10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

Even when writing my book with all ardent efforts to remain unbiased; the section on Sandpipers & Allies was by far the longest – surpassing mega-families like Thraupidae and Tyrannidae. Lesser Yellowlegs can easily be confused with the aforementioned species except when they are standing next to each other.

Fish 233

Fish Family Eggs Humane 233

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 207

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 207

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

I saw 32 species here in my first 24 hours, some of them exciting ones. My second lifer this trip was a migratory Yellow-throated Warbler , a species I could not hope to see my previous trip, which had occurred in early summer. There is also a family of Barn Owls on the premises, and I have briefly seen the largest of them (enormous!)

Barn Owls 202

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 202

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2024

This is the home of the Rusty-naped Pitta , admittedly one of the less glamorous of the family, particularly the subspecies found in Yunnan, but still a nice sight and still a pitta. The scientific species name of the Rusty-naped Pitta oatesi honors Eugene William Oates (1845-1911), an English civil servant in India and naturalist.

Burma 192

Burma India Birds Indonesia 192

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. This species has also eliminated the need for childcare – the chicks emerge from this pile on their own and never even get to see their parents. Admittedly, it is mostly grey.

Australia 182

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 182

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. barbata , but present name has priority. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species.

China 243

China Birds Austria ALA 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Recently, while guiding on the slopes of Poas, without too much effort, we had more than a hundred species. Such a birdy day and yet, one that still lacked quite a few species. Poas itself seems to be pretty straightforward but I wondered how far down both sides of the mountain should be included in my species list. Two hundred?

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2022

In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. In addition to those birds and the Squirrel Cuckoo pictured above, the following are some of the more common hedgerow species of Costa Rica. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and other hummingbird species.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Birds Sparrows Woodpeckers 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2022

The stars of the bird world take many forms and fame is often related to location but some species, some cool groups of birds are accorded priority no matter when or where they are seen. One such star avian family is the Setophagidae, the birds known as wood-warblers. 13 Warbler Stars from the North. See our eBird list here.

Costa Rica 272

Costa Rica Nashville Tennessee Turtles 272

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2015

Each player plays a card and can count any species from the same habitat group as the card played. “Ace birds” are worth two points and if you see all seven species from a habitat group you get three bonus points. I put up $35 so I could get two sets: one to keep and one to give as a present to an undetermined person.

Game 195

Game Family Birds Groups 195

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

Another cotinga that is arguably the most popular member of that family – for its voice more so than its looks – is the Screaming Piha. The viewing platform presented us with a spectacular vista of an unbroken green carpet for as far as the eye could see. Over rolling hills into the distance, there was only verdant jungle.

Guyana 212

Guyana Woodpeckers Industry Shelters 212

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered. Vaccinated, with no symptoms and negative tests to boot, Corey got to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and was very relieved that the previously reported Progne martin was still present, on its fourth day. How about you?

Texas 167

Texas New York Birds Owls 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. It looks quite distinct compared to some of the other recently discovered species. I guess my sympathy is more with the Plain Bunting, if such a species existed.

China 200

China Birds Vietnam Asia 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2021

We are too far into the year for many FOY sightings, but not quite far enough for most migratory species to make their return appearances. No surprise to that; these two species always initiate the migratory season here. This is not the first time el Temascal has surprised me with its combination of high and low species.

Louisiana 260

Louisiana 2000 Mexico Groups 260

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. Tallamy presents data to demonstrate the stark difference between native trees and exotic trees in their ability to support insects. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology. The sad part of the story?

Wildlife 262

Wildlife North America Mammals Breeding 262

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

North America 202

North America America Hawaii Birds 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2021

Birding encourages exploration and it is very satisfying to find a new location close to home that presents an unexpected bird diversity. I was asked by a new birder about the site’s potential and I remarked we should expect between 40 to 50 species for our circa two kilometre stroll. Places, too, can surprise. I was wrong.

Koalas 217

Koalas Birds Zoos Hunters 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

Wood-Wrens , birds of the family Henicorhina , are very small wrens of Central and South America that like to live very close to the ground, in dense forest underbrush or elfin forests. It’s a long drive, at least an hour of steadily climbing twists and turns; but there are high-altitude species I can only see there.

Mexico 186

Mexico South America Species America 186

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 278

North America America Birds California Condor 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2020

That is because we receive so many extra species from up north, which can double the number of potential species in many of our most important avian families: Ducks, Hummingbirds, Wood Warblers, New World Sparrows, Tyrant Flycatchers, and many others. Do you remember what I said about some species loving dense and dark woods?

