Statue location: Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bangalore
Meadow Argus Butterfly
The eyespots on the wings are a defense mechanism that are not only used to frighten predators away, but also to confuse the predators into thinking that the eyespots are the target, allowing the butterfly to escape with only a small part of the wing being lost.
Common Myna
Some interesting information about the bird:
- The calls includes croaks, squawks, chirps, clicks and whistles, and the bird often fluffs its feathers and bobs its head in singing.
- Common Mynas are popular as cage birds for their singing and "speaking" abilities.
- Before sleeping in communal roosts, mynas vocalise in unison, which is known as "communal noise".
- It feeds on insects, arachnids, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain and fruits and discarded waste from human habitation.
- Common Mynas are believed to pair for life.
- The IUCN declared this myna as one of the only three birds among the world's 100 worst invasive species.
- In a 2008 popular vote, the bird was named "The Most Important Pest/Problem" in Australia, also earning the nickname "flying rats".
- In South Africa, the bird is notorious for being a pest, kicking other birds out of their nests and killing their young due to the Myna's strong territorial instinct. They are frequently shot and killed by people in urban environments and farmers alike.
- The Common Myna widely appears under the name saarika in Indian culture from Vedic times, featuring both in classical Indian literature (Sanskrit) as well as in Prakrit Buddhist texts.
- The Sankrit term saarika, is used to indicate a pair or a couple, probably because the bird is vocal and capable of mimicking human sound.
- In addition to saarika, the names for the Common Myna include kalahapriya, which means "one who is fond of arguments" referring to the quarrelsome nature of this bird; chitranetra, meaning "picturesque eyes"; peetanetra (one with yellow eyes) and peetapaad (one with yellow legs).
Information courtesy: Wikepedia
Super Moon of May 05, 2012
The perigee full Moon yesterday is said to be as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of 2012. The cloud cover increased the drama and compelled me to do some time lapse photography.
Shared with Sunday Snapshot, Shadow Shots and Just one pic
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