[...]... the last few decades, from an estimated 50,000 birds in the mid-1950s to a recent decline to 20,000 The decline of this species is related to the decline in birds of prey, especially the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinas, due to the excessive use of pesticides in recent decades The redbreasted goose nests very close to the nests of these birds as a defense mechanism against foxes The decline in peregrine... for the fastdeveloping young At 2 weeks old, the young are fledged and ready to leave the nest; two weeks after that they are independent behavior  Birds of a feather… The quelea ranges in vast Sometimes called the flocks over the grasslands and “avian locust,” the quelea savannahs of sub-Saharan flocks over arable land Africa It’s at home anywhere and watering holes there are seeds to eat and trees... The red-breasted goose is named for the chestnut-red plumage on its foreneck, breast and head; these areas are finely bordered with white F eet Webbed feet make the goose an unsteady walker but a graceful swimmer; it uses the webs like underwater flippers to propel it along T ail Designed for spending much of its time sitting on the water, the red-breasted goose’s black-and-white plumed tail can be... male red-breasted merganser’s elegant plumage is designed to attract females When the male molts at the end of the season, he resembles the female, except for the wing pattern B ill The evenly tapered red bill is long, narrow and serrated like a saw — ideal for snatching fish Incubation 26–28 days Period The bright-red, webbed feet are used for a running takeoff before flight and for propulsion in the. .. the hooded merganser is a tree nester and the red-breasted merganser builds its nest on the ground Both species winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts 768 Red-Breasted Merganser Redbreasted merganser • The red-breasted merganser is 1 of 6 species in the genus Mergus, which includes the scaly-sided merganser, M squamatus There are a total of 41 genera and 147 species in the family Anatidae, which... for her offspring Chicks fledge at about seven weeks old conservation  Bite-sized The female passes morsels of meat to her brood The long-term decline of the once-common red kite, which accelerated during the 19th century, resulted mainly from persecution by farmers and gamekeepers It feeds largely on carrion, but is often blamed for the death of sheep and lambs Now, with the cooperation of farmers... name from the bird The isolated subspecies of red kite on the Cape Verde Islands is smaller and darker than red kites elsewhere 750 Red Kite The kite has a varied diet, which depends upon the food available at a particular time of year In the breeding season, it takes a greater proportion of live prey: mammals up to the size of a hare and birds, including small species and the young of larger ones,... quelea One of the quelea’s more colorful relatives is the golden palm weaver (Ploceus bojeri), an elegant, sparrow-sized bird that is common on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline Here it feeds in small parties among the palm trees and shrubs near the shore, flitting through the foliage in search of berries and other fruit Like the Golden red-billed quelea, and‑most other weavers, the male palm weaver builds... that feed it Some people take advantage of the barbet’s friendly nature, and capture or kill the bird when it ventures near Tribes, such as the Masai, use the barbets’ feathers for ornamentation bother Termites don’t bite barbets, which often build their nests near termite mounds Red-and-Yellow Barbet 755 Profile Red-and-yellow Barbet vital statistics Used for feeding as well as driving off trespassers,... be used as a rudder when swimming CREATURE COMPARISONS At 28", the emperor goose (Anser conagicas) is larger than the red-breasted goose While both birds have distinct coloration, the emperor goose lacks the rich reddish-chestnut coloration of its relative; the emperor goose has a white head and Red-breasted Emperor back of the neck, with otherwise gray-to-black goose goose plumage While the emperor . million. The birds benefit from their remoteness, but oil spills and fishing nets have caused recent declines. Listed as threatened by the state of Maine, they are also protected on the Gannet Islands. beetles Unknown Red-Billed Quelea 757 Red-Billed Quelea • ORDER • Passeriformes • GENUS & SPECIES • Quelea quelea • FAMILY • Ploceidae KEY FEATURES • African relative of the sparrow, the quelea feeds. Britain. P rofiLe 752 Red Kite viTAl STATiSTicS RElATEd SPEciES • The 237 species in the large family Accipitridae include almost all birds of prey. Of these, 33 spe- cies are members of the kite