Shen Meihua, known as the fossil teacher, is an avid animal lover, who has traveled most of Africa, and has three years of animal protection work experience in South African protected areas, which has made her indissoluble with Africa. After returning to China, she became an animal expert and popular science writer.
This time, the fossil teacher went to the wild to open a new column - the great mystery of biology. Through the popularization of nature and wildlife knowledge, lead more people to enter nature, understand nature, and promote responsible nature travel.
Then today's biological mystery will be discussed! (Knock on the blackboard)
1. Magic St. Paul
Going to South America is very painful. The most painful thing is the plane that adds up to more than 24 hours. After two flights of more than 10 hours each, I sat down, felt that my ass was not like my own, and when I basically walked out of São Paulo Airport, I was already in a state of confusion. However, the guide who came to pick me up, Demis, was very energetic, and after a few greetings, I was already in the car to the Atlantic Forest.
(Insert: "Hey, I haven't changed the money yet..."
"It's okay, you can't use the money for this trip anyway."
"That calling card..."
"Is there internet in the hotel restaurant, or do you want to be online all the time?"
Not necessarily. Then, I was in the car. ）
It was my first time in Brazil, so I told Demis on the way that although I also had some of my own target species, everything here was new to me, bird or beast, and I was interested in everything. I think that's good news for Demis because it means I have limitless potential to add new things, and I'm curious about how much I can see here.
Also on the downtown road of São Paulo, you can see a black bird parked on almost every street lamp on the side of the road. At first I thought it was a crow, but the shape was not too similar, and the telescope had not yet been taken out of the box. I know that in South America, you have to throw out all your original knowledge of species, because for us in the Old World, South America is a place that doesn't play by the rules, so I asked Demis, what are those? He said, "Black Vulture." "What about the ones flying in the sky?" "Southern Caracara."
Well, these two guys are rookies in St. Paul. Sure enough, the urban rookies of various places are very different. From sparrows and bald eagles in Shanghai, crows and sea eagles in Japan, vultures in Nairobi, to American vultures and giant falcons in Brazil. I can't figure out why many places are raptors reduced to rookies, so envious ah ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
There's inevitably a Road Kill on the road, but does this Road Kill corpse look a little weird? I was trying to identify what it was when Demis glanced at it and said, "It's an armadillo." “
What！！！ In the city? armadillo??? Emma, I've never seen a living body wow.
In fact, armadillos are quite rare in the wild, and in the later trips, I did not see a single armadillo, mainly because they are nocturnal, just like the African aardvark. However, because the armadillo's eyesight is very poor, it will instinctively curl up in the face of danger, and once they embark on the road, they will inevitably become victims of road killing.
Armadillo Dasypodidae
Together with anteaters and sloths, the Xenarthra/Edentata superorder is formed. Nocturnal, moving slowly on the ground, eating mainly arthropods such as insects, relying on hard bone plates to protect themselves, rolling into balls when attacked, and commonly found in savanna areas. Some are endangered species.
2. Atlantic Forest
Embark on a heart-wrenching bird watching journey
The Atlantic Forest is about a 3-hour drive from São Paulo. Halfway down the drive, we entered the mountains and the scenery changed noticeably. A large amount of dense forest appeared next to it. Judging from the abundant ground vegetation, it belongs to the secondary forest for a long time.
Atlantic Forest
Precarious Atlantic forest
The Atlantic Forest, also known as the Atlantic Coastal Forest, is the second most biodiverse region in the world, home to about 8% of the planet's species. Of all Brazilian bird species, 41% live in atlantic forests.
With 72% of Brazil's population living in this region, the Atlantic Forest is the most threatened ecosystem in Brazil. Over the past few decades, the Atlantic Forest has suffered more severe damage (91.5% of forests have been deforested) than the more famous Amazon (19% loss). Because the Atlantic Forest is home to many endemic species, habitat destruction has led to the extinction of many species, and for 231 endemic species of birds, their survival is also at stake. For example, Alagoas antwren, Myrmotherulasnowi, there are only 35 individuals left in the world living in a small protected area. Currently, more than 120 species of birds in the Atlantic Forest are at risk of extinction.
