Critter News

AUGUST 1, 2009

India is to amend its wildlife crime laws to protect the country's tigers, a government minister said. He added that the forest ministry, state governments and a separate authority on the management of tiger reserves had agreed to work together to ensure conservation of the endangered animal. But is it enough?

Tigers 100

Tigers India Protection Endangered Species 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2013

There are some seven birds among the 100 most endangered species on the planet on the list of fauna and flora listed as the rarest by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Zoological Society of London – and this morning, I am after one of those! You know the secret of how African park rangers find animals for tourists?

India 240

India Gazelles Endangered Species Pakistan 240

Critter News

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

In India, f orensic tests helped establish guilt in the killing of 10 endangered lions. The analysis determined the species of the sample as well as the unique DNA fingerprint of one particular animal, whose flesh was found on the equipment. Tags: wildlife crime India poaching lion. The link was clearly established.

India 100

India Wildlife Lions 2007 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. Sociable Lapwings breed in several areas along the Kazakhstani – Russian border and overwinter in Iraq, Sudan and northwest India. Gujarat, December 2010.

India 245

India Sudan Ukraine Camels 245

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2015

Nowhere in India have I seen broiler horror-chicken like those sold in supermarkets back home. They belong to a long-maned subspecies Sus scrofa cristatus (like four-legged Greco/Roman crested helmets) and are my second race of boar seen in India, while I still remain the only Serbian birder who has never seen one closer to home!

Tigers 249

Tigers Boars India Chickens 249

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

There’s a Three-striped Palm Squirrel by the side of the track, while Jungle Bush Quails are running across it in front of our Maruti Gypsy, almost the official safari vehicle of India. Considering the fact that her lake lies conveniently close to the Moharli Gate, I suppose Telia would be the biggest earner of all the animals of Tadoba.

Tigers 243

Tigers India Killing 2012 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. This was only my second time ever to observe this subspecies (the first time was here as well), two other subspecies I have observed in India. They may have been disturbed by the presence of hunters in the Danube backwaters.

Serbia 244

Serbia Otters Boars Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

Other than paint, the only other thing I do is organize and joint-lead wildlife tours, mostly in Africa and India. The birdlife here is wonderful, a ten-night safari should give you over 200 species, (2018 & 2019 both gave us 242!). While we look for animal tracks, you’ll see so much else as we go.

Botswana 175

Botswana Africa Elephants Angola 175

Critter News

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Reduced to Skin and Bones (PDF, 4 MB) shows that from January 2000 to April 2010, parts of between 1,069 and 1,220 Tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries—or an average of 104 to 119 animals per year. Tags: India wildlife trafficking poaching tigers china endangered species.

Tigers 100

Tigers Nepal India Trafficking 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Its mood is not helped by the ambiguous review on eBird: “Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range” The Latin species name of the Dusky Thrush is eunomos (I guess that is Greek, but whatever) – meaning well-ordered. One page is dedicated to the Long-tailed Shrike.

Birds 195

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 195

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2014

I actually have many targets, in a way, a I want to see lots and lots, but there is one species that the reason that the trip is even happening, the animal that has been pretty much the top of my animal bucket list for well over a decade. It’s a species that has bedeviled and bewitched me over the years.

Sharks 172

Sharks Leopards Whales Whaling 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2016

Late April / early May is the best birding season in the south of Europe and wherever you go, you will have 50% to 100% more species than in any other season. Recently, I did a bit of embankment birding, nailing 65 species (several of them firsts for the season, European Bee-eaters among them – always exciting).

Birds 111

Birds India Africa Serbia 111

Critter News

OCTOBER 9, 2010

A coordinated international law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of 25 individuals suspected of taking part in the illicit trade of tigers, one of the world's most endangered species. Tags: wildlife smuggling tigers interpol asia endangered species.

International Fund For Animal Welfare 100

International Fund For Animal Welfare Tigers IFAW Nepal 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2018

It’s also the first drink featuring a non-North American species (I’ll admit there’s a bias in my selections that’s largely dictated by geography). Kiwi Rising is a double India pale lager by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers of Framingham, Massachusetts. The long finish is equally hoppy and full of sunny, grapefruit flavor.

New Zealand 100

New Zealand India Massachusetts United States 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. They feed on insects stirred up by the herds, at times sitting on the animal itself picking off ticks and other insects. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

For there is no species that I had more comprehensively failed to see than the Leopard. Leopards were problem species for me. The cats are, almost to a species, elusive. No surprise that until this year they were two of the five species of cat I had seen. What an animal! This perhaps isn’t too surprising.

Cats 104

Cats Leopards South Africa Tigers 104

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

After writing this last sentence, I looked up the species in the HBW and found the sentence “Song poorly documented” in the appropriate section, while with regard to calls, the description is that “call is a two-note raspy nasal ‘ryeeh-reh’”. In New Zealand, the Spotted Dove is an introduced species.

