird is twice the size of a normal Ibis bird having a height of 40 to 40.5 inches long and 39 inches when standing in an upright position. It weighs 4 to 4.5 kg and contains an enormous beak sized 20.6 to 22.4 inches.
It has a loud, ringing call a-leurk a-leurk.
They are lowland birds who thrive best in marshes, swmp lakes, flooded plains, rivers as well as ponds and seasonal water in the Deciduous forests.
In 2005, the Giant Ibis was made the national bird of Cambodia by royal decree due to the continuous reduce in its population.
These birds are of shy nature and were first found in 1993 by the World Conservation Society (WCS) in Southeast Asia. Currently, only 200 of these species are left and are mostly found in the Northern and Eastern Cambodian plain.
The
California Condor
The California Condor, is the largest bird in North America. It belongs to the family of Cathartidae and is a member of a Gymnogyps californianus genus.
It is also the largest bird in the world, with an overall length of 43 to 55 inches and a full wingspan from 2.5m to 3m. The weight of this bird is 7 to 14.5kg with an average weight of 8 to 9kg making it bulkier in the environment.
The
adult California condor is generally a uniform black in colour with the
exception of large triangular patches or bands of white on the underside of the
wings. It has gray legs and feet, a frill of black feathers surrounding the
lower of the neck, and brownish red eyes.
They
have a wide variety of habitats in search of food so, they are frequently
seen in beaches, meadows, forests, mountains, and canyons.
The
main reason for their being endangered is human activities. The pollutants also
harm these birds in various ways and the use of pesticides like DDT effecting
their eggs from hatching. Hunting and poison bait are the other reason for
decreasing their population and made them endangered.
The
Bengal Florican
The Bengal Florican is also known as the Bengal Bustard. It is a species most commonly found in the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia and Vietnam region. The scientific name for this species is "Houbaropsis bengalensis”
A mature Bengal Floricans' height is 66 to 68 cm in length and stands around 55 cm tall. The male Bengal florican has black plumage from the head and neck to the lower parts.
The head of Bengal Florican
carries a long and thin crest, and the neck has an elongated display feathers. The
upper side is pale brown with fine black vermiculations and black arrowhead markings.
Bengal Florican is the only member of its Houbaropsis genus and
is the rarest member of the Bustard Order, Ortidiformes. Two-thirds of the
global population breed in the floodplain of the Tonle Sap Lake present in
Cambodia.
It migrates up to 100km annually to escape the
floodwaters in the non-breeding season. Hence they breed on grasslands towards
the end of the dry season and undertake a short migration to low statue open
forests.
These birds are omnivores, feeding on a small creature like an insect, as well as fruits and flowers, and have been known to eat small lizards and snakes.
Due to loss of habitat, these birds have become endangered. The Bengal florican is listed as 'Critically Endangered' in the Red List of Threatened Species by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) since 2008.
The
decline of this bird has accelerated dramatically between 2000 and
2010.
The Philippine Eagle
This famous bird from Southeast Asia, Philippine eagle is an endangered species
of eagle native to forests in the Philippines. They are considered the largest
of the extant eagles in the world in terms of length and wing surface.
These unique eagles belong to the Accipitridae family of the Accipitriformes Order.
Philippine
eagles are generally found in the Philippines and on four major islands: Eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. They are carnivores in nature and
their food is mostly like monkeys, birds, flying foxes, flying squirrels, large
snakes, even other birds of prey.
The reason of this species being endangered is massive deforestation in the environment. The use of pesticides harm the eggs of these birds and lead to the thinning of the egg shells, cancer and malformed chicks.
The
Golden-cheeked Warbler
The golden-cheeked warbler also called the goldfinch of
Texas, is an endangered species of bird that breeds in Central Texas, of the United States.
They belong to the family of Parulidae and the genus of Setophaga. They are very small in nature. However, the adult Warbler only grows up to the size of 4.5 inches and has a wingspan of 7.5 to 8.3 inches. It weighs only 28.35 grams.
The habitat of these species is woodlands with tall Ashe juniper, oaks, and other hardwood trees. They eat insects and spiders found on the leaves and bark of oaks and other trees. The Warbler uses long strips of cedar bark and spider webs to build their nests.
For breeding, they
come to Texas in March and raise their young, and leave in July to spend the
winter in Mexico and Central America.
Degradation of forests and loss of habitat is the main reason the Warbler is endangered. The cutting of old juniper woodland trees for livestock grazing and urban expansion has decreased the area available for nesting.
Written by Nikhil Thakur
Edited by Jerusha Patel
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