Peacock Facts (Pavo sp. and Afropavo sp.)

Peacocks are birds known for their showy plumage and piercing calls. While both males and females are often called peacocks, really only the male is the peacock. The female is a peahen, while the young are peachicks. Collectively, they are properly known as peafowl. Fast Facts: Peacock Scientific Name: Pavo cristatus; Pavo muticus; Afropavo congensisCommon Names: Peacock, Indian peacock, blue peafowl, green peafowl, Java peafowl, African peacock, Congo peafowl, mbuluBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 3.0-7.5 feetWeight: 6-13 poundsLifespan: 15-20 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Forests of India, Southeast Asia, and Congo Basin of AfricaPopulation: ThousandsConservation Status: Least Concern to Endangered (depending on species) Species Peafowl belong to the pheasant family (Phasianidae). The three genera are Pavo cristatus, the Indian or blue peacock; Pavo muticus, the Java or green peafowl; and Afropavo congensis, the African peafowl or mbulu. There are also subspecies of green peafowl. The male green peafowl and female Indian peafowl can mate to produce a fertile hybrid called a spalding. Description Peacocks are easily identified by their fan-like crest of feathers and long train of colorful eye-spot feathers. Male birds have spurs on their legs which they use for territorial disputes with other males. While peahens have a feathered crest, they lack the elaborate train. Both males and females have iridescent feathers. Actually, the feathers are brown, but crystalline structures produce vibrant blue, green, and gold colors by the scattering and interference of light. The body of the blue peacock appears blue, while the body of the green peacock appears green. The African peacock is a darker blue-green and brown. Chicks bear cryptic coloring in shades of tan and brown that help them blend in with their environment. Both males and females are large birds, but males are about twice the length of females because of their feather train. On average, adults range from three to over seven feet from beak to tail tip. They weigh between six and thirteen pounds. African or Congo peafowl have shorter trains the green or blue peafowl. Stan Osolinski, Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Originally, the Indian peacock came from the Indian subcontinent. Now it is widely distributed across South Asia. Green peafowl live in Southeast Asia, including China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Java. The African peacock is native to the Congo Basin. The three peafowl species do not naturally overlap ranges. All three species prefer forested habitats. Diet and Behavior Like other pheasants, peafowl are omnivorous, basically eating anything that fits in their beaks. They eat fruits, insects, crops, garden plants, seeds, insects, small mammals, and small reptiles. At night, peacocks fly to tree branches to roost in family units. Reproduction and Offspring The breeding season is variable and depends largely on rain. Males fan their feathers to attract a mate. A female may select a mate based on several factors, which include the visual display, its low-frequency vibration (picked up by the females crest feathers), or the males call. A blue peacock has a harem of two to three peahens, while green and African peafowl tend to be monogamous. After mating, the female scrapes a shallow nest in the ground and lays between four and eight buff-colored eggs. She incubates the eggs, which hatch after 28 days. Only the female cares for the chicks, which follow her around or may be carried on her back when she flies to roost. Peafowl reach sexual maturity at two to three years of age. In the wild, they live between 15 and 20 years, but they may live 30 years in captivity. Green peahen with chicks. Ronald Leunis / EyeEm, Getty Images Conservation Status Peafowl conservation status depends on species. The IUCN classifies the conservation status of the Indian peacock as least concern. The bird enjoys wide distribution across Southeast Asia, with a wild population over 100,000. The IUCN lists the Congo peafowl as vulnerable and decreasing in population. In 2016, the number of mature birds was estimated to range between 2,500 and 10,000. The green peafowl is endangered. Fewer than 20,000 mature birds remain in the wild, with a decreasing population. Threats Peacocks face numerous threats, including habitat loss and degradation, hunting, poaching and predation. Green peacocks are further endangered by introduction of hybrid birds into wild populations. Peafowl and Humans Blue peacocks are agricultural pests in some regions. Peafowl readily breed in captivity. They are most often kept for the beauty and their feathers and sometimes for meat. Peacock feathers are collected after the male molts each year. While peafowl are affectionate toward their owners, they can be aggressive toward strangers. Sources BirdLife International 2016. Afropavo congensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679430A92814166. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679430A92814166.enBirdLife International 2016. Pavo cristatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679435A92814454. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22679435A92814454.enBirdLife International 2018. Pavo muticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22679440A131749282. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22679440A131749282.enGrimmett, R.; Inskipp, C.; Inskipp, T. Birds of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-691-04910-6.  Johnsgard, P.A. The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 374, 1999. ISBN 1-56098-839-8.

