Rfalconcam Forum

LANNER FALCON

photo of one in Namibia, by Alastair Rae

The Lanner is a hierofalcon. These are four closely related species of falcon which make up the subgenus Hierofalco:
   ▪   Lanner Falcon, Falco biarmicus
   ▪   Laggar Falcon, Falco jugger
   ▪   Saker Falcon, Falco cherrug
   ▪   Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus

They represent members of their genus which are similar to species like the Peregrine Falcon in outward appearance, but usually with more phaeomelanins which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of hawks. Their undersides usually have a lengthwise pattern of dark blotches, lines or arrowhead marks. They hunt usually in level flight, more like goshawks than Peregrines with their dive attack or hobbies with their acrobatic pursuits. (wikipedia)

dale

Lilac-breasted Roller

This is another beautiful sub-Saharan bird.  It is about 14 inches tall.  It has an interesting feeding strategy.  It perches high on the outer exposed branches, showing off its brilliant coloration.  Insects think it is a flower and by the time they figure it out, it is too late!

Photograph is a screen capture from safari.tv.

Gayle

LYREBIRD

here's Attenborough's piece on the lyrebird: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y
(youtube has a number of parodies of this)

and here's that other wonderful one from a news story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1kl7w3sdDE

A 19th century print by John Gould:

dale

Gayle,
 
Looks like you got in there with a paintbrush. 
Why "lilac-breasted"? 

Lesser Scaup

The Lesser Scaup is one of the more common diving ducks with wide distribution.  It does migrate to Central America.  It prefers fresh water.  This is a drake in non-breeding plumage that I found in a pond in the San Francisco Baylands.

Gayle

and the Laggar Falcon; as mentioned in the post about the Lanner, a hierofalcon

wikipedia says: It resembles the Lanner Falcon but is darker overall, and has blackish "trousers" (tibiotarsus feathers). Fledglings have an almost entirely dark underside, and first-year subadult birds still retain much dark on the belly.

Here is a link to a nice photo of one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24580998@N08/3644590288/

and this is the shot from Wikipedia:

Lapwing, Northern

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Lapwing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Lapwing)

Loon(Common)

The eerie yodel of the Common Loon is a symbol of the wild North. The territorial call of the male loon can be heard from lakes across Canada to the very northern United States
(Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Quote from: Annette on Today at 10:17:08 AM
Lapwing, Northern

Annette - I was happy to see this lapwing!
I used to see them in Siberia, way out in the steppes - noticed them for their crests!

I did a quick internet search and found a different lapwing, with a nice name, a critically endangered bird: the SOCIABLE LAPWING, also called the sociable plover

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/mar/30/sociable-lapwing-syrian-hunters-endangered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020093330.htm

dale

OK, what's more romantic than Lovebirds.

  :heart: :heart:

They are a social and affectionate small parrot. Eight species are native to the African continent, while the Grey-headed Lovebird is native to Madagascar. Their name stems from the parrots' strong, monogamous pair bonding and the long periods in which paired birds will spend sitting together. Lovebirds live in small flocks and eat fruit, vegetables, grasses and seed. Black-winged Lovebirds also eat insects and figs, and the Black-collared Lovebirds have a special dietary requirement for native figs, making them problematic to keep in captivity.

Some species are kept as pets, and several color mutations were selectively bred in aviculture. Their average lifespan is 10 to 15 years. (WIKI)

Limpkin: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/341570/limpkin (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/341570/limpkin)

Limpkin!
Kris, I'd never heard that name before, I don't think!
Terrific bird!
wikipedia image:

Here's another site where you can listen to its sound-also called the Crying Bird:

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0131 (http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0131)

Lorikeet, Rainbow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Lorikeet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Lorikeet)

SO...a lilac-breasted roller and a rainbow lorikeet go into a bar...

And just for the record...the Lilac breast is evident in this photo by Callie de Wet

http://www.pbase.com/calliedewet/lilacbreasted_rollers

Gorgeous!!!

Where's my sunglasses!  8) Beautiful color on these birds! :yes:

I am impressed with your Photoshopping, Dale!

Lesser Scaup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Scaup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Scaup)

L is for Common Loon (Gavia immer)  These are the bird of the north.  When we are at the cabin in New Hampshire, they swim past our cabin.  Their calls wake us in the morning.  If the soul of Lake Winnipesaukee had a voice, this would be it.  One misty morning, the two parents called to one another far across the water before joining up and swimming away.

In the summer of 2004, I photographed this family from the porch of our cabin.  They are wary birds that usually stay far out in the lake, so a long lens and good luck are needed.  One picture shows a territorial display.

Paul

L is for Little Blue Heron

The Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, is a small heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a resident breeder in most of its range, but some northern breeders migrate to the southeastern USA or beyond in winter. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range, as far as the border between the US and Canada.

