august update 2!
second half of avian august, sticker updates, etc.
hello kindly newsletter readers! thank you letting me in your email inbox :-). now, please let me regale you with some updates & bird facts/illustrations.
this week i’ve been working on my upcoming etsy update and tinkering with my website! turns out learning how to code a guestbook is difficult when you have about 2% coding knowledge. i’ve also gotten back into Duolingo for the first time in a long while, and have taken on learning arabic! it’s been challenging given how different arabic is compared to other languages i’ve studied but it’s keeping those mental gears turnin’.
in this years Avian August (hosted by illustrator Meesh / @cookiedoves), all the birds chosen are endangered/vulnerable, and i’ll give a short description of each to introduce them all! after the birds, i will be providing very necessary music recommendations and more details on my etsy update! stay tuned, this one is long.
***read here for the first half of my Avian August pieces!
the 'alalā - a fairly large member of the Corvidae family that was endemic to Hawai’i before going extinct in the wild due to illegal hunting, habitat degradation, and introduced diseases/predators. their absence in the wild has had a detrimental effect on the dispersal of native plants in Hawai’i. captive breeding programs have been difficult - in 2020 there were only 5 of the 30 birds introduced back in 2016 that survived, and they were recaptured for preservation of the species.
Corvus hawaiiensis the lesser florican - with only a handful of breeding areas in India, the smallest of the bustard family has experienced a population decline of at least 80% since the year 2000. the males are very distinctive, with high-contrast plumage and a flashy aerial courtship display wherein they leap vertically 2-3 meters, flapping their wings rapidly. the repurposing of grassland habitats for agriculture has been a major cause of their population decline, in addition to other human-related disturbance.
Sypheotides indicus the Hawaiʻi ‘ākepa - a small vibrant orange insectivorous honey-creeper now endemic to the main island of Hawai’i. their name ‘ākepa means nimble/quick in Hawaiian. habitat loss has been a threat to their population as ‘ākepas nest in tree cavities most often present in old growth forests. they are also threatened by introduced invasive species that damage their habitat, introduce disease, and eat them.
Loxops coccineus Reinita de Bosque Enano - or the elfin-woods warbler, a small insectivorous black-and-white warbler (not to be confused with Mniotilta varia, the black-and-white warbler) endemic to Puerto Rico. their English name comes from the forests they inhabit - “elfin” woods characterized by stiff short trees (no more than 5m) and dense undergrowth. habitat loss and introduced predators contribute largely to their endangered status. i love warblers, and this may be my favorite piece from the whole month.
Setophaga angelae Lear’s macaw - a member of the South American blue macaw group named after poet and illustrator Edward Lear. they roost in sandstone cliffs in eastern Brazil, feeding on licury palm nuts and the the chagrin of local farmers - fields of corn. historically, hunting, habitat loss, and pet trade trapping are their biggest threats.
Anodorhynchus leari Loveridge’s sunbird - endemic to mountainous forests in central Tanzania, this birds Wikipedia page is 1 paragraph and all other websites are very short on information. i can tell you that the sunbird family Nectariniidae largely feed on nectar, small invertebrates, & sometimes fruit, that this one is named after British herpetologist Arthur Loveridge, and there’s not many of them
Cinnyris loveridgei the Guadalupe murrelet - a small seabird in the auk family that is found in the Pacific ocean with breeding populations on islands near Mexico & California. they are almost always found in pair even outside of breeding season. their biggest threat is oil spills given their proximity to sea lanes in the Pacific, but they are also threatened by introduced predators on the small islands they nest on.
Synthliboramphus hypoleucus Soldadinho-do-Araripe - a relatively large member of the manakin family, the male Araripe manakins sport a flashy red crest which earned them their Portugese name meaning “little soldier of Araripe”. their breeding season is thought to be induced by seasonal rainfall and they are locally known in legend as o dono do agua (owner of the waters) - if they are hurt, the springs will cease to flow. only found in a tiny area of NE Brazil in a riverbank forest, this striking bird is highly localized and is at high risk of extinction is they lose their last site.
