They fly, they flutter

Oooh! Pretty butterfly! Eh....no...moth. Uh...butterfly? No, moth? Urm...maybe butterfly?!

URGH! WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?! Both have wings and fly! 


Raise your hands if you get confused, or worse still, go by the colour method: butterflies are colourful and beautiful, moths are dull and ugly. *sheepishly raising our collective hands* Be prepared to be enlightened, fellow mortals. 

Day flying moth (Syntomis huebneri)

The Diff

1. Butterflies tend to close up their wings when they're sitting somewhere, whereas moths tend to rest with their wings open, like in the picture above, of the Day flying moth spotted at Sebana. Apparently butterflies are more self conscious about their bodies... seems to be that beautiful individuals tend to be eh? (not that we're saying that moths aren't beautiful, for all you moth-fans out there)
2. Butterflies are also usually out and about during the day, whereas moths, like Grant, are often only out drinking(Nectar, not beer! For the moths at least...) at night. One of several exceptions to this 'rule' is the moth above, which is hence unimaginatively named 'Day flying moth'.
3. Many butterflies are slim and smooth, whereas moths tend to be fat and fuzzy. Kind of like a teddy bear with wings. Well... not really, but you get the picture :)
4. Butterflies do tend to be more brightly coloured, whilst moths, our furry creatures of the night, tend to be dull coloured-brown, grey, black, or white. Moths that are active in the day, like the one above, tend to be more brightly coloured though.
5. Look closely with your superior ocular powers and you will notice(assuming that they keep still, which in reality, is an uncommon occurrence) that butterflies have knobbed/clubbed antennae whereas the antennae of moths is much more variable. This is pretty much why the Order Lepidoptera used to be further divided into the suborders of Rhopalocera(clubbed antennae, i.e. butterflies) and Heterocera(non-clubbed antennae).

Clubbed antennae of most butterflies
[Image adapted from this website on 19 May 2010]

Important Note: These are characteristics mankind(and possibly womankind as well) has described as belonging to butterflies or moths. There are plenty of exceptions! They are not going to comply with our rules just because we want it to! 


Be humbled by the grandeur that is nature :)

References

The Field Museum. (2007). Research & Collections: Zoology: Butterflies: Butterfly Basics: Butterflies vs. Moths. Retrieved May 21, 2010, from The Field Museum: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/

Yesterday Once More

"And not so long ago

How I wondered where they'd gone

But they're back again

Just like a long lost friend"

- The Carpenters (1973) 

Fluffy marshmallows in the sky

Day is done...

Gone the sun

The Hornbill Jig

If you've had the deluxe hornbill experience, you're unlikely to forget it anytime soon. These curiously large birds are characteristically noisy, have strange projections on their bills, and some are simply...grotesque! And did we mention they make the oddest, and most unpleasant of sounds? 


Yet it is precisely these things that seem to have been the source of inspiration for numerous tribes in the creation of costumes and folktales! And because we just happen to have slave drivers for superiors be really committed to the great numbers of readers we have, we figured we'll spend some of our precious time hounding people for pictures, as well as information, as to how hornbills are represented in various cultures. 


For assistance with this post, as well as for allowing us to use these photos, we would like to thank Karelin Loh (Single, fabulous and *ahem ahem* available).


Far, far away, in the snow capped mountains of Myanmar, is the state of Kachin. The people of Kachin can be further broken down into several different ethnicities. Unsurprisingly, this is reflected in both their dressing, as well as their speech. Surprisingly, the Kachin are present not only in Myanmar, but in parts of China and India as well. Yet further proof of how colonial powers did not take into consideration how communities were spread when they decided to just go along and erect artificial boundaries to create countries. 


Binding these unique communities, is their celebration of the Manau festival, during which, the Manau dance is...well...danced around the colourfully decorated poles you see below. The designs on the beams are inspired by nature, as is often the case with rural tribes- animals, plants, the Sun, the Moon, and even Earth!


On one of the horizontal cross beams(there are 12 beams in total), though not visible here, a hornbill head is carved at one end, and on the other, the tail of the hornbill, since this bird plays a very central role in the origins of the Manau festival. In fact, the hornbil was often interpreted as being symbolic of the chief, who maintained unity and order.

Manau Festival...poles?!

There are several different stories that tell the origins of this festival. One of the many versions:

Once upon a time, the Sun God summoned to his court a community of birds, for the sole purpose of entertaining him with their dance. This group, led by a Hornbill proceeded to dance for him. Later, these birds then taught the Kachin the same dance, and it has been danced by the Kachin ever since, in honour of a spirit.

The details are a little sketchy, mainly because information on tribal stories is, unfortunately, difficult to come by. So much knowledge not yet formally recorded down, whether the subject matter is culture or nature. Will we lose everything before we even begin to understand our world?

Leaders of Manau festival, followed by the various clans

Headdress of the leaders constructed of hornbill and peacock feathers

References

Sadan, M. (2002). The Kachin manau and manau shadung: the development of an ethno-cultural symbol in Burma. In T. R. Alexandra Green, Burma: Art and Archaeology (pp. 119-132). Chicago: Art Media Resources.

