preface:
During the Tang Dynasty, the poet Li Bai visited Huangshan, was invited by the former Tang Dynasty scholar Hu Hui to visit, saw the Hu family raising two birds, called their names and ate palm food, extremely gentle, very different from the same kind. Li Bai was very surprised, and he showed admiration everywhere. The master Hu Gong was very generous and willing to give the birds to the beauty of adults, but asked Li Bai to give a poem, Li Bai was ecstatic and rushed to agree, that is, with a stroke of his pen, he wrote a poem "Giving Huangshan Hu Gong for a White Bird", which has been passed down through the ages and has become a good story.
Physical characteristics
This bird that Li Bai is extremely obsessed with is the white bird. White Stork, Ornithischia, Chickaceae, Juvenile Family, Oriole Genus, male and female feathers are different in color, excellent appearance conditions, and the male birds are more outstanding. The male is about 100–119 cm long , with a bluish-black crown and lower body on the head , a bare, reddish face , pure white central tail feathers , white " V-shaped " markings on the back and rest of the tail feathers , and a long and white tail. Due to its large size, the whole body is white, and it looks like it is wrapped in silver, which is particularly charming. When the male bird stands leisurely in the forest, his posture is elegant, like a white-clothed immortal who sees a thousand sails and is independent. The female is inferior to the male , with a length of about 58–67 cm , a dark crown , a small , reddish face , olive-brown to maroon upperparts , and brown fine stripes or heterottonous or yellow skin on the lower body.
White Bird (Photo by Jian Bi Qin Xin)
Habits of life
Different from Hu Gongfeng, the real white stork lives deep in the mountains and forests, has its own living habits, and generally does not actively participate in human activities. They are particular about habitat, usually lingering in densely forested evergreen broad-leaved forests and gully rainforests with sparse understory vegetation, nesting in ground depressions or grasses between shrubs, usually in pairs.
During the day, they forage in the hidden dark forests, looking for young leaves, young shoots, flowers and berries for food, and sometimes locusts, ants and earthworms. The morning activities are the most intense, mostly within the territory, the daily activity route, range, location are relatively fixed, most of the time foraging. After a full meal, he usually stands in place to rest or sort out his feathers, and occasionally flies to a tree to rest. Sexual timidity, high alertness, encounter natural enemies will not love to fight and flee immediately, or run wildly to the mountains, or fly up the trees, deep in the essence of "stay in the green mountains, not afraid of no firewood".
At dusk, they all look around, and when they are sure that the environment is safe, they will flap their wings to beckon their relatives and friends to fly up the trees. After nightfall, the female begins to roost, usually the female birds first, or the male and female make a call together, fly up a certain height of branches, and then gradually ascend, hiding under the dense canopy of trees 6-8 meters above the ground. At night, they generally do not concentrate on a tree to roost, avoid being "swept away" by predators, and then fly to the ground one by one the next morning.
Cluster features
The white oriole is an absolute "patriarchal society" that pursues "polygamy" and strict hierarchical relations. In winter, there are flocks, ranging from a few to a dozen, and the leader is the male who wins the competition by force, and a number of adult females, not too strong or young males, and young birds.
In the spring breeding season, the white oriole will re-group, they will have a strong sense of territory, very aggressive, in order to compete for territory, not only the male birds to fight for the "head and blood", the female birds also participate in it, after a fight, the new leader is elected. The chief has absolute mating rights and is also very authoritative on weekdays, whether it is eating or walking idly, other male birds will also retreat to the side, do not dare to pick their edges.
White Stork (Photo by Sanjiang)
Social significance
In the long history of life, the white bird has experienced dynastic changes, or actively or passively appeared in the literature of various dynasties, and has a humanistic and political significance other than biological significance. "Poetry Immortal" Li Bai praised it as "white as a brocade, white snow shame", Tang Dynasty literary scholar Xiao Yingshi praised it as "a clean and leisurely appearance, not mixed with birds", the Northern Song Dynasty painter Guo Ruoxu called "white bird known as 'idler'"... It gives the white bird a beautiful appearance, away from the hustle and bustle, and a beautiful image of a hermit in the mountains. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the white bird was even invited into the official field as a supplementary dress representing the five civilian officials in the hundred official court dresses, symbolizing integrity, honesty, cleanliness and self-love. Even today, the various good images of the white stork still exist.