Antilophia bokermanni the kākāpō - the kākāpō is many things - Aotearoa’s 2008 & 2020 “Bird of the Year”, the only flightless parrot, solitary, nocturnal, a skilled climber of trees, potentially the longest-lived bird species, the heaviest parrot, the Duolingo owl irl, good-smelling & good smellers, and critically endangered. in 1995 there were only 51 kākāpō - today there are 248 (almost all each with their own name given by the Kākāpō Recovery Program) and their population is increasing after successful breeding programs on predator-free islands. just this july, 4 male kākāpō were successfully reintroduced to mainland Aotearoa for the first time since conservation efforts began.
Strigops habroptila the spoon-billed sandpiper - a small shorebird native to the western coasts of the Bering Sea, migrating from northern Russia to the Philippines. they are one of the rarest shorebird in the world, with as few as <1000 left. human development of coastal wetland habitats on their migratory pathway, as well as hunting have both significantly contributed to their huge population decline. conservation efforts such as captive breeding & providing hunters with alternatives (livestock & fishing gear) have been a moderate success. for a very lovely, heartbreaking article about this darling little bird, click here.
Calidris pygmaea Lulu’s tody-flycatcher - a small brightly colored insectivore endemic to humid bamboo forests in northern Peru. they are almost always seen in mated pairs, feeding and singing together. deforestation of their limited range is the biggest contributing factor to their population decline.
Poecilotriccus luluae Red-breasted goose - a small but energetic goose native to Siberian tundras & southeastern Europe. they are not sexually dimorphic, meaning both sexes sport the stunning high contrast abstract-style plumage. they practice an interesting kind of commensalism with birds of prey wherein the geese nest in proximity to the birds-of-prey so common nest predators like foxes and mustelids leave them alone. there is a possibility that either a red-breasted goose or an extinct relative was depicted in a well preserved 4600 year-old Egyptian painting - read more about that here! illegal hunting in their range is a major threat to their population, which is in slow decline.
Branta ruficollis the pāteke - another bird species endemic to Aotearoa, the pāteke is a dabbling duck that is mostly nocturnal as a response to their natural diurnal predators. as it is with so many other island species, they have no defense against introduced mammalian predators like cats, rats, & dogs, and these have been one of major causes of their population decline alongside over-hunting. they are territorial and loyal to their mates, guarding their nestlings up until they fledge.
Anas chlorotis the North Island brown kiwi - one of the most well-known birds of Aotearoa, the kiwi is the smallest of the ratite clade (alongside ostriches, emus, cassowaries, and their closest relatives, the extinct elephant birds). there are 5 species of kiwi all classified between near threatened or vulnerable, the North Island brown kiwi being the most populous. much like the kākāpō, kiwi are very unique amongst all birds - they have the smallest eye to body ratio of any bird, the second largest egg to body ratio (1st is the ostrich) with the females single egg weighing up to a 1/4 of her mass, nostrils at the end of their bill, and 2 ovaries (almost all birds aside from a few raptors only have the left ovary). they also might be the only bird whose name is also used as a nickname for the people of an entire country. they have unusually large brain hemisphere proportions compared to the rest of the Paleognath group, on par with parrots despite displaying no “similarly complex behavior” (rude Wikipedia!). fun fact - the name for the bird came before the fruit! their name is imitative of the sound the males make, and when people of Aotearoa were first introduced to the Chinese gooseberry, they dubbed it huakiwi/kiwifruit for its brown fuzzy likeness. their populations are vulnerable to - you guessed it - introduced mammalian predators.
Apteryx mantelli the Bornean peacock-pheasant - neither a peacock or a true pheasant, these colorful show-offs are native to lowland Bornean forests. the males sport brightly colored plumage & skin as well as metatarsal spurs - the females are much smaller and brown, also with blue eye-spots on their feathers. they are the least understood of the peacock-pheasant group, and their small fragmenting range has brought them to ~1,000-2,500 individuals.
