the encyclopedia of birds d

[...]... wooded islands and the islets off the larger land masses The Nicobar pigeon is also found west of the Philippines on the Nicobar Islands, hence its common name About 12 days Lifespan feathers The feathers in the middle of the breast are shorter than the surrounding white feathers The indentation, with its blood-red color, gives the illusion of a deep gash Fledging Period Nicobar pigeon Luzon bleeding-heart... 7,000 islands in the Republic of the Philippines .The bird also lives on Polillo, a much smaller island to the east The Philippine Islands are part of the Malay archipelago, the largest group of islands in the world About 35% of the islands are woodlands, as are Luzon and Polillo The mountainous regions and fertile plains on these islands offer an abundance of food for the resident bleeding-heart The largest... feed mainly on figs in treetops, but others, including the redfaced and gray-headed lovebirds, gather grass seeds at ground level   The lovebirds’ superb bill–foot coordination enables them to use its four-clawed feet as a clamp to hold food while the bird breaks up the morsel with its bill The lovebird may also use a foot to transfer food to its bill Lovebirds also have a strong tongue to remove seeds... valley labor of love breeding Most lovebirds breed in colonies, but some nest in isolated pairs Lovebirds make their nests in cliff faces, termite mounds, holes excavated by woodpeckers and nests of swifts, weavers, sparrows and other birds   The female builds and guards the nest, incubates the eggs for three weeks, then broods the chicks .The male doesn’t help her until the chicks are older, when he... and into South Africa, and west to the Namib Desert; also the deserts of Israel and the Arabian Peninsula Lappet-Faced Vulture 573 Lifecycle food & feeding Other vultures gather around tough-hided carrion and wait for the lappet-faced vulture, the most powerful of all of the vultures, to arrive and rip the carcass open with its beak HABITAT The lappet-faced vulture prefers the bright sun and warmth of. .. wingspan of 6.5' and length of 2.75', much smaller than those of the lappet-faced vulture .The white-headed is one of the most colorful White-headed vultures in Africa; it has a downy, white head, bright vulture orange and blue beak, pink legs and face, and white secondary feathers and tail leading up the middle Lappet-faced vulture of the wing The white-headed vulture is known as the searcher,” since... lappet-faced vulture is one of the shiest and most solitary of the Old World vultures —‑except when feeding Then, the vultures congregate, occasionally gathering in groups of up to 100 birds Once, 35 lappet-faced vultures were observed surrounding a single dead donkey The lappet-faced vulture is normally a silent bird but, when gathered around a piece of carrion, it grunts, growls, hisses and yelps The strongest... earlier in the day in search of food than do other vultures It is often forced to the outskirts of feeding groups when other vulture species arrive and is left to eat the less nutritious scraps 576 Lappet-Faced Vulture RELATED SPECIES • The lappet-faced vulture is 1 of 15 species of Old World vultures in the family Accipitridae, found across Africa, Europe and Asia They are joined by the New World vultures... confronted with a larger bird of prey in the wild, the bird emits a grunting, panting or gasping sound This distress call is often sounded at the sight of other predators, including humans  A topnotch watch A Luzon bleeding-heart The bird then flies a short perches and scans for distance, lands and continues its unwelcome intruders escape by running 3 Bowing down… The male then lowers his head, with... controls its export out of Africa Lappet-Faced Vulture 575 Profile Lappet-faced Vulture vital statistics Immensely broad wings and widely spaced primary feathers allow the lappetfaced vulture to glide for long periods L appets The lappets are loose folds of skin hanging off the side of the face; featherless, they pick up less of the putrid fluids and flesh that the vulture devours Length 3–4' 9–9.5' . his body tilted forward and neck inflated; the head never reaches below the level of the shoulders. The booming display is performed with a fully inflated neck, the wings drooping, and the tail. lappets are loose folds of skin hanging off the side of the face; featherless, they pick up less of the putrid fluids and flesh that the vulture devours. The white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps. forests of podocarps (evergreen coniferous shrubs) and hardwoods, but they’re also found in dry, open forests, scrubland and meadows surrounded by woodland. Because of clearance of native