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    Ming Dynasty Tombs, Chinese spider, unknown species.  Shot with Canon 300mm f/4L IS lens about 3 feet away.
    "Flight of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow"

A Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) in flight captured in Bacolod, Philippines.

A very common bird in the Philippines, Europe, and the rest of Asia. This bird is often wrongly identified as a "maya". This bird is not native to the Philippines and has never been a national bird. Of interesting note, Chairman Mao Zedong of China attempted in April 1958 to reduce crop damage by Tree Sparrows, by placing scarecrows and mobilizing 3 million people.

He underestimated the amount of insects and locusts these sparrows ate and the campaign against the sparrows extended a famine that killed 30 million Chinese people between 1959 and 1961.

The lesson that was learned? Don't kill sparrows.
    "Stop Eating My Rice!"

A Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) stealing rice from chickens.

A very common bird in the Philippines, Europe, and the rest of Asia. This bird is often wrongly identified as a "maya". This bird is not native to the Philippines and has never been a national bird. Of interesting note, Chairman Mao Zedong of China attempted in April 1958 to reduce crop damage by Tree Sparrows, by placing scarecrows and mobilizing 3 million people.

He underestimated the amount of insects and locusts these sparrows ate and the campaign against the sparrows extended a famine that killed 30 million Chinese people between 1959 and 1961.

The lesson that was learned? Don't kill sparrows.