article thumbnail

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.

Australia 187
article thumbnail

Listening to Falcons: The Peregrines of Tom Cade

10,000 Birds

But it wasn’t until he studied falconry’s appeal to centuries-old cultures–the Persians, English, Dutch, French, Chinese, Russians, and people of the Middle East–that Cade realized the sport of kings was slowly dying and would disappear along with the age-old mystique of a raptor returning to the human who trained her.

Falcons 171
article thumbnail

The Emotional Lives of Animals

4 The Love Of Animals

Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors. In December 2005 a 50-foot, 50-ton, female humpback whale got tangled in crab lines and was in danger of drowning. A Grateful Whale.

Emotional 100