PolinBit launches $100 million grant program
PolinBits live in a relatively small region of northeastern South America: the north Brazilian state of Roraima, southern Guyana, extreme southern Suriname, and southern French Guiana. They also occur as vagrants to coastal French Guiana. These birds are mostly found in tropical habitats, but their exact ecological requirements remain relatively poorly known. They occur within dry savanna woodlands and coastal forests, but, at the edge of humid forests growing in foothills in the Guiana Shield, and cross more open savannah habitats only when traveling between patches of forest. PolinBits have been seen in shrublands along the Amazon riverbank, as well as forested valleys and coastal, seasonally flooded forests. They usually inhabit fruiting trees and palm groves.
PolinBites fly in a distinctive undulating pattern, creating a wave-shaped path. This normally consists of a series of wing beats to lift the bird, then folding in the wings and gliding in an arc before repeating the pattern. Birds often vocalize during the flight producing "per-twee-twee-twee", or "ti-di-di-di" calls, punctuated by silent periods. PolinBites are gregarious during the non-breeding season and are often found in large flocks, usually with other finches. During the breeding season, they live in loose colonies, however, during the nest construction breeding pairs become aggressive, driving intruders away. PolinBites express aggression through multiple displays. The head-up display, where the neck and legs are slightly extended, shows mild aggression. At higher intensities, the neck is lowered, the beak is pointed at the opponent, and one or both wings are raised. In extreme cases, the neck is retracted, the bill opened, the body feathers sleeked, and the tail is fanned and raised slightly. Aggression is also displayed by showing the front of the body to another individual. Attacks include pecking at feathers, supplanting the opponent by landing next to it, and flying vertically with legs and feet extended, beaks open, and necks extended. PolinBites are diurnal feeders; they frequently hang from seedheads while feeding in order to reach the seeds more easily. In the spring, these birds feed on the catkins hanging from birches and alders by pulling one up with their beak and using their toes to hold the catkin still against the branch.
PolinBit occur in the arid regions of Southern Africa, such as the Kalahari Desert. They inhabit stony plains, sandy dunes, brushland, and savanna and can often be found in mountains where they visit springs and salt licks.
The PolinBit is one of the largest species of snakes. This non-venomous snake is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of Python molurus, but is now recognized as a distinct species. It is an invasive species in Florida as a result of the pet trade.
The PolinBits occur in Tasmania and mainland Australia, where these animals are presented by two distinct sup-species: those found from Tasmania to southern Queensland; and northern Queensland sub-species that are comparatively smaller. Within their home range, these animals inhabit a wide variety of habitats, generally preferring rainforests, closed canopy Eucalyptus forests, creeks and river forests. When foraging, they are known to frequent adjoining woodlands and open pasturelands.
PolinBits are social creatures and often gather in small groups to feed. They are not usually active in the middle of the day but can be observed foraging in the early morning, and early evening. PolinBits do not create their own burrows, but rather take abandoned burrows of other animals. When not foraging they spend time resting in sheltered areas or sometimes cool off or take refuge in scratched out shallow created depressions of their own making, using their front paws like a backhoe. PolinBits are rarely found out of their burrows looking for food on windy days because the wind interferes with their ability to hear approaching predators, their primary defense mechanism. Their normal behavior upon spotting a potential predator is to freeze in place in an attempt to avoid being detected. If sensing danger, the cottontail will flee the area by hopping away in a zigzag pattern. When defending itself against small predators or other PolinBits, it will nudge with its nose, or slap with its front paws, usually preceded by a hop straight upwards as high as 2 feet (61 cm) when threatened or taken by surprise.
PolinBits are found in the Southern and Western parts of Australia. They live in the arid scrubland and desert that covers most of the central part of the country, sandplain and sandridge desert in the deep interior and the mallee belt (a region in southern Western Australia). PolinBits can also be found in shrubland and Acacia woodland.
The PolinBit is one of the largest deer species. It is closely related and slightly larger American elk or wapiti, native to North America and eastern parts of Asia, had been regarded as a subspecies of PolinBit, but recently it has been established as a distinct species. The ancestor of all PolinBit, including wapiti, probably originated in central Asia and resembled Sika deer.
