Habitat destruction and wild captures for animal trade have reduced the number of laugh thrushes to about 250 in the wild. About 150 live in zoos. There is an international breeding programme for these charasmatic birds, which fly into the wood i groups to look for food and never stop chattering while doing that.
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During the migration between the winter and the breeding area many bar-headed geese have to cross the Himalayas. Sometimes they reach flight heights of over 9000 meters: bar-headed geese have already been seen flying over Mount Everest. They survive the lack of oxygen at these hights because of a special adaptation: the red blood pigment hemoglobin is different than the one of mammals or other birds. Because of it they are able to absorb oxygen particularly quickly at low pressure. The trigger is a single mutation by which the amino acid proline in the alpha chain of hemoglobin (α-globin) is replaced by alanine.
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Blue and gold macaw couples usually stay together their whole life. When choosing a female the most colourful males have the best chances.
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Blue eared pheasant males are very aggressive during mating season and later defend their chicks vigorously even against large predators. That is why they were considered symbols of bravery and irrepressible courage in China. Generals of the Han and Qing dynasties received helmets with blue eared pheasant tail feathers to inspire them to be as brave as the birds.
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Blue-fronted amazons either benefit or experience damage from humans. On the one hand, arable lands provide an additional source of food. In particular corn and sunflower fields and fruit plantations helf to overcome times of low nutritional resources. But blue-fronted amazons are also persecuted by humans. Farmers shoot them because of the damage they cause on their fields and hundreds of thousands are being captured for animal trade. They also suffer from deforestation of breeding trees and the overgrazing of meadows by cattle herds.
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When the Spanish conquered Mexico in 1528 the Aztec king Montezuma already kept tame turkeys to adorn himself with their feathers. Their meat was only eaten on festive days as they were of high religious value in the cult of the dead. After the discovery of America they were brought to Europe and bred especially for their meat. In contrast to the American Indians Europeans consider turkeys ugly because of their red, naked forehead and neck lobes.
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In the steppe-areas of Australia budgerigars live in large swarms of up to several thousand birds. They often have to travel long distances searching for food and water. Traveling in such a large flock has several advantages for the birds: several pairs of eyes see more than one. Therefore food and enemies are detected faster. In addition predators have difficulties concentrating on single individuals in such a huge flock which is why hunting is often unsuccessfull.
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The characteristic sound expressions are a long series of three-syllable calls which sound like gi-ge-roi or si-mu-kuai and are pu in different variants as a courtship call of the male as well as in a duet which is initiated by the male and increases in volume.
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In the Middle Ages, this breed of chicken, originally from China and Mongolia, was presented in the circus for a long time as a crossbred between rabbits and chickens.
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Cockatiels live a wandering live. They are constantly looking for water and a good supply of food. Their incubation periond depends on the rain. As soon as the rainy season begins they look for breeding caves because only during this time they find enough food to raise their offspring. If the rainy season lasts for a longer period of time they breed more than once in quick succession.
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In the zoo you can experience a terrific spectacle in spring just like in traditional mating areas of the crane. The couple circles around each other, take a bow, bob their bodys up and down and pick up objects from the ground which they then throw behind their backs.They repeatedly jump gracefully into the air. Then they face each other with their wings widespread and trumpet loudly with their beaks pointing skywards. The distinctive call is enabled by a loop-shaped elongated trachea.
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With a courtship dance the Chinese parakeet males try to gain the sympathy of females. The male straightens up und turns his head sharply to the right or left. Then a sham cleaning of the beak and the plumage with their feet follows. They spin several times in front of the females. If they have gained the affection of the females with that they laid out a nest in preferably poplars. The female does not leave the nest during the incubation period and is therefore fed by the male.
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Around 1880 breeders began to pair robust country chickens with Minorca-Langshan crossbreeds in the Ore Mountains.
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This fast-growing, wheather-resistent breed was bred in the years 1948-53 from delicate production animals (Wyandotte chicken, Rhode Island Reds and New Hamphshires) at the suburban area of Dresden.
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The Pomeranian goose is an old landrace from Hither Pomerania, parts of Mecklenburg and especially from the island of Rügen. It is promoted as a regional product in the area of the Oder Estuary.
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The crop of the birds is a sacking of the gullet on the neck. The mucous membrane of the crop contains glands. Both parents of the pigeons produce a secretion which is the crop milk, a few days before the young hatch. The secretion is vital for the development of the chicks. A pigeon's milk has a similar function as the milk of mammals.
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Silk chickens lack the typical feather structure of birds with the “feather flag” closed, so that all feathers are fluffy like down feathers. Therefore they cannot fly. The calm, trusting hens breed very reliably. They even stay seated when all of their eggs are taken away. Since they also manage their chicks well, they are often taken as "foster mothers" for less reliable chicken breeds.
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Edward's pheasants are already considered extinct in their area of origin because of habitat destruction and hunting. About 1000 birds are in human care. One day it is hoped to resettle them back into their area of origin - when the needed living consitions are restored. The Nature Conservation Zoo Görlitz paticipates in the international breeding programme.
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The golden pheasant leads a loner. Only during mating season the male woos the female with piercing calls and a spectacular dance. With a ruffled crest and spread feather collar, covering beak and neck the male jumps around the female in a circle. Then he suddenly turns around and repeats the spectacle on the other side. During that scenario one can hear a metallic sounding double call which sounds like "chap-chock". During the breeding season he leaves the hen and lets her take care of the chicks on her own.
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Vom reichen Nahrungsangebot angelockt, brüten Jahr für Jahr immer mehr Graureiher im Tierpark. Im Jahr 2004 waren es schon 34 Paare - mit den Jungen insgesamt also etwa 200 Vögel. Sie sind sehr gewitzt, ja manchmal unverfroren und machen den Störchen, Kranichen oder Fischottern das Futter streitig. Die Tierpark-Tiere müssten Hunger leiden, wenn ihnen die Pfleger nicht zusätzliche Rationen oder das Futter in speziellen Behältern anbieten würden.
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Especially in the mornings the magnificent griffon vulture sails high in the air and looks out for carrion. With their beaks they first tear a whole into the abdomial wall, sticks their head and neck deep into the carcase and eats the internal organs. Since the neck is only sparsely feathered it can be easily cleaned of blood and meat remnants. After the meal only fur and bones remain of the carcass. That is also how vultures prevent the spread of diseases.
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The amazing talent of the hill myna to imitate voices eclipses that of many parrots. But this linguoistic talent also gets them in trouble. Because of that hill mynas are a very popular and a worldwide much-traded bird species especially in Asia which results in a lonely life in mostly small cages for them. In some countries hill mynas are also sold as a delicacy which reduces the stocks even further.
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If you are looking for the lesser necklaced laughing thrush in the forests of South-East-Asia you should listen to the bird calls and songs around you. Just like other laughingthrushes lesser necklaced laughing thrushes are noisy birds. Their melodious „laughter“ can be heard over large distances. In groups of 4 to 30 animals they go through the bushes of the woods looking for food.
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In late autumn mallard ducks show a strange spectacle. The drakes come together for their "courtship dances" and the plain brown females are there as spectators. The "dance steps" follow repetitively a specific sequence.
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Peacocks are kept in parks due to their gorgeous plumage for 3000 years. Especially eye-catching are their tail feathers, which are decorated with eye patches and can be erected into a fan. Peacocks also display their tail feathers in their natural habitat, the woods and jungles of Southeast Asia. They tremble and rattle with their feathers. This way they want to impress hens as well as rivals and thus show their health, strength and beauty.
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