Creature Feature #346: Ivory-billed Woodpecker

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world. He lived in hardwood swamps and pine forests and was once widespread across the virgin forests of the southeastern United States. Deforestation by the timber industry destroyed his habitat and reduced his numbers dramatically. He used his sturdy bill to hammer, wedge and peel the bark off decaying trees, seeking the wood-boring beetle larvae and insects within. A single pair needed a territory of approximately 25 square kms in which to feed their young and themselves. Various expeditions and anecdotal sightings have occured, with video footage recorded in 2004 confirming that there may still be a few of these impressive birds in existence.

Creature Feature #345: Island Fox

The Island Fox is closely related to the gray fox. Due to isolation, he has evolved into a new species - and several subspecies - on the Californian Channel islands. Smaller in size than his mainland counterpart, he is also more vulnerable to diseases, parasites and predation. The six subspecies all evolved independently of one another, but can interbreed. It is thought that the ancestors "rafted" across from the mainland 10,000 to 16,000 years ago. Island Foxes follow an omnivorous diet of rodents, fruits, insects, birds and eggs. Due to the small nature of their habitat and the limited resources, no population numbers greater than 1000.

Creature Feature #344: Irrawaddy Dolphin

The Irrawaddy Dolphin inhabits coastlines and estuaries around Southeast Asia. Despite her diminutive stature, she is closely related to the orca.  She lives in small pods, hunting for bony fish, cephalopods and crustaceans, using suction to consume it. Occasionally she will spit streams of water - possibly to herd fish - while "spy hopping". She is a slow swimmer and capable of deep dives lasting up to 12 minutes. Fishers in India once used to call out to the Irrawaddy dolphins, encouraging them to drive fish towards their boats and rewarding them with the bycatch. Now she falls prey to gillnets and dragnets, along with being captured and trained for the amusement of a human audience.

Creature Feature #343: Iora

The Iora are four species of passerine found in India and southeast Asia. They forage in small groups, preying on insects gleaned them from among the branches. The males are more brightly coloured and he develops the black cap in breeding season. To court the females he performs an acrobatic aerial display, darting up into the air, fluffing his feathers and spiralling back down to his perch. Eggs are laid in a cup-shaped nest and both parents take turns incubating the eggs.

Creature Feature #342: Indigobird

The Indigobirds are a number of finch-like passerine bird species, related to whydahs. They occur across Africa, inhabiting grassland and open woodland. They are named for the male's breeding plumage, which in all species is various shades of indigo, blue and black. Outside of breeding season, he appears more like the females - dowdy shades of brown, grey and cream. They are brood parasites, using firefinches as their parental hosts. Unlike cuckoos, Indigobird chicks do not destroy the host's eggs. As the chick grows, he learns the song of his host species. Females favour a mate that sings the same tune as her foster parents. His diet consists of seeds and grains

Creature Feature #341: Inca Tern

The Inca Tern is a characterised by his fine moustache (also sported by the females). His range extends along the Humboldt current, on the western side of South America. Here he soars on air currents, scanning the waters for small fish - such as anchovies - on which to feed. Once sighted, he will drop into a dive, striking the water and seizing the prey in his sharp beak. Nests are built on steep cliffs, in burrows and fissures, including the abandoned nests of Humboldt penguins.

Creature Feature #340: Inanga

Inanga are are common species of Galaxias fish, widespread across the southern hemisphere. She can be found in freshwater streams and lakes, favouring still or slow-moving bodies of water. During the high spring tides, she lays her eggs on vegetation. There they remain, exposed to the air, until th enext spring tide. At which point they hatch, and the larvae are swept out to sea. For 5-6 months the larvae live at sea, developing into juvenile fish. These "whitebait" then swim upriver to find suitable habitat, feeding on crustaceans and molluscs until they attain adulthood, spawn and, shortly after, die. Whitebait are often netted and are a considered a delicacy in New Zealand (although I am not sure why - the big black eyes peering out from the fritters ruin my appetite) and the adult Inanga is also threatened by introduced species such as trout.