10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Both my Howell’s A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America, published in 1995 and printed in 2012, and my constantly-updated Merlin App, show maps which suggest that I should not see this beautiful Hawk in my region. I saw it described somewhere as a parrot’s bill stuck to a hawk’s body.

Mexico 147

Mexico 2020 2012 Parrots 147

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. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 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. That’s right – birds eating clay. Scarlet Macaw Ara macao.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

But even more bitter is a birder’s envy… Jealousy makes up so much of the birding experience that I imagine the green-eyed monster derives its color from parrot plumage. But the envy that gnaws at me right now stems not from the thought of the 9,000+ birds that I haven’t yet seen that others have.

Emotional 160

Emotional 2011 ALA Ohio 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

Costa Rica is situated right between two oceans. The pair of seas are close enough for the occasional adventurous frigatebird to just soar way up and right over to the other salty basin. We had looks at Semiplumbeous Hawk , White-necked Puffbird , toucans, parrots, hundreds of migrating Mississippi Kites , and several other birdies.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Birds 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

There was definitely always the temptation to just sit at the restaurant, sip a warm cup of coffee or tea, and watch the constant antics of parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, and more going about their daily routine. Trips Central America cotinga Honduras Pico Bonito' Indeed, time seemed to move more slowly here. Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 164

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

H is for Hawk was a hit for Helen Macdonald a few years back; and Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien, The Parrot Who Owns Me by Joanna Burger; and Alex & Me by Irene Pepperberg are, each of them, delightful books as well. The losses came from both wings, but the flaw is obvious on the right wing in the photo, below left.).

Ohio 149

Ohio Adoptable Emotional 2019 149

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

The USA’s only truly indigenous parrot was wiped out by a combination of factors, although direct persecution through hunting seems to have been the major contributor. Today, if you want to see parrots in the USA you need look no further than Miami. But its not just parrots that are doing well in their adopted city.

Miami 141

Miami Parrots Research Birds 141

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

One of the perks about living in Miami is that plane tickets to the bird-rich Caribbean, Central, and South America are often cheaper than going to places like Arizona, Colorado, or California. Like magic, a dark bird flew into a tall tree right beside the road. I stuck my head out the window and looked up — and there it was!

Jamaica 182

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Birds 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. A guide that feels so right in my hands? At the same time, care has been taken to eliminate exotics no longer a presence, such as several of south Florida’s parrots. It’s a question many of us are grappling with. I have a lot.

North America 171

North America 2003 Birds America 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2011

I then lived in Central America where there were more bird species than my bird books (and my competence) could hope to identify. So it is not just that the images are beautiful, it is also that they were taken right here! << So, I have now been living in the Alps for about 4 years.

South Africa 182

South Africa Factory Parrots Africa 182

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2017

Cope keeps track of the birds in this locally owned forest and on our visit, one of “his” Crested Owls was visible right from the road. They come to fruit right behind the buildings and while you dig the colors, you might also get lucky with Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Golden-olive Woodpecker, White Hawk , and other species (we did).

Costa Rica 153

Costa Rica Owls Birds Eagles 153

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2011

Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Capuchinbird, Red Fan Parrot, Guianan Toucanet, White Bellbird, Grey-winged Trumpeters, Black Currasow. 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.

Suriname 223

Suriname Birds Guyana South America 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

Diversity of habitat means, of course, great biodiversity, and the Introduction boasts that Bolivia “is the richest landlocked nation on Earth for bird diversity, the sixth richest overall, and the fifth richest in the Americas” (p. Each species is numbered, with the numbers referring to the illustrations on the right.

Bolivia 181

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

The eyes are still not developed enough to open, and the feet are just strong enough to help right a toppled chick. In these pictures you can see the white egg tooth used for pipping the egg still attached to the front of the barely developed bill. At this point the chicks are mostly digestive tract. The Auk 108: 863-871.

Eggs 269

Eggs Venezuela Porcupines 2008 269

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2012

But Blue-headed Parrots were certainly special, as were raptors like Short-tailed Hawk and Common Black-hawk among the endless vultures. Consequently, I was well-positioned when THE TRINIDAD PIPING GUAN FLEW RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE! Now let me tell you, friends: I rarely run for birds.

Trinidad 163

Trinidad Stud Turkey Shelters 163

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Rather than painting all bird images to face the same direction, as is customary in many field guides, the Navarro combines images of the bird looking left, right, up, even right at you, the sums of the images creating compositions of diagonal lines, circles, and mirror images.

Cuba 238

Cuba Birds United States 2000 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume.

North America 178

North America America Birds Family 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2021

Urban areas offer the bird watcher those species that have survived and thrived in artificial environments; often when they had no real right to. Australia has been described as the Land of the Parrots and on any walk in any suburb, chances are you will see parrots. Urban birds are therefore bold, adaptable generalists.

