European Birds Species on the Decline

Bird populations across Europe [like the house sparrow, pictured] are on the decline, and have been for the last 30 years, according to researchers, with the majority of losses coming from the continent's most common species. (Photo : Flickr: David A Mitchell)

Bird populations across Europe are on the decline, and have been for the last 30 years, according to researchers, with the majority of losses coming from the continent's most common species.

Approximately 421 individual birds have perished in recent decades, 90 percent of them among the most common and widespread species, including house sparrows, skylarks, grey partridges and starlings.

"It is very worrying that the most common species of bird are declining rapidly because it is this group of birds that people benefit from the most," Richard Inger from the University of Exeter said in a statement.

These birds help to control agricultural pests, are important dispersers of seeds, and scavenging species play a key role in the removal of carcasses from the environment.

The good news is not all common bird species in Europe are declining. In fact, numbers of some less common birds have risen, such as great tits, robins, blue tits and blackbirds. Researchers believe this is the result of direct conservation action and legal protection in Europe.

"The study brings a very important message to conservation practice in Europe," added researcher Petr Vorisek, from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS).

After conducting research on 144 different species of European birds from many thousands of individual surveys in 25 different countries, the study authors highlight the need for better conservation efforts and wider scale environmental improvement programs, like urban green space projects and effective agri-environment schemes.

The researchers don not mention what could be causing such drastic drops in bird numbers, but possibly like hundreds of US bird species, it is the result of climate change.

"This is a warning from birds throughout Europe," noted Richard Gregory, Head of Species Monitoring and Research at the RSPB's Centre for Conservation Science. "It is clear that the way we are managing the environment is unsustainable for many of our most familiar species."

The findings were published in the journal Ecology Letters.

Lizard Personality Varies With the Neighborhood

Humans act differently from place to place. In the United States for instance, New Yorkers can be fast-talking and abrasive, Minnesotans are often described as stoic, and Californians just want to have a good time. Now it has been revealed that lizards can be the same way, with members of the same species acting remarkably different depending on where they live. (Photo : Wiki CC0 - Jeroen Speybroeck)

Humans act differently from place to place. In the United States for instance, New Yorkers can be fast-talking and abrasive, Minnesotans are often described as stoic, and Californians just want to have a good time. Now it has been revealed that lizards can be the same way, with members of the same species acting remarkably different depending on where they live.

A study recently published in the scientific journal Evolution details how Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) can be found all over Greece's Cyclades Islands. Amazingly, depending on which island you find these little speckled lizard, their "personalities" can distinctly vary.

According to study author Kinsey Brock, at the University of Michigan, isolated islands like the Cyclades, which vary in size and local species, can serve as the perfect natural laboratories for studying species behavior.

Some of the islands, for instance, are large enough to boast relatively large predators, like feral cats. On these islands the lizards have learned to be shy and cautious. However, on the particularly small islands, wall lizards of the exact same size, shape and color can be stunningly bold, not even afraid of approaching humans.

And that's exactly how Brock set out to assess each island's lizards. She slowly walked straight towards more than 900 individual lizards, living on 37 islands and the Greek mainland. She made sure her appearance and speed was the same with each approach. The average lizard ran from her when she got within a little under six feet away (1.8 m), but some lizards let her come as close as four inches (10 cm). Others fled from her on sight, nearly 30 feet away.

Predictably, there was a strong correlation with how skittish these lizards were and where they hailed from.

And this is not an isolated occurrence. The behavioral "personality" of organisms - even those with tiny brains - has been observed in more than just lizards. Sharks, fish, and even ants have been shown to have different personalities depending on where they are and who their neighbors are, showing that personality has a lot to do with survival and adaptation in the wild.

Cute Chick Rover Spies on Shy Emperor Penguins

As part of a unique study, researchers are using a cute chick rover to spy on notoriously shy Emperor penguins in Antarctica, according to recent research. (Photo : Le Maho, et. al.)

As part of a unique study, researchers are using a cute chick rover to spy on notoriously shy Emperor penguins in Antarctica, according to recent research.

Normally, when researchers attempt to learn the ins and outs of an Emperor penguin's daily life, the flightless birds back away and their heart rate increases when approached by people. This makes for inaccurate data when looking at heart rate, health and other penguin parameters. That's where this remote-controlled robotic chick comes into play.

The penguin look-alike, created by an international team of scientists led by Yvon Le Maho of the University of Strasbourg in France, went behind enemy lines to snuggle up to bashful birds in Adelie Land, Antarctica. Covered in gray fur and sporting black arms, a black-and-white painted face and black beak, the penguin on wheels was so convincing that Emperor penguins even talked and sang to it.

