The Ruddy Ground Dove is a bird species found in the Americas, from Mexico to Peru, Brazil, and the Caribbean, that can thrive in different habitats.
Males have a reddish-brown coat, while females have a greyish-brown plumage. They feed on seeds, grains, and small invertebrates and have a soft and rhythmic cooing.
The Red-billed Pigeon is a bird in the Americas. It has a red beak and gray feathers. The bird is larger than the average pigeon, reaching lengths of up to 13 inches and boasting a wingspan of up to 18 inches.
The bird prefers living in trees and can be found in forest fringes, riversides, and even areas with human settlements. The Red-billed Pigeon feeds on fruits, seeds, insects, and small invertebrates and sometimes feeds in flocks.
Band-tailed Pigeons are the largest native pigeon species in North America. They live in mixed coniferous forests, oak woodlands, and riverside habitats.
Their grey-blue plumage, white band on their tail, and white crescent on the nape of their neck give them a unique appearance. These birds make a distinctive three-part cooing call.
Moreover, it's an important species for the health and biodiversity of its home forests as it spreads seeds around while feeding. However, it is often considered a pest in some areas when it consumes crops.
The White-crowned Pigeon is a bird species found mainly in the Caribbean and southern Florida. It has a white crown and slate-gray body. It typically inhabits coastal mangroves and keys.
This dove also feeds primarily on red mangrove fruits, contributing to the growth and survival of mangrove forests. While nesting, it prefers dense thickets or mangroves that offer protection against predators.
The European Turtle Dove has light grey feathers, a pink blush on its chest, a black and white striped patch on the side of its neck, and a tail with white edging and a black base.
It lives in woodlands, farmlands, and shrublands across Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa. During winter, it migrates to the Sahel region in Africa.
The European Turtle Dove feeds on plant seeds and occasionally invertebrates. Unlike other doves, these turtle doves don’t need to tilt their heads back to drink water.
In the greenery of Indonesia's Java and Sumatra islands resides a species of bird called the Pink-headed Fruit Dove. The bird has a pink head, neck, and underparts, contrasting with its emerald wings and back. Males have more intense, vivid pink colors than the females.
As arboreal animals, these doves rarely come to the forest floor. They feed on small fruits and berries available in their forest habitat.
Their nests comprise twigs and leaves; they make nests high in the trees to keep their eggs away from predators.
Koishikawa Korakuen is a city-managed Japanese garden, in the Korakuen area of Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. The garden was constructed in the early Edo area, and has been state-registered as a special historical heritage site, and scenic spot since 1952. Out of all city-managed gardens, this and the Hamarikyu Gardens are the only ones to receive both designations. Koishikawa Korakuen garden is also said to be the oldest of all Japanese gardens in Tokyo.
The garden is composed around a central pond, and visitors are intended to enjoy the change in scenery as they walk the trail around it. This Japanese garden is also characterized by the names of its sceneries, many of which have taken influence from famous locations in China. Look at the way the garden expresses Japan’s many beautiful sceneries of lakes, mountains, rivers and rice fields!
This massive Japanese garden with an area of over 70,000m2, displays a different beauty at every turn of the season with a colorful diorama of plum trees, cherry blossoms, azalea and irises that surround the pond.
The land on which Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens sits today first belonged to Tokugawa Yorifusa, the founder of the Mito branch (present day Ibaraki prefecture) of the ruling Tokugawa Clan. His son, Mitsukuni, completed the construction of the residence and garden in 1629. Mitsukuni conceptualized Confucian teachings when planning this garden, taking inspiration from important Chinese Confucian scholars and their sayings. In fact, the name of the garden, “Korakuen”, derives from a quote from a book by Fan Zhongyan, a scholar from the Song Dynasty of ancient China.
