10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Because, let’s face it, when you get off that plane and look at those severe volcanic landscapes and then find yourself face to face with one of the islands’ four mockingbird species, you’re not going to think, “Oh, look, lava and a mockingbird.” They complement Kricher’s text.,

2006 266

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Sea Turtles 266

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2021

If the avian realm had self-conscious, talking ambassadors, “spokebirds”, which species would partake in birding conferences? Which would travel to tourism conventions, give fun presentations and hand out cultural knick-knacks? The Rufous-naped Wren is a very animated, common species in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 252

Costa Rica Belize Guatemala Protest 252

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

Baby birds are cuteness personified, possibly even more so than other baby animals, including human babies, and pose interesting questions of survival and development. It covers 403 species: 172 nonpasserine species and 231 passerine species in the Species Accounts, 198 species beautifully illustrated by the author in the Plates section.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 275

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 275

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. It looks quite distinct compared to some of the other recently discovered species. I guess my sympathy is more with the Plain Bunting, if such a species existed.

China 227

China Birds Asia Vietnam 227

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. How do they know? And, that’s it.

North America 279

North America Research Birds Groups 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2024

This post starts like every birding blog post should start – by showcasing some bulbul species. This is a finding presented in a paper on the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. Yes, I am joking. And of course, given that black is the new black (yes, I know – not a very original phrase), it should start with a Black Bulbul.

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Birds Owls China Research 152

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 217

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 217

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

This is how it looks like: Or at sunset: A species I did not come for from Shanghai is the Black-crowned Night Heron. Its species name graydoni is in honor of Philip Newenham Graydon (1864-1940), a British planter in Sabah. Why that makes Mr. Graydon worthy of having a bird species named after him is a mystery to me.

Birds 234

Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 234

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

I was surprised that this species is named for its vocalization – which sounds like laughter. For example, the Diamond Dove is the world’s second-smallest species of the columbidae order ( source ). The Latin species name haematonotus (“blood-backed”) sounds a bit more exciting but not necessarily more accurate.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

Reddit Animals

APRIL 16, 2023

One of their most unique qualities is their self-awareness, which is a sign of higher cognitive abilities that are usually reserved for humans and a few other species. Most animals, including dogs and cats, cannot recognize themselves in a mirror, but a few species can, including chimpanzees, dolphins, and elephants.

Elephants 52

Elephants Emotional Research Dolphins 52

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2021

Although I knew that most of the birds and animals were in some wild, far off place, that didn’t stop me from looking for them closer to home. During migration, the songs of occasional warblers and a Great-crested Flycatcher or two would suddenly be present. This morning, the surprise was the call of Laughing Falcon.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Falcons Farming Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2019

Oh sure, you can go to Rock Creek Park or the Tidal Basin to seek out living avian species, or visitors can head to the Smithsonian museums for a dose of past and present bird lore from all over the world. There are a lot of birds in Washington, DC. In early June, I took note of each museum bird I spotted. Looks like a bird to me!

DC 168

DC Washington Bald Eagle Ostriches 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2021

This second edition covers 685 species found in the continental U.S. and Canada, including some species as far north as Alaska, an increase over the 500 species covered in the first edition. To get an idea of how many mushroom species are around us, in 2018, the journal Mycologia published a checklist of North American fungi.

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North America America Species 2018 275

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

This is the same history of conquest and despoliation which now puts many of these very species in danger of extinction. … Most birds were named by now dead white men who didn’t appreciate that most of the species they were “discovering” had already been discovered and had names. Well, no more!

Birds 260

Birds North America Cooking Campaign 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

This is an animated map made from Christmas Bird Count data of Eurasian Collared-Dove sightings from 1987 through 1997 2. The northwestern spread of this non-native species made it to my yard a few years ago. And the last one shows the stats from 2013 to the present. Click on photos for full sized images.

Breeders 183

Breeders 2002 North America Bahamas 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

As birds aren’t the only compelling critters we encounter when afield, some episodes showcase other animals such as marmosets, rattlesnakes, and scorpions, and we even have an iNaturalist tutorial. We launched the series in September 2020 with eighteen episodes, and we’ve added a new episode each week since.

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Rattlesnake 2020 Connecticut Industry 153

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2016

This often applies in animal behavior and ecology, and this often comes about in relation to predator pressure. This example is important because it appears that the protector species, not just the protected species, gains a benefit, the latter having been documented many times before.

Alligators 124

Alligators Protection Leopards Birds 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

The higher elevation also attracts more rainfall, broad-leafed trees shed their dying leaves onto the floor to make a playground for species like White-necked Thrush, Grey-throated Leaftosser and Black-faced Antthrush. We heard some animal trundling through the bushes but got no visual.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Hunting Venezuela Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2014

It is also known for the 500 exotic species of animals and plants that now call the Sunshine State home. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. One such species is the familiar mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). The New Zealand Grey Duck is nearly extinct as species.

Florida 219

Florida Ducks New Zealand Feral 219

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2014

Some people think it’s just plain fun to kill enormous numbers of animals and pile up their bodies, and when there’s no “bag limit” it’s legal to do so. It also brings to mind the uncontested link between animal abuse and violent behavior toward fellow humans. Plain old fashioned Fun.”.

