Spotted in Dunvegan Gardens, Isle of Skye, Scotland
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47636607
Found in the Pentland Hills, Scotland
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Taken at the River Almond, Edinburgh, Scotland, with another family further upstream.
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The Eurasian dotterel (Eudromias morinellus), also known in Europe as just dotterel, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It is the only species placed in the genus Eudromias.
The dotterel is a brown-and-black-streaked bird with a broad, white eye stripe and an orange-red chest band when in breeding plumage. The female is more colourful than the male. The bird is tame and unsuspecting, and the term "dotterel" has been applied contemptuously to mean an old fool.
The Eurasian dotterel is a migratory species, breeding in Northern Europe and Eurosiberia and migrating south to North Africa and the Middle East in the winter. It nests in a bare scrape on the ground and lays two to four eggs. The male does the incubation and rears the chicks, with the female having gone off to find another male and lay another clutch of eggs. It is a common bird with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".
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Phelsuma lineata, also known commonly as the lined day gecko, is a species of diurnal gecko in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Madagascar. It has also been introduced to Réunion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phelsuma_lineata
Photo taken in Antananarivo, Madagascar April 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46599165
The Madagascar pygmy kingfisher (Corythornis madagascariensis) is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and found in western dry deciduous forests.
The first formal description of the Madagascan pygmy kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Alcedo madagascariensis.
Although it has been placed in the genera Ceyx and Ispidina in the past, a study of its molecular phylogenetic relationships with other genera in the region suggests it is best treated as a member of the genus Corythornis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_pygmy_kingfisher
Photo taken in Analamazaotra Reserve, Andasibe, Madagascar. CC BY 4.0
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46973427
European Golden Plover
The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), also known as the Eurasian golden plover, greater golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a relatively large species of plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers, the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, and Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva, which are both slightly smaller, slimmer and longer-legged than European golden plover, and both have grey rather than white axillary (armpit) feathers (visible in flight, and when the bird stretches its wings on the ground).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_golden_plover
Photo taken in the Cairngorms, Scotland May 2026
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The European golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria), also known as the Eurasian golden plover, greater golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a relatively large species of plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers, the American golden plover, Pluvialis dominica, and Pacific golden plover, Pluvialis fulva, which are both slightly smaller, slimmer and longer-legged than European golden plover, and both have grey rather than white axillary (armpit) feathers (visible in flight, and when the bird stretches its wings on the ground).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_golden_plover
Photo taken in the Cairngorms, Scotland May 2026
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Helicophanta magnifica, common name the magnificent helicophanta, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Acavidae. The shell of this species can reach a length of 75–85 mm. The species occurs in Madagascar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicophanta_magnifica
Taken in Analamazaotra Reserve, Andasibe, April 2026.
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The common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus) is a species of lemur in the family Lemuridae. It is found in Madagascar and has been introduced to Mayotte.
The common brown lemur has a total length of 84 to 101 cm (33 to 40 in), including 41 to 51 cm (16 to 20 in) of tail. Weight ranges from 2 to 3 kg (4.4 to 6.6 lb). Common brown lemurs are unique amongst Eulemur in that they exhibit little-to-no sexual dichromatism: in both males and females, the face, muzzle and crown are dark gray or black, with white or tan "cheeks" of varying thickness. Some individuals may have pale-colored eyebrow patches, and the eyes are almost always a deep orange-red.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_brown_lemur
Taken in Analamazaotra Reserve, Andasibe, April 2026.
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