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 259

North America America Birds United States 259

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

I recently asked ChatGPT some questions about the best birding locations in the United States and the results were decidedly mixed. Here are the queries and the ChatGPT responses are below: What is birding? What is a “nemesis bird” in birding? What is a “big year” in birding?

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

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 2, 2024

Bird Day is a lovely, little jewel of a book. The idea is to portray one bird for each hour of the day in words and art, presenting the diversity, beauty, and wonder of avian life. Angell’s black-and-white illustrations bring sparks of energy and visual clarity to the fascinating bird behaviors described by Huber.

Chicago 193

Chicago Barn Owls Penguins New Zealand 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2021

Have you ever wondered what birds were flying overhead while you slept or what critters crept through your yard unnoticed? The Terra Project is an exciting collaboration between bird guide author Scott Whittle , wildlife tracker manufacturer CTT , and non-profit Conservation Science Global. appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

North America 264

North America Science America Europe 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2013

Many, many things happened in the area of bird science this year, so this review can not be comprehensive. 01–15 Who could forget the catfish that figured out how to eat birds ? 01–15 Who could forget the catfish that figured out how to eat birds ? Here’s a few sources: Riddle of Early Bird Migration Cracked.

Science 192

Science 2013 Elephants Birds 192

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2023

Flight Paths is a splendid but risky title for a book about bird migration. It could easily be mistaken for a book about aviation or space navigation or even a flight simulator game if you don’t read the long, adjective-filled subtitle: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.

Science 200

Science Illinois Investigation Research 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2014

I’ve heard plenty of good things about eBird from others, but never felt I needed all the bells and whistles; I also wondered if it would suck the fun out of birding for me, since I like to keep it kind of casual, and also wasn’t sure how much privacy I was willing to surrender. Birding citizen science Conservation eBird'

Science 202

Science 2002 Chicago Adoptable 202

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Endangered. Extinction. Conservation. It’s not easy.

California Condor 190

California Condor Falcons California Birds 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2017

I hadn’t until a little over a month ago when while flicking through one of my volumes of the Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) I came across it. Birds like the tityras, the becards and the purpletufts. eBird has a range of data exploration tools that, to my mind, exist help birders bird. Nothing wrong with that.

Science 111

Science Argentina South America Uruguay 111

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2020

If you want to write a bird guide, you should have guided people yourself. Howell and Fabrice Schmitt: both of them are international bird tour leaders with WINGS. Birds of Chile – A Photo Guide has 240 pages and more than 1,000 photos accompanied by a brief text to make bird ID easy. And that is what recommends Steve N.

Chile 212

Chile Birds South America North America 212

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 122

North America Europe America United States 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

February 2023 was a slow month for birding in Shanghai, at least for me – so slow that I almost put the Spotted Dove , possibly my least favorite bird here, on the cover. Not a cover species The Black Kite is not actually black, but of course, misleading bird names are not exactly rare. Maybe those should be protected too?

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

It feels good to start a post with some truly attractive birds – such as two species of broadbills. If you like cute birds, you will probably like the Black-and-yellow Broadbill. Homework assignment: Is the bird in this video a male or a female? Maybe the birds I saw were not real. You can see why here.

Birds 226

Birds Sri Lanka Taiwan Cats 226

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. And the term is ‘non-reversed size dimorphism.’).

North America 233

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 233

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 234

Dissection Birds Research Europe 234

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2014

There’s been some interesting bird research lately, having to do with the origin of birds ( new analysis of new and old fossils ) and the overarching taxonomy ( using DNA analysis ) but I’ve not had a chance to absorb this weighty new knowledge so I’ll probably write about it next month.

Science 162

Science Birds 2000 North America 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica: A Field Guide by Dennis Paulson and William Haber fills a large gap in the field guide coverage of Costa Rica and continues the high level of excellence set by Paulson’s previous guides to dragonflies and damselflies of eastern and western North America. Paulson, William A.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica North America Family America 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

Having warned to her theme she introduces her villain of the piece, the AMNH researcher Chris Filardi, who collected a kingfisher. Throughout his professional career, Chris has maintained a commitment to bridging his research interests with grassroots conservation. You see, the bird was collected for scientific study.

Collecting 165

Collecting Papua New Guinea Science Birds 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

They looked out their windows and across their patios and up from their apartment terraces and saw–birds. This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Zamorano University may be regarded as one of the crown jewels of Latin American higher education, particularly in the areas of agriculture, environmental management, and food science, but this idyllic campus excels for more reasons than simply academics. Add bins and coffee, shake well, and you have the recipe for bird watching nirvana!

