10-14-2019, 07:21 PM
Birds: non-‘Passeriformes’ (I)
Order: Coliformes
Colidae
= Mousebirds.
At least one species, in the "drier" forests & scrub.
Probably main seed-dispersal agent for the Mint-Trees.
Possibly curious about Human activity.
'Bar-tailed Mousebird' is the species around Mint Trees... & houses.
(SUGGESTED)
Order: Strigiformes.
Falcostrigidae *
This family contains the ‘Falcon-Owlets’ and [probably extinct] Falcon-Owls.
Its taxonomic position relative to the Order's two "main" [i.e. also existing in currently in RL] families, Strigidae & Tytonidae, has not yet been resolved.
This is a fairly “ancient” lineage, with fossils from at least the Oligocene epoch and possibly even the Upper Eocene. Its early members evolved, in the absence of Falcons from this region at that time, to fill “Falcon-like” ecological roles. Today, although the larger species have been rendered extinct due to competition from falcons (and hawks, too?), a number of species from the smaller ‘Falcon-Owlet’ group (usually classified as a ‘Subfamily: Falcostrigulinae’) still survive on this continent. They live & hunt mainly in the rainforests and other non-‘seasonal’ forests, mainly in daytime, because their specialised eyes give them an advantage in the relatively low levels of illumination that are typical — even in daytime — under the closed canopy there. Their prey consists mainly of small birds and large insects, which they take in the air or from branches rather than on the ground, and their wings have become better for speedy flight than those of “typical” owls but at the cost of reduced ‘silent flight’ capability. There is also one mainly-nocturnal genus, ‘Melanostrigulus’, which preys largely on bats: Its members have hearing optimised for detecting their targets’ echo-location cries, and at least one species is apparently capable of emitting ‘screeches’ of its own at a high enough pitch to interfere with those cries as well.
(under work)
__________________________________________
Flamingos could live there, given the existence of suitable lakes or lagoons in which to feed and to breed.
Order Trogoniformes: one or more members in this nation’s forests? (very colourful!)
Order Coraciiformes: Kingfishers, Rollers, Bee-eaters. (all very colourful!)
including (SUGGESTED)
'Violet Roller'
Oh, and probably parrots — or parakeets, at least — have found their way in by now, either directly from Asia or via some other part of the IDU, as well.
RL Earth has a single species of Osprey, or ‘Fish—Hawk’, belonging to the family Pandionidae and order Acciptriformes, which is found on all of the continents apart from Antarctica. The same situation applies on the IDU’s Earth, although with a separate [but closely-related] species of our own, and as suitable conditions exist in this nation I would expect to see it here. The genus name is Pandion, as for the RL species, but I’m still searching my notes for the exact name that I remember having given to the Iduvian one…
Order: Coliformes
Colidae
= Mousebirds.
At least one species, in the "drier" forests & scrub.
Probably main seed-dispersal agent for the Mint-Trees.
Possibly curious about Human activity.
'Bar-tailed Mousebird' is the species around Mint Trees... & houses.
(SUGGESTED)
Order: Strigiformes.
Falcostrigidae *
This family contains the ‘Falcon-Owlets’ and [probably extinct] Falcon-Owls.
Its taxonomic position relative to the Order's two "main" [i.e. also existing in currently in RL] families, Strigidae & Tytonidae, has not yet been resolved.
This is a fairly “ancient” lineage, with fossils from at least the Oligocene epoch and possibly even the Upper Eocene. Its early members evolved, in the absence of Falcons from this region at that time, to fill “Falcon-like” ecological roles. Today, although the larger species have been rendered extinct due to competition from falcons (and hawks, too?), a number of species from the smaller ‘Falcon-Owlet’ group (usually classified as a ‘Subfamily: Falcostrigulinae’) still survive on this continent. They live & hunt mainly in the rainforests and other non-‘seasonal’ forests, mainly in daytime, because their specialised eyes give them an advantage in the relatively low levels of illumination that are typical — even in daytime — under the closed canopy there. Their prey consists mainly of small birds and large insects, which they take in the air or from branches rather than on the ground, and their wings have become better for speedy flight than those of “typical” owls but at the cost of reduced ‘silent flight’ capability. There is also one mainly-nocturnal genus, ‘Melanostrigulus’, which preys largely on bats: Its members have hearing optimised for detecting their targets’ echo-location cries, and at least one species is apparently capable of emitting ‘screeches’ of its own at a high enough pitch to interfere with those cries as well.
(under work)
__________________________________________
Flamingos could live there, given the existence of suitable lakes or lagoons in which to feed and to breed.
Order Trogoniformes: one or more members in this nation’s forests? (very colourful!)
Order Coraciiformes: Kingfishers, Rollers, Bee-eaters. (all very colourful!)
including (SUGGESTED)
'Violet Roller'
Oh, and probably parrots — or parakeets, at least — have found their way in by now, either directly from Asia or via some other part of the IDU, as well.
RL Earth has a single species of Osprey, or ‘Fish—Hawk’, belonging to the family Pandionidae and order Acciptriformes, which is found on all of the continents apart from Antarctica. The same situation applies on the IDU’s Earth, although with a separate [but closely-related] species of our own, and as suitable conditions exist in this nation I would expect to see it here. The genus name is Pandion, as for the RL species, but I’m still searching my notes for the exact name that I remember having given to the Iduvian one…