Dinghu Mountain with White Oriole
The fate of Dinghu Mountain and the white oriole is quite deep. On the desert-covered Tropic of Cancer, Dinghu Mountain preserves a primeval forest with a unique monsoon climate, including a valley rainforest and an evergreen broad-leaved forest, with tall trees, lush greenery, and rapid waterfalls, known as the "green pearl of the Return to The Desert Belt", and the mountains are inhabited by a large number of white storks.
In 1984, Mr. Gao Yuren, a famous ornithologist in China, came to Dinghu Mountain and carried out a four-year systematic study of the white stork in the mountain, including the habitat habitat, activity law, breeding habits, population dynamics, etc. of the white stork, and published a series of research articles on the white oriole, which opened up a lot of popularity for the white oriole.
In 1988, Guangdong Province selected the new provincial bird, Mr. Gao Yuren introduced the white bird according to the research data of the Dinghu Mountain white bird, and finally, the white bird was elected as a new provincial bird with its wide distribution, beautiful appearance, agility and flexibility, and strong vitality in Guangdong, becoming an auspicious bird advocating green environmental protection.
In May 1993, a group of stamp design experts gathered in Dinghu Mountain to conduct a field investigation on the question of "whether Dinghu Mountain Special Stamps can be issued", and after the inspection, the experts praised Dinghu Mountain and affirmed the feasibility of issuing Dinghu Mountain special stamps.
Subsequently, Kong Guohui, a researcher at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with the leaders and experts of The Dinghushan Arboretum, provided 11 special stamp options based on the research and understanding of Dinghu Mountain. In August of the same year, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications approved the "Dinghu Mountain" special stamp option, and selected four representative patterns from it, which were officially issued on February 18, 1995.
Dinghu Mountain and White Oriole Stamps (Courtesy of Dinghu Mountain Conservation Area)
Since then, the name of the white stork has appeared in newspapers and magazines many times, and in various publicity books, the white stork has been recognized by more and more people, which represents "rare birds", "wild animals" and "protected species", so that more and more people have the awareness of protecting wild animals and arouse the enthusiasm for protecting wild animals.
In today's Dinghu Mountain Nature Reserve, due to the rare intruders, every day, the white bird will "drag the family with the mouth" through the forest, and sometimes boldly walk out of the road to "show off" its beautiful posture to people.
epilogue
With the change of the times, the vicissitudes of the mulberry field, the excessive involvement of humans has led to the gradual reduction of the global forest area, the living space of the white stork is getting less and less, it has become a real "hermit", hiding in the deeper forest, the state in order to protect the white ibis, it is listed as a national second-level protected animal. May in the near future, when trees are uprooted and forests covered in dry deserts, the White Oriole family can walk and forage in the wider forest, leaving more moments of surprise for mankind.
Attached: Li Bai's "Gift to Huangshan Hugong to Ask for white birds" (and preface)
Smell Huangshan HuGong has a double white bird, the cover is the chicken ambush, since childhood tamed, there is no surprise, in its name, all of them are palmed to eat. However, this bird Gengsuke, especially difficult to live in, Yu Ping's life is so cool that he can't do it. And Hu Gong quit to give me, only for a poem. Smell the pleasure, suitable for the old will, help the pen three call, the text does not add points to give it.
Please buy a double white bird with a double white bi.
The white bird is as white as a brocade, and the white snow is shameful.
In the shadow jade pond, between the brush trees.
The night is cold and the moon is quiet, and the flowers are idle.
I would like to have this bird and play with it.
Hu Gong can quit giving, cage sending savages back.
Source: South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences