Fascinating Nigeria

Hello guys!!! We are now on inaturalist.org you can check out our observations within Nigeria. View kadiri's observations »

At number three "The Rock Fire finch". This particular Bird is a real beauty. It is a species of estrildid finch found in northern Nigeria. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 29,000 km². The status of the species is evaluated as Least Concern. DESCRIPTION The Rock firefinch has a blue-grey bill, red back in the male and reddish brown back in the female and juvenile and broad primaries in both the adult and juvenile. LOCATION It is commonly found in bushy and rocky outcrops on the Jos Plateau and inselbergs to the north and east. It probably feeds on grass seeds.   Conservation status Least Concern  ( IUCN 3.1 ) [1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae Genus: Lagonosticta Species: L. sanguinodorsalis Binomial name Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis Payne , 1998

Hi guys, the number two bird on our list is the Anambra Waxbill bird. The Anambra waxbill ( Estrilda poliopareia ) is a species of estrildid finch found in wetter land of southern Nigeria . It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 38,000 km 2 . IDENTIFICATION   The Anambra waxbill is approximately 12 cm long. This species is a dun-coloured finch with reddish brown bill and lower back. HABITAT   The Anambra waxbill lives in small flocks of up to 20 birds or more. It appears to be found at southern Niger, and is known with certainty from only five reported sightings. It is usually found in long grass along rivers, lagoon sandbanks, marshes, swamps and forest. It feeds principally on grass seeds taken from seedheads. CONSERVATION MEASURES No conservation measures are undertaken yet. However, it was proposed to conduct population surveys to determine its distribution, habitat requirements and potential threats. It was also proposed to study...

Hi guys, we are going to take a look at birds that are endemic to Nigeria i.e " t hey can not be found any where else on the suface of the earth other than Nigeria". How cool is that!!! So number one on the list for today is the Ibadan malimbe bird. The Ibadan malimbe ( Malimbus ibadanensis ) is a rare species of bird in the Ploceidae family. It is endemic to Nigeria , where it is known only from the southwestern part of the country, including the city of Ibadan (in Oyo) which it's named after. It was first discovered in 1951 and was common at one point. Forest clearing made it rare.  The bird is about 20 centimeters long. The male is black with a red head and breast. The female has smaller red areas. The bird forages in pairs or small groups, sometimes alongside the red-headed malimbe ( Malimbus rubricollis ). It lives in forest and woodland habitat, including degraded areas.               ...

photo credit: Google The world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah, is sprinting towards extinction, a new study has warned and called for urgent conservation actions to save the big cats. The study, published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, estimated that the cheetah’s population has declined to just 7,100 globally, which are now confined to nine percent of the animal’s historic range. Asiatic cheetah population has been hit hardest, with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in one isolated pocket of Iran, according to the study by the Zoological Society of London, Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society. Zimbabwe has seen the cheetah’s population fall from 1,200 to a maximum of 170 animals in just 16 years, largely due to pressures on wildlife and their habitat outside of protected areas, said the study. As a result, the researchers urged that the cheetah should be uplisted from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered” on the Inte...

Black and yellow mud dauber is a common name for the sphecid wasp species Sceliphron caementarium . There are some 30 other species of Sceliphron that occur throughout the world, though in appearance and habits they are quite similar to S. caementarium .The Latin species name caementarius means mason or builder of walls. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION S. caementarium (sphecid wasp) is widespread in Nigeria, Canada , the United States , Central America , South Africa and the West Indies. CHARACTERISTICS    The sphecid wasp can reach a length of 24–28 millimetres (0.94–1.10 in). Petiole is black, about half the length of the entire abdomen. The thorax shows various yellow markings, while the abdomen is normally black, with yellow propodeum (typical of females). The eyes are black, the antennae are black and the legs are yellow, with black trochanters and femurs. The wings are a tawny color. BIOLOGY  The black and yellow mud dauber's are solitary insect...