The Fantastic Booted Bantam Chicken

The Booted Bantam chicken is as exotic as an orchid. People think of orchids as fabulously beautiful plants that only experts can grow, when they are actually pretty easy. In a similar way, these strikingly beautiful bantams are prized as exhibition fowl and fairly rare, but they are also kept as pets all over Europe and in many other countries.

This breed is a true bantam, which means that it is not a miniature version of a larger breed, as many bantams are. Some say that these chickens were in the Netherlands as early as the 1500s, though others credit a later breeder in Belgium. It is a tiny bird, weighing less than two pounds for roosters and just over a pound and a half for hens. The American standard is smaller than these limits, which are rules for British breeders.

No matter where it came from, this tiny fowl is rare but valued as a pet and an exhibition bird all over Europe and in many other countries. The British poultry standards limit the weight of a mature cock to under two pounds, while the American standards call for even smaller birds.

Poultry standards are both interesting and necessary. While breeders have developed over twenty colors that will ‘breed true’, the official standards only admit eleven in Britain and seventeen in the United States. The standards are designed to keep show birds true not only in color and feathering but also to the physical characteristics that have been shown to be best for healthy and productive poultry flocks. For instance, there is a broad backed and high breasted shape that makes for a good layer, and that is one thing that judges look for.

They have one special characteristic that sets them apart from almost all other breeds of chicken. They have what is called ‘vulture hocks’, which means that their legs sweep sharply back to the lower joint. It is hard to tell this from pictures, because their legs and feet are heavily feathered, the ‘boots’ that give them their name.

This kind of fowl does well either in confinement or roaming the yard, where they are good at foraging. If they are to be shown, they need to be penned in a place with soft, clean bedding to protect their fabulous feathers, especially on the fluffy legs and feet that give them their name.

There are clubs around the world for fanciers of these chickens, where you can find breeders of show quality birds. National hatcheries will ship chicks in the spring, and many of them have rare birds such as these. Shows are held at every state and county fair and there will be special poultry shows as well. The birds are not much for meat, although what they have is well proportioned, but the hens lay readily and love to hatch out babies and care for them industriously.

The Booted Bantam chicken is truly a marvel. Even if just for fun, do a search on this sprightly little bird.

For more info about the Booted Bantam chicken Visit ChickenCoopAdvice.com

Central America Wildlife – Common Black Hawk

Common Black Hawks are successful predatory birds. The short tail is black with a single broad white band and a white tip. The bill is black and the legs and cere are yellow. It has very broad wings, and is mainly black or dark gray.

They often perch for long periods on a branch over water, waiting for their prey to appear. The adult Common Black Hawk is 43-53 cm long and weighs 930g on average. They often perch for long periods on a branch over water, waiting for their prey to appear. The Common Black Hawk feeds mainly on crabs, but will also take small vertebrates and eggs. Lifespan of a common black hawk is around 24 years.

It builds a platform nest of sticks fifteen to one hundred feet above the ground in a tree, often a mangrove. Nests are often reused and tend to grow bigger. No detailed information is available on pair bonding, territoriality, or most other aspects of this species’ social behavior. The pair often fly together, with their wings fluttering and held at a strong dihedral angle. Loud and hoarse whistles, sounding like those of the Night-Heron are common during nesting season.

The male may sweep down and land directly on the female, or he may perch beside her for a time before mounting. Copulation occurs about 15 to 90 meters from the nest on a branch or rock. Up to four copulations per day occur as the egg laying period approaches. It lays one to three eggs (usually one), which are whitish with brown markings. Incubation lasts for 38 to 39 days. Fledging period is between 43 to 50 days, and post-fledging dependence of the juvenile on the adult lasts 6 to 8 weeks.

It is found in parts of the Americas, from the Southwestern United States through Central America to Venezuela, Peru, Trinidad and the Lesser Antilles. Generally these birds inhabit lowland areas, with a source of water nearby. In Guatemala it can be found around the Caribbean coasts. The current conservation rating of the Common Black-Hawk is Least Concern.

