10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Next Thursday is the American Thanksgiving holiday – which means it’s time to trot out that old legend concerning Benjamin Franklin’s opinions on two iconic American birds: The Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) and the Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). There’s no “Eagle Day”, is there?

2017 152

2017 Bald Eagle United States Turkey 152

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Maybe it’s important to note that Turkey Vultures , in particular, were well-loved by , and even inspirational to , the people that lived here before Europeans arrived. Old World Vultures are nestled within the family Acciptridae along with the hawks and eagles. Griffon Vulture , photo by Alan Tilmouth. millions years ago.

California Condor 187

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2019

I pushed for Wikipedia to adopt them, and then to follow the taxonomy, and given the dominance of Wikipedia in Google search results, this is no small thing. I’m a long-time champion of the IOC World Bird List as a standard for bird names. I’m not blind to the list’s faults, though. But a split has annoyed me. Well, no more!

Iran 132

Iran Barn Owls New Zealand Europe 132