The legend of the Ceibo

This plant is a relatively short tree(trees are plants, but plants are not always trees) with brilliant red flowers. It's beauty has helped in bringing this plant all the way to Asia from South America(via itchy human hands), where it originates. Here it is known as the Cockspur coral tree. But back home, it is known by a different name. It is known there as, the Ceibo.

Flower of the Cockspur coral tree, aka Ceibo (Erythrina crista-galli)

"Long, long ago, in the farway land of South America there lived an Indian Queen(or princess...depending on who's telling the story...). Now, in normal fairy tales, princesses and queens are always fair and beautiful. But this is no ordinary tale! This queen was HIDEOUS! She had the kind of face that made babies cry; the kind of face...only a mother could love! But.. she was blessed with the most melodious, sweet voice ever heard to be heard. A voice truly deserving of being called beautiful. And the name of this unconventional princess- Anahi.

All was well in these distant lands, until one day, strange men landed on the shores of South America and claimed the land for their own. Her people fought hard, but alas! Anahi was captured and taken prisoner. She was brave and determined. She wasn't about to go down without a fight! In an attempt to escape, she killed the guard who was tasked with watching over her.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to escape their clutches. And this time, they condemned her to be burned at the stake the next night! She was tied to a tree and set aflame. 

The morning after, in the clearing where Queen Anahi was burned, something mysterious was to be seen. A single tree grew in the very spot this queen was burnt at. A single tree, with twisted branches, with beautiful red flowers in full bloom. There stood the Ceibo. "

Not bad for our first attempt at story telling eh?   [applause] [/applause]


As seems to be the case with many myths and legends, there are a number of versions to this tale, depending on who you're hearing it from. The basic outline of the story is pretty much the same though- Native woman is captured. Native woman is burnt at the stake. Native woman 'turns' into Ceibo, or as we know it, the Cockspur coral tree. It's just the little details that differ, so we've just gone ahead and picked the version we like best. Deal with it. 


Note: Many plants and animals feature in stories the world over, particularly in stories told by tribes, since it is these communities that are(arguably) closest to nature. Unsurprisingly, highly conspicuous as they tend to be, hornbills too feature in many stories in the regions where they may be found. If you should come across one such story, please do let us know. Sharing is caring after all...(or is it the other way around eh?)

References
Ruggero, C. (2006). Ceibo. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from Bewildering Stories: http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue227/ceibo.html

Road trip of sorts

On the long way back to Singapore, we stopped over at a quaint fruit stall by the side of the road.

Roadside Fruit Stall

Grant taking his pick of jambu fruits.These delightfully juicy fruits are sought after by many animals, including fruit bats, monkeys, and the Jambu Fruit Dove. The high water content of these fruits make for a refreshing thirst quenching snack, particularly on one of Southeast Asia's brutally hot days.

Brilliantly pink and juicy: Jambu Air

Another fruit commonly cultivated in Malaysia is bananas! There are 2 main types of bananas, with a grand total of around 300 species! (Who knew?!) The ones you see below are the "fruit" type, meaning that they are usually eaten raw when they've turned banana yellow :) The other type is known as the plantain banana.This variety is usually cooked before consumption, and is even known to some as the vegetable banana. To find out more about how bananas have featured in history, from banana toys to banana skirts... take a look at this quirky website. Don't suppose banana skirts will be in fashion anytime too soon though. Such a pity.

Banana-mania

It was rather unfortunate that this shop also had a Baya weaver bird's nest displayed. The nest of this bird is often collected and sold, simply because it is beautiful. However, after the nestlings have fledged, this painstakingly constructed nest is not simply abandoned to the forces of nature. It is also known to be used by other small birds. Other birds also take material from these nests to build their own nests. Removing these nests from the environments means that these birds are either deprived of a home entirely, or they have to spend more time and energy searching for suitable nesting material; time and energy they could have devoted to something else, like feeding.

Baya weaver bird's nest (Ploceus philippinus)

The mating game:

• Male builds part of the nest, and waits...
• Show time! Female inspects the nest with a discerning eye. Not like she wants a defective male passing on his defective genes to her babies!
• If she's satisfied, she gives him the ultimate prize- access to her eggs 
• More often than not, she's left on her own to finish up the nest
• She lays her eggs and the heavy responsibility of parenting is solely hers
• The male then sits by another nest he has painstakingly constructed, to woo any other female that comes along

It's simply amazing, the amount of work that goes into the construction of that one nest. And it could all end up being futile if females don't like the nest! They may not get PMS, but life sure ain't easy for males either eh?

References

Tan, R. (n.d.). Mangrove and Wetland Wildlife at Sungei Buloh Nature Park: Birds: Baya Weaver. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from Print to Web; Convert to Conserve: http://www.naturia.per.sg

Oh Sweet Passerine

Oriental Magpie Robins were once widespread in Singapore as well. In the 1920s it was even said to be amongst the 3 most common garden birds in Singapore. Now, this small bird with a big voice is regarded as being endangered here. Fortunately, this adaptable bird has a very large range(from tropical South Asia to Southeast Asia) and apparently, globally its population is stable. In Sebana, at least, it appears to be doing just fine :)

Male Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)

These petite birds are known to forage for insects on the ground and on low branches, attacking them by pouncing on them. So small... yet so vicious. 

