article thumbnail

Birding Sukau, Sabah, Borneo

10,000 Birds

This is how it looks like: Or at sunset: A species I did not come for from Shanghai is the Black-crowned Night Heron. Its species name graydoni is in honor of Philip Newenham Graydon (1864-1940), a British planter in Sabah. Why that makes Mr. Graydon worthy of having a bird species named after him is a mystery to me.

Birds 206
article thumbnail

Where Have You Gone, Rhodonessa caryophyllacea?

10,000 Birds

It is easy to tell when some species become extinct — a Martha or a Lonesome George dies and there are no more, not now, not ever (until science fiction kicks in.) Such is the case with the Pink-headed Duck , Rhodonessa caryophyllacea , a native of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Is it extinct? So not utterly hopeless, either.

Myanmar 187
article thumbnail

Birding Shanghai in November 2022

10,000 Birds

Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red.

Birds 197