I browsed back on my entry on the squirrel and on the part that I mentioned about this green bird that came immediately after the squirrel left. Then my friend Tabib gave me the ID for this green bird. It was quite a big bird too, about 20cm in length. I managed to get two shots only before it flew away. I waited quite a while but the bird never came again.
Local name: Takur kukup
Size: About 20cm
Location: Kampung Pari Hilir, Ipoh, Malaysia
From Dale Forbes, I have this interesting facts about 'barbet':
"One of the most fascinating things about barbets is that they have zygodactyly. Most birds have three toes that point forward and one that points back. If you look at the foot of a barbet closely, you can see how one of the barbet's front toes has "migrated south" so that it has two facing forward and two backwards. This helps them grip vertical tree trunks better.
Other birds with zygodactyly include the woodpeckers, parrots and swifts
Happy birding!!" Thanks Dale.
5 comments:
thank you for the complement on my blog. I love anything natural, and it is a joy for me to share it on my blog!
one of the most fascinating things about barbets is that they have zygodactyly. most birds have three toes that point forward and one that points back. if you look at the foot of a barbet closely, you can see how one of the barbet's front toes has "migrated south" so that it has two facing forward and two backwards. this helps them grip vertical tree trunks better.
other birds with zygodactyly include the woodpeckers, parrots and swifts
happy birding
Dale
http://Alpinebirds.blogspot.com
Barbet is my favourite bird. So far I have seen
Red-throated Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Blue-eared Barbet and Gold-whiskered BarbetThat Gold-whiskered is resident at my backyard and I have documented its feeding behavior quite extensively.
I noticed that now you are using Canon 40D.
This is a good semi-pro, fast 6fps good for birds photography for fast in flight shoot. But you need longer reach, 100mm is not enough! poisoning LOL.
That Sony DSLR-A300 is also good but with only 3fps. I thing for long term invest in good lenses.
Thanks Dale. Very interesting info about the Barbet. I am so new to this line and has a lot to learn about birding. It is getting more interesting now, especially having friends like you.
To Tabib: As usual, thank you so much. It seems that we have many sub-species of barbets around us. I love to see them all in time to come.
As for the cameras, my personal is only the Olympus SP-565UZ, the Canon 40D and Sony DSLR-A300 belong to my son and nephew. Normally I borrowed from them especially on holidays or on special functions. I have yet to own an SLR myself. With this interest mounting, I am sure to buy one soon. Maybe you can advise me further on this. I have in mind to buy a Nikon, is it ok?
I enjoyed seeing your photos of the Barbet. It's interesting how this bird blends in with the surrounding vegetation.
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