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The Black-backed Puffback occurs mainly south of the equator in sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Somalia to coastal South Africa. From the vicinity of the equator and northwards it is replaced by the somewhat larger Northern Puffback, with which it forms a superspecies.
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The needle sharp beak of the bee-eater allows for exact accuracy when catching their prey, thus to avoid the sting of the insect. Once the prey has been snatched out of the air the bee-eater finds its perch and begins the `de-stinging` process by squeezing the insect to discard of its poison and then hitting it against the perch to remove the sting.
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A Cape Buffalo drinks from a waterhole in the darkness of night near the Mozambique border of South Africa. One of the most successful of Africa’s wild ruminants, the Cape Buffalo thrives in virtually all types of grassland habitat in sub-Saharan Africa, from dry savanna to swamp and from lowland floodplains to montane mixed forest and glades, as long as it is within commuting distance of water.
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A study showed that Green Bee-eaters are capable of putting themselves in the place of other animals. They were able to predict whether a predator at a particular location would be capable of spotting their nest entrance and behaving appropriately. The ability to look from another`s point of view was usually believed to be possessed only by the primates.
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Lions are the biggest, and most social, of the African cats, living communally in prides. Pride leadership often shifts between several individual animals - male and female - but the social structure of the pride hinges around the bond between related lionesses, who collaborate in all tasks, from raising cubs to hunting. Male lions come and go - often in spectacular battles over territory or individual dominance - but the pride cohesion remains unaffected, firmly under female control.
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The preferred habitat of the Pennant-winged Nightjar south of the equator is plateau woodlands, especially Miombo, where they are partial to stony or boulder-strewn hillsides. They are observed as bi-annual and social passage migrants along the Kenyan Rift Valley and Lake Victoria regions, and spend the non-breeding season in subtropical savanna from Nigeria to Sudan.
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These dragonflies breed in still or slow-flowing water. The males are often seen patrolling by a ponds edge or river, where they fight away intruders, crashing into rival males and spiralling through the air. The females are quite inconspicuous when they lay their eggs, but they sometimes give away their spot by clattering up from the reeds.
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The most important prey item in their diet is Hymenoptera, mostly Apis mellifera. A study in Spain found that these comprise 69.4% to 82% of the European bee-eaters diet. Their impact on bee populations, however, is small. They eat less than 1% of the worker bees in areas where they live.
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With its thick bill and very colourful plumage the crested barbet is unmistakable. This small bird has a speckled yellow and red face with a small black crest. The belly is yellow with red speckles, wings are black with white specks and it has a broad black band on its neck.
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The adult Buffalo`s horns are its characteristic feature - they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head referred to as a "boss". They are widely regarded as among the most dangerous animals on the African continent, and according to some estimates they gore, trample, and kill over 200 people every year.
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Male Pearl-bordered Fritillaries are often seen flying swiftly, low across the breeding site in search of a mate and are extremely difficult to follow, the colouring of the wings providing excellent camouflage against the dead bracken that is often found at these sites.
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The African Hoopoe can be found in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the southern half of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It inhabits broadleaf forests and savannah.
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The leopard is the felid that occupies the largest geographical area, as it lives in great parts of Africa in southern Sahara, South-east Asia, small isolated populations in northern Africa, the Arab peninsula, Middle East and the Far East. The subspecies Panthera pardus kotiya is endemic of the island of Sri Lanka.
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These birds stand still at the water`s edge and wait to ambush prey, but are easier to see than many small heron species. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects. They sometimes use bait, dropping a feather or leaf carefully on the water surface and picking fish that come to investigate.
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The Nightjar can fly long distances to feed, with birds recorded foraging up to 6km from the nest site. Nightjars nesting in plantation forest have been found feeding in a variety of habitats including deciduous woodland, open oak scrubland, young conifer plantations and heathland.
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The Martial Eagle is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles.
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White-backed Vultures are an endangered species, living in a diminishing environment, which results in a decrease in the amount of food available. This increases competition for food, which affects them in two ways. First, the white-backed vulture is not a species that shares food with others of its own species. Second, the white-backs face competition for food with other animals in their habitat.
