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Birding Longcanggou, Sichuan again (but maybe for the last time)

10,000 Birds

It even seems that the pliant researchers indirectly support the fighting (even though it has led to the species being one of the most hunted ones in that province) by developing a quick method to identify the sex of the bird (the males turn out to be somewhat bigger and thus presumably the more coveted fighters). Shame on the researchers.

Eggs 172
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What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Ackerman’s new book is about owls and owl research–the knowledge recently and currently being discovered through DNA analysis, new-tech tracking and monitoring, and old-fashioned fieldwork under the auspices of organizations like the Global Owl Project and the Owl Research Institute.

Owls 220
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What if the Public Truly Probed Animal Research Funding?

Critter News

It's in response to the arrest of Yale animal technician Raymond Clark for the murder of Annie Le, but makes some important points about animal research. There's a reason for the security that keeps Beagle burn videos from surfacing like egg farm videos. This is a great short column by Martha Rosenberg. With what results?

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The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Whittaker’s adventures in olfactory research take unexpected turns into genetics, chemistry, and the halls of academia. One of Whittaker’s first experiments was to place other birds’ preen oil on the nests and eggs of Dark-eyed Juncos. Whittaker’s research road is more serpentine than most academics.

Science 230
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The Wryneck: Biology, Behaviour, Conservation and Symbolism of Jynx torquilla: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

They mimic snakes, a claim to fame that goes all the way back to Aristotle’s History of Animals. ’ Gorman has read and distilled probably every research study ever written about Wrynecks or related to them; my quick count of the citations in the 16-page References section came to 295. This is a very easy book to read.

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Did humans kill off one of the last dinosaurs, er, giant birds?

10,000 Birds

Genyornis newtoni lived in Australia, and recent research suggests that humans may have played a role in the extinction of this dinosaur laughingly called a bird, about 40,000 years ago. The evidence consists of clusters of egg shells that are burned in a way the scientists suggest most likely done by humans. ka, and likely before 47?ka.

Humane 178
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Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology. Beagle , pt.