Killing 272

Killing Slaughter Slaughtered Animal Abuse 272

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

It takes a lot of nerve—or something that can’t be printed here—to name your rat poison after the animals that so effectively and efficiently control rodents but that are also being poisoned—as “non target” animals—by your product. I’ll leave today’s blog in her capable hands.

Mountain Lions 267

Mountain Lions Rats Rodents Lions 267

Animal Person

MAY 10, 2009

In " 'Animal Rights:' Pernicious Nonsense for Both Law & Public Policy ," Massachusetts attorney and "sportsman" Richard Latimer is on the mark with some concepts, and way off with others. Now, I know you're saying: That's not what animal rights is. than with any genuine concern for species diversity or even animal welfare."

Animal Rights 100

Animal Rights Rights Broiler Chicken Animal 100

Reddit Animals

APRIL 11, 2023

He had a legal permit to own them (Conditional Species Permit), and had legally microchipped them according to FWC guidelines. And their behavior is completely consistent with what we would understand as "animal sentience." This is also present in birds & mammals, however it is not fully present in fish & amphibians.

Pythons 40

Pythons illegal Florida Killing 40

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

As in many parts of the present world, the best accessible habitat is usually at the end of a distant road. This special place is also one of the last bastions of wild rainforest on the Pacific coast of Central America, hosts many endemic plants and animals, and as one may surmise, is pretty awesome for birds.

Costa Rica 253

Costa Rica San Jose Sharks Monkeys 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2014

The use of tool by animals is surprisingly rare. This is similar to the fact that all birds, even first time breeders within a species build identical nests. Egyptian Vultures raised is isolation used rocks to crack eggs presented to them. They only need to master the technique by practicing; they are born knowing what to do.

Fish 163

Fish Woodpeckers Ostriches Eggs 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

So I was delighted to get the chance to review Like a Butterfly , a short film from director Frank Neveu that chronicles the life of the species in French Alps. Even silverfish grow visually interesting as presented here. No blockbuster, this.

McDonalds 204

McDonalds Germany Animal Birds 204

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Over the last weekend, I was at Lake Kissimmee in Florida, observing Snail Kites at an area kites were not present or rare just a few years ago. Decades of land transformation and hydrological changes resulted in the decline of the only species of apple snail native to Florida and the kite population followed suit.

Florida 234

Florida South America Eggs Bolivia 234

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2021

If it doesn’t find enough to eat, it might become too tired to watch for predators and be snatched up by a domestic cat or any number of animals that are always watching, eternally waiting for an easy lunch. If presented with the opportunity, there’s other things that would eat a bird too.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Investigation Shelters Illinois 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

These mangroves function as a sanctuary for fish and other animals that then make their way as adults across the channel to the coral reefs that surround the island. The frigates are by far the most numerous and evident of the island’s nesting species. A Brown Booby, one of three booby species to be found on the island.

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Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 266

4 The Love Of Animals

AUGUST 29, 2010

For Spine TV’s debut full-length presentation, Bronwen Parker-Rhodes’ captivating new documentary Living With Us examines the special relationship between animals and their trainers, offering a touching glimpse at their unique and close bond. Living With Us originally appeared on 4 The Love of Animals on August 29, 2010.

Feral 100

Feral 2010 Tagged Animal 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2011

By weird things I don’t mean human weird things, like for example wasting their time in wild places looking for unusual feathered animals and ticking them off a list, but things that fall outside of their usual repertoire of normal behaviour. It is easy to forget sometimes that birds can do weird things. And the hole looks fairly fresh.

Albatross 187

Albatross Hawaii Seals Parrots 187

Animal Person

JULY 3, 2009

" Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals ," By Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, is the most recent (for me) book that debunks myths about the differences between human and nonhuman animals. Also, Bekoff and Pierce present a descriptive view, not a normative view of morality. There are no judgments.

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Morals Mammals Humane Emotional 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

The book is chiefly about how people have conceptualized and studied birds, but there is an underlying theme, the changing ways in which our Western culture has viewed animals, nature and God. It’s a huge scope for a 338-page book. The images tie directly to the text.

Dissection 240

Dissection Birds Research Europe 240

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

The first edition, A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics , was published in 1989. It was my first trip to the Neotropics, and I had no idea what I was getting into. Kricher has expanded subject coverage and updated, revised, re-arranged, and rewritten text.

South America 167

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

However, we now understand that birds vary in how they navigate, and many if not all bird species use multiple approaches to navigation. Also, consider the possibility that modern birds descended from an animal that migrated by foot, or a form that flew only a little now and then but was mostly terrestrial/arboreal and not aerial.

Humane 247

Humane Compassion Research Cooking 247

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2014

It is technically correct, and recently fashionable, to insist that any living animal is a member of the larger group that contains it phylogenetically, i.e., ancestrally, with that group often named after the known animal that roots the tree. Meanwhile I have a few random thoughts. Whales are cows. So, for example, humans are apes.

Camels 206

Camels Whales Whaling Apes 206

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

As we get a little farther north, my target list for bird species has diminished a bit, as there are a lot of repeats, and not many new bird opportunities. Now, the stunning mountain vistas, incredible waterfalls, seemingly bottomless canyons and a bunch of incredible animals certainly have kept this part of the drive adventurous.

Wyoming 113

Wyoming Idaho Blackbirds Canada 113