10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 263

Dissection Birds Research Europe 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

It is near a river, attracting some birds that like to eat wet food. As the national bird of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the African Fish Eagle is usually very busy whenever it stays in these countries, giving speeches, opening shopping centers, etc. So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

Their migration is quite fast compared to many other larger birds – in one study , several birds flew 4000 km within 5–7 days while one individual even flew 5600 km non-stop. That includes breeding birds, as indicated by the presence of some rather cute chicks ( video ). Also as video.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders Breeding 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Not professionally – these people come in SUVs and probably never recapture their gas money from the fish they catch (though come to think of it, neither do I with my bird photos). This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). One strange thing about Chongming is the inevitable presence of people fishing. End of side note.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year. As has been the case every time I’ve been to Africa before, I won’t be there just for play. Read most accounts of how birders see birds outside their patch and one way or another, they’re tourists.

Uganda 173

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 173

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. Bird communication is a complex and evolving science.

North America 279

North America Research Birds Groups 279

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2014

You probably have to go to a resturant in Botswana or South Africa to find Tigerfish on the menu. They are the piranha of Africa, except probably less speciose and, generally, bigger. So, the other day I was looking at my Twitter feed and noted a story about African Tigerfish eating birds. One is on the plate, as dinner.

South Africa 252

South Africa Botswana Africa Fish 252

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

They also remind me why I love birding in Michoacán. I would love to know how the order spread across these regions, since that spread must have involved either crossing oceans or the frigid regions that these birds avoid. Both are large, stocky birds, with a large head and long, squared-off tail. Those are good numbers.

Mexico 241

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 241

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2014

It has been discovered that largosity and flightlessness, which perhaps fortunately tend to go together in birds, evolved more than once. Later the continents broke up into smaller regions such as South America, Africa, Asia and such, an a few smaller pieces like Madagascar and New Zealand as well. This was on Gondwana.

Madagascar 247

Madagascar Ostriches Elephants New Zealand 247

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2013

Years ago it was pointed out by somebody, probably Tinbergen or Lack or Wynn-Edwards or one of the other great bird-savvy ethologists of the day, that young Pelicans would blackmail their parents by biting their own wings, a very self defeating activity for a bird with a huge and powerful beak.

South Africa 209

South Africa Fowl Africa China 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 246

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. The study looked at common birds, and used data divided by either state (in the US) or country (in Europe). Stephens et al. Stephens, Philip, et al. 352:6281(84-87).

North America 153

North America Europe America United States 153

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2011

When climate changes, causing habitats to move, birds can get up and fly away to a new habitat, so really, they’ll be fine. I’ve been working on climate change lately (not causing it, but reading and writing about it) and birds have come up in a few places. Similar things happen to both fish and birds.

Penguins 244

Penguins Birds Cooking Fish 244

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2013

European Starlings count as much as any other bird on a big year. Now seems like a good time to look in on the birding big years happening in 2013 to see how folks are doing as they tear around their county or region or state or province or country trying to see as many birds as possible before 1 January 2014.

2013 230

2013 New Jersey North Carolina Canada 230

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

It’s six weeks to the day till I go to Africa, and of late conversations about the subject have taken a reliable and predictable detour. ” I’ll sometimes add “It’s in West Africa, I’ll be in South Africa. There will be outbreaks like the one happening in Africa, we can’t control that.

Humane 176

Humane Animal Africa Ukraine 176

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The task of wrestling this topic down into something that the human mind can manage, without losing sight of the big picture because it’s snowing in Buffalo, is likely to be the task of a lifetime for many science communicators. If I have any complaints, they lie not in the information but in the way the information is presented.

Netherlands 163

Netherlands Birds Buffalo Science 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

“ There is, perhaps, no better place in the world for birds than this country. With this quote I have the pleasure of introducing my home province (state) for this month’s 10,000 Bird’s Africa Beat. Despite discovering dozens of bird species, he is however not remembered in any English names of birds. At 36,433 sq.

Mozambique 231

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 231

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

Erika is a first year graduate student studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation at Duke. In her free time she travels near and far to find birds to continue building her life list, though many of her favorites can still be found right in her own backyard. Dry Tortugas National Park: Bird Banding Sooty Terns. Brown Noddy.

Birds 218

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 218

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Hugh Powell is a science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Hugh, who years ago helped me find my first Pauraque in the Rio Grande Valley , visited Peru as part of the 2014 World Birding Rally, where he stopped thinking of himself as an experienced birder. This is his first contribution to 10,000 Birds.

