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15 Australian Birds (Episode 2)

10,000 Birds

According to the HBW entry for this species, it “has been claimed that loss of native mammals after European settlement created shortage of nesting material, explaining this species’ penchant for taking hair from humans.” These two Grey-crowned Babblers look remarkably like Statler and Waldorf, the two old men of the Muppets Show.

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Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Not all habitat change is due to humans; there is Chestnut Blight destroying American Chestnuts in the early 1900s, and the more recent Dutch Elm disease. Still, the authors praise more than mourn, emphasizing that the most severe changes occurred before 1955, and that some NYC infrastructure changes have actually helped area bird life.