Singapore 147

Singapore Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2012

Did some kind of animal eat the tulips and spread them in its droppings? It turns out that the steppe is one of the places tulips come from and is a center of tulip species diversity. Another oft-quoted account is that of Lopo Vaz de Sampayo, governor of the Portuguese possessions in India. No, no, and no!

Sri Lanka 195

Sri Lanka Kazakhstan 2009 Portugal 195

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

They are not necessarily the biggest African animals, but represented those that were considered a real hunter’s worthy prey or “game” – the African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Black Rhinoceros, Leopard and king of the jungle, the Lion (which of course doesn’t inhabit jungle but savanna!).

Buffalo 201

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 201

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2018

It was the final day of my two weeks long first passage to India. The only person I asked before the trip was one seasoned Canadian traveler who has spent some time in the subcontinent: “Do you have any advice for an absolute beginner in India?” And in the process, I fell in love with India. Let me see, when was it?

India 130

India Stray Dog Cows Rats 130

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

There are also dry areas but this great diversity has resulted in an incredible bird list of over 900 species including Africa’s 2nd highest count of endemics (after South Africa). A two-week birding tour could expect around 400 species and up to 550 in 3 weeks, including sightings of most of Ethiopia’s endemic and near-endemic birds.

Ethiopia 267

Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 267

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

I was lucky to visit India several times, but as a keen birder I carried along only a bird book, and even upgraded it to a new edition between the trips. Beside India, Lynx Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of South Asia covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. I clearly needed a mammal book.

Asia 176

Asia Mammals Sri Lanka Bhutan 176

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. Especially in the dry season, bands join together forming grazing herds, which can number up to 1,200 animals (although 500-600 is more normal.) Photo by Adam Riley.

Ethiopia 160

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. The others follow, some dozen animals in all.

South Africa 216

South Africa Africa Game Elephants 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2016

I already have a history of searches for this species. One Nilgai – the largest of Asian antelopes and a few Sambar deer later, we hit a jackpot: there is one jackal-like animal sitting among the dry leaves! Well, one reason might be – this animal is not only endangered, but even rarer than the Tiger!

Wildlife 178

Wildlife Tigers Asia Europe 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

I birded savannas of Southern Africa, I birded India and Central America, and I always missed having a local mammal guide with me. No, Madagascar is the most famous for an endemic group of mammals: lemurs, sifakas, indri, aye-aye – in total, 112 endemic species and subspecies of lemurs alone! Yet, those bird guides are hefty.

Madagascar 241

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 241

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2015

“It is next to impossible to persuade people in India to donate money for injured raptors,” says Nadeem Shehzad, co-founder of Wildlife Rescue , a registered non-profit in the Chawri Bazar area of Old Delhi. Soon calls about injured birds poured in from animal hospitals, the police and fire departments, and various government agencies.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 262

Wildlife Rehabilitation India Rescue Wounded 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Sometimes I just want to hug eBird, or more specifically, whoever writes the short species descriptions (even though I am not the typical hugging kind of person, trust me on this). There are about 50 different species of flowerpeckers globally. If these are taken off, the species looks just like Clark Kent. “Dull, me?

Los Angeles 184

Los Angeles Birds Woodpeckers Owls 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

Shockingly, the Ashy-throated Parrotbill apparently is a species heavily hunted for bird fighting in Guizhou Province, China ( source ). The other is to mention that the name commemorates Edward Blyth (1810-1873), who published the first description of the species. However, instead of a tit joke, some wren pornography.

Eggs 167

Eggs China Birds Mammals 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

It’s a unique bird, even its scientific name is wonderful, so it’s not surprising that Gerard Gorman, Woodpecker Expert Supreme, has written a book all about the species. I was surprised to learn that there are two Wryneck species in the Jynx genus: Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, and Red-throated Wryneck, Jynx ruficollis.

Woodpeckers 232

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.

Africa 264

Africa Gabon South Africa Uganda 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2013

A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. The others follow, some dozen animals in all.

Africa 190

Africa South Africa Elephants Rhinos 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

Interestingly, these juveniles look more similar to another species, the Pale-billed Parrotbill, than the adult babblers – and they sometimes are part of the same flock. If you want to see how this species builds its nest, see here.) These roads are much less of a hindrance for the Pin-striped Tit-babbler , a mid-story bird.

Burma 189

Burma Birds Vietnam Laos 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

Most of the people debating this issue are for conservation, they are against wild areas being destroyed and wild species being threatened with extinction. In the past I have attributed some of this conflict to differences between the conservation mindset and that of animal rights/animal welfare.

Tigers 172

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2022

Another common way for these birds to die is on roads – a study in a forest district in Maharashtra, India found that the Greater Coucal was the most dominant species found dead in road vehicle collisions. There are quite a few flycatcher species around here – some colorful, some rather dull.

Bangladesh 176

Bangladesh Birds China India 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

The species name athertoni is derived from Lt. Atherton (1797-1827), a naturalist (whatever that means exactly) and a member of the British Army in India. Unfortunately, there is not much literature on the species except for the inevitable analysis of the mitochondrial genome. This is not a putdown, just a statement of fact.

Squirrels 137

Squirrels Birds China Bears 137