10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read. They are also hunted.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

With this quote I have the pleasure of introducing my home province (state) for this month’s 10,000 Bird’s Africa Beat. mi (almost exactly the same size as Indiana), it is one of the smaller provinces of South Africa, but is the second most densely populated with over 10 million inhabitants. At 36,433 sq. Image by Hugh Chittenden.

Mozambique 182

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Birkhead, the experienced storyteller who is also Emeritus Professor at the School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, author of multiple scientific articles as well as books of popular science, knows how to make it readable and fun. Colonialism and appropriation of knowledge is discussed in Chapter 6, The New World of Science.

Dissection 209

Dissection Birds Research Europe 209

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

For example, I was going to add “no tail” to the list of features above, what all frogs share, when I remembered that there are indeed a small family of Tailed frogs, four species in New Zealand and two in North America (though, the tails are quite tiny). If you don’t live near a science museum, then read this chapter.

Reptiles 182

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

Bird communication is a complex and evolving science. Ballantine and Hyman explore how birds communicate and summarize studies on how that communication functions in diverse bird families all over the world. Bird communication is much broader than just vocalization, something I tend to forget.

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

Mike Unwin, the author, is a British natural history and travel writer who spent eight years living and working in southern Africa; his previous titles include the RSPB Guide to Birdwatching. Each 2-page chapter is designed as a graphic whole, with text and graphics playing off of each other in a wonderfully complementary way.

Albatross 192

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 192

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Hugh Powell is a science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And I, like some dowager countess in a birding vest, am expected to know each one’s family at a glance and greet them by name. This is his first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Come to Peru, they said. Scads of Storm-Petrels on Pre-Rally Pelagic – Nature Travel Network.

Peru 254

Peru Birds South America Owls 254

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. ’s bird family tree in a new tab and follow along as you read. American Flamingo photo by Dick Culbert). In 2008, Nick Sly published a review of Hackett et al.

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! The Cape Rockjumper (here a female) is best sought at Rooiels, on the east coast of South Africa, north of Cape Town. They have been considered sunbirds, Australasian honeyeaters and thrushes before being placed in their own family, Promeropidae.

South Africa 215

South Africa Lesotho Africa Swaziland 215

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Said Blue-throated Barbet – maybe lacking an altimeter – indeed could be seen very close to its family member at Tongbiguan. Does that mean that families in Florida should on average be larger than in Colorado? This avian marvel, belonging to the family Picidae, is a sight to behold, especially for any dedicated bird lover.

Birds 167

Birds China Woodpeckers Breeding 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

They occur in three biogeographic regions; the Neotropic, Afrotropic and Indo-Malaya ecozones, basically tropical South and Central America, Africa south of the Sahara and tropical Asia. The diminutive Tinkerbirds are Africa’s smallest barbets, depicted here is Red-fronted Tinkerbird photographed at Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia 223

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 223

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 191

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 191