10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

It feels good to start a post with some truly attractive birds – such as two species of broadbills. If you like cute birds, you will probably like the Black-and-yellow Broadbill. Homework assignment: Is the bird in this video a male or a female? Maybe the birds I saw were not real. You can see why here.

Birds 213

Birds Sri Lanka Taiwan Cats 213

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Endangered. Extinction. Conservation. It’s not easy.

California Condor 178

California Condor Falcons California Birds 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

With the lockdown lasting until the end of May (ironically thus pretty much including the whole spring migration – the divine sense of humor is a rather malign one, I am afraid), June still had the freedom of birding anywhere in Shanghai, not just inside a smallish compound. Accessorizing for birds.

Singapore 147

Singapore Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Chinese Penduline T**s are not particularly woke birds. White’s Thrush is described as “burly” on eBird – not entirely unjustified, I guess, but this description fails to capture the way the intricate patterns of the bird make for great camouflage and also for its own kind of beauty. Maybe the grandparents help.

Birds 197

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 197

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Sukau birding essentially means staying in a more-or-less comfortable lodge on the banks of the Kinatabagan river, and taking boat tours on more-or-less rickety boats on the river. So, just photos of the birds themselves. Why that makes Mr. Graydon worthy of having a bird species named after him is a mystery to me.

Birds 217

Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 217

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Birds of Belize by Steve N. Howell and Dale Dyer and Birds of Costa Rica by Dale Dyer and Steve N. Dale Dyer put in years working on his paintings for Birds of Central America , both in the field and in the museum. Two books, two authors, two countries bursting with neotropical avian diversity. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 214

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Not professionally – these people come in SUVs and probably never recapture their gas money from the fish they catch (though come to think of it, neither do I with my bird photos). This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). One strange thing about Chongming is the inevitable presence of people fishing. End of side note.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

This is Liz’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. The rise in drone popularity over the past few years has been meteoric — and in our typical human arrogance, we’ve once again ignored the fact that for the past 150 million years, the sky has belonged to the birds.

Birds 183

Birds Protection Idaho Bears 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

I was going to have something for you this month about the dinosaur-bird thing, but I never got to it. The potpourri covers some interesting bird related science of the last few weeks, and the promise is this: I’ll get to that other stuff soon, I promise! One of the birds most affected by this is Cassin’s Auklets.

Science 151

Science Iraq Research Birds 151

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 263

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

It stops those thousands of migrating birds flying across the Gulf of Mexico and directs them right onto the trees, fields, sanctuaries, beaches along the Bolivar Peninsula, where they hopefully find food and fresh water. And us, the birders who travel here from March to May to worship the birds as they seek to survive.

Houston 211

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 211

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2015

We assume natural selection has shaped birds to avoid predators. Noticing predators, reacting to them perhaps with an alarm call, and escaping them, as well as other behaviors, keep the bird alive and thus allow it to reproduce. We would expect, then, that natural selection favors birds that are good at these things.

Birds 120

Birds Research Humane Pets 120

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2016

Great Tit Telomeres, Baby Talk, Brainy Birds. This morning, I have three interesting scientific findings related to bird for you. First, birds may age more quickly in urban environments. Third, which we already suspected, bird brains are adjusted to provide extra smartness in a way not seen in mammals. Salmón, J.

Mammals 110

Mammals Zebras Birds Primates 110

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers! Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. The Bronx also has a special place in birding history.

New York City 150

New York City New York Birds Breeding 150

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2016

There is bird version of this in the Everglades. For example, years ago, Eiton Tchenrov postulated that the wild progenitor of the domestic dog, some subspecies or another of wolf, could benefit from overlapping its breeding territory with human hunters.

Alligators 116

Alligators Protection Leopards Birds 116

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2015

A bird species battling an onslaught of invasive rats just got a glimpse of hope. Researchers say that South Georgia Pipits have hatched chicks. That’s because these birds won’t breed when rats are around. Image above by Brian Gratwicke/Wikimedia Commons). News invasive species rats South Georgia south georgia pipit'

Georgia 183

Georgia Rats Rodents 2017 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

However, ongoing research at Sia Essential Species Repository (see below) reveals this is not always the case, and that there are actually five phases between albino and leucistic. Jamie Lindstrom of the VCA Northview Animal Hospital in Pittsburgh, and Dr. Erica Miller, formerly of Tri-State Bird Rescue in Delaware.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 195

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Birds Delaware 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2015

The vast majority of you reading this accept it is happening, and for the time being it is caused by humans. So what does climate change mean for birds? Though all birds will be somehow impacted by climate change, I think it is important to note that not all will suffer. Whats in it for birds?

North America 216

North America Birds Suffering San Francisco 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2016

North American listers, if you haven’t already been following the latest drama in bird taxonomy, courtesy of two new studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, buckle up … because it’s probably going to be a bumpy ride. A press release about the study likened the contrast to “the differences between humans with and without freckles.”)

