(Moved to Another Account)

Moved to a new blog.

[masterkrux-moved-blog]

Just thought I should let you all know that I won't be posting and/or reblogging things on here in the future; I've decided to start over with a new blog, URL and such. If you want to follow me over to the new one, I can give you the link to it (should you ask.) If not, that's perfectly fine and know that it's been great having you as a follower on here.

That being said, I'm not going to delete this blog but there will not be any future posts after this one.

[scipsy-blog]

Infrared View of the Milky Way Center

[larvitars]

Artist: ぱてこ

[allbirbs-blog]

[becausebirds]

never stop tweeting

[bogleech]

dinosaurs ruled our planet for eons and now they toot while people put oven mitts on their heads

[space-wallpapers]

Lake Rinnensee at night with Milkyway (phone) Click the image to download the correct size for your phone in high resolution

[avianawareness]

Why does this exist? I feel as confused as that cockatiel.

[gottacatchemall]

[ポケモン版 ワンドロまとめ]

[cutebutbitey]

He plopped onto the window sill and just layed there for half an hour wondering why he wasn’t getting warm. Then decided to blame me. Look at that accusing stare. “Why didn’t you turn the sun on for me???? >:[ “

[brightestofcentaurus]

RCW 38

RCW 38 is a star cluster located about 5,500 light years away towards the constellation Vela, the Sails. The stars are still surrounded by their birth clouds of dust and gas, which are shaped by the strong stellar winds and radiation from the young stars. 

Many of these stars are point X-ray sources, emitting X-rays from their hot upper atmospheres. However, a diffuse cloud of X-rays have also been observed, with a high concentration of high energy X-rays, usually produced by exploding stars or the magnetic fields around neutron stars or black holes. But there is no evidence of this kind of activity in the cluster. It is thought that the X-rays could be the result of a hidden supernova whose direct impact faded long ago.

Image from ESO, information from Chandra.

[dendroica]

Bird of the Week: Pin-tailed Manakin

The Pin-tailed Manakin is the only member of its genus and is found only in Brazil. Like other manakins such as the Araripe, it is sexually dimorphic: Males have flashy plumage, while females are a dull greenish color. These small, short-tailed birds tend to be solitary but can occur within mixed-species flocks.

Like many species of the dwindling Atlantic Forest region, this bird’s population is likely in decline because of ongoing habitat destruction. Pin-tailed Manakins can be found in the Mata do Passarinho reserve (also known as Stresemann’s Bristlefront Reserve), where ABC and Fundação Biodiversitas, supported by PetroBras, have protected 1,468 acres. Threatened species such as the Stresemann’s Bristlefront and Banded Cotinga occur here, as well as Gilt-edged Tanager and Saffron Toucanet.

Male manakins are known for their elaborate group courtship displays, which often take place on gathering grounds called “leks.” Female manakins visit these leks to pick a mate from the group of displaying males.

Unlike many in their family, male Pin-tailed Manakins “dance” alone, making whirring and snapping sounds with specialized wing and tail feathers and flashing their bright red rump feathers during short, rapid flights.

Other birds that gather in leks include the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, found only in a small range in the United States, and the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, a long-distance migrant that breeds in the far north and winters as far south as Argentina.

(via American Bird Conservancy)

[keithcurrypochy]

Green Heron (Butorides virescens) locks on to it’s next meal. 

Anhinga Trail

Everglades National Park, FL

[northwestnaturalist]

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) Emberizidae

Burch Mountain, Wenatchee National Forest, WA April 27, 2013 Robert Niese

White-crowned Sparrows are an abundant migrant (sometimes resident) of the PNW with a very easy-to-identify song. If you’re just starting out learning to identify bird song, try your luck with the local sparrows first.

[animalgifdaily]

[faithnomore-deactivated20230829]

[Jurassic Park theme plays]

[libutron]

In the Madagascar Red Fody redder males are better reproductive mates

The Madagascar Red Fody, Foudia madagascariensis (Passeriformes - Ploceidae) is a highly sexually dimorphic species endemic to Madagascar, in which males exhibit extensive carotenoid-based plumage. 

In some species of birds, red, orange and yellow feather coloration reflects male quality and advertises the carotenoid concentration of feathers. Such coloration is an important aspect of mate selection by females. It has been shown that red color in males of the Madagascar Red Fody reflects body condition and a measure of reproductive success and could function as an indicator of individual quality.

Reference: [1]

Photo credit: ©Olaf Pronk | Locality: not indicated (2013)

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Greater Hoopoe-lark (Alaemon alaudipes)

…a species of lark (Alaudidae) which are distributed throughout northern Africa, the middle east and the coast of the Red Sea. Greater hoopoe-larks are typically seen along the ground, where they will feed on the fruting bodies of fungi, invertebrates, small lizards, and seeds. They are also known to use the inhabit the shelters of Uromastyx lizards, to avoid the heat of day. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Passeriformes-Alaudidae-Alaemon-A. alaudipes

Image: Sumeet Moghe

[avianeurope]

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) »by Frode Falkenberg

[spacettf]

The Flame and the Horsehead - 29-31 December 2014 by Peter the Fraudfinder on Flickr.