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Book Review: Spillover – Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

10,000 Birds

If you’re feeling fearful or ignorant, well, I can recommend vox.com’s coverage (as in most things), but you could also do worse that picking up Spillover – Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. It’s amazing how personal the book can be. This lake is close to the cave.

Humane 161
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Do birds avoid predators because of culture?

10,000 Birds

Many of the great debates over human behavior, those related to things such as race or gender, are muddled and messy because plasticity is ignored. Plasticity in humans is probably modulated primarily through experience and enculturation. Presumably the humans keep away the predators.

Birds 117
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The Storks of Africa

10,000 Birds

If there are human fishing activities then all the better – Marabous will gather in numbers around fishermen’s docks and fish markets, in fact anywhere where fish are cleaned and scraps disposed of, allowing these intelligent birds to obtain a free meal. They are also attracted by fires and can gather in thousands.

Africa 235
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Birding the Kruger Park (5): Pafuri area part 1

10,000 Birds

One study found that birds living in Botswana had elevated levels of lead in their bloodstreams during hunting season, presumably coming from lead bullets used on animals killed by hunters. For example, this study showed that Malachite Kingfishers spent more time hunting in locations with more fish. ” (HBW).

Elephants 147
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Africa’s Barbets

10,000 Birds

This remote region of Cryptosepalum forests is little changed by human hands (somewhat of a rarity in these times of devastating habitat destruction) yet this species has not been relocated despite extensive searches by birders (including myself). Their generic name Gymnobucco translates to “naked-trumpeter” as a result of these features.

Ethiopia 225