Parrots 264

Parrots Birds Ducks Australia 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

plus a chapter on “Vagrant landbirds from North America.” Browsing is facilitated by section titles at the top of each left-hand page and smaller group titles on the upper right-hand page. Each has its strengths. For the time being, I suggest that U.S. birders visiting Great Britain and Ireland stick with Collins.

Ireland 150

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2021

We sailed right into a group of more than a dozen Hoatzins (cover photo, by Tyler Ficker) with their orange mohawks and blue facial skin. The afternoon birds also included Capped Heron , Mealy Parrot , Drab Water Tyrant , Amazonian Tyrannulet , Green-tailed Jacamar and more than 40 Sand-colored Nighthawks.

Dolphins 263

Dolphins Colombia Otters Birds 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2018

Kites aren’t the only birds in the air here; we saw all kinds of flycatchers, thrushes, swallows, parrots, and—-making us Americans feel right at home—- Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles. Would you trade in-room wifi for three species of motmot and two different toucans right outside the hotel restaurant?

Honduras 175

Honduras Birds Parrots Rights 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

It’s been a while since I observed a parrot in a palm tree above my head. So I lowered my threshold to 500 and that worked well… for Costa Rica and South America, that is (especially Peru). Well, that tells a lot about me: it’s a 40l plane carry-on type (which I will carry on as my day-pack, too). I miss the tropics.

Asia 276

Asia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Thailand 276

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

On a quick browse, here are some facts I learned: Melanin helps to resist bacteria that attack feathers; most parrots are left-footed and this is associated with problem-solving; some birds nest in two different places in the same year. (Also, I wish I could use the tiny birds for my own presentations. Is a free digital download possible?)

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2014

Two out-of-place parrots and a lost shorebird. That’s right, the salvation of my birding day relied upon me laying eyes on a Nanday Parakeet. That’s right, the salvation of my birding day relied upon me laying eyes on a Nanday Parakeet. But, what do I know of introduced parrot species? The answer? Petersburg.

Florida 264

Florida Parrots Tampa 2004 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2014

It also supports the greatest variety of large mammals in all of South America, including such iconic species as Maned Wolf and Giant Anteater. It was a poignant and ironic sight to see them in the process of breeding right next to that barn at the edge of the park. There are approximately 10,000 plant species in the Cerrado.

Brazil 169

Brazil South America Collecting America 169

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

We miss them all: the parrots, the pigeons, the moas and titan-hawks and stilt-owls and myriads of endlessly exotic avifauna we will never ever know again as they were when they graced this Earth. The prehistoric extinctions most famously include the megafaunal assemblages of Europe, the Americas, Australia and Madagascar.

Marsupials 173

Marsupials Costa Rica Elephants Cuba 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

The point is, the field guide I grabbed without hesitation was the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition by Jon L. North America is defined as from north of the Mexican border to the far north, plus “adjacent islands and seas within 200 nautical miles off the coast or offshore islands.”

North America 187

North America America 2017 Birds 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

Birding opened up Central America for me in a way that nothing else did. Once you understand the mind-boggling biodiversity of the area beyond toucans and parrots, you realize how special Central America is. Everyone is welcome to participate, especially people outside North America. Wicked, right?

Costa Rica 150

Costa Rica 2011 Birds Deer 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2017

Any dedicated birder visiting Panama City should first consider the Canopy Tower , one of the most important and beloved birding lodges in the Americas. In fact, we saw two species of monkey, our only sloths, lots of coatis, and my rarest ever mammal sighting—a Jaguarundi —right on site. Yes, that’s Panama City to the right.

Panama 100

Panama 2017 Monkeys Family 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

crossing the Carribean and winding up in South America? Good parrot owners know the social bonds these birds need to have, or they become angry and depressed, often resulting in the plucking of their own feathers or acting out at people. Can you imagine doing this when you are a couple of months old? Let’s cover the basics.

Emotional 216

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

While studying, he also worked on various conservation/research projects (parrots, wagtails, vultures, and anything else that flew) and ringed thousands of birds. Dawn Fine Mar 16th, 2011 at 9:58 am Kim~Please forgive me Jochen Mar 16th, 2011 at 11:33 am @Dale: It’s “Jochen the guy who is desperate for a trip to North America&#.

2011 221

2011 Breeders Breeding Deer 221

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2012

It’s easy to observe this attachment behavior in parrots, especially pets. But any mention of affection or “love” in parrots must include that other, unwelcome element: jealousy. Psittacine love can be jealous, and parrots demonstrate strong preferences in the partners they choose to shower with affection. I know one thing.

Birds 273

Birds Parrots 2003 Raised 273

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2019

Although many a birder in the temperate zone of North America does take GBD seriously, for birding communities in some Latin American countries, this day has become the most important birding day of the year. A thick-knee called from the field, hoped for Crested Owl growled from the forest, and a Barn Owl flew right overhead!

Costa Rica 200

Costa Rica Species 2019 Owls 200