Rhode Island Red is a breed of chicken from America. The bird was developed in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in 1854. It is raised commercially and non-commercially primarily for laying eggs, and occasionally also for its meat. The bird is also kept as a pet by some people because of its friendly and affectionate nature. It is further divided into two categories, namely the heritage breed and the industrial breed.

Rhode Island Red was developed by cross breeding a variety of other chicken breeds such as Malay, Java, Cochin and Shanghai with brown Leghorn birds from Italy.

Previously in its early days these chickens were also known as John Macomber fowls or Tripp Fowls. John Macomber and William Tripp were the first people to breed the Rhode Island Red.

Its current name, The Rhode Island Red, was given to it by Isaac Wilbour, a poultry owner who had bought some birds from Macomber and Tripp and performed his own cross breeding of the bird with other chicken fowls to improve the breed.

Rhode Island Reds are red colored with hard feathers(inherited from Malay and Java breeds).  The bird’s color is usually Mahogany Red but sometimes the tail is dark red to almost black in some breeds. This chicken’s red color fades over time due to sun exposure.

Eye color is orange-red. Its comb, wattles and ear-lobes are also red. The skin color is yellow.

Roosters weigh around 3.9kg while hens weigh about 3kg. Bantam males weigh about 0.96kg while females weigh around 0.85kg. Bantam breeds are miniature breeds developed from the original breed.

Rhode Island Reds were initially developed for their eggs and meat, but nowadays the breed is usually raised only for eggs. This Is because the bird has remarkable egg laying capabilities and can lay around 200-300+ eggs an year.

They can start laying eggs at about 16-24 weeks of age. Heritage Rhode Island Reds lay fewer eggs then industrial strains of the chicken.

Eggs are brown in color. The size of the eggs increases over the years as with other chicken breeds.

Because of its high egg production, the Rhode Island Red has been cross bred with many breeds to create more modern hybrid breeds.

The breed is considered healthy and adaptable. It can survive in any kind of weather and this is one of the reasons this chicken is found all over the world.

These chickens are considered very energetic, curious, friendly and affectionate in general. They make good family pets because of their friendly nature. Roosters can sometimes be a bit aggressive though.

Rhode Island Red is also the state bird of Rhode Island. In honor of the bird the state has two statues of the bird, one in Adamsville and the other in Little Compton. Both these statues are located at places where the bird was first bred and developed in the nineteenth century.

Most of the Rhode Island Red breeds we see today are modified breeds of the heritage(original) breed. The heritage Rhode Island Red is vanishing. It is estimated that globally only 10000 heritage breeds are left and 25% of these fowls are in USA.

Blanford’s fox are the second smallest species of fox in the world. These foxes are found in parts of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, Yemen, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. The species was first described by in 1877 by William Thomas Blanford, an English naturalist.

The scientific name for Blanford’s fox is Vulpes cana. The species is known by many other names such as the Black Fox, Hoary Fox, Afghan Fox, Royal Fox, Baluchistan Fox, Dog Fox , Cliff Fox, King Fox and Steppe Fox.

Blanford’s Foxes prefer areas with semi-arid climate and are mainly found in steppes and rocky areas such as mountains, hills and canyons. They like to stay at medium altitudes, not too high and not too low. They’re usually found at altitudes below 2000m but have been seen in mountains at heights of 3000m.

These foxes have hair-less and cat-like paws with sharp semi-retractile claws that gives them the ability to jump and climb over cliffs and rocks as high as 3m. Their long hairy tails give them a counter-balancing effect when climbing or moving over rocky and narrow ledges.

Their coat is furry and mostly grey/brown. The lower regions of the body are white. They have long bushy tails and big ears, which help them dissipate heat and control body temperature.

Blanford’s Foxes are the second smallest among all foxes. The only smaller species is the Fennec Fox. Both species are close relatives and have a very similar DNA structure.

These foxes have a total length of about 70-90cm including the head, body and tail. They weigh around 0.8-3kg.

They are omnivorous in nature and their diet mainly consists of insects such as locusts, ants, beetles, termites and grasshoppers.

They also eat lizards, birds, fruits and small mammals such as rodents. Blanford’s Foxes can go without water for several days because they get their water content from the fruit they eat. They like to eat grapes, melons, Caper berries and Russian chives.

On average, they have a lifespan of about 4-5 years, but some individuals have been reported to live up to 10 years.

The foxes are nocturnal in nature. They hunt and feed at night and remain inside their caves, dens or other rocky shelters during the day.

Like all other fox species, Blanford’s Foxes have a sharp sense of smell, keen eyesight and very good hearing.

Blanford’s Foxes are monogamous in nature. Mating season starts in December and continues through February. The young foxes are born after a gestation period of 50-60 days. Each adult female fox can give birth to 1-4 babies at a time.

The baby foxes are nursed by their mothers for the first 30-45 days of their life. They reach sexual maturity 8-12 months after their birth.

Orangutan is a Malay word meaning ”person of the forest.” Orangutans are long haired apes and somewhat orange-red colored primates that are found only in the islands, Sumatra and Borneo. They are highly intelligible creatures and are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. Some people believe that they can speak but choose not to, because of fear that they would be forced to work if they were ever caught talking. Currently these apes are categorized as critically endangered and their population is under constant decline.

Orangutan’s are very large, reaching up to 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5m) in height.

They can build different tools like sticks to dig insect nests and nests for themselves on trees.