Peru 255

Peru Birds South America Owls 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

The Inaccessible Island Rail is perhaps the coolest bird that neither I nor anyone I will ever meet will ever see. It is a true rail ; and besides this there is nothing specifically like it known to science, although it may be that certain rails living on islands in the Pacific Ocean may have sprung from the same original stock.

Science 239

Science Transported Shelters South Africa 239

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

Be warned, The Atlas of Birds is not a map book, though it does contain maps, lovely orange and purple and green bird distribution maps. It is not an encyclopedia, though it does summarize research, explain basic concepts, and ends with a section on bird statistics. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Albatross 242

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2024

My aunt Greet gave me a book in 1975 that featured the 60 most endangered birds in Europe. Amazingly and quite contrary to what you would believe from the gloomy news most of these birds have since recovered and are doing well. But they were in front of a Western Subalpine Warbler so… Lovely bird.

Spain 246

Spain Ducks Morocco Europe 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

These were the sounds I heard as I walked around a small pond in Amherst, Massachusetts last week, looking for dragonflies, listening for birds. This exhibit has been making the rounds of science museums, and if comes to your area I highly recommend it, not just for kids. If you don’t live near a science museum, then read this chapter.

Reptiles 218

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 218

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

” But of course, with this slight adaptation, it also works for blog posts and their writers, and allows me to plug another nice song by this underrated artist, before switching to birds. Maybe a source more focused on birds than the HBW might have provided more accurate information. Then, on to nuthatches.

Birds 234

Birds China Woodpeckers Breeding 234

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! In this post, I’d like to focus on a small selection of South Africa’s special endemic birds. The Cape Rockjumper (here a female) is best sought at Rooiels, on the east coast of South Africa, north of Cape Town. the Rockjumpers.

South Africa 257

South Africa Lesotho Africa Swaziland 257

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2022

I usually do not write much about traveling to and from birding places but my friend and I arrived in Malelane in the afternoon. It may indicate, however, that the form of government in Eswatini – it is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy – is not ideal. Thanks for pointing that out.

Swaziland 147

Swaziland Landlord Birds Sweden 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. Globally, 1,313 bird species of a total of count of 10,064 are threatened, a frightening 13% of the total.

Endangered Species 234

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 234

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2013

Geladas are the sole survivors of a once abundant branch of primates that historically foraged across the grasslands of Africa, the Mediterranean and India. They have also been known as Lion Baboons and Bleeding-heart Baboons, due respectively to the males’ lion-like cape and tail, and the bare patch of red skin on both sex’s chests.

Ethiopia 169

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. One of the central papers, Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds (Jarvis et al. Open Jarvis et al.’s

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

The Management are still in Africa, suffering the buffering that comes with remoteness. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail.

2019 166

2019 Farming Sparrows Charlotte 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2014

Any doubt I had about the need for a book about rare birds in the United States And Canada were wiped out on a Sunday evening in early February with two birding friends. My friends had many more years of birding on me and had many stories to tell. Where did the Coney Island Gray-hooded Gull come from, Africa or South America?

North America 263

North America America Birds United States 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2018

But the beats go on in Southern climes and our intrepid little-big-year beat, Tom enters Africa. No peace for the blessed (Are you all as impressed as I am that Tom is in Africa and still finding time to review photos, share checklists and write blog posts?). Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. 07 Jan 2018.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2018

Honduras , Malaysia and the southern-most bits of South Africa feature large this month with Mike, Duncan and Tom all vying to be MVB for June. 10 countries were birded by 9 beats and 892 species were noted from 144 checklists. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. Who is going to tell the clans? 23 May 2018.

2018 100

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Barbets are a group of medium sized, chunky, generally colorful, frugivorous, hole-nesting near-passerines, that are popular targets for anyone birding in the tropics. In Asia, their 30 barbet species are placed into their own family Megalaimidae , and finally in Africa, we have 42 species in the family Lybiidae , the topic of this blogpost.

Ethiopia 252

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 252

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

The reality is that it’s if pretty difficult to see most penguin species, excepting the wonderfully accessible African Penguins at Boulders Beach outside Cape Town, South Africa and the Galapagos Penguins, ironically one of the rarest and most commonly seen species. That’s a lot of books about a bird family that cannot fly.

Penguins 242

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 242

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

I did not find much about this bird online except for a paper with the exciting title “A new quill mite Torotrogla emberizae sp. Given that this bird moves very fast and thus leads to bird photographers spending a lot of time getting mostly completely unusable photos, I think the parasitism is well-deserved.

Birds 260

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 260