Honduras 143

Honduras Birds Kentucky Research 143

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2016

The 117th Audubon Christmas Bird Count began yesterday and runs through January 5th. The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society, with over 100 years of citizen science involvement. Birders of all skill levels are urged to participate in the Christmas Bird Count.

Birds 152

Birds Science Canada Collecting 152

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

A profound and deep understanding of birds is hard to complain about. Despite the vacant look in the eye of a Rock Pigeon , birds are not stupid…they cannot afford to be, or else they wouldn’t be here now. crossing the Carribean and winding up in South America? I believe in science.

Emotional 216

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

One of these days, Jeopardy will feature a category called “Field Guides” and the first clue will be: “This landlocked South American country finally got its own bird field guide in 2016, but it wasn’t available in the United State until 2019.” Bolivia doesn’t come up much in discussions of birding travel.

Bolivia 181

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

These bark-burrowing beetles, which apparently hitched a ride in cargo shipments from their native Asia, have been starving the ash trees of eastern and midwestern North America to death for a dozen years now. These birds may be the North American ash tree’s last line of defense against the EAB invasion. Enter the woodpecker.

Woodpeckers 273

Woodpeckers Illinois Science Chicago 273

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Birding for the Curious: The Easiest Way for Anyone to Explore the Incredible World of Birds by Nate Swick brings birding back to its roots—a simple, joyous way to enjoy nature using our eyes, ears, hands (for sketching), and brain. There are now no excuses except a lack of curiosity. And, nobody wants to admit that.

Birds 263

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Two reactions on hearing that Steve Howell and Brian Sullivan have written a guide entitled Peterson Guide to Bird Identification–in 12 Steps : (1) What? In other words, you don’t even observe the bird closely until Step 7, and that is to observe behavior. Another identification guide?, (2) Howell and Brian L.

Birds 154

Birds North America 2012 America 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

That’s because I’d already seen the conclusions contained in a study that Audubon (my employer) was preparing to release, a study about birds and climate change. And this bird won’t be able to expand into new areas either — its expansion potential totals only 1 percent of its current range.

Species 178

Species Science Los Angeles Birds 178

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

Louisiana is a magical place to bird. At the same time I was ogling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Upland Sandpipers, Marybeth Lima was also birding Louisiana. Chapter Two is a potpourri of stories about nemesis birds, birding by ear, birding for science, under the rubric of birding ‘for the love of it.’

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

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 159

Netherlands Birds Buffalo Science 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

New Year’s resolutions from birding friends are starting to trickle in as I write this review. It is the last day of 2015, time to select the bird of the year past and set goals for the bright open future, when everything is new again. The process is called “Wide-angle birding: Be the bird, see the bird.”.

Birds 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2017

We’ve all heard the myth that rice thrown at weddings will explode birds’ stomachs. The research suggests that rice emerges as an important food source late in the winter, just as harvesting time—and northern migration time—are at hand. Not true, according to Snopes.) Bobolink photo courtesy of R.M. Jensen/ The Condor.

Advocacy 100

Advocacy South America Research America 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2018

So many birds of white and gray touched with black. So many immature birds utilizing a palette of brown and ecru, burnt umber, white and black. Gulls of the World is meant to cover more geographic area (add South America, Australia and the Arctic and any other parts of the world not covered in the first book) and less detail.

2004 161

2004 North America America Europe 161

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Thankfully, there is a refreshing lack of concern for the taxonomic controversies that are apparently as rife in the turtle world as they are in the bird world. This culture chapter is necessarily brief but did make me wish for a reptile equivalent of Birds and People , where I could read more about turtle imagery in religion and literature.

Turtles 211

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 211

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2013

Everybody knows sparrows, except for the fact that most people don’t know anything about sparrows.Kim Todd sets out to rectify this in a small, elegant book that covers both House Sparrows , the Passer tribe, and the other birds colloquially called sparrows throughout the world (albeit she concentrates most on North America and Britain.)

Sparrows 188

Sparrows Feral Cats North America Feral 188

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 28, 2015

As 2015 comes to a close and birders the world over start thinking about what 2016 will bring we here at 10,000 Birds would like to take a moment to celebrate our best birds of 2015. Each Beat Writer was given the opportunity to share their Best Bird of the Year for 2015 and, as usual, we had some pretty solid birds.

2015 188

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 188