10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read.

Owls 213

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 213

Critter News

MARCH 21, 2012

It's a horrible topic and I post news articles about the abuses from time to time. But I want to be able to argue about it intelligently, citing science, not just morals. Apparently, there is a lot of argument out there than animal experimentation is even good for humans. Many times tests fail. Or vice versa. Or vice versa.

Animal 100

Animal Morals Science Humane 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2017

A few years back, Audubon magazine published a thoughtful article and series of musings (including those of our very own Corey Finger) on the subject of why birds matter. But not everyone sees things through such an avian-positive lens, and hence science often has to make the case for birds’ intrinsic worth.

Birds 100

Birds Science Research Humane 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The scientific species name stricklandii commemorates Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811-1853), a British geologist, zoologist, and the coordinator of the Strickland Code, a code of nomenclature for taxonomic classification prepared by a committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, first published in 1842 ( source ).

Sri Lanka 215

Sri Lanka Birds Taiwan Cats 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

Written in a friendly, inclusive style quietly grounded in science, How to Know the Birds is an excellent addition to the growing list of birding essay books by talented birder/writers like Pete Dunne and Kenn Kaufman. John Schmitt, who illustrated Raptors of Mexico and Central America amongst many other books and magazine articles.

Birds 115

Birds North America Breeding America 115

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

The Sacred Ibis was seen as the incarnation of the god Thoth, who (with gods apparently better at multitasking than humans) was (or maybe still is, who knows?) was responsible for maintaining the universe, judging the dead, and for writing and science ( source ). Possibly also for doing the dishes. Two ways of life folded at once.

Birds 147

Birds Australia Sheep Zebras 147

Critter News

APRIL 4, 2009

This is an excellent article that appeared in the Boston Globe last week. The feud between animal rights activists and researchers is among the bitterest in science. Indeed, it often isn't even the best science: New drugs that show great promise in mice, for example, often confer zero benefit to humans, or even prove harmful.

Animal Research 100

Animal Research Research Medical Research Animal 100

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 7, 2008

In an article published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UC Berkeley researchers argue that substantial die-offs of amphibians and other plant and animal species add up to a new mass extinction facing the planet. I can't believe we are still debating this.

Science 100

Science Research Humane Tagged 100

Critter News

MARCH 10, 2009

I responded to a post on animalblog that cited a recent article in the journal "Proceedings" of the National Academy of Sciences. Here's my response on medical research in general. It’s just a question of WILL.

Medical Research 100

Medical Research Medical Research Monkeys 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2011

Wikipedia has more than you ever thought was possible to know about sunspots, but I must say that the article in the German Wikipedia is better – for those who can understand it. This is what science tells us about sunspots, but you know … science tells sells us lots of things.

Germany 165

Germany Science Protection Humane 165

4 The Love Of Animals

JULY 14, 2010

The purpose of her trip was to study the behavior of the resident chimpanzees in order to better understand humans. What she learned then added to our understanding of what means to be human. It was through her research that she learned how chimpanzees make and use tools, eat meat and engage in war-like activity.

2002 100

2002 United States Research Meat 100

Animal Person

JUNE 1, 2009

But " Minding the Animals: Ethology and the Obsolescence of Left Humanism " is a great look back at how we humans have managed to always find a way to consider ourselves unique, despite what the reality of the nonhuman world tells us. Having misled us for so long about animals, science is initiating a revolution in our understanding.

Speciesism 100

Speciesism Morals Vegan Humane 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Not all habitat change is due to humans; there is Chestnut Blight destroying American Chestnuts in the early 1900s, and the more recent Dutch Elm disease. The “Literature Cited” section lists the traditional print articles, books, and maps, but doesn’t include items like data sets or rare bird alerts.

New York City 150

New York City New York Birds Breeding 150

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s very hard to organize the many ways in which human beings relate to avian beings into comprehensible text. The 300 stories enhance the thousands, maybe millions of facts Cocker has compiled, creating a volume that speaks to a collective human experience that is rooted in both poetry and science.

Birds 215

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 215

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

What I didn’t know was how this relationship actually works: the mechanics of Red Knot migration, the reduced digestive systems necessary for their long flighta, the need to fatten up quickly so they can fly to the Arctic and breed, how they compete with other shorebirds and gulls and, it turns out, humans, for horseshoe crab eggs.

Delaware 179

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 179

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

It’s all about the improbable intersection of human beings and Emperor Penguins, and if I can’t make it to an Emperor Penguin colony (highly unlikely), reading this book has been the next best thing. Similarly, the papers, reports, and journal articles cited in each chapter are listed in the 10-page Annotated Bibliography.

Penguins 157

Penguins Seals Leopards Research 157

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 3, 2009

2, 2009 The writer is dean of the College of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences at Kean University. 1, 2009 To the Editor: As an ethics instructor who aims to inspire my students to think about the connections between their values and daily practices, I found Nicolette Hahn Niman’s article disappointing. Toney Union, N.J.,

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Meat San Antonio 40

Animal Ethics

JANUARY 30, 2008

27): Mark Bittman answered my prayers by writing an article exposing how the meat industry contributes to global warming, world hunger and other issues plaguing our world. Animals turn grass, a k a sunlight, into high-quality proteins, minerals and fats that are an ideal food for humans. Elaine Sloan New York, Jan.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Meat Industry Meat 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2023

Being a management consultant, I am well-versed in the science and art of b *g. It thereby illustrates how pure science advances informed conservation actions to ensure the (short-term) stability of the target population, and how conservation-motivated analyses fed back to advance fundamental understanding of population processes.”