Before the hotel, a slightly open meadow appeared on the side of the road, next to what appeared to be a farmstead. Demis parked the car on the side of the road. What's going on here? I didn't see anything wow? Demis pointed to a low tree on the side, "There are birds there." So I pulled out my telephoto camera. Emma, not a bird, but a flock of birds, all kinds of different birds, maybe just a wave of birds passing by here? Before I could react, Demis was already standing by and naming me the bird like a dish name:
Green-headed Tanager
Ruby-crowned Tanager
Sayaca Tanager (grey-throated naked-nosed finch)
Golden-chevroned Tanager (golden-shouldered naked-nosed finch, endemic)
Azure-shouldered Tanager (blue-shouldered bare-nosed finch, endemic, near-threatened)
Brazilian Tanager (Brazilian thick-billed Donna finch, endemic)
Saffron Finch (Orange-Yellow Bunting)
Blue-black Grassquit
Bananaquit
House Wren
Variable Antshrike
Gray-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Green-backed Trogon
……
And the one flying in the sky is the Swaylow-tailed Kite (white-collared American kite, endemic, endangered)
There are 20 species of birds in the trees on the side of the road
Slowly and slowly, man, don't play like this, there are almost 20 kinds of birds on this tree???
How can I tell who is who? Besides, the jet lag on my plane has not been reversed, is it really appropriate to give me so many bird names at once? Not to mention that many of the bird names of the New World are already very unfamiliar...
Bird names of the New World
The fauna of the New World is very different from that of the Old World. Therefore, before traveling to the Americas, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the names of the animals beforehand. however......
First of all, you have to master the English names of many taxa, including various strange names such as:
Guan (not to say that the exam should be "closed"),
Chaco Chachalaca (come, pronounce "Chako chalaka" with me),
Tinamou (not "tiramisu" hey),
Potoo (also "fluttering"),
Elaenia (depends on you) – they all look the same, and indeed they can only rely on you to listen to the voice to identify,
Piculet (do you dare to read it in Shanghainese?) ）
Second, you have to realize that all kinds of strange names may refer to the same kind of bird, such as:
Hermit、Sabrewing、Violetear、Sungem、Woodstar、Coquette、Woodnymph、Emerald、Sapphire、Goldenthroat、Starthroat...... They are all different types of hummingbirds, and there are even hummingbirds called "mangoes" (such as Black-throated Mango)!
Also, the bird name you are familiar with may not refer to the bird you think you are. Like what:
Kites are not necessarily "kites", but may also be "eagles", such as the Double-toothed Kite
Hawk is not necessarily an "eagle", it may also be a "hawk", such as the Grey Hawk grey wagtail, or a "chicken duck", such as the Savanna Hawk prairie chicken duck; as for the familiar goose Buzzard, the word does not exist here...
As for Flycatcher, it must not be "Wren", but "Bully", and the "Bully" section includes not only Flycatcher, but also Tody-Tyrant, Tody-flycatcher, Tyrannulet, Flatbill, Myiobius, Monjita, Tyrant, Sirystyes and so on...
Anyway, enough for you to vomit three liters of blood...
Well, this is okay! I was still wearing cave shoes and a pair of tourist outfits that didn't wake up, and before I could react, the bird watching tour began? Seeing that the birds were about to fly away, Demis took out his secret treasure, a Bluetooth player. In the way of sound seduction, attract some birds. I took everything I could capture, got in the car in a daze and started recording. Don't say Chinese don't know what to do, a lot of words don't know how to spell, had to write a sound in a hurry, wait for later and then check it.
The car drove for another ten minutes to the hotel – it was actually more appropriate to say "homestay". This place is the only accommodation facility in the Atlantic Forest area dedicated to receiving "bird people", so there are no dogs, no cats, and many bird feeders.
Birdman exclusive hotel, there are feeders in front of the house and behind the house
As soon as I saw the feeder behind the house, I went crazy again: there were more than a dozen kinds of birds gathered on it, most of which were bananas that I had never seen before. The neotropics have a large number of fruit trees, and bananas, which are mainly eaten by a large number of birds, are obviously sweet and full. The residents here can take the bananas in the bucket and feed them to the birds, and the birds will eat one batch and another... It feels like this hotel probably makes a lot of money to buy bananas...
