10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

The largest of the Andean flamingos is native to the wetlands and shallow alkaline lakes of the high Andes mountain range, from southern Perú to northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. Egg harvesting to sell as food was intensive then, with thousands taken annually from the breeding colonies in Chile.

Chile 155

Chile Endangered Species Eggs Argentina 155

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 219

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 219

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

The Brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican are closely related and once were considered the same species. Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. The Peruvian Pelican is restricted to the cold water of the Humboldt Current along the coast of Peru and Chile. Both are the only Pelican in their non-overlapping breeding grounds.

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Fish 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2019

So, it just might be that pisco – the beloved South American grape brandy contentiously claimed by both Peru and Chile – is the only spirit named after birds. Having dipped on this species just a few days earlier in the Cusco highlands, I was determined to return home with a least one memento of this iconic vulture of the high Andes.

Peru 125

Peru San Francisco Parrots Chile 125