User talk:Charlesjsharp

The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus), also known as the European souslik, is a species in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. Like all squirrels, it is a member of the order of rodents, and it is found in central and southeastern Europe, with its range divided into two parts by the Carpathian Mountains. It is a colonial animal and mainly diurnal. The European ground squirrel excavates a branching system of tunnels up to 2 metres (6 ft) deep, with several entrances. This requires a habitat of short turf, such as on steppes, pasture, dry banks, sports fields, parks and lawns. Its short, dense fur is yellowish grey, tinged with red, with a few indistinct pale and dark spots on the back. Adults typically measure 20 to 23 centimetres (8 to 9 in) with a weight of 240 to 340 grams (8.5 to 12.0 oz). It has a slender build with a short, bushy tail, and makes a shrill alarm call that causes all other individuals in the vicinity to dive for cover. This European ground squirrel was photographed in Obrovisko Family Park, near Muráň, Slovakia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The masked trogon (Trogon personatus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the trogons. Fairly common in humid highland forests in South America, mainly in the Andes and on tepuis, it is resident in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. It is a mid-sized trogon, averaging 27 centimetres (11 in) in length and 56 grams (2.0 oz) in mass. Like all members of its family, it displays sexual dimorphism. The male has upperparts, head and upper chest of variously green or reddish-bronze colouring, with a red belly and lower breast, while the female is brown above, with a pinkish to red belly and breast. Like all trogons, it feeds on both fruits and insects. It makes its nest by excavating into the soft wood of a rotting vertical tree trunk. This masked trogon of the subspecies T. p. temperatus (the highland trogon) was photographed at San Isidro Lodge near Cosanga in Napo Province, Ecuador.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae) is a species of bird in the lark family, Alaudidae. It was named by German zoologist Alfred Brehm in 1857 for his recently deceased sister, Thekla Brehm. It is non-migratory and breeds on the Iberian Peninsula and in northern and sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Somalia. Its preferred habitat is dry open country, often at some altitude. Thekla's lark is similar to the crested lark, featuring a long, spiky, erectile crest. It is a relatively small member of its family and is predominantly brownish-grey or brown in colour, with a breast streaked with black and grey underwings. It eats weeds, seeds and insects, the last being especially popular in the breeding season, and it nests on the ground, laying two to six eggs. This Thekla's lark was photographed near Douz, in the south of Tunisia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The plumed whistling duck (Dendrocygna eytoni), is a species of bird in the whistling duck subfamily of the family Anatidae. It is resident and breeds in Australia, in a broad arc covering the northern half and most of the eastern third of the continent. There are also non-breeding and seasonally uncertain populations in New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is a predominantly brown-coloured duck with a long neck and characteristic plumes arising from its flanks. The sexes are similar in appearance. This plumed whistling duck was photographed in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Scoliidae, or the scoliid wasps, is a family of around 300 described species of wasps found worldwide. They are solitary parasitoids whose larvae develop on the larvae of other insects, most commonly the scarab beetle. Females search for hosts in soil or rotting wood, sometimes following tunnels created by the beetle larvae. After locating a host, the female stings and paralyses it and may move it into a chamber before laying a single egg on the immobilised grub. Because many scarab beetles are agricultural pests, scoliid wasps can act as important biological control agents. Adult wasps often visit flowers and may function as minor pollinators. In some species, orchid flowers mimic female wasps and attract males, which attempt to mate with the flowers and thereby pollinate them. This male scoliid wasp of the species Megascolia bidens was photographed near Soliman on Cape Bon, a peninsula in northeastern Tunisia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The dunnock (Prunella modularis) is a small passerine bird in the accentor family, Prunellidae. It is native to much of temperate Europe and parts of southwest Asia, including the Caucasus, northern Iran and Lebanon, and is also widely distributed in New Zealand after being introduced there in the 19th century. The dunnock inhabits lowland environments such as woodlands, shrubs, hedgerows and gardens, where it usually feeds on the ground. About 14 centimetres (5.5 in) long, it has a streaked brown back and grey head, a fine pointed bill, and produces a thin, tinkling song and a shrill tseep call. Dunnocks build nests low in bushes or conifers and typically lay three to five unspotted blue eggs. Their breeding system is variable, with different combinations of males and females sometimes sharing parental care.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp