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Sunbird Facts (Family Nectariniidae)

Sunbirds are tropical nectar-sipping birds belonging to the family Nectariniidae. Some members of the family are called spiderhunters, but all are considered to be sunbirds. Like unrelated hummingbirds, they feed primarily on nectar. However, most sunbirds have curved bills and perch to feed rather than hover like hummingbirds. Fast Facts: Sunbird Scientific Name: NectariniidaeCommon Names: sunbird, spiderhunterBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: Less than 4 inchesWeight: 0.2-1.6 ouncesLifespan: 16-22 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Southeast Asia, Africa, northern AustraliaPopulation: Stable or decreasingConservation Status: Least Concern to Endangered Species The Nectariniidae family consists of 16 genera and 145 species. All birds in the family are sunbirds, but those in the genus Arachnothera are called spiderhunters. The spiderhunters are distinct from other sunbirds in that they are larger and both sexes have the same dull brown plumage. Description Sunbirds are small, slender birds measuring less than 4 inches in length. The smallest sunbird is the black-bellied sunbird, which weighs about 5 grams or 0.2 ounces. The largest sunbird is the spectacled spiderhunter, which weighs 45 grams or 1.6 ounces. Generally, males are larger than females and have longer tails. Most members of the family have long, downward-curved bills. Except for the spiderhunters, sunbirds are strongly sexually dimorphic. Males often have brilliant iridescent plumage, while females tend to be duller or different colors than males. Some species have distinctive juvenile and seasonal plumage. Male and female sunbirds may have very different plumage colors. Irtiza7 / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Sunbirds live in tropical forests, inland wetlands, savannas, and scrubland in Africa, southern Asia, the Middle East, and northern Australia. They tend not to favor coasts or islands. Some species migrate seasonally, but only a short distance. They are found from sea level to 19,000 feet of elevation. Some species have adapted to live near human habitation in gardens and agricultural land. Diet For the most part, sunbirds feed on flower nectar. They eat from orange and red tubular flowers and are important pollinators for these species. A sunbird dips its curved bill into a flower or else pierces its base and then sips nectar using a long, tubular tongue. Sunbirds also eat fruit, small insects, and spiders. While hummingbirds hover to feed, sunbirds land and perch on flower stalks. Behavior Sunbirds live in pairs or small groups and are active during the daytime. They aggressively defend their territories from predators and (during the breeding season) other bird species. Sunbirds tend to be talkative birds. Their songs consists of rattles and metallic-sounding notes. Reproduction and Offspring Outside of the equatorial belt, sunbirds breed seasonally, usually during the wet season. Birds that live near the equator may breed any time of year. Most species are monogamous and territorial. A few species engage in lekking, where a group of males gather to put on a courtship display to attract females. Female sunbirds use spiderwebs, leaves, and twigs to build purse-shaped nests and suspend them from branches. However, spiderhunter nests are woven cups attached beneath large leaves. The female lays up to four eggs. Except for spiderhunters, only sunbird females incubate the eggs. Purple sunbird eggs hatch after 15 to 17 days. Male sunbirds help rear the nestlings. Sunbirds live between 16 and 22 years. Olive-backed female sunbird with chicks. Paul T Photography / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies most sunbird species as least concern. Seven species are threatened with extinction and the elegant sunbird (Aethopyga duyvenbodei) is endangered. Populations are either stable or decreasing. Threats Threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation from deforestation and human encroachment. The scarlet-chested sunbird is considered an agricultural pest, as it spreads parasitic mistletoe in cocoa plantations. Although sunbirds are stunningly beautiful, they are not typically captured for the pet trade because of their specific nutritional needs. Sources BirdLife International 2016. Aethopyga duyvenbodei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22718068A94565160. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22718068A94565160.enBirdLife International 2016. Cinnyris asiaticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22717855A94555513. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717855A94555513.enCheke, Robert and Clive Mann. Family Nectariniidae (Sunbirds). In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, David (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Editions. pp. 196–243. 2008. ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3.Flower, Stanley Smyth. Further notes on the duration of life in animals. IV. Birds. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Ser. A (2): 195–235, 1938. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1938.tb07895.xJohnson, Steven D. The pollination niche and its role in the diversification and maintenance of the southern African flora. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 365 ( 1539): 499–516. 2010. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0243