They have 32 permanent teeth just like humans do.

They spend much of their time in trees in their tropical rain forest home.

Orangutans can make about 13 to 15 different kind of sounds.

Adult Orangutans weigh around 73 to 180 lbs.

They use large leaves as umbrellas to protect themselves from getting wet during rains.

The diet of an Orangutan consists of mainly fruits and leaves from rain forest trees. They also eat bark, insects, honey, meat and sometimes eggs on rare occasions. Sometimes they also eat soil and rock.

Orangutans can give birth only once in every eight years.

Orangutans have a life span of 30 to 40 years, though some have lived as long as 60 years in captivity.

Unfortunately human activities like deforestation and hunting has caused a huge decline in their population which has placed them under the threat of extinction.

Kittens are one of the most cute and adorable little things and it’s really fun to play with them. They are also more sociable than grown up cats and like to play and interact with their owners. Like all babies, kittens are also sensitive and delicate. They require special care and attention in the early part of their life. Here are some useful and interesting facts about kittens that could be helpful to people who own cats or plan to get one.

Kittens that are adopted at too young an age tend to bite more than those who spend the early 12-16 weeks with their mothers. So, it would be better to adopt kittens along with the mother.

Kittens are sensitive and can get sick easily. So, owners should get their kittens vaccinated and medicated. They should also visit a vet regularly.

Kittens need their mothers in the early weeks of their life.The mother’s milk is important for a proper and nutritious growth. It also contains essential antibodies that protects the kitten from infectious diseases.The mothers keep their babies warm because young kittens are unable to regulate body temperature.

As Infant kittens can’t regulate their body temperature, don’t bathe your kitten until it is at least 8 weeks old.And use only kitten-safe products for its cleaning. Adult cat or dog products could be toxic.

Keep them confined to a safe room and don’t let them wander off.They may get lost somewhere in your house. So keep them in one location until they are old enough to explore what’s outside.

Take care of hazards like electrical sockets, electrical cords, small toys or pieces of string which they might try to swallow.

Feed the kitten three or four small meals daily until the kitten is 6 months old. Kittens have tiny tummies and can’t eat a load of food at once.

Keep your kitten’s claws clipped so that it doesn’t scratch your skin or any other object.

And finally when they are old enough, let them wander outside and explore the world but make sure they have taken proper vaccines and medications and even when they’re outside, keep an eye on them and don’t let them go near a road where there is a lot of traffic.

Houbara Bustards are a species of large migratory birds found in parts of Asia, Middle East and Africa. The bird is most abundant in Central Asia and Pakistan. The main migration route of these birds is from Kazakhstan to Pakistan and vice versa.

The birds spend the summers in the Central Asian Republics, primarily in Kazakhstan.

During winters they migrate to arid or semi-arid regions, primarily to Pakistan.

The scientific name of the bird is Chlamydotis Undulata.

It’s also known as the African Houbara, in Africa.

They are about 55-65cm in length with a total width of 135-170m including the wings. Females are slightly taller than males.

The birds are brown in color, with black markings on their body.

Weight of these birds range from 1-2.5kg. Males are slightly heavier than females.

Female Houbaras lay eggs in quantities of 3-4. These eggs hatch about 24 days after being laid. The newly hatched birds take 35 days to completely develop their wings.

These birds are omnivores by nature and their diet mainly consists of small seedlings, insects, small snakes, birds and rodents.

They don’t drink water and get their water intake from their food.

Global population of the species is estimated to be somewhere between 50000-100000.

Houbaras are considered vulnerable to extinction because of excessive hunting by humans and urbanization of the habitat of these birds.

It is believed that after every 20 year period, population of this bird is decreased by 30-49%.

Houbaras are under significant threat by humans especially in Pakistan. Every year during the winter season hundreds and sometimes even thousands of the birds are hunted by Arab Sheikhs and Princes who visit Pakistan. Unless, hunting Houbaras isn’t completely banned and steps aren’t taken to conserve this species, the Houbara Bustard may become extinct very soon.

Alexandrine Parrots, also known as Alexandrine Parakeets, are medium-sized birds in description. However, they are also considered to be the largest among all parakeet species. A lot of them have been known to reach up to lengths of 25 inches.

Here are some facts about Alexandrine Parrots:

• This parrot species was named after Alexander The Great. He is credited with exporting different species of these birds from Punjab to various Mediterranean and European places all across the globe.
• On average, these parrots have a length of 23 inches and a weight between 200-300 g.
• The average lifespan of Alexandrine Parakeets is up to 40 years in captivity. However, they must be cared for properly, in order for them to reach this old age.
• The temperament of these parrots is amazing. They are very loving and love to be hand fed. They are reputed to be very loyal “one-person” birds where family members are concerned. Therefore, this means, they will bond with only one family member in particular and ignore others totally. Other than this fact, they can be very loving and affectionate in nature, which makes them great pets.
• This exquisite and elegant parrot species has naturalized itself in numerous European countries. Some of these places include Germany, south of England, Belgium, Greece, western Turkey and the Netherlands.
• Its species is one of the oldest of all captive Parrot bird species on the entire Eurasian continent.

Alexandrine Parrots are truly exceptional birds. They are not only very beautiful birds in description, they are also very smart, knowing the meaning of love and loyalty. Taking care of these parrots as a pet, is a long term commitment, and not something that everyone can do. When you get one of these birds as a pet, you are also getting one very affectionate and faithful companion as a true friend too.