Polyplectron schleiermacheri Sokoke scops owl - one of the smallest scops owls (a group under the genus name Otus, closely related to screech owls), these 6-inch tall owls are highly localized to undisturbed dense woodlands in Kenya and Tanzania. being owls, they are nocturnal, and combined with their dense habitat and very small range, they are very difficult to study. nothing is known about their breeding habits or biology. pellets tell us they are almost exclusively insectivorous, and their plumage comes in a range of grey to coppery brown.
Otus irenae
another Avian August in the books! i didn’t mean for the kiwi segment to get so long - i can’t help it if they’re interesting!! this month i’ll make sure to put the full collection up on my portfolio - you can also check out my first go at the month-long challenge from last year and appreciate how much better i am at drawing birds now.
i love monthly challenges like this because they give me the motivation to stretch my wings (haha) and experiment with new styles or color combinations i don’t use often! i may have overreached on how much energy i put into each one but i DID start doing these in June so it all evens out. birdtober is next!
in addition to a couple new designs, you can expect to see a handful of the birds i’ve drawn this month in sticker form on etsy soon! other designs feature my other favorite drawing subjects as of late - rabbits & fish! i also have leftover holiday cards i designed and sent out last year that i’ll be putting up at a pretty reduced price due to some printing errors. depending on how long it takes me to get everything prepared, this update should be hittin’ the streets somewhere around the end of September (along with a newsletter exclusive discount :D).
enough chit-chat, it’s TUNE TIME! in conjunction with my Duolingo arabic lessons, i’ve been getting into a lot of arabic funk/soul/hip-hop/reggae. some favorites i HIGHLY recommend are:
Badala Zamana by Zohra (an incredible joyous summer jam)
Emta Njawzak Yamma by DAM (very energetic Palestinian rap about resisting the cultural pressure for women to marry)
Ya Aen Daly by Najib Alhoush (opens with a great guitar riff a-la Stayin’ Alive)
Dameek Majeb by Ahmed Ben Ali (Libyan folkloric music is melodically very similar to Jamaican reggae which is why they blend so perfectly! the more you know)
Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman by A-WA (this group made up of three sisters blends Yemenite folk music with dance/electronic amazingly - every track rules)
Lemon by Bachar Mar-Khalifé (i have used the repeat button liberally with this one)
Ya Nas by Bachar Mar-Khalifé (i recommend listening without watching the timestamp - when you think this song is winding down IT IS NOT)
if i haven’t been playing Dameek Majeb on repeat, i've also been listening to a 70’s country psychedelic-pop album called Piper Oz The Hound by Art Lown. Deep Blue Sea, Power of Rain, & I’m Amazed stand out to me as favorites from the album, but the whole thing captures a perfect 70’s twang i can’t get enough of. i was very grateful to find this comprehensive bio of Art Lown on bandcamp, because not much is written about him or this album anywhere else.
to sign off, i want to provide some information on how anyone can help keep all bird species from population decline. the biggest things within individual control include
KEEPING YOUR FUCKING CATS INDOORS! cats kill more than 2.4 billion birds annually just in the United States, and they are a major contributing factor to the vulnerability & extinctions of far too many bird/mammal/reptile species. almost all of the birds i researched this month had cats listed as a threat to population level.
reduce the chance of window collisions with any of the techniques mentioned in this article. up to 1 billion birds die from window strikes in the U.S.
rewild your lawn. plant noninvasive species and don’t use pesticides in order to foster healthy & diverse wildlife that provide food and nesting space for birds. make your yard so vibrant and luscious and bountiful that everyone with a plain mown grass lawn is embarrassed. if you don’t have a yard, research what plants are native & invasive in your area, and look if there are any programs focused on control/removal of invasive species!
of course, any efforts towards reducing any human-caused damage to the ecosystem - be it pollution, invasive species, poaching, deforestation, etc. etc. - will in turn help conservation of birds.
thank you for reading this installment of my newsletter, and i hope you’ll join me in newsletters to come! (btw, comments are highly encouraged - i love to hear what y’all think of the newsletter!)
i hope you enjoyed reading this installment of my newsletter! if you have thoughts to share/questions to ask/fun facts to tell me about, please reach out to me by replying to this email, or messaging me on any of my social media linked on my website at augustcampbellart.com - thank you!