#cristatus

[notesfromasmallworld]

As the peacock fly

I had wanted to take a photo of indian peacocks actually flying for years. The large and heavy birds with their train of feathers are able to fly, but often they prefer walking. Flying is hard work.

Not this one. He and his flock of peafowls where walking on the roofs of the buildings of the Lamido palace in Ngouandéré. Getting around meant flying. And I spent some quality time walking after them waiting for the jump and flight.

The local chieftain/king/Lamido in Nguandere had this old, classic symbol of power and wealth - peacocks wandering free in his private gardens.

They are not elegant flyers.

Royal symbol

The indian name for peafowl is Mayura, meaning killer of snakes. Understandably, a fashion statement that is actually useful probably help them being closely connected to culture and power.

Killing of snakes is also symbolic for cycling of time.

According to myths, the Mayura was created by feathers from Garuda, a highly important birddemigod in hinduism and buddhist culture.

Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, have peafowl as her symbol.

[coffeenuts]

[seabeck]

Strange, rare mushroom. In both places they’ve been found locally there’s plenty of perfect logs for them to grow on nearby but either they’re picky or they struggle to populate other logs. Maybe they’re not good at competing other species. Who knows.

[maureen2musings]

Birds of Spring

jukkarisikko

[hurglewurm]

peacock (pavo cristatus) i started drawing on my lunch break

[kavohh707]

That is a very spiky catch of the day, but the grebe managed to swallow the fish whole after several tries.

[fullfrontalbirds]

Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)

© Tomáš Grim

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

[snototter]

A male great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) in the UK

by Mike J Whitfield

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A female aardwolf (Proteles cristatus), photographed in South Africa’s Benfontein Nature Reserve. Sliwa first headed here in 1991 to do fieldwork on this species of hyena, then became fascinated by the black-footed cat.

Image by Alex Sliwa.

[birdstudies]

November 17, 2023 - Pūteketeke, Kāmana, or Australasian Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus australis) A subspecies of the Great Crested Grebe, these birds are found in lakes in parts of Australia and the South Island of New Zealand. They eat mostly fish as well as some aquatic invertebrates. Breeding between September and March, they perform elaborate courtship dances and build floating nests from sticks and water plants attached to branches or reeds. Females lay clutches of five to seven eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs, covering them with weeds when they aren’t incubating and carrying the chicks on their backs after they hatch. The New Zealand population declined to a low of around 200 birds in the 1980s due to introduced predators, habitat loss, and human disturbance from power boating and other recreational activities. Their numbers are currently increasing after conservation efforts.

[inatungulates]

Indian wild pig Sus scrofa cristatus

Observed by roylesafaris, CC BY-NC

[drafthearse]

Australian owlet-nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus). Mount Hope, New South Wales, Australia.

[stopandlook]

Scientific Name: Arilus cristatus Common Name(s): North American wheel bug Family: Reduviidae (assassin bug) Life Stage(s): Adult Location: Allen, Texas Season(s): Fall

Side and top views of the same individual.

All members of the genus Arilus share the distinctive cogwheel-like crest on their backs, giving rise to the common name “wheel bug.” Within this genus, A. cristatus is the only species found in the United States, making identifying this insect a fairly straightforward task.

[run-bird-run]

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

© Angeline Mano M

[kavohh707]

This young grebe has managed to dive, but came back only with some leaves. It seems it is not so easy to catch some fish.