10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2014

According to Wikipedia, birds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, two-legged, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates. Most researchers agree that modern-day birds are the only living members of the Dinosauria clade. After all, they are the species that got me started building nest boxes in the first place.

Fur 186

Fur Horses Cows Birds 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. Where does the female Emperor Penguin go after she has produced that one egg and handed it over to the male for incubation? Technology to the rescue! What about incubation shifts?

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America covers 61 species of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae that breed in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

North America 152

North America Sparrows America United States 152

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) A little bit of research when I got home unraveled the ways of publishers here and in Great Britain. The first two questions were never definitely answered.

Trinidad 199

Trinidad Birds South America Research 199

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2013

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way.

South America 187

South America San Diego Mexico America 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

The Dry Tortugas National Park is located some 70 miles off of Key West in a small group of keys that makes up the farthest points included in the state of Florida, so it was no surprise that we had a four hour boat ride ahead of us before landing in the park. Banding is best done in teams split into three, potentially four groups.

Birds 181

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. But, within the frog group there is a tremendous range of diversity. This is not a field guide.

Reptiles 187

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 187

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

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 217

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 217

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

Try Bermuda Petrel, Pterodroma cahow , one of the group of seabirds called gadfly petrels. The story of the cahow, a “Lazurus species” that was thought to be extinct for over 300 years and then discovered to be breeding on a tiny remote island in Bermuda, is part of modern birding legend. It isn’t in your book of seabirds? (It

Birds 169

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

The proprietor of our ecolodge guides my small group of birders up a steep slope where we see, just at the point where a scope view deteriorates into pixels, a huge bird—a Chaco Eagle, also known as a Crowned Eagle—on a huge nest. September 2017, Cerrado, Brazil. We are cautioned to keep the location of the eagle a secret.

Falcons 216

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

Today, the national forest park is open to tourists – which in China means large groups of people in similarly large buses. Shockingly, the Ashy-throated Parrotbill apparently is a species heavily hunted for bird fighting in Guizhou Province, China ( source ). Shame on the researchers.

Eggs 170

Eggs China Birds Mammals 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

At the very least appreciated for their hard-shell adaptation, the way they quietly survive in ponds, rivers, oceans, islands, forests, even, for a few species, deserts, and, if you are of a certain age, their cultural depiction as ninja warriors. Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family.

Turtles 203

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 203

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

The consultant also suggested increasing readership by catering to highly specific niche interest groups. For this reason, the species is evaluated as Vulnerable.” Somebody highly knowledgeable in the area of SEO (search engine optimization) strongly recommended that I should write more posts including Japanese T**s.

Birds 202

Birds China Eggs Owls 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2024

When not climbing, he collected species, and thus a number of birds are named after him. While the Bornean Forktail looks quite similar to the White-crowned Forktail, it apparently is a separate species, making it another Borneo endemic. Of course, only chemists have a rough idea what that might mean. Leave the bad jokes to me, please.

Birds 230

Birds Indonesia Breeding Charlotte 230

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. She will usually lay 12 to 17 eggs, averaging five per week 1 , before beginning incubation. Occasionally, larger clutches occur due to egg dumping by other females. www.youtube.com/watch?

California 224

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 224

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

Once the egg has been laid, the female is chased away and the males hatch it.” Other research (cited on the rather straightforwardly named website www.genderinclusivebiology.com) found that 80% of gay swan couples successfully fledge their young, compared with only 30% for straight couples. I thought I needed to mention this.

Birds 213

Birds China Pythons Breeding 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

For example, a researcher and presumed ornithologist set out with two hypotheses related to the Ashy Drongo (and another drongo species) and wrote a paper about it. For them, God probably was the one instructing the drongos to mob one species but not the other. Why show photos of species as boring as this Ashy-throated Warbler

China 186

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 186

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2013

Does the word define a species within country terms, regional terms etc? Is the term defined at the sub-species or full species level in terms of classification? The species must be listed as a separate, full species by both of the most widely used ornithological bird lists, Sibley/Monroe and Clements.

Birds 209

Birds South Africa South America Feral Cats 209

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Basically, this species is so dimwitted, it doesn’t know how to survive. Because, Pink Pigeons are not capable of doing the tasks required to create and bring up children of the species. These endangered birds have trouble producing a fertilized egg and, even worse, they don’t even know how to build a nest so the egg survives?

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Seabirds are one group of birds that go for the latter strategy. A few families have a small number of eggs in the clutches, like gulls or cormorants. Others, like the petrels and some of the auks, will lay a single egg per breeding attempt.

