User talk:Charlesjsharp

The Mauritius ornate day gecko (Phelsuma ornata) is a diurnal species of gecko in the family Gekkonidae, the common geckos. It occurs in Mauritius, on the main island up to an elevation of 300 metres (980 feet) and on most of the surrounding islands. The species feeds on insects and nectar from flowering plants. It has a typical length of 10 to 13 centimetres (3.9 to 5.1 inches), and can be bluish green, with a back covered with red coloured dots and a head with a T-shaped pattern. This Mauritius ornate day gecko was photographed on the Île aux Aigrettes, an islet of the southeastern coast of the main island.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Xysticus cristatus , the common crab spider, is a species in the family Thomisidae. It has a Palearctic distribution, being found throughout Europe (including Iceland) and east through Asia to Siberia, China, Korea and Japan. It has been introduced to Canada and the United States. The species is usually found in low vegetation and avoids woodland and closed canopy habitats, but is otherwise found in almost every habitat type. The female has a body length of about 6 to 8 millimetres (0.24 to 0.31 inches), and the male about 3 to 5 millimetres (0.12 to 0.20 inches), with coloration varying from light cream, dark brown to greyish. X. cristatus is an ambush hunter that spends much time sitting still with its forelegs spread wide, waiting for insects to blunder into them. During reproduction, the female builds a flat white ovisac containing developing eggs, usually fixed on plants. The female sits on it to protect it, until myriad little spiders are released. This female X. cristatus spider with its prey, a Carniolan honey bee, was photographed in Bled, Slovenia. The photograph was focus-stacked from seven separate images.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), also known as the swordbill, is a neotropical species of hummingbird from the Andean regions of South America. Among the largest species of hummingbird, it is characterized by its unusually long beak, being the only bird to have a beak longer than the rest of its body, excluding the tail. It uses its bill to drink nectar from flowers with long corollas, and has coevolved with the species Passiflora mixta . While most hummingbirds preen using their bills, the sword-billed hummingbird uses its feet to scratch and preen due to its beak being so long. This sword-billed hummingbird was photographed perching on a branch at Hacienda El Bosque in Manizales, Colombia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is a parrot in the family Psittacidae, native to central and eastern South America. With a length of around 1 metre (3 feet), it is longer than any other species of parrot. It is also the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species. The hyacinth macaw mostly nests in manduvi trees; these trees rely on the toco toucan for the majority of their distribution of seeds, but that bird also feeds on a sizeable proportion of the hyacinth macaw's eggs. Habitat loss and the trapping of wild birds for the pet trade have taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild, so the species is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. This hyacinth macaw eating a nut was photographed by the Rio Negro, a river in the Pantanal in southwestern Brazil.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) is a parrot in the family Psittacidae, native to central and eastern South America. With a length of around 1 metre (3.3 ft), it is longer than any other species of parrot. It is also the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species. The hyacinth macaw mostly nests in manduvi trees; these trees rely on the toco toucan for the majority of their distribution of seeds, but that bird also feeds on a sizeable proportion of the hyacinth macaw's eggs. Habitat loss and the trapping of wild birds for the pet trade have taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild, so the species is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. This hyacinth macaw in flight was photographed close to the town of Poconé in the pantanal of Brazil.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

The chestnut-naped antpitta (Grallaria nuchalis) is a species of bird in the antpitta family, Grallariidae. Found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, it inhabits bamboo stands in temperate to humid montane forest, and in the undergrowth of adjacent forest that lacks bamboo, at elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 metres (6,600 and 9,800 feet). It is known to feed on insects and other invertebrates, and sings mostly at dawn and dusk, usually from a hidden low perch. This chestnut-naped antpitta of the subspecies G. n. ruficeps was photographed in Las Tángaras, a nature reserve in Chocó Department, Colombia.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp