For years, people assumed most birds were monogamous. This idyllic image was blown apart when research revealed lifestyles of polygamy, polyandry, marathon mating sessions and sperm competition. Welcome to the secret reproductive life of birds. Shocked? Blame it on natural selection. In the late 1960s, it was generally assumed that the vast majority of birds […]
Tag: Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Common bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaPasseriformes Fringillidae This species is uncommon in my area. It was one my many challenges to photograph this beauty, although the male is much more colourful than the female. I had heard about a pair coming to a friend’s garden early in the morning. So I set my hide tent at 7H30 and lo […]
Azamidani, Mount Unzen
This morning I tried Azamidani to see if any migrants were passing through. Seems a bit early still, as the Grey-bellied Bullfinch and Red-flanked Bluetail were still there, however all the wintering thrushes had gone. It seems likely that migrant warblers should be passing through any day now. Among the Grey-bellied Bullfinch was one male […]