My Science School

Baya weaver is a weaverbird found across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

During non-breeding season, plumage of both males and females resemble female house sparrow. During breeding season, the male's plumage turns into yellow. It will have a bright yellow crown, dark brown mask, blackish brown bill, yellow breast and cream buff below.

 It is a social and gregarious bird. It is known for its uniquely-shaped nests. The male starts building a pendulous nests using long strips of paddy leaves, and rough grasses during the breeding season. The females inspect and choose a nest before signalling their approval to pair with the male.

During the breeding season the males begin building nests. The nests are partially built when the males display to passing females by flapping their wings and calling while hanging to their nests. The call of the Baya males which is normally a sparrow-like chit-chit is followed by a long-drawn chee-ee in the breeding season. The females inspect and choose a nest before signalling their approval to a male. Once a male and a female are paired, the male goes on to complete the nest including the entrance tunnel, males are solely incharge of building the nests, though their female partners may join in giving the finishing touches. Studies have shown that nest location is more important than nest structure for the female decision making.

The males are polygynous, mating with 2 to 3 females one after another. Males build many partial nests and start attracting females. A male finishes the nest to its completion only after finding a mate, after mating the female lays about 2 to 4 white eggs and incubates them. The females are solely responsible for incubating and bringing up the brood. After mating with a female the male goes on to woo more females with its other nests.

Credit : Beauty of Birds

Picture Credit : Google

Snow leopard is found only in mountain regions of Central and South Asia. Its fur is whitish to grey with black spots on head and neck, with larger rosettes on the back. It has bushy tail and pale green eyes. It is active at dusk and dawn and it hunts wild goats, sheep, hares, rodents and birds. It uses its unique coat to camouflage itself in the snowy landscape.

Few humans have seen snow leopards in real life, but hunting scenes like the one above have been captured on video by researchers who spend countless hours searching the mountains of Central Asia for snow leopards. Researchers think only 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards exist in the wild, but no one knows for sure.

Snow leopard experts need to gather more information about the secretive cats’ lives to help protect them. To do that, researchers use high-tech tools to spy on the shy animals. They gently trap the wild cats to examine them and put on satellite radio collars to track where the cats roam. Motion-activated digital cameras capture images of snow leopards, exposing many new details about how many there are, how they live, and what threatens their survival.

Even though snow leopards live in some of the most rugged mountain terrain on Earth, people pose the biggest threat to their survival. Poachers can sell a snow leopard’s hide and bones for thousands of dollars. Herders often kill any snow leopard that attacks their livestock. Hunters target ibex, wild sheep, and other animals for food and trophies—removing important snow leopard prey. The more scientists can learn about snow leopards, the better they can protect these rarely seen cats from humans who harm them.

Credit : National Geographic

Picture Credit : Google

It is great Indian bustard, a bird native to the Indian Subcontinent. It prefers open grasslands.

It has a large body and long legs. The black crown on the forehead is among its unique features. It is among the heaviest flying birds.

Its diet includes a wide range of things - grass, seeds, insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, and sometimes small rodents and reptiles.

With less than 200 individuals left in the wild, it is considered critically endangered.

Great Indian bustards are tall birds with long legs and a long neck; the tallest individuals may stand up to 1.2 metres (4 feet) tall. The sexes are roughly the same size, with the largest individuals weighing 15 kg (33 pounds). Males and females are distinguished by the colour of their feathers. Feathers on the top of the head are black in males, which also possess a whitish neck, breast, and underparts, along with brown wings highlighted by black and gray markings. Males also have a small, narrow band of black feathers across the breast. In contrast, females possess a smaller black crown on the top of the head, and the black breast band is either discontinuous or absent.

Picture Credit : Google

Malabar pit viper is a venomous snake species endemic to southwestern India. It inhabits moist- evergreen and deciduous forests.

It comes in all colours - yellow, green and brown – and patterns. The tail is prehensile, adapted for grasping or holding (say, trees). It is nocturnal, sometimes seen basking on rocks or trees near streams. It is specifically active during the monsoon season.

It preys on tree frogs, geckos and small animals. It is slow-moving, but capable of fast strikes.

Pit Viper is a slow-moving snake and nocturnal. They rely on camouflage for protection. Although slow to defend themselves, they are capable of fast strikes and bites if disturbed. The food of this snake consist of small mammals like rodents, lizards, birds and frogs. The females give birth to 4 or 5 living young. This is also Viper speciality as other snakes lay eggs. The eggs develop inside the mother’s body surrounded by transparent bags, called membranes. While the baby snake is developing inside the mother, it gets its food from the yolk of the egg. The female viper usually gives birth in a hidden place, where the young are safe from enemies.

Picture Credit : Google