Bird Life Festival 2004 , Solomon Part 1

Following the previous issue : World Bird Festival 2004 (Purple Swamphen etc) – Solomon Islands Part I, in this blog, detail of each stamps which depicting species  of The Rufous-tailed Waterhen (Amaurornis moluccana), The Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus phillapensis), The Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Woodford's Rail (Nesoclopeus woodfordi), The Roviana Rail (Gallirallus rovianae), The Makira Woodhen (Gallinula silvestris) described in the next paragraph.

 

 

The Rufous-tailed Waterhen (Amaurornis moluccana), is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.

The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly, therefore the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

 

It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

 

 

The Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus phillapensis) is a medium-sized stout rail with short legs.This rail walks slowly, with tail raised and flicking constantly

The Buff-banded Rail has a distinctive grey eyebrow and an orange-brown band on its streaked breast.

The lores, cheek and hindneck are rich chestnut. The chin and throat are grey, the upperparts streaked brown and the underparts barred black and white. The eye is red.

The Buff-banded Rail is widespread in mainland Australia, particularly along the eastern coast and islands, and on Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. It is also found in south-east Asia, New Guinea and New Zealand.

The Buff-banded Rail is seen singly or in pairs in dense reeds and vegetation bordering many types of wetlands or crops. It makes widespread use of artificial wetlands like sewage ponds and drainage channels.

 

 

 

The Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a large rail. It is mainly dusky black above, with a broad dark blue collar, and dark blue to purple below.

As the Purple Swamphen walks, it flicks its tail up and down, revealing its white undertail.

The bill is red and robust, and the legs and feet orange-red. For such a bulky bird, the Swamphen is an accomplished flier and will readily take to the air to escape danger.

In flight, the long legs and elongated toes trail behind or hang underneath the body. Purple Swamphens are proficient swimmers, but prefer to wander on the edges of the water, among reeds and on floating vegetation.

The Purple Swamphen is found around freshwater swamps, streams and marshes.The diet of the Purple Swamphen includes the soft shoots of reeds and rushes and small animals, such as frogs and snails.

 

 

 

Woodford's Rail (Nesoclopeus woodfordi) is a species of bird in the Rallidae family and  found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

 

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, rivers, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and rural gardens.

 

It is currently threatened by habitat loss and is the only surviving species of the genus Nesoclopeus. This species is classified as Near Threatened because it has a moderately small population in a small range, and it is thought to be undergoing a decline owing to habitat degradation and predation.

 

As a flightless species, it may be susceptible to predation by cats and dogs, exacerbated by incidental capture by hunting dogs and in traps, but it appears to survive, at least locally, close to villages and predators.

 

 

The Roviana Rail (Gallirallus rovianae) is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is endemic to Solomon Islands.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and plantations .estimated that fewer than 10,000 individuals survive, so it is placed in the band 2,500-9,999 individuals here. It inhabits forest, especially secondary growth, young plantations, rank grassland, abandoned gardens and other edge habitats.

 

 

 

The Makira Woodhen (Gallinula silvestris), is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is endemic to Solomon Islands.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.