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The Wood White is found in the northern parts of the United Kingdom, largely in the clearings among woodlands or nearby shrubbery. They can often also be found in areas where there is substantial shelter, such as abandoned railway tracks and cliffs near the sea shore, as well as meadows, forest edges and sparse forests up to 2,500 m above sea level.
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Africanised bees are typically much more defensive than other varieties of honey bee, and react to disturbances faster than European honey bees. They can chase a person a quarter of a mile and have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving ten times more stings than from European honey bees.
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Capuchins are considered among the most intelligent of the New World monkeys; they have been the subject of many studies on behaviour and intelligence. In one particular study conducted in 2007, capuchins were found to be among the ten most intelligent primates, second to Spider Monkeys among New World monkeys.
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Burchell`s Zebra is a sub-species of the Plains Zebra. Like most plains zebras, Burchells live in small family groups. These can be either harem or bachelor groups, with harem groups consisting of one stallion and one to six mares and their most recent foals, and bachelor groups containing two to eight unattached stallions.
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The Black-backed Jackal generally shows a preference for open areas with little dense vegetation, though it occupies a wide range of habitats, from arid coastal deserts to areas with more than 2000 mm of rainfall. It also occurs in farmlands, savannas, open savanna mosaics, and alpine areas.
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The White-rumped Shama is shy and somewhat crepuscular but very territorial. The territories include a male and female during the breeding season with the males defending the territory averaging 0.09 ha in size, but each sex may have different territories when they are not breeding.
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Wild Boar have a very well developed sense of smell, to the point that the animal is used for drug detection in Germany. Its hearing is also acute, though its eyesight is comparatively weak, lacking colour vision and being unable to recognise a standing human 10–15 metres away.
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Nightjars are found around the world except in New Zealand and some islands of Oceania. They are mostly active in the late evening and in early morning or at night, usually nest on the ground, and feed predominantly on moths and other large flying insects. European Nightjar is the only species found in Britain.
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The Hawfinch is a shy species, and therefore difficult to observe and study. It spends most of the day on top of high branches, above all during breeding season. During the course of the Hawfinch's life it can only be seen on the ground while looking for seeds or drinking water, always near trees.
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The range of this owl extends from Gabon eastwards to southern Kenya and southwards to Namibia and northern South Africa. It inhabits savanna and dry woodland. It is usually seen alone or in pairs. It hunts for large invertebrates and some small mammals, birds and reptiles are also taken.
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Steenbok are active during the day and the night; however, during hotter periods, they rest under shade during the heat of the day. The time spent feeding at night increases in the dry season. While resting, they may be busy grooming, ruminating or taking brief spells of sleep.
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The African Wild Dog is a specialised pack hunter of common medium-sized antelopes. It and the Cheetah are the only primarily diurnal African large predators. They hunt by approaching prey silently, then chasing it in a pursuit clocking at up to 66 km/h (41 mph) for 10 to 60 minutes.
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These monkeys are mainly tree-dwelling animals. When travelling among trees, they walk and climb the forest canopy, using all of their four limbs. When eating, they usually wrap their long tails around branches. As diurnal animals, they are active by day and sleep by night on horizontal branches of trees.
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The Heath Fritillary is restricted to a few specialised habitats where it flies close to the ground with characteristic flits and glides. Sadly it is now one of our rarest butterflies but has been saved from the brink of extinction by the concerted action of conservationists.
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This is a migratory species over most of its range. The European population breeds mainly in northern Europe, but in winter the birds can be found in north Africa and southern parts of Europe. Although the species is present all year in Ireland, Great Britain and the adjacent European coasts, there is still migratory movement.
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Spotted Bush Snakes are mostly found in trees in bush and forest areas, where they hunt lizards and treefrogs. They are excellent climbers and swimmers, have very good eyesight, and are highly alert snakes. They are not territorial, and will roam great distances in search for food.
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During the mating season the male will put on a colourful courtship display, flying in a bobbing motion to best expose his bright underparts and long flashy tail. Once settled onto a branch he will call the females closer with his bill wide open, exposing the bright inside of his mouth, while quivering his wings and sweeping his long tail back and forth.