Notice the picture below: The male is black, whilst the female is grey. One tends not to notice the female because she's usually more quiet, unlike the attention seeking male. Not that we mind his attention seeking little self of course, live music and all.


Also, it's hard to tear your eyes away from the beautiful male to take a look out for the comparatively drab female.

Male(above) Female(below)
Oriental Magpie Robins (Copsychus saularis)

When the male finally does manage to get his girl(or probably any girl for that matter...), they settle down into a nice little cavity, usually in trees. Very much like hornbills eh? The female assumes the traditional role of being responsible for most of the parental care- preparing the nest, feeding the chicks etc. while her man spends his energy and time defending his prime mating territory from other eager males. So territorial are they, that they are even known to respond to their own reflection! Considering that the male is now somewhat free from parental duties... one wonders... is he polygamous? Does he sow his wild oats when no one's looking?

Males serenade females with their beautiful voices, sometimes coordinating it with a little 'dance' as well: the tail jiggle. In Southeast Asia, mating season is from January to June. So that's when they're going to be singing their little hearts out. Enjoy a brief sample below :)

Come fly with me*, let's fly, let's fly away...

Considering how delightful this little ball of feathers is, it really is unsurprising that it has been given the honour of being the national bird of Bangladesh. It even appears on their currency, forever marking their presence in history.

Bangladeshi 2 taka note [Adapted from this website on 5th May 2010]

References

BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Copsychus saularis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/3/2010

Zebutionary

Come fly with me: Sung by Frank Sinatra, lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Half Crow Half Pheasant

We hardly ever seem to be capable of coming up with a decent name for all that we encounter. Nope. Instead, being highly evolved organisms capable of free and original thought, unrestricted by mere animal instincts(or so you would think), we choose to name one animal after another- Anemone coral, Cat fish, Dogfish, Whale shark... need we say more? Fortunately or unfortunately, the Centropus sinensis hasn't been able to escape from this... phenomenon. Introducing.... 

THE CROW PHEASANT! 

Though we prefer to call it the Greater Coucal, if only to protest against the simply unacceptable combination of the names of two other animals to name this one-of-a-kind bird.

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)

Greater Coucal, possibly with its own nest (Centropus sinensis)

We saw two Greater Coucals by the nest shown above. Unfortunately...we were dealing with yet another camera shy individual so both photos above are of the same, other, un-camera shy bird. 


This relatively large bird which is about 48-52cm, is a common resident throught Southeast Asia, except in Singapore(what a shocker...*rolling our collective eyes at this point*). Interestingly, although the Greater Coucal is part of the cuckoo order of birds, which are known to be parasitic*, this bird does not try to pawn off its parental duties on some poor unsuspecting bird. 

Bet you didn't know(because neither did we): Surprisingly, there is a reversal of gender roles amongst these birds (but then again...maybe we're the one's who've got it on the wrong way around). The papa Coucal does more parenting than the mama Coucal! He's got the heavy responsibility of building the nest, warming his little babies by sitting on them(well...not them them- rather, the eggs they're in). And after all that's done, he even does the baby bird feeding. The females do help... but they prefer sitting around looking pretty, advertising their... goods. 


Greater coucals are known to be monogamous birds(You jump, I jump). Whether, or how frequently they cheat on their other halves, we're not quite sure of, unfortunately. BUT, amongst a close relative of the Greater coucal, the Black coucal(Centropus grillii) (Below), females commonly have more than one partner! So while the male is left busy attending to their offspring.. she's off making more babies with some other sexy, dashing, Romeo...

Black Coucal (Centropus grillii)
[Image adapted from this website on 5th May 2010]

The result of this reversal of sex roles, is that the females are the macho ones in the relationship, i.e. they're bigger and heavier (& meaner?) Who said females were the weaker sex eh? :)

Zebutionary

Parasitic* : No, "parasitic" here does not mean that they burrow into the skin of other animals and proliferate and possibly even kill their host. With regards to birds, this usually means that they lay their eggs in other birds' nests, leaving others to raise their babies, which may or may not be baby killers. In the extreme case of the European cuckoo, when hatched, the young will clear the nest of its other unrelated occupants- by shoving them out of their nest, to their DOOM! Clearly, babies are not as sweet and innocent as we think they are.

References

Andersson, M. (1995). Evolution of reversed sex roles, sexual size dimorphism, and mating system in coucals (Centropodidae, Aves). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 193-200.

Robson, C. (2005). Birds of Southeast Asia. United States and Canada: Princeton University Press.

Stanford University. (1999, December 30). Brood Parasitism. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from Stanford University: http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Brood_Parasitism.html

Snack on it #2

So, we were spending a couple of hours on YouTube wasting our time away watching funny videos scouting around for a video on hornbills, when we stumbled upon this! 

We love movies. We love hornbills. Enjoy :)

Video from BBC Worldwide [Video adapted from this website on 5th May 2010]