Eggs 165

Eggs Puffins Breeding Raised 165

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

This may have been partly a leftover from the Victorian fascination with egg collecting (the infamous passion known as oology), but probably more from people’s burgeoning interest in the nests and eggs found in their gardens and fields, gateway artifacts to a newer hobby called birdwatching. The Harrison guides are out of print.

Eggs 237

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 237

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Scientific names have been reviewed by the Working Group on Avian Nomenclature of the International Ornithologists’ Union. So, there are two basic sections–marine and freshwater birds (pp.

Australia 108

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 108

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

Here’s some data from the famous research project of Manu, Peru, giving biomass in kilograms per hectare. This is also a hard question to address because most data on animal size distribution does not compare across classes of animals, and/or focuses on groups that would not be helpful. Amphibian’s and Reptiles: 3.4

Mammals 177

Mammals Rodents Birds Reptiles 177

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

She doesn’t know the species till it emerges, almost dreamlike, from the heavy glare of the sun. This is the story of Fox’s experiences on board the Achiever, the research vessel of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Fox encounters 69 species, some singly, some in huge feeding or migrating flocks.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males. Many species also differ with age. And, there are some odonate species that include andromorphs, females which look like the males. Yes, 675 photographs.

United States 237

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 237

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2023

The family has about 37 species, but that includes several fulvettas – only 21 of the species have “parrotbill” in their names (and frankly, the bills of fulvettas do not look like those of parrots at all). A paper on breeding of the species was actually researched right here at Wawushan.

Pandas 210

Pandas Birds Eggs China 210

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

Take a look at this little Blue Tit and admit that you have never seen a more pathetic picture of a bird that combines the colours blue, yellow, green, white, and black in the most marvellous way you have ever seen: Recent research has shown that Leonardo da Vinci showed a Blue Tit to his model while he painted the smile on “Mona Lisa&#.

2011 164

2011 Birds Deer Europe 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

I hesitated because a 496-page book about two skulky neotropical bird groups is a little intimidating. And, I looked at my eBird list and realized I’ve seen nine species of Antpitta and one of Gnateater. Antpittas and Gnateaters covers 64 species in six genera and two families. (I Species Accounts.

Research 144

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 144

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2022

This is a rather photographer-friendly species, staying on the same branch for quite a while and even returning to it after catching some insects – you can see this on video here and here. While the source does not say so directly, it hints that this means the species is not as intelligent as Eurasian Magpies (which pass the test).

Finland 147

Finland Birds 2016 McDonalds 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2013

03–19 Interesting research on microevolution in swallows was reported , suggesting that swallows in one area may be adapting to problems unique to living near, and hanging out on the surface of, a highway. 08–20 Many bird species are in trouble, but the Hooded Grebe is really really in trouble. So, look for that.

Science 190

Science 2013 Elephants Birds 190

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2017

They submitted 144 checklists, noting 628 species adding 72 to the year’s running total bringing it to 1890. Eastern Egg Rock. Eastern Egg Rock. Eastern Egg Rock. Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia. Those are the numbers, here come the birds; Alphabetic Taxonomic. Great Tinamou – Tinamus major.

2017 100

2017 Australia Sanctuary Woodpeckers 100

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 29, 2006

Researchers have also learned that the cancer-causing chemicals that form in beef as it cooks also tend to form in chicken. Neal Barnard, Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life , p. Never mind that the bulk of the fat in Starbucks's beverages comes from the milk -- yes, milk ! -- of another species.

Animal 40

Animal Meat Cows District of Columbia 40

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2023

The Ashy Tailorbird is a good example of the different perspectives of describing a bird – while the English name focuses on the body of the bird, the Latin species name ruficeps refers to the rufous head. The split makes the bird one of the six species endemic to Sabah, Borneo ( source ), four of which I saw during my week at Sepilok.

Woodpeckers 215

Woodpeckers Birds Eggs India 215

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

The title is a bit deceptive, for while photographs are a huge part of the book, it is grounded in the 239 species accounts written by woodpecker guru Gerard Gorman. This background material is a good, succinct framework within which to read the Species Accounts, particularly for birders new to woodpecker study.

Woodpeckers 247

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 247

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

I guess most scientists would love to see their original research become the basis for a vast field of further studies. A study has shown that they make false alarm calls when seeing other species such as meerkats with attractive food. They are being parasitized by indigobirds which also use other host species.

South Africa 190

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 190