"They were very disappointed when there was no answer," Le Maho told The Associated Press. "Next time we will have a rover playing songs."

It took researchers five attempts to create a rover that did not scare the penguins, including a version made of fiberglass. But finally they landed on a robot that eventually was accepted into the Emperor penguin colony as one of their own.

(Photo : Yvon Le Maho et al. Nature Methods)

Reporting the results in the journal Nature Methods, the research team says that using remotely operated vehicles to conduct studies on wild animals in their natural habitat is a less invasive approach and doesn't stress out the animals. If a human approached the penguins, for example, the fright would raise their heart rates by up to 35 beats per minute.

"When approached by a remote-operated vehicle (rover) which can be equipped to make radio-frequency identifications, wild penguins had significantly lower and shorter stress responses (determined by heart rate and behavior) than when approached by humans," the authors wrote. "Upon immobilization, the rover - unlike humans - did not disorganize colony structure, and stress rapidly ceased."

Names and Destiny

It is a regular belief that one’s name determines his/her destiny. This belief has been around for so many years and has been proven true. Once a baby is born, the name given to that child goes a long way in influencing his/her way of life. These days, parents do a lot of research before naming their children because they would not want to contribute to the waywardness of that child. Different cultures has names that influence the destiny of a child that is why parents give their children that has good meaning in their different cultural background. Through finding out the true meaning of your name you can discover your potentials.

 

Although Destiny is a name on its own, it means one’s fate or fortune. It is mostly given to female children but the male version of this name could be Destin, Dustin or Dustan. In most African countries, when a baby is born they are given a name in their dialect and another name in English mainly for public use. Due to the fact that one name is in their dialect it will be difficult for anyone with evil intentions to know the meaning so it is a form of protection.

In Roman countries, names are weighed equally with one’s destiny. It is only those with victorious names that were chosen to be leaders in the Roman Empire. In Europe, Runic systems are used to understand the meaning and personality attached to a name. Each Runic symbol has a special meaning and in order to understand the meaning of your name, you will convert the name to a set of runic symbol and then the personality and attributes of your name will be understood.

 

Scientists has carried out a research and discovered that children with horrible names experience bad luck, they lack self-confidence, come out with low grades and are usually faced with emotional problems. Giving your children unusual and successful names will make them successful in life.

Biblically, names carry spiritual meanings. Even the book of proverbs 22 verse 1 says that a good name is greater than all the wealth one can acquire. Make sure you choose a name not for its literal meaning but for its spiritual meaning because a child’s name goes a long way to impact his/her life.

Before choosing a name for your child, make sure you make your research to find out the meaning of the name so that you will not end up being the cause of your child’s downfall.

Vampire-Fanged Deer Discovered in Afghanistan

A rare deer with vampire-like fangs, last seen more than 60 years ago, has been discovered still roaming in northeast Afghanistan, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) confirm. (Photo : Julie Larsen Maher, WCS)

A rare deer with vampire-like fangs, last seen more than 60 years ago, has been discovered still roaming in northeast Afghanistan, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) confirm.

Known as the Kashmir musk deer - one of seven similar species found in Asia - it hasn't been spotted in the region's rugged forest slopes since 1948.

Wanted for their valuable scent glands, which secret fluids used in traditional Chinese medicine, this species has suffered from poaching by humans. That, in combination with habitat loss, is what's led the musk deer to be listed as "endangered" on the IUCN's Red List.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Oryx, believe that targeted conservation of the species and its habitat are needed for it to survive in Afghanistan.

"Musk deer are one of Afghanistan's living treasures," co-author Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director of Asia Programs, said in a press release. "This rare species, along with better known wildlife such as snow leopards, are the natural heritage of this struggling nation. We hope that conditions will stabilize soon to allow WCS and local partners to better evaluate conservation needs of this species."

So far the survey team recorded five sightings, including a lone male on three occasions, a female with a juvenile, and another solitary female, which was possibly the same animal they had seen but without her young. According to the researchers, all the deer were extremely difficult to spot and near impossible to photograph considering they were sighted in rocky outcrops within alpine meadows containing dense bushes of juniper and rhododendron.

Unlike most other species of deer, the male musk deer don't have antlers. Instead, they have fangs that protrude like tusks from the animal's mouth, making them look like creepy vampires.

"These creatures are diminutive - an adult weighs little more than a cocker spaniel - and with their large ears, perpetually stooped posture, and massive hind legs, they can look more like kangaroos than deer," the WCS said.