Game 156

Game Lions Africa Family 156

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

With 500 pages, this guide is a bit on the heavy side, but still not too much, having in mind that half of the region falls into the tropics and the edition is dealing with almost a thousand species (989 to be exact). Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

We share seven resident species with different parts of the United States: the Rock , Canyon , Cactus , (Brown-throated) House , Marsh , Sedge , and Bewick’s Wren can all be seen within a half hour of Morelia. (I The raucous Spotted and Gray-barred Wrens are in the Cactus Wren family. First, they answered “my” song.

ALA 165

ALA United States Mexico Family 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2024

This post starts like every birding blog post should start – by showcasing some bulbul species. This is a finding presented in a paper on the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. Yes, I am joking. And of course, given that black is the new black (yes, I know – not a very original phrase), it should start with a Black Bulbul.

Birds 142

Birds Owls China Research 142

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

Hey, in 1959 Walt Disney set up a studio on the island and filmed Swiss Family Robinson there! By late March, hordes of Laughing Gulls and multiple species of pelagic terns gather for their turn. These isles of Saint Giles are beaten tirelessly by the wind from the open ocean, the hardy vegetation present is gnarled and contorted.

Fish 208

Fish Rights Species Birds 208

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2015

In many ways the weaver family is for Africa are similar beasts to the pseudowarblers of North America (sometimes called wood-warblers). They are also generally easy to see, especially species that construct huge colonies of woven nests in villages and farms (or even cities). They also have messy nests for the family.

South Africa 154

South Africa Senegal Ethiopia Africa 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

According to the HBW, there are 41 species of African Barbets and 34 species of Asian Barbets. There are also 14 species of New World Barbets and 2 species of Toucan-Barbets (all in South America). T he Golden-throated Barbet (Baihualing, Yunnan) has an interesting species name, franklinii. Pernice Brothers).

South Africa 199

South Africa Africa India China 199

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The text goes far beyond just those two birds, however, as Doug works his way through the puzzles presented by the incredibly wide diversity of bird behavior, even within species, citing current research and new and old theories, reasoning out the most likely and unlikely answers. The six middle chapters are my favorite reading.

Science 208

Science Albatross Research Birds 208

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2021

21 species is less than 6% of the total number of hummingbird species in the Americas.) All but one of those times, the ID occurred because I got a brief glimpse of this species’ unmistakeable long-tailed male. It is not present in our migratory visitors, I’m happy to say.

Mexico 202

Mexico Species America Groups 202

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. © 2021 Barbara Ballentine and Jeremy Hyman & Quarto Publishing.

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

Now we were in Finca Tres Equis, a family cocoa farm (if I understood well, it translates as Triple X Farm) and a private reserve of over 300 hectares, of which more than 70 percent is a forest, representing part of a Jaguar corridor. Coming to Costa Rica, I needed only a few dozen species to cross my first big threshold: a thousand species.

Costa Rica 228

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

It helps that there is a little bird hide almost on top of the hill, guarded by a Chinese lady and attracting a substantial number of species of birds and birders. You may already be familiar with this next one if you read Corey`s year-end post, in which I presented the Collared Owlet as my best bird of the year. Owlophobia?

China 261

China Birds Zebras Germany 261

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2019

However, I know almost none of the German names of the birds here and am even a bit surprised there apparently is a German name for each species (I cannot imagine there is too much use for German names of some purely Asian species). And some of these names sound weird even to a German (“Goldhaehnchenlaubsaenger”, anyone?).

China 185

China Eagles Cats Owls 185

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

I was surprised that this species is named for its vocalization – which sounds like laughter. For example, the Diamond Dove is the world’s second-smallest species of the columbidae order ( source ). The Latin species name haematonotus (“blood-backed”) sounds a bit more exciting but not necessarily more accurate.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2021

That’s because this fascinating part-Caribbean, part-south American country holds well over 800 species of avifauna making it without doubt one of my top three countries in all of the continent to visit. Ok, maybe not the vampire bat…but some of the more “cuddly” species are actually quite easy to see.

Guyana 278

Guyana Otters South America Colombia 278

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

A couple of the biggest of bird families are restricted to the Americas. Just about anywhere a birder ventures, the miniscule members of the latter family can be seen, and in most tropical locales, it’s not just one species. Costa Rica is no exception. The high mountains in southern Costa Rica are the realm of this sprite.

Costa Rica 210

Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama Honduras 210

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2015

Just like we did last year my family spent this past weekend camping at North Lake State Park, up in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains. And, not surprisingly, the breeding birds present were largely the same species as last year which was not a problem at all! Eastern Kingbirds are always a pleasure.

Birds 162

Birds New York Family Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

It seems to me that Lynx Edicions must know Vedran, too, and it was with him in mind that their authors, David W Winkler, Shawn M Billerman and Irby J Lovette, chose the “Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds” as the full title of their new edition. Families perhaps?

Family 290

Family Birds South America Breeding 290