Birds 130

Birds China Science Research 130

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

Farm animals also benefit from the humane farming movement, even if the animal welfare changes it effects are not all that we should hope and work for. Go vegan, go vegetarian, go humane or just eat less meat. To the Editor: Soon after I read Gary Steiner’s article, my wife asked me to kill a spider, which I did. Lawrence S.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Vegan Vegetarian 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2023

Chris’s recent New York Times article, “ Three Years After a Fateful Day in Central Park, Birding Continues to Change My Life ,” adapted from this book, encapsulates that essence. It is not what I expected, totally. It is a skillfully, beautifully written book about finding joy and spirituality in nature and birds.

Emotional 224

Emotional Birds Minneapolis Nepal 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

Gisela Kaplan has written a book about the species, and how they seem unperturbed by humans: “It’s one of their most successful defense strategies. Of course, if science is not for you, you can also look for the Spiritual Meaning of Willie Wagtail (“Unlock the amazing secrets of this spiritual symbol”) here.

Birds 230

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 230

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2015

If you want to know why most scientists support collecting this piece in Science explains it better than I can. I can understand why some people are conflicted, but the value to science of the collections is immense. This collection isn’t some ghastly memorial or symbol of human stupidity. New Zealand Bitterns. Bush Wrens.

Collecting 222

Collecting Solomon Islands New Zealand Fiji 222

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

This is in addition to the many articles and exhibits and even film devoted to the bird, one of the few species whose death was witnessed and noted down to the exact day, Tuesday, September 1, 1914 (though there is some question about the exact time). It’s an effective introduction. They are from a series called Aviary.

2014 160

2014 Killing Michigan Kentucky 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives. copyright @2020 by David A llen Sibley. As Sibley tells us in the Preface, he originally intended to write a children’s book.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

And if you look into it enough, it presents a classic case where science can fail us. I believe in science. Science is based on logic and evidence, which I think is a very respectable way to look at the world. But what many people fail to realize, and too often scientists themselves, is that science is elastic.

Emotional 206

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 206

Critter News

DECEMBER 7, 2010

The article from UPI is below in its entirety. Today we are at a new biological milestone, where we could, with sufficient international and political support, produce the means and the technology to test and assess the human and environmental risk of tens of thousands of chemicals per year without using animals," the report says.

Animal 100

Animal Rodents Industry Animal Research 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

Several articles by Hess at the front of the book cover how to landscape for birds in different regions, how to choose and maintain a bird feeder, where to best locate a nest box, etc. The main body of the guide covers 150 species of North American birds that are found in close proximity to humans and likely to be seen well.

North America 160

North America America Dissection Birds 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

The causes were the usual reasons for island extinction—deforestation by both humans and invasive plants that crowded out native plants, hunting, and invasive rats, mongoose, monkeys, and, of course, feral cats. Is it any wonder that Pink Pigeons were on the brink of extinction when humans intervened? I know, that’s harsh.

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

My friend Vickie Henderson , who has some serious long-range vision, looked at the science behind Tennessee’s crane hunting proposal and found it badly wanting. She illustrates her books and magazine articles with her own sketches and watercolor paintings. Here’s the petition. Bill Webb Mar 20th, 2011 at 6:54 pm Done! I think not!

2011 242

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 242

Animal Person

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

When I saw " From Science, Plenty of Cows but Little Profit " this morning in the New York Times , I immediately thought of "Dog." what if those were human babies? You may have seen "Dog," posted by Stephanie. If not, here it is. See the entire slide show, Happy Cows: Behind the Myth, here.). (See And the day-old calves.

Cows 100

Cows Stray Dog New York Times Culling 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

It seems that like me, Oriental Storks are not that fond of humans. A study found that in areas with intense human activity, their nests were higher, while in safer environments, the nests were lower and closer to food resources, allowing parent storks to invest more in the nestlings. Well, they are birds, not humans.

Birds 161

Birds China Humane Battery 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

March 14, 2011 Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Jon Gassett, Commissioner One Sportsman’s Lane Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Dear Mr. Gassett, I am a writer, naturalist and artist with a special interest in human/bird interactions. She illustrates her books and magazine articles with her own sketches and watercolor paintings.

2011 247

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 247

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2024

In the same article, Henry Adams, wildlife management coordinator for Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute, describes the night heron as having “grumpy old geezer energy.” However, the fact that there are 30 subspecies seems to indicate that the species has a slightly overblown estimation of its own importance.

Birds 192

Birds Research Science Europe 192

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

Darwin Day is February 12th, and for an early celebration I thought I’d take a look at a book that rethinks the way Darwin, and we, think about evolution—a very specific part of evolution, the way beautiful features and behavior have developed amongst birds and, by extension, amongst humans.

Ducks 100

Ducks Research Animal Stud 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

Of course, the same applies to pizza services for humans. Generally, the HBW entry on this species is not very informative – mostly the usual boilerplate statements regarding future updates: “ Editor’s Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections.

Squirrels 138

Squirrels Birds China Bears 138

Animal Person

AUGUST 9, 2009

When I saw the Live Science article about dogs being as smart as 2-year-old kids I knew that if there were any talk of ranking, my beloved greyhounds would be at the less-desirable end of the list (not from personal experience, but from reputation), and I also knew that there would be a whiff of speciesism.

Greyhounds 100

Greyhounds Dogs Speciesism Ethics 100