10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Thus, the cattle we raise for meat and dairy are sometimes called Bos taurus while the extinct wild form is always called Bos primigenius. Some time after the Spanish encounter with the Turkey, birds were brought back to Europe where they were raised and became an important source of food and fancy feathers. Which would be weird.

Turkey 198

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 198

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. However recent research has shown that they are in fact not baboons, despite superficial appearances, and they are now just called “Gelada”. Male Gelada in his prime.

Ethiopia 159

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Ackerman’s new book is about owls and owl research–the knowledge recently and currently being discovered through DNA analysis, new-tech tracking and monitoring, and old-fashioned fieldwork under the auspices of organizations like the Global Owl Project and the Owl Research Institute.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 8, 2011

Gazing at Cathy Conheim, a psychotherapist raised to hate cats because they ate birds, and Donna Brooks, a retired physician and sculptor who had never had a cat, but always reached out to heal anyone who was hurting, the kitten eyed them hopefully. Cathy sent an email to 20 friends describing Henry’s escapades as a newly minted indoor cat.

San Diego 100

San Diego Kittens Emotional Cats 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

The majority of wildcats live today in Africa, and virtually none of them have provided the DNA from which supposed histories of domestication have been constructed by researchers. I once knew a guy who kept and raised cats. And I think he was speaking only of our American Kitties not the Wildcat of Africa.

Feral Cats 252

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

Several recent studies have found that tinamous are embedded within the ratites, which means that either they regained the ability to fly or (as many researchers feel is more likely) that flightlessness and large body size arose multiple times within the paleognaths, a topic discussed in detail at Tetrapod Zoology. Jarvis et al.

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. We already had South Africa, Zambia and Uganda under our belts, but my clients’ request for the next year came right out of the blue: Ghana! During each trip we would discuss a destination for the following year.

Ghana 188

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa – it was established in 1895. I guess most scientists would love to see their original research become the basis for a vast field of further studies. The quality is similar though (on a highly abstract level). Poor creatures.

South Africa 179

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 179

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. Raised in the Galapagos, she’s been exposed to penguins her whole life.

Penguins 191

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 191

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red.

Birds 197

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 197

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2020

It’s a book about ornithological research yet reads almost like a novel. Kroodsma identifies specific birdsong puzzles about which no researcher yet has answers, including problems where diligent amateurs can make discoveries. That’s the point, and the charm, of Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist: Your Guide to Listening.

2020 188

2020 Birds North America Italy 188