Marina K. Villatoro, has lived in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She’s traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. With her first hand experience, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!

Central America Wildlife – Cattle Egret

The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron. The non-breeding adult has mainly white feathers, a yellow bill and grayish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast and crown. These guys are found all over Central America and in Costa Rica they can be found in the Manuel Antonio National Park.

The Cattle Egret feeds on a wide range of prey, particularly insects like grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and moths, as well as spiders, frogs, and earthworms. In rare cases they have been seen foraging along the branches of a Banyan tree for ripe figs. They have an 88-96 cm wingspan and 46-56 centimeters in length. Life span in the wild is unknown. Cattle egrets at Woodland Park Zoo have lived more than 10 years.

The male displays in a tree in the colony, using a range of ritualized behaviors such as shaking a twig and raising bill vertically upwards and three or four days later he gets a couple. They choose a new mate every season. The cattle egrets’ daily routine is to leave their roost at dawn to seek food, flying in long, crooked lines, which allows easy identification of the species. As night approaches, they return to their roost.

The female lays one to five eggs, although three is most common. Incubation lasts around 23 days, with both sexes sharing incubation duties. The chicks are fully feathered in 13-21 days. They begin to leave the nest and climb around at 2 weeks, fledge at 30 days and become independent at around the 45th day. The eggs are pale bluish-white. Some populations of the Cattle Egret are migratory but others only show post-breeding dispersal. The Cattle Egret nests in colonies, which are often, but not always, found around bodies of water.

Its global population estimated to be 3.8-6.7 million individuals. For these reasons, the species is in the Least Concern group. On the other hand the expansion and establishment of the species over large ranges has led it to be classed as an invasive species. They can be found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones from Central America.

Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, has been living in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. Traveling with her family to all parts of Costa Rica and Guatemala, she now loves organizing vacations for people and offers first hand experience. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!

Animal Facts – Black Necked Stilt

The Black-necked Stilt is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. They also have partially webbed feet, which allow them to swim – but they rarely do. Stilts’ legs are longer in proportion to their bodies than any other bird except the flamingo. The tail is white with some grey banding. A continuous area of black extends from the back along to the head. There, it forms a cap covering the entire head from the top to just below eye-level, with the exception of the areas surrounding the bill and a small white spot above the eye.

They have a length of 35-39 cm and a wingspan of 71 cm. Their lifespan is approximately 20 years. The Black-necked Stilt forages by probing and gleaning mostly in lakeshores, but also in very shallow waters near shores. It seeks out a range of aquatic invertebrates, mainly crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, tadpoles and very rarely plant seeds.

The Black-necked Stilt is actually classified as semi-colonial since the nests are rarely found alone and colonies usually number dozens, rarely hundreds of pairs. The nests are typically sited within one kilometer of a feeding location, and the pairs defend an extensive perimeter around groups of nests, patrolling in cooperation with their neighbors.

The clutch size generally is 3-5 eggs. For 22-26 days both sexes take turns incubating the eggs. The young are seen swimming within two hours after hatching and are also capable of rapid land velocity at that early time. In spite of this early development the young normally return to the nest for resting for one or two more days but remain dependent on their parents for some more weeks. These guys usually breed after the rainy season. They begin to breed at 1-2 years of age. Males have a greenish gloss to the back and wings, particularly in the breeding season.

They are not in the threatened species list but their numbers are declining because of the destruction or their habitat. It is found through Central America and the Caribbean to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and the Galpagos Islands. The Black-necked Stilt is found in estuarine, salt pond and emergent wetland habitats; it is generally a lowland bird but in Central America has been found up to 8,200 ft (2,500 m).

Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, has been living in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She has traveled here extensively. Now loves organizing vacations to this amazing part of the world, having first hand experience of all the places with her family. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!

Regarding Droll Yankee Feeders

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