100 Day Project Days 19-22
Days 19 - 22
A colourful bunch for this set of 4! Tell me in the comments which is your favourite!
Ruddy kingfisher - Found across east and SE Asia, they're rare in Japan which makes them highly sought after by bird watchers. Like all kingfishers they eat crustaceans, insects and small fish but they have also been known to eat frogs and other amphibians in areas with less running water.
Wrinkled hornbill - On the endangered side of the IUCN red list, where they've been since 2018 (after being up-listed from vulnerable). Out of all the hornbills, the wrinkled hornbill has the largest number of individuals in captivity. Amazingly they don't drink, getting all the water that they need from their food. Suffering from habitat loss and hunting, their tail feathers are used in traditional costumes. Sadly even chicks aren't safe as they can fetch a high price.
Golden white-eye - in 2011, 24 individuals were sent to a predator free island in hopes of establishing a breeding population. Preyed upon by snakes, there's efforts now to curb the snake population in their habitat as well as breeding them in zoos.
Lilac breasted roller - Unofficially the national bird of Kenya these spunky birds are super aggressive when defending their nests taking on raptors and other birds! Their name comes from the territorial display they perform when nesting where one bird will watch the nest and the other will take to the skies.