#千万IP创科普# The common nighthawk, who is proficient in "camouflage" technology, is not ordinary at all

A bird's eye view of science

Quanzhou Association for Science and Technology

Quanzhou Bird Watching Society

The ecosystem is like a grand and exquisite symphony. In this song of nature, birds, with their agile posture, colorful feathers and pleasant singing, have become one of the most eye-catching notes. Popular science protects the green home. Quanzhou Association for Science and Technology, together with the Quanzhou Birdwatching Society, has launched a new special science column "Bird's Eye Science", which publishes bird science knowledge from time to time, selects and broadcasts student essays and paintings, guides the public to participate in ecological education, pays attention to bird protection and research, and jointly maintains ecological balance. There are carefully drawn bird paintings, which outline their beautiful contours with artistic brushstrokes; there are high-definition and realistic bird pictures, showing them flying, foraging, and playing in the forest, interpreting the vitality and agility of life. Let us walk into the bird world full of wonders and surprises and explore their unique value in the ecosystem.

Common Nighthawk Photographer: Huang Baotong

Common Nighthawk Photographer: Huang Baotong

Common Nighthawk Photographer: Ling Jicheng

Essay appreciation: "Night Talks in Guimao"

2023 Luojiang District Essay and Painting Competition

Author: Chen Kaiyu

Luojiang Foreign Language School, Grade 9, Class 26

My family lives near Luoyang Bridge, so observing egrets has become a daily routine. Walking on Luoyang Bridge, the morning breeze blows on my cheeks, and a cool feeling comes over me. All around are the rushing Luoyang River and the lush mangroves. The breeze blows, and the river ripples. Suddenly, a few white dots come into view, like white flowers blooming among the green trees. Why are the little flowers moving? I look closely, oh! It turns out to be a group of naughty egrets. "How many springs have the erythrina flowers bloomed, how many years have the East and West Towers faced each other, how many people have walked across the Luoyang Bridge, how many ships have sailed out of Quanzhou Bay, and now it's my turn to walk on the bridge..." After reading this article by Grandpa Yu Guangzhong, I closed the page, but those words are still lingering in my mind. With my curiosity and longing for Luoyang Bridge, accompanied by the sunset that has already dyed the sky light crimson, I walked along the Luoyang Bridge with my family, savoring the nature and beauty of Luoyang Bridge. When you reach the treetops, you can see green leaves swaying in the wind like boats, and beautiful flowers under the trees, red, yellow, and purple, blooming beautifully in the sun and dancing in the wind. In the distance, little bugs are playing and chasing freely among the flowers, which is really fun.

In the year of Guimao, I lived alone in my bedroom, unable to sleep at night, looking out the window, I saw -

Sweet osmanthus flowers bloom on the seaside, and clouds and leaves scatter across the sky. The colorful clouds shine like silver for thousands of miles, and the white moon reflects the mountains like water. A bright moon can separate the universe into clear and the four seas into mist. It reflects the bright morning sky, and its shadow stretches across the wilderness, startling the lonely crows that sleep alone. Its light shines on the flat moon, illuminating the wild geese that roost together. The icy moon stretches for three thousand miles, and the Jade Rabbit swallows the four white continents.[1]

A shadow gradually approached, and I looked closely, and saw its brown feathers and white breast, its head raised in surprise, its eyes flashing with brilliance, and a bird quietly perched on the wall, chirping. Suddenly I could hear its meaning, and leaned over to listen carefully, and heard what it was saying.

I asked him, "Why have you come to this point? Aren't you exhausted?"

It replied, "No, how dare I fly in the night?" I frowned and asked again, "Why?" The bird was silent, tears streaming down its face, "I once flew in the night, but my mother and my wife were both dead. The lights were dim, the glass blocked the light, and it was transparent, so I couldn't see the glass because there was nothing in it, so it hit me and died.

I felt uncomfortable, and looked at Binglun, thinking of his sadness, and asked him again: "Brother Que, please have some tea." I went back, got the tea, boiled it with water, and handed it to him. Que drank a little.

When it was pleased, it asked again: "I have heard that Kunpeng can fly three thousand miles in the water and ninety thousand miles in the sky. [2] Is it as glorious as before?" The bird sighed: "Kunpeng once swam in the North Sea. How happy it was. It soared into the sky and was free and unfettered. But people throw things into the sea, and they are all waste. It pollutes the water and washes the ocean. Kunpeng cries in sorrow. Even worse, the Eastern Barbarians, Japan, dump nuclear weapons into the sea, killing all the fish that pass by. Although Kunpeng is strong, it cannot overcome its own strength. It is sick and cannot fly now." It also regretted: "I don't know when I will die."

He replied: "Brother Que, what you said is wrong. If it is like this, the world will be polluted. But people today are in control. There is a good strategy called 'green development'. People today are willing to protect the world."

The bird said, "I saw an iron bird in Palestine. It had a body of steel and bones. If it dropped an object, everything would be burned wherever it passed. We have never heard of a bird as ferocious as this one." I thought, "This 'fighter' is the battle between the State of Palestine and the State of Israel. In the battle, corpses piled up and the grass and trees smelled foul, blood flowed and the rivers and plains turned red[3]. Souls gathered and the sky was dark, and ghosts and gods gathered and the clouds were thick[4]. The bird said, "Why do people attack it?" He sighed and said, "It's a dispute over territory." ...

I laughed and talked with the sparrow until dawn. The sun shone through the jade curtains, and the light from the window was reflected by the morning glow[5]. There were thousands of beautiful wisps of light, which were neither smoke nor fog.[6] When the sparrow finished talking, it flew up to the sky, sighed, "Little brother, I am leaving now. See you later." Then it soared into the sky.

I bow my head and sigh alone, thousands of words turn into a sigh, gone with the wind...

May mankind protect the earth and respect life!

References:

[1] Shi Naian, late Yuan and early Ming, The Water Margin, Chapter 2

[2] Zhuang Zhou, Pre-Qin Dynasty, “Xiaoyaoyou”

[3] Du Fu, Tang Dynasty, “Farewell to Old Age”

[4] Li Hua, Tang Dynasty, “Mourning the Ancient Battlefield”

[5] Sun Yuanxiang, Qing Dynasty, “Three Beautiful Women” (Part 2)

[6] Deng Yunxiao, Ming Dynasty: Apricot Blossoms in the Early Rain

Paintings. "Breaking Out of the Walls" 2023 Luojiang District Essay and Painting Competition

Author: Wang Cibo, Class 1, Grade 2, Shuangyang Middle School, Quanzhou City / Instructor: Liu Yanhua /

Popular Science Extension Common Nighthawk

Scientific name: Caprimulgus jotaka

Nighthawks

The male has a broad black spot in the middle of the head, a reddish-brown stripe on the neck, black stripes with reddish-brown spots on the shoulders, dark grey wing coverts with reddish-brown spots, black primary flight feathers with lighter black tips, and distinct black horizontal stripes and discontinuous white subterminal spots on the upper coverts and tail feathers. The female has a slightly warmer upper body color, with a bright reddish-brown patch and secondary mustache stripes on the throat, and heavier stripes on the abdomen.

The common nighthawk is mainly active at night and is most active in the air at dusk, feeding on insects. It is highly adaptable and inhabits early successional forest edge areas, such as open scrub, woodland edges, and burned vegetation areas.