10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

That every human on the planet ultimately depends on biodiversity and nature for stable weather and climate, food, water and fresh air; that is, life providing and supporting services. Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. Black capped Chickadee.

Wildlife 261

Wildlife North America Mammals Breeding 261

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

According to the HBW, there are 41 species of African Barbets and 34 species of Asian Barbets. There are also 14 species of New World Barbets and 2 species of Toucan-Barbets (all in South America). T he Golden-throated Barbet (Baihualing, Yunnan) has an interesting species name, franklinii.

South Africa 196

South Africa Africa India China 196

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2020

Starlings, they’ll dutifully explain, are ruthless invasives that have been responsible for the serious declines of several beloved native species, like the Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) and the Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialis ). Good birding and happy drinking! Arrowood Farm Brewery: Starling Brett Farmhouse Ale.

Farming 179

Farming New York Breeding Unwanted 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

Osborn, a passionate field biologist who participates to the core of her being three re-introduction projects aimed at saving three very different, endangered species: Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow (‘Alala)*, and California Condor. Sophie Osborn’s stories are personal and inspiring, but this is more than a personal memoir.

California Condor 169

California Condor Falcons California Birds 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There’s a new proposal before the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee to split Painted Bunting into two species (yay! — maybe, more later) and to name the new species “Eastern Painted Bunting” and “Western Painted Bunting” (no!).

Mississippi 264

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The Bank Swallow ( Riparia riparia ) is North America’s smallest swallow. The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. The main reason for this rapid decline, as in the case of most species, is loss of habitat. Click on photos for full sized images.

North America 186

North America 2014 California Birds 186

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

How to Know the Birds talks about 200 commonly found birds in North America (including one extinct bird, the Passenger Pigeon) in 200 brief essays, each exactly one page long. I’m not sure if “the Ugly” refers to the cormorant itself or human reaction (catfish farmers are officially allowed to shoot the birds).

Birds 114

Birds North America Breeding America 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

When you think of invasives, you think of the birds that have been helped by human beings to get where they are, such as House Sparrow or European Starling. Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. Cattle Egret has been introduced by humans to Hawaii and the Seychelles.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2015

The vast majority of you reading this accept it is happening, and for the time being it is caused by humans. That said, there are many species we should be extremely concerned about. Here’s a peek at what our avifauna, here in North America, may be in for… Yes, I am aware this isn’t a bird…but hear me out.

North America 209

North America Birds San Francisco Suffering 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2015

I’m a big fan of the antelopes, a group that is most commonly associated with Africa but which also occurs in Asia and, if you stretch the term to be cladistically meaningful, Europe and North America. The crest on the back becomes erect during breeding displays.

Africa 162

Africa Hunters Goats Wolves 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2016

One of the most impressive birds in North America is the Golden Eagle. The oldest known Golden Eagle was over 30 years old, and as a species they prefer open and semi-open landscapes. Golden Eagles have a global breeding population of around 300,000 birds, 3% of which spend at least part of the year in Mexico.

Albania 101

Albania Mexico Eagles Kazakhstan 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Second, reading about birds courting and parenting brings out the tendency to identify, which leads directly to anthropomorphism, the tendency to assign birds human emotions and thoughts. Think of birds too much as humans and you lose the specialness that makes them birds. Some people love books like that. Yellow Warbler fledgling.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. Like the Adjutants in Asia and Jabiru of the Americas, the Marabou is our bare-headed scavenging stork.

Africa 233

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

Birders in the Americas may not be aware of it, but from the higher ground of a European perspective the American “warblers” are intensely overrated. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas. Bird blogging in May always gives me the creeps.

Sparrows 209

Sparrows Italy Asia Austria 209

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2015

Another species of Python, the African Python ( Python sebae ) has established a small population in the 2,877-acre Bird Drive Area (BDA) in South Florida. State and Federal Agencies feared that if these two large constrictor snakes are allowed to breed they would produce a hybrid super-python.

Pythons 178

Pythons Florida Mammals Reptiles 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2011

Anyone who has gone bird watching in North America, however, knows another kind of phoebe, a bold little genus that turns up with remarkable frequency from the arctic circle to the equator. This phoebe of phoebes is considered a loner as far as its own kind is concerned, but doesn’t appear to mind human presence.

Argentina 216

Argentina United States North America America 216

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

If this was America, we might not be concerned because starlings are an invasive species, at least in North America. That means crows join humans, apes and monkeys in exhibiting advanced relational thinking, according to the research. So, here we go… Fighting in Iraq has been affecting starlings.

Science 151

Science Iraq Research Birds 151

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2015

Later, it was brought up that the now famous ducks appear not to mind the presence of humans. Is this the first record of this species in the region in over a 100 years?, White-faced Whistling Ducks are widespread in hot and humid habitats of eastern South America. Photo: Courtesy of Victor Bustinza. So what to make of this?

