10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The Ground Woodpecker (Drakensberg, South Africa) is listed as Near Threatened. At woodpecker family meetings, it usually stands a bit separate from most other species as it cannot meaningfully participate in discussions about wood (it mostly lives in rocky terrain without trees). Kind of like a diesel version.

Woodpeckers 233

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 233

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

They packed up in June of 2013 and headed south from San Diego with the southern tip of South America as their destination. Sixteen species within the antbird family (Thamnophidae) are considered true obligate army ant followers. A bite from an army ant can really pack a punch; I speak from experience.

San Diego 188

San Diego South America Costa Rica America 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2011

It may seem like cruel and unusual punishment for we denizens of the New World to spend an entire week celebrating what is surely the coolest family of birds in the world, a family that is sadly absent from the Old World, but it can’t be helped. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 183

United States South America Cooking Family 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In a time of little published information about the rainforests of Central and South America aside from scientific journal articles and the works of 19th-century naturalists, the “little green book,” as it was called, became a must-read amongst nature-oriented travelers and researchers. is remarkable.

South America 152

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 152

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Though wood-warblers, the mostly brightly colored birds of the family Parulidae, are only found in the New World we felt that birders the world over would be pleased to see a plethora of posts about these striking and sought after species. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 155

United States South America 2011 2012 155

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

He goes on to describe how early classifications of the nine-primaried oscines relied on bill shape to determine family boundaries. A new perspective on tanagers Much of the core of the tanager family remains intact. Odd little grassquits singing from power lines in South America’s great cities.

2003 213

2003 Sparrows Family South America 213

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. One field guide, seven countries. It’s unique in two major ways.

America 213

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

It breeds across Canada’s boreal forest and most winter in the Caribbean, though some spend the cold months in Central America. We are devoting a whole week to wood-warblers but are only just barely scratching the surface of possible topics involving this amazing family of birds.

Tigers 158

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

Experiments in the field (the famed Asa Wright Nature Center veranda) involving Bananaquits and bananas came up with numbers ranging from 7 to 16, but a tanager always came along to interfere with Bananaquits’ noisy appreciation of their namesake fruit. (2) Which hummingbird was more beautiful—Tufted Coquette or Ruby-topaz Hummingbird? (3)

Trinidad 196

Trinidad Birds South America Research 196

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock by David Shackelford Suriname is the only Dutch-speaking country in South America, part of the Amazonian basin and geographically one of the southernmost members of the Caribbean Community. The second sound that we heard belonged to another fantastic member of the cotinga family, the White Bellbird.

Suriname 214

Suriname Birds Guyana South America 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Found throughout South America in ever-dwindling numbers these extremely beautiful birds – threatened by habitat destruction and collection for the wild bird trade – are often difficult to see and hard to find. The experience is one of the ornithological highlights in the world.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

I happen to be particularly fond of turtles because my family has taken care of a small box turtle for 30 years (beware–turtles are extremely low-maintenance pets but will outlast your child’s youth and probably your life). Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 199

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 199

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

But, unlike most books focused on a bird family, this one is organized geographically. Each chapter focuses on a specific geographic area of penguin population: (1) Antarctica, (2) South Georgia, (3) Falkland Islands, (4) South Africa and Tristan de Cunha, (5) New Zealand and Australia, (6) South America and Galapagos.

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

’s bird family tree in a new tab and follow along as you read. The Hoatzin, which may have reached South America by raft , has resisted placement in basically every study ever done. In 2008, Nick Sly published a review of Hackett et al. titled Avian relationships – What do we know? Open Jarvis et al.’s

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2015

I recently returned from my family’s annual spring trip to Florida, and unlike years previous I didn’t get any special time set aside to bird this time round. I guess our early March time-frame is a tad on the early side for them to return from South America, so you can imagine I was pretty stoked to see this one.

Florida 178

Florida North America Neglecting South America 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

While the jays did catch our attention by way of a smart crest and different shades of blue and gray punctuated by a black necklace and mascara, they were part of our common natural experience, their existence was taken for granted. This species also tends to forage in pairs or small family groups. Want to see toucans in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 177

Costa Rica Panama Eating Eggs South America 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth. This means that there are some astoundingly large families of birds in Central and South America.

Panama 207

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 207

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2011

For native people, living in South America meant living with hummingbirds, and for Europeans, discovering South American meant discovering hummingbirds (and, tragically, exploiting South America meant exploiting hummingbirds, destroying hundreds of thousands for stuffed specimens and in futile attempts to keep them alive in captivity.)

South America 157

South America New York Alaska America 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

It made us reach for our field guide for North America, but that really does not compare to the real thing. I had spent several holidays with my family in the USA in the 1980′s and then worked in Maine during the summer of 1985-beware the poison ivy and the snapping turtles!

South Africa 158

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Approximately 2,300 bird species inhabit Africa, however as impressive as that sounds, much smaller South America boasts nearly 1,000 species more. I cannot but admit that South America is the “bird continent” but as Peter Kaestner, one of the world’s top listers, so eloquently put it, Africa is nevertheless the “birding continent”.

Papua New Guinea 221

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. Unless the woodpecker is drumming a hole into your garage, and then, well, it’s a different kind of excitement.)

Woodpeckers 244

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 244