2016 Calendar of Childrens Books for Holidays and Events

The Monster Within By Jeffrey Dahmer - 852 Words

The Monster Within, a documentary released in early 2002, follows the life of the world’s most notorious serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. The documentary follows the life of Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer told from his father’s, Lionel Herbert Dahmer, side of things. Jeffrey Dahmer killed seventeen men, had sex with their corpses, and ate them. It focuses on Dahmer’s sexuality, his reason of doing these things, and the timeline of his life and murders. There were many interesting facts used in the documentary that really keeps the viewers mind focused, and surprised with every detail stated. Jeffrey Dahmer stated that the flesh would be kept in acid from one to two weeks to decompose, and become â€Å"jelly†. This relates to the documentary because it described one of the many ways Dahmer would keep his murders a secret. Dahmer’s documentary also opened the conversation of child predators, which Dahmer was, he prayed on all age’s not just older men, but younger men. He got away with it multiple times, the documentary discusses how child predators usually kill their victims in fear they will go, and tell on their predator. In 1988, Dahmer lured a young man to his home, but let him free due to his grandmother, whom he lived with at the time, arriving home earlier. In this case one of Dahmer’s youngest victim, Konerak Sinthasomphone, whom was the younger brother of a male that Dahmer lured into his home in 1988 before his grandmother interrupted, was drugged and taken into Dahmer’s home.Show MoreRelatedJeffrey Dahmer, The Milwaukee Monster 1367 Words   |  6 PagesJeffrey Dahmer is one of the most well-known serial killers of all time. He earned this reputation by his sick and twisted ways of killing and preserving his victim’s body parts. From organizing bones in filing cabinets to freezing internal organs for later consumption, Dahmer proved to be a very sick and twisted individual. 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Cost Estimates in Early Stage Building-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Factors Influencing Accuracy of Cost Estimates In Early Stage Building. Answer: Introduction In the estimation of cost, a number of factors have to be considered. This is due to the market posting an estimation influence in the cost. The estimation factors which tend to affect the estimation cost are such as material prices, material, quality and material availability. Together with the influencing factors come some of the methods which are able to produce answers to early building cost estimation. Methods that can be used are a cubic method, functional unit, storey enclosure and floor are a unit(Pratt David, 2011). Factors that influence cost accuracy in early stage building estimates. Material prices The wide market presents very many factors that fluctuate and material prices is one of them. In a construction site. Materials that are used compose of various categories. There are large items such as concrete, gravel, timber, bricks, steel, plumbing and electronic fittings. The small items are such as the nails and screws that are mainly very basic in building sites. During buying these materials, their cost varies(Smith, et al., 2016). The cost is also under the influence of the manufacturer and the ability to produce them. The manufacturers production ability is influencing such that any purchase during periods of numerous orders makes the prices be set high due to high demand. These prices also drop in times that the orders are low. The ratio of the volume of buyers to the volume of the materials in store also affects the material price. In times when the buyers have a larger volume of the materials present, the prices are set high(Goodman, et al., 2016). Material Quality. When estimating, one has to take in the quality of the material at hand. Quality is judged as for whether it is of low or high quality. Materials having high quality instantaneously affect the cost estimation in that the initial cost becomes high. The cost of constructing a building may also be high because of the use of low-quality materials. Low-quality materials have the tendency to get damaged during construction. They may break during temporary storage or in transit to construction sites. After damage, funds will have to be routed for replacement thereby raising the cost estimation. Materials that damage easily is due to the poor standard of manufacture and management system of the material(Spain Bryan, 2010). Hence when a contractor is intending to make a profit in the building, materials being used have to be of high quality in that they meet the minimum requirements of the standard before being flagged for use. This tactic makes the contractor escape repairing of the buildin g that could increase expense. Buying high-quality material is a big move that later pays off since the structures built last longer. It concludes that buying faulty materials should not be an option(Ashworth Perera, 2015). Material Availability