Guatemala 105

Guatemala Research Morals Science 105

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

Presumably, in the early days of ornithology, some scientists spent most of their time transcribing bird calls. ” Fortunately, most of these researchers could be taken off their antidepressants after proper sound recording was invented. This post shows some of them.

San Diego 206

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2016

But this breeding and social arrangement has its risks. For humans, you have the drama of sister wives. Newly published research in the journal Animal Behaviour suggests an ideal harem size for pheasants of 2.7 female birds for every male. female birds for every male. After all, variety is the spice of life, no?

Game 100

Game Europe Groups Breeding 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2014

Let’s say you’re a bird wrapping up your breeding season in the north of Scotland—where do your thoughts turn when winter beckons? The researchers theorize that these birds might not be strays from the Scandinavian Phalarope population, but instead perhaps originally from North America. Photo by Adam Rowlands/HEMEDIA.

Iceland 187

Iceland South America Ecuador North America 187

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2018

Readers of 10,000 Birds know that diversity is one of the great hallmarks of modern day birds. And, he literally wrote the book(s) on California birds. Grinnell and his students conducted surveys of birds in the Mohave Desert, starting in 1908 and running to 1947 (Grinnell died in 1940). More recently, Kelly J.

2018 101

2018 Science Humane Species 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Dozens of other introduced bird species, largely escapees from pet owners, now call Miami home. Strangely, only a paltry eighteen exotic bird species are countable for birders, according to the American Birding Association. I recently had a great day out targeting miami’s exotic birds.

Miami 134

Miami Parrots Research Birds 134

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

In her free time she travels near and far to find birds to continue building her life list, though many of her favorites can still be found right in her own backyard. She has contributed many pieces to 10,000 Birds and writes about her birding adventures on her blog, newbirder.tumblr.com. Lots and lots of birds.

Birds 178

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 178

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The task of wrestling this topic down into something that the human mind can manage, without losing sight of the big picture because it’s snowing in Buffalo, is likely to be the task of a lifetime for many science communicators. Few issues of our day are as huge, in scope or in implication, as climate change.

Netherlands 158

Netherlands Birds Buffalo Science 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2017

Ka’ena Point is also a breeding ground for the Federally protected Laysan albatross, where 45 nests were being carefully monitored by the non-profit Pacific Rim Conservation. The young men had severed the birds’ legs in order to remove the tags. “He was there when this happened but he did not injure any birds.

Albatross 214

Albatross Honolulu Hawaii Killing 214

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

Bird blogging in May always gives me the creeps. This ridiculous focus of the Birding Internet on North American wood-warblers is boring on a quiet day and highly annoying during peak migration. It visits bird feeders, making it a worthy spark bird to new birders as they may see it closely. And do they ever try so hard.

Sparrows 216

Sparrows Italy Asia Austria 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

I teach human evolution, and at some point I use a chart showing reversals in the Earth’s magnetic field, which in turn relates to how we date some ancient sites. But also, birds certainly use multiple cues to get around. ” For years, my answer was this: “Well, maybe a lot of them do, nobody said life was fair.

Investigation 192

Investigation 2013 Research Humane 192

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2018

Owls are mystical beasts that are well loved by both birders and those who casually look at birds. And then, when one gets reported and you chase it (Because, honestly, you’re not going to spend what little time you have to bird in the subfreezing temperatures of the north trying to find your own great gray, are you?),

Owls 157

Owls Barn Owls Woodpeckers Bahamas 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Producing a book about birds and nesting is a dangerous business. The truth is that there are few images cuter than baby birds in the nest opening their mouths and begging for food, but there are curmudgeons amongst us, myself included, who don’t like to admit this. And of birds courting and mating. We simply refuse to squee.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2017

When I was just a wee’ lad, in my formative birding years, I was introduced to the plight of the Western Snowy Plover. A bird, which thru the years took on a mystical component. There is little doubt about the serious nature of the threat to this bird.

Oregon 102

Oregon Defenders Of Wildlife Endangered Species Mexico 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. The study looked at common birds, and used data divided by either state (in the US) or country (in Europe). Stephens et al. Stephens, Philip, et al. 352:6281(84-87).

North America 116

North America Europe America United States 116

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? The bird guide question was a conundrum.

Trinidad 195

Trinidad Birds South America Research 195

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. But he tried, using the Craigheads’ techniques, and he learned from that young bird, and eventually many others along the way. Tom Cade, a quiet, down-to-earth ornithologist, more than once remarked that falconry is really just another form of bird watching.

Falcons 179

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 179

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2013

What do all these birds have in common? Speaking of birds in nests, five Chilean Flamingo chicks who were raised by a human “surrogate dad” at a British wildlife center have now graduated to joining the adults in the center’s colony. … It is Pink Bird Weekend on 10,000 Birds! Of course not!

Michigan 147

Michigan Chile Tennessee North America 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Yes, the warbler formerly known as Dendroica kirtlandii , now Setophaga kirtlandii , is one of those birds that make birders’ hearts pulse quicker and their legs churn faster. Look what happened when the bird made the first of three appearances at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh!

Michigan 229

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 229