All kinds of birds love to eat bananas
Birds that particularly like to gather near feeders to eat bananas include several species of parrots (Plain Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parakeet, Maroon-bellied Parakeet), various Tanabills (Magpie Tanager Magpger Tanager, Olive-green Tanager Brazilian Green Tanager, Black-goggled). Tanager Blackface Don Lager Finch, Ruby-crowned Tanager Red Crown Black Donna Finch, Azure-shouldered Tanager Blue-shouldered Naked-nosed Finch [Endemic, Near-Threatened], Golden-chevroned Tanager Golden-shouldered Naked-nosed Finch [Endemic], Green Honeycreeper Green Spinner Finch, Rufous-headed Tanager Red-headed Naked-nosed Finch [Endemic], Bananaquit Curling-Billed Forest Warbler), Red-rumped Cacique Red-waisted Chief oriole, and later also came the Toucan (Red-breasted Toucan Red-breasted Toucan, Saffron Toucanet Orange Toucanet [Near-Threatened]). The most exaggerated thing is that there is also a yellow-fronted Woodpecker yellow-fronted woodpecker, which destroys all three of my views: the god horse? Woodpeckers even eat bananas??? It also means woodpecker??? So the new tropical area is indeed a place where monsters come out...
Yellow-fronted woodpecker who comes to eat bananas
The feeder in front of the house is mainly for hummingbirds. There are several species of hummingbirds (Scale-throated Hermit Scaly-throated Crypbird, Black-throated Mango Mango Hummingbird, Brazilian Ruby Carnelian Hummingbird [endemic], Violet-capped Woodnymph Purple-crowned Hummingbird, Sombre Hummingbird Dark Knife-wing hummingbird, Versicolored Emerald Rainbow Hummingbird) often lingers in front of the feeder. Don't look at the small size of hummingbirds, as extremely territorial birds, they are all super fierce, basically can not see their shared feeder, when one comes to lick the sugar water (yes, they do not suck, they lick with their tongue) often have to drive other hummingbirds away. They flew super fast, their beaks long and pointed, completely ignoring us and rampaging around us, sometimes really afraid of being poked by it.
Rambirds on rampage
Because of the two feeders in front of and behind the house, it is conceivable that it is impossible to eat well in this hotel... Every time you eat, you must keep your camera by your side, always ready, and when you hear someone say, "Another xx (new bird) is coming!" "Just grab the camera and rush out... After all, this is the bird watching hotel, eating and living is not important, the bird is the focus...
By the afternoon, according to the domestic time, it should be the early morning, and I was already sleepy, but I was dragged out by Demis to see the birds. Of course, at this time, I can't expect to find any birds myself, so I rely on Demis to show my skills. That's when I found that The Demis was simply a human bird song player, mimicking almost any bird song with a whistle. Although acoustic seduction certainly has a certain impact on birds, in the forest environment, most birds are usually active in the canopy layer, and the difficulty of observation is far greater than that of the grassland environment I am familiar with.
At dinner that night, Demis took out a checklist of the bird list, checked the birds I saw today, and found that 67 species were added to this day...
You think this is the end? Not really.
Because on the way I asked, "Is there a night tour here?" Demis said, "Yes. So that night, he decided to take me to find the owl. (In fact, when I asked, I didn't think about the night tour ah ~ really ~ )
Since it was a night tour, I took out my "night shooting artifact" - far infrared night vision goggles... Demis was furious at first sight and dragged me around with his night vision goggles. Although the owl was not found that night, a mammal was seen, Paca. this...... What is it? When I saw this animal that looked like a pig and didn't look like a pig, I was confused again... I can't even say what category it is!!! Can only rely on the back to check, a check, found that it is rodents, officially Chinese named tailless prickly guinea pig ... Is this thing actually a big rat? So big? I thought the big rodents in South America were capybaras, but I didn't expect anything else? Emma, South America is really a place to expose yourself to loneliness...
Tailless guinea pig Paca, Cuniculus paca
It belongs to the family Cuniculidae, 70 cm long. The meat is heavily hunted because it is delicious, so it is rarely seen outside the protected area. Nocturnal planters, sleeping in mud holes on the banks of rivers during the day. Loves water and hides in the water when threatened. Specialized cheekbones allow for loud barking. Monogamous, males and females will jointly occupy a field but act alone to forage.
Of course, the night tour can also see some other things
Anyway, a beast topped a hundred birds, I was satisfied. The only regret is that I didn't bring an infrared camera! The mountain walk behind the hotel room is full of tapir footprints!! A while ago, it is said that some people witnessed mountain lions by the pond in the back mountain!!! Sure enough, I regret not bringing an infrared camera every time!!!!
The trail is littered with tapir footprints
Before returning to the room, Demis reminded me behind me: Let's go to the bird watching house early tomorrow morning, oh, 6 o'clock to meet!!! By this time, it was already more than 10 p.m.
Do you want to spell it like this ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
But as usual, since I came, I will go out, what activities do not fall behind is my principle, anyway, the best way to reverse jet lag is not to sleep... Who is afraid of whom?!
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