Material availability means how easy a building material can be found or purchased or obtained. The availability is a factor that proves costly for some building structures while some it is a diminished factor. The dependency of the cost of estimation for example taking stone or timber as a raw material, if they can be purchased easily then the estimation cost becomes less. On the other hand, materials that are difficult to find make the cost high. The factor of sustainability of materials in construction is an inclusive command. To make it clearer is by using the example of easily available raw materials in the surrounding construction site. These materials have reduced cost whereas those that are not easy to locate increase their prices. A clear raw material is the teak tree. Teak has the tendency to only grow in suitable climates hence they can only be found easily in these areas. Such areas have the teak tree cheap at price. If the site is not located in environmentally friendly zones the tree will not grow, hence will need to be transported. Transportation means increased cost in estimation(Austroads Elisa, 2014). In incursion in transportation leads to increased cost per meter. Contractors are therefore advised to use the locally available raw materials that can be cheaply obtained. This method is cheap and inexpensive. The construction site can also be surveyed and located at a place near a source of raw material to be used. Methods involving this technique tend to avoid the transportation cost that usually raises the cost estimation. Material availability in the category of bulk is also crucial. When the construction company decides to buy materials in bulk, the overall cost is reduced to minimal. The opposite occurs when the same materials are bought from various producers. An additional reason for buying from the same supplier is the reduction in loss of materials. Thieves take the opportunity to steal material when in transit from various places. Also, there is wastage of resources such as fuel for transporting from the many producers. Examples of materials that could be bought from one supplier are timber and bricks. The availability of material is affected by the regularity and adequacy of supply. Irregular delivery or any late delivery might delay the proceedings in a construction site. Moreso, when one delivers a wrong raw material, the relating activities stop. Such proceedings lead to the surpassing of the deadline of building completion. If that happens more expense come in. the availability of a material can be assured by the use of various techniques such as thievery anticipation, wastage anticipation, and an increase of the total cost estimation by a small percentage. Contractors who use such techniques get insured off increased costs(Chudley Greeno, 2016). Comparison of majorly used preliminary estimation techniques ESTIMATING TECHNIQUE DESCRIPTION ACCURACY REQUIRED INFORMATION POPULARITY CONVENIENCE Functional Unit Method Estimates are taken from similar project Accuracy is low. Projects historical data. Used in public projects. Similar projects can be prepared. Floor Area Unit Method Area of walls and floor are taken without deductions for items. Relative accuracy. Areas square meter cost calculated. Most popular. Used in simple designs. Cubic Method Buildings cost is proportioned to its volume. Low accuracy. Buildings volume and proportional cost. Less used. Has simplicity. Storey Enclosure Method. Depiction of shape, horizontal and vertical areas of a building using an estimation system. Most accurate. Vertical and horizontal plane area. Little application Used in designing complex designs. Conclusion. Material quality heavily influences the cost estimation in early stage building. More factors that tend to affect the estimation proceedings are the material availability and the material prices. The quality of materials the level of standard in its manufactured outcome. Prices usually come in handy when contractors would want to ship items to construction sites whereas the availability is the influence of raw materials sustainability during construction. The cost estimation is also determined by the use of the estimation techniques discussed so as to produce an economic building construction procedures(Curtis Veechi, 201). Reference List Ashworth, A. Perera, S., 2015. Cost Studies of Buildings. 6 ed. Townsville: Taylor Francis. Austroads, L. Elisa, C., 2014. Building and Construction Procurement Guide: Principles and Options. Perth: Austroads Limited. Chudley, R. Greeno, R., 2016. Building Construction Handbook. 11 ed. Hobart: Routledge. Curtis Veechi, 201. Small Business For Dummies. 3 ed. Melbourne: John Wiley Sons. Goodman, R., Buxton, M. Moloney, S., 2016. Planning Melbourne: Lessons for a Sustainable City. 1 ed. Melbourne: Csiro Publishing. Pratt David, 2011. Estimating for Residential Construction. 2 ed. Sydney: Cengage Learning. Smith, J., Jaggar, D. Love, P., 2016. Building Cost Planning for the Design Team. 3 ed. Sydney: Routledge. Spain Bryan, 2010. Spon's First Stage Estimating Handbook, Third Edition. 3 ed. Mackay: CRC Press.