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Mysterious and frequently unseen, European Nightjar is the only member of this cryptic family to breed in Britain and Ireland. Arriving from late April, but most typically in May, the first sign of their return is the eerie churring song given by the male from a perch within its territory.
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Phasmatodea can be found all over the world except for the Antarctic and Patagonia. They are most numerous in the tropics and subtropics. The greatest diversity is found in Southeast Asia and South America, followed by Australia, Central America, and the southern United States.
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The Marsh Fritillary was once widespread in Britain and Ireland but has declined severely over the twentieth century. The Marsh Fritillary populations are highly volatile and the species requires extensive habitats or habitat networks for its long term survival. It is now confined to the western side of Britain and Ireland.
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Most English colonies of Pearl-bordered Fritillary are found in open areas within deciduous woodland, such as woodland clearings. These colonies are generally small, consisting of a few dozen adults at most, and this butterfly is also relatively-sedentary with only a limited capacity for colonising new areas.
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Our smallest carnivore, the Weasel looks like a mini version of the Stoat. Weasels are very active hunters, feeding on small mammals, such as voles and mice, as well as small birds. They are found in a variety of habitats, including woodland, grassland, hedgerows, heathland and moorland.
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Badgers live in social groups, typically made up of four to seven individuals. Unusually, the species gives birth to its young in winter, with one to five cubs normally born in February. The youngsters will stay underground for around two months and then first emerge in spring.
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The pronotum of the male Minotaur Beetle has forward-projecting horns on either side, slightly variable in length, tending to be proportionately longer in larger specimens. There is a smaller horn in the centre. The female lacks the horns but has a sharp tubercle at each anterior angle of the pronotum.
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The underside of the Green Hairstreak provides the illusion of being green, an effect produced by the diffraction of light on a lattice-like structure found within the wing scales, which provides excellent camouflage as the butterfly rests on a favourite perch, such as a Hawthorn branch.
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The adult White Stork`s main sound is noisy bill-clattering, which has been likened to distant machine gun fire. The bird makes these sounds by rapidly opening and closing its beak so that a knocking sound is made each time its beak closes. The clattering is amplified by its throat pouch, which acts as a resonator.
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There is an elaborate courtship ritual between Wood whites, initiated by the male. They begin by wagging their head from one side to another, extending their proboscis towards the female. The female, with her antennae pulled back, won`t move if already mated but will immediately move her abdomen towards the male if not.
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Golden Jackals live in mated pairs and are strictly monogamous. In most jackal families, there are one or two adult members called `helpers`. Helpers are jackals who stay with the parents for a year after reaching sexual maturity, without breeding, to help take care of the next litter.
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The Broad-bodied Chaser flight period is from April to September but they are mostly seen in May and June. Their flight is very fast as they dart and dive above the water. They are very territorial and will fight with rival males and any other dragonflies they happen to encounter.
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White-fronted Bee-eaters nest in colonies averaging 200 individuals, digging roosting and nesting holes in cliffs or banks of earth. A population of bee-eaters may range across many square kilometres of savannah, but will come to the same colony to roost, socialise, and to breed.
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Sloth moths have evolved to inhabit sloth fur exclusively. Adult female moths leave the fur of the sloth to lay eggs in the sloth droppings when the sloth descends, once a week, to the forest floor to defecate. The larvae of Cryptoses choloepi live in the dung and newly emerged moths later fly from the dung pile into the forest canopy to find a host sloth.
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This bird breeds in open country in warmer climates. As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets. They catch insects in flight, in sorties from an open perch. Before eating a bee, the European Bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface.
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The green wood hoopoe is an insect-eating species. It feeds mainly on the ground, termite mounds, or on tree trunks, and forms flocks outside the breeding season. Its specialised claws enable it to cling easily to the underside of branches while closely inspecting the bark for insects.
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Found in the forested habitats of tropical Asia, the Crested Serpent Eagle is a bird of prey of medium size. As its names suggests, the species feeds on snakes, though it is known to feed on other species as well. The specific name `cheela` is derived from the Hindi name for kites.