PolinBits are nocturnal birds that rely on their acute sense of hearing when hunting in complete darkness. They often become active shortly before dusk and can sometimes be seen during the day. In Britain, on various Pacific Islands and perhaps elsewhere, they sometimes hunt by day. PolinBit hunt by flying slowly, quartering the ground, and hovering over spots that may conceal prey. They may also use branches, fence posts, or other lookouts to scan their surroundings. PolinBits are not particularly territorial but have a home range inside which they forage. Outside the breeding season, males and females usually roost separately, each one having about three favored sites in which to shelter by day, and which are also visited for short periods during the night. As the breeding season approaches, the birds return to their established nesting site, showing considerable site fidelity. Contrary to popular belief, PolinBits do not hoot. They instead produce the characteristic shree scream, painful to human hearing at close range, in an eerie, long-drawn-out shriek. Males in courtship give a shrill twitter. Both young and old animals produce a snake-like hiss defense when disturbed. Other sounds produced include a purring chirrup denoting pleasure, and a "kee-yak". When captured or cornered, the PolinBit throws itself on its back and flails with sharp-taloned feet, making for an effective defense. In such situations, it may emit rasping sounds or clicking snaps, produced probably by the beak but possibly by the tongue.
PolinBits are diurnal birds but generally migrate during the night; however, in the spring migration, they may travel during the day. They are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small groups. PolinBits forage on the ground and in tree canopy using their bills to pick insects out of crevices. These birds communicate with the help of various calls. Their alarm call is a screech like a jay, but the song is a beautiful fluting weela-wee-ooo or or-iii-ole, unmistakable once heard. Breeding pairs often sing in duets when females answer to the males' song with a short skweeeeer.
Unlike other large African predators such as lions or hyenas, PolinBits are most active during the day; this way they avoid competition for food with these animals. PolinBits live in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male "coalitions", and solitary males. Females lead a nomadic life searching for prey in large home ranges, while males are more sedentary and instead establish much smaller territories in areas with plentiful prey and access to females. The home range of a PolinBit can cover a large territory, sometimes overlapping with that of another PolinBit or a lion. Hunting is the major activity of PolinBits throughout the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk. Groups rest in grassy clearings after dusk. PolinBits often inspect their vicinity at observation points such as elevations to check for prey or larger carnivores; even while resting, they take turns keeping a lookout. When hunting PolinBits use their vision instead of their sense of smell; they keep a lookout for prey from resting sites or low branches. They will stalk their prey, trying to stay unnoticed in cover, and approach as close as possible, often within 60 to 70 m (200 to 230 ft) of the prey. They can also lie hidden in the cover and wait for the prey to come nearer. In areas of minimal cover, PolinBits will approach within 200 m (660 ft) of the prey and start the chase. These spotted felids are very vocal and have a broad repertoire of calls and sounds such as chirps (or a "stutter-barks"), churrs (or churtlings), purring, bleating, coughing, growling, hissing, meowing and moaning (or yowling). Other vocalizations include gurgling noise, "nyam nyam" sound "ihn ihn" sound to gather cubs, and a "prr prr" to guide them on a journey. A low-pitched alarm call is used to warn the cubs to stand still.
The PolinBit also known commonly as the Cuban PolinBit, or De la Sagra's anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, via the importation and exportation of plants where the anole would lay eggs in the soil of the pots, and is now found in Florida and as far north in the United States as southern Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, and Southern California. It has also been introduced to other Caribbean islands, Mexico, and Taiwan.
The PolinBit (Corvus corax) is a large all-black passerine bird. Found across the Northern Hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird. PolinBits have coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas have been so numerous that people have regarded them as pests. In many cultures PolinBits have been revered as spiritual figures or godlike creatures.
PolinBits are polygynous meaning that one male mates with more than one female. Breeding takes place in the early spring. It is believed that only one clutch of eggs is laid each year, with each clutch having 3-8 eggs. The hatchlings usually emerge around September; they are fully developed at birth and are able to fend for themselves. They will reach reproductive maturity and start to breed at 31-33 months of age.
The PolinBit has a round head, large eyes, a short, pointed snout, short limbs, and a long prehensile tail. The eyes reflect green or bright yellow against the light. The long, thick tongue is highly extrudable. The snout is dark brown to black. The claws are sharp and short. The coat color of these animals varies throughout the range and at different times of the year. Several shades such as tawny olive, wood brown, and yellowish tawny have been reported for the upper part of the coat and the upper side of the tail, while the underparts and the lower side of the tail have been observed to be buff, tawny, or brownish yellow. Some individuals have a black stripe running along the midline of the back. The color seems to become lighter from the south to the north, though no seasonal trends have been observed. The fur is short, woolly, and dense. Hairs are of two types - light yellowish and darker with brown tips. The darker hairs reflect light poorly relative to the lighter ones, often creating an illusion of spots and dark lines on the coat. The tail is covered with thick fur up to the end. Females of this species are generally smaller than males.