Gramm Leach Bliley Modernization Act of 1999 Free Essays

Gramm Leach Bliley Modernization Act of 1999 History of the GLBA The Gramm Leach Bliley Modernization Act of 1999 is a regulation that Congress passed on November 12, 1999, which attempts to update and modernize the  financial industry. The main function of the Act was to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act that said banks and  other financial institutions were not allowed to offer financial services,  like  investments and insurance-related  services, as part of normal operations. The act is also known as the Financial Services  Modernization Act. We will write a custom essay sample on Gramm Leach Bliley Modernization Act of 1999 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), which is also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, provides limited privacy protections against the sale of your private financial information. Additionally, the GLBA codifies protections against pretexting, the practice of obtaining personal information through false pretenses. (EPIC. org) Senator William Gramm Senator William Philip Gramm, also known as Phil, is a Representative and Senator from Texas. From 1978 to 1983, he served as a Democratic Congressman. Then from 1983 to 1985, Senator Gramm served as a Republican Congressman.Most recently, from 1985-2002, he served as a Republican Senator. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1964, he continued at U of G to receive his doctorate in 1967. William Gramm was a professor of economics from 1967-1978. During this period, from 1971-1978, he also founded an economic consulting firm by the name of Gramm amp; Associates. In 1981, he co-sponsored the  Gramm-Latta Budget  which implemented  President  Ronald Reagan’s economic program, increased  military spending, cut other spending, and mandated the  Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.Just days after being reelected in 1982, Gramm was thrown off the  House Budget Committee  for supporting Reagan’s tax cuts. In response, Gramm resigned his House seat on January 5, 1983. He then ran as a Republican for his own spot in a February 12, 1983 special election, and won. He became the first Republican to represent the district since its creation. Glass Steagall Act Due to the horrific losses incurred as a result of  1929’s Black Tuesday and Thursday,  the Glass-Steagall act was  created originally during the 1930s in order to prevent bank depositors  from  additional exposure to  risk associated with  stock market issues.As a result, for many years, banks were not legally allowed to  act as  brokers. Since many regulations  have been  instituted  since the 1930s to protect bank depositors,  GLBA was created to  allow the financial industry to offer more services. Current Events related to GLBA Due to the recent financial crisis and with concerns about the country’s economic status on the rise, GLBA has attracted its share of criticism. In an earlier statement, President Obama was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying that the GLBA helped create the 2007 subprime crisis. Nobel prize recipients Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman have also criticized the Act.In fact, Paul Krugman referred to the co-author, former Senator Phil Gramm, as the â€Å"Father of the Financial Crisis. † Although GLBA is receiving the bulk of the outrage, the true â€Å"monsters† in this financial crisis have come from the unregulated brokerage industry and investment banks. Recent Proposals Although it seems to have fallen from new legislation, The Volcker Rule   is a pr oposal   to restrict banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments if they are not strictly on behalf of their customers. Volcker has argued that such speculative activity played a key role in the  current financial crisis.The Volcker Rule was first publicly endorsed by President Obama on January 21, 2010. The proposal specifically prohibits a bank or institution that owns a bank from engaging in  proprietary trading that isn’t strictly on behalf of its clients, and from owning or investing in a hedge fund or private equity fund, as well as limiting the liabilities that the largest banks could hold. As of February 23, 2010, Congress began to consider a different bill allowing federal regulators to restrict proprietary trading and hedge fund ownership by banks, but not prohibiting these activities altogether. Paul Volcker was earlier appointed as the chair of President  Obama’s  Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which was created on February 6, 2009.Works Cited†Biographical Directory of the United States Congress†. June 30, 2010 http://bioguide. congress. gov/scripts/bio display. pl? index=g000365.†Information Regarding the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999†³. U. S. Senate Commitee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. June 30, 2010 http://banking. senate. gov/conf/.†The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act†. Electronic Privacy Information Center. June 30, 2010 ;lt;http://epic. org/privacy/glba/;gt;. How to cite Gramm Leach Bliley Modernization Act of 1999, Papers