Ducks 157

Ducks South America Peru Adoptable 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2017

Though they weight less than two ounces, Least Terns migrate from South America to the West, East, and Gulf Coast to breed on dunes or flat gravel roofs (there are also populations in the middle of the United States). In Florida, the Least Tern is a state-designated threatened species; the interior populations are federally endangered.

South America 102

South America United States Protection Pelicans 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Mute Swans are large, white, and decorative, and as such their natural range has been significantly altered by humans who generally enjoy having them around. Starting in the 16th century, the species was released widely on ponds and parks and rivers throughout Europe where it flourished remarkably and continues to do so to this very day.

Feral 168

Feral Europe Asia North America 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. Here’s the kicker though.

California Condor 175

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 175

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

For one, they are remarkably diverse with a little over 380 species spread over every continent except Europe (only introduced) and Antarctica. Brazil, in particular, is the country with the largest number of parrot species in the world with approximately 84 species. Parrots captivate me more than any other bird family.

Parrots 167

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

But it wasn’t until he studied falconry’s appeal to centuries-old cultures–the Persians, English, Dutch, French, Chinese, Russians, and people of the Middle East–that Cade realized the sport of kings was slowly dying and would disappear along with the age-old mystique of a raptor returning to the human who trained her.

Falcons 171

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Nearly 70 species of parrots have been recorded flying free at some stage or another in Miami, including Hyacinth Macaws. Dozens of other introduced bird species, largely escapees from pet owners, now call Miami home. But I couldn’t help but get more excited about the countable species as opposed to the uncountable ones.

Miami 130

Miami Parrots Research Birds 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. Carlos’s BBOTY – the Nicobar Pigeon.

2014 183

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 198

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 198

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

First published in 1973 in association with the Asa Wright Center, the book focuses on species descriptions, with illustrations grouped together in plates positioned in the center of the book. The guide covers 477 species, an expansion of 35 from the second edition, which was published in 1991. The AOU has not accepted that split.

Trinidad 189

Trinidad Birds South America Research 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Other birds with webbed feet, including ducks and geese, have only three webbed toes; the hallux (which in birds is usually the “hind toe&# and in humans, the “big toe&# ) is free.

2011 151

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 151

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2012

In short, the answer is that in the United States there are 20 billion birds at the end of the breeding and fledging season, which gets winnowed down to 10 billion by the following early spring. adding wolves, who displace coyotes) can dramatically change the ecology and directly affect species diversity and abundance.

Cats 177

Cats Boston Ferrets Killing 177

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

A lovely looking and distinctive sounding bird (so they say, I sadly have not seen one…yet), the Kirtland’s Warbler can only be found during its breeding season in Jack Pine forests 5 to 20 years old in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list.

Michigan 221

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

The park is home to not one, not two, but large three colonies of breeding seabirds: the Brown Noddy , Magnificent Frigatebird , and Sooty Tern. No, that was not a typo, the Sooty Terns fly non-stop for an average of five years before they return to the Dry Tortugas to breed. Lots and lots of birds.

Birds 174

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2012

The largest flying land birds in North America, they appear like folded umbrellas at first, their wing feathers draped blanket-like, enveloping bodies that naturally weigh about 20 pounds at maturity. Condors, like all New World vultures, can disturb the human psyche. Their size doesn’t escape you. You think of turkey dressed in black.

California Condor 202

California Condor California Idaho North America 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

There is also a major section on 180 bird species that is 123 pages long, about 1/3 of the book. The section is dominated by large portraits of the 180 birds that have been documented by Project FeederWatch as visiting feeders across North America (most of which do not come to my feeders, so reading it made me a little sad and jealous).

Birds 166

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 166

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

And managing means killing them, breeding them, and otherwise fiddling with their populations. It has entertaining stories, includes animals people care about because they like them (and also addresses that concept), and it describes how the numbers of various species decreased to the point of being classified as "endangered" or worse.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

. … The ordinance would allow Minneapolis residents to establish cat “colonies” where abandoned and wild cats can be fed but also vaccinated, neutered and identified in an effort to humanely cut their population and control disease. Cats are domesticated animals that are not indigenous wildlife in North America.

Feral Cats 202

Feral Cats Feral Cats Minneapolis 202

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

August arrived and I was releasing birds knowing they’d need time to adapt prior to making that long flight across the Gulf of Mexico, headed to South America. But lets see … I’d say one of my most memorable releases is that of a Purple Martin , a species of special concern in California.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 214

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow is innovative, fascinating, and challenging. The guide covers 520 species of birds regularly found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, including, interestingly, a number of exotic species. But, first the basics.

North America 161

North America America Birds New York 161