Creature Feature #74: Bittern

The last of the Bs, the Bittern has been included because I have had to move the Babakoto from the "B" volume into the "IJ" volume, to help bring up the numbers. Who would have thought - there are far more animals beginning with "B" than there are I and J combined.
Suggestions for I or J animals will be graciously accepted. I am also quite low on animals beginning with "E".

The cryptically coloured Bittern clan belong to the Heron Family. She is the shy cousin, her colours affording her great camouflage amongst her marshy home. She is most active at dawn and dusk, stabbing the shallow, muddy water for fish, frogs, reptiles and invertebrates. If danger threatens, she will freeze with her beak arched to the sky in the hope of being mistaken for a tree branch or stump. To attract a mate, the male Bittern emits a low, loud booming call that can carry for several kilometres.

This is the last Animal-a-Day for 2013. We shall resume again on January the 1st with the Cs.
Please continue to send through any suggestions or requests for future Creature Features.

Creature Feature #73: Butterflyfish

Butterflyfish are a Family of small and colourful fish that make their home amongst the coral reefs in the tropical and sub-tropical oceans of the world. There are over 120 species, and an entire rainbow of colours, the colouration is thought to be used as a form of interspecies communication.The diet of the different species varies: some are corallivores, others dine on zooplankton. Corallivores, like this Eclipse Butterflyfish, are territorial, forming mated pairs and defending their personal corals. Whereas the zooplankton feeders form shoals. Butterflyfish are generally found within 18m of the surface and are active during the daylight hours, hiding in reef crevices during the night. Some of the species even change colour, their dark lines increasing and brightness becoming diluted, to allow them some camouflage during the nocturnal hours.

Creature Feature #72: Bustard

Bustards are large, heavy birds that spend the majority of their life on the ground. The male Kori Bustard, featured here, can weigh over 20kg, ranking him among the heaviest flying birds. To get airborne, he needs a considerable run-up and thus he makes his home in the open plains of Africa, where there are few trees to hinder him. To attract a mate, he puts on a fine display: puffing up his white throat, arching his head back, fanning his tail and strutting his stuff in an effort to out compete his rivals. He will mate with all willing females and plays no role in raising his offspring. The female lays her eggs in a shallow, unadorned hollow, often near a patch of cover, and rarely leaves them to forage for food. Sometimes she will cover herself in branches for additional camouflage. Chicks are precocial and forage with their mother within a few hours of hatching.

Creature Feature #71: Bush Dog

This diminutive canine measures two feet long and 12 inches at the shoulder. He lives in lowland forests of Central and South America, in small family packs lead by an alpha pair. He is generally to be found near water and his feet are partially webbed, allowing him to swim well and even dive. Bush dogs hunt in packs, vocalising regularly to one another.

Creature Feature #70: Bumblebee

There are over 250 species of these furry bees, which occur naturally across most of the Northern Hemisphere and South America, and have been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. She is covered in long, branched bristles, called “pile”, which make her appear fuzzy. This pile becomes electrostatically charged whilst the bee is flying, and when she crawls inside a flower, the pollen is attracted to this charge. She also stores nectar in her crop and in specially modified concaves on her hindlegs, in which it is held in place by hairs. Unlike bees, her sting is not barbed, and she can sting multiple times.

I have once been stung by a bumblebee: it burned horribly, painfully, for several minutes, enough for me to start researching on the ‘net quite how serious they are, but faded within an hour and did not even leave a mark or swelling.

Creature Feature #69: Bulbul

There are numerous species of Bulbul, naturally distributed across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. As relatively attractive songbirds, they have enjoyed some popularity as pets and as such have now become established outside of their natural homes. Here they have become rather a pest as many of the species, particularly the red vented, are aggressive and damaging to crops. The red whiskered fellow here is less aggressive, but has been found to carry bird malaria parasites and also aids the spread of introduced, exotic plants.

There is a campaign in Auckland, New Zealand, at the moment  - where the red vented bulbul has been sighted, to eliminate it and stop it establishing itself there. It has already been foiled in attempts at colonisation in the past, and if it did manage to breed here would quickly become a major pest that would beat up on our remaining native birds and damage our agricultural industry. The mynah bird is bad enough, it does not need any more aggressive companions.

Creature Feature #68: Bufflehead

The Bufflehead is a diminutive sea duck, one of the smallest species in North America. They are highly active, diving almost continuously to feed their high metabolism. Due to their small size, they are able to fit into the nesting cavities evacuated, and abandoned, by the Northern Flicker. Pairs form a monogomous relationship and the female uses the same nest cavity year after year. The term "bufflehead" is a shortened version of "buffalo head" for the male's large head: during mating season he fluffs up his head feathers for dramatic purposes. Outside of breeding season, they form in small flocks and migrate.