The Little Blue Heron's breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 3-7 light blue eggs are laid.
(Above information from Wikipedia)

 It is the only heron species in which first-year birds and adults show dramatically different coloration: first-year birds are pure white, with pale, black-tipped bill and greenish legs.  It enters adult plumage in the first spring after hatching and may be pied white and blue.
(Above information from The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

I have seen these small, attractive herons down at Long Point and Point Pelee, two Ontario promontories that project into Lake Erie.  As small as they are, they are easy to spot, with their beautiful blue colouring.  However, they are very timid, so binoculars are a must!!

Anne in Toronto


Photo by William L. Newton (Cornell University)

L is for Lava Gull -- this is a bird which is endemic to the Galapagos; this one landed on our boat to hitch a ride (and perhaps try to steal some food).

And one more "Lava" colored bird from the Galapagos: the Lava Heron.  I thought this bird was really pretty, for a mostly gray bird.

And my final entry in the "L" category is the Lark Sparrow.  This photo is not in very good focus; the bird was in deep shade and was too far away, but it's a lovely sparrow.  I took the photo in Southeastern Arizona.

OK, perhaps I'm not quite done.  I couldn't resist one more photo of the Lorikeets.  The Louisville Zoo has an exhibit where you pay $1 for a cup of nectar (we always buy two, since we have two hands), and walk in and feed the Lorikeets.  Once they've emptied the nectar, or gotten full, or bored, they proceed to explore shiny metal objects like jewelry, buttons, zippers, etc..  The red lorikeet is trying to remove my earring, and the one on top of my head is playing with the silver hairs on my head!

L is for Long-eared Owl

From wikipedia:The Long-eared Owl is a medium sized owl. It hunts over open country by night. It is very long winged and glides slowly on stiff wings when hunting. Its food is mainly rodents, small mammals, and birds.


A few years ago we saw this owl in France during a vacation. When it was really dark, they appear. Two parents and 3 owlets and starts to fly. Because of the dark, it was hard to see them and even harder to take a picture of them, you only see a silhouette, don't laugh! When I look at these pictures,  I feel again the excitement from seeing them.

Some pictures from the internet:

http://www.google.com/images?q=long-eared+owl&hl=nl&lr=&safe=off&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=rBDtTKvuF4WSOrGk8aoB&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQsAQwAA

greetings Aafke

Little Grebe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Grebe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Grebe)

Little Bittern

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bittern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bittern)

From the Yahoo side...

   

Pic found here (http://flickriver.com/photos/tags/phaethonlepturus/interesting/)  with more at the link...Ei

BERMUDA LONGTAIL.  I am at a loss about posting a picture but please Google it.
It's a beautiful bird.

om Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BERMUDA LONGTAIL
The White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus, is a tropicbird, smallest of
three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the
order Phaethontiformes. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, western Pacific and
Indian Oceans. It also breeds on some Caribbean islands, and a few pairs have
started nesting recently on Little Tobago, joining the Red-billed Tropicbird
colony. In addition to the tropical Atlantic, it nests as far north as Bermuda,
where it is locally called a "Longtail".

The White-tailed Tropicbird breeds on tropical islands laying a single egg
directly onto the ground or a cliff ledge. It disperses widely across the oceans
when not breeding, and sometimes wanders far. It feeds on fish and squid, caught
by surface plunging, but this species is a poor swimmer. The call is a high
screamed keee-keee-krrrt-krrt-krrt.

The adult White-tailed Tropicbird is a slender, mainly white bird, 71–80 cm long
including the very long central tail feathers, which double its total length.
The wingspan is 89–96 cm, and there is a black band on the inner wing There is
black through the eye and the bill is orange-yellow to orange red. The bill
colour, pure white back and black wing bar distinguish this species from
Red-billed.

Sexes are similar, although males average longer tailed, but juveniles lack the
tail streamers, have a green-yellow bill, and a finely barred back.

Jan in CT

Thanks very much, Ei!  The Bermuda Longtail is a favorite of mine that I wanted to share.  Just didn't know how!

Janin CT

No problem!  Some of the pics at that link are fabulous.  Most have downloading disabled, but this chick is adorable!

by SBA73

L is for Lapwing

Thanks for sending the Lapwing Annette!!
The Lapwing is the most common wader of The Netherlands. There is a cultural-historical competition to finds the first Lapwing egg of the year. Not that I like that.
Here is a picture of a group of Lapwings and another picture of a big flying group of Lapwings.
greetings Aafke

Lady Amherst's Pheasant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Amherst%27s_Pheasant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Amherst%27s_Pheasant)

male

female

"Widespread throughout its large range, the Lady Amherst's Pheasant is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." (wiki-)

I don't know what the folks who make up the Red List have been spending their time looking at, but when I see the tail on that male, I am VERY, VERY concerned ;)

Thanks, Annette! Nice tail!!

dale