10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Furthermore, the total population in Hemis National Park is estimated at 50-60 individuals, making the park an important genetic reservoir for this species which is classified on the IUCN’s Red Data List as Endangered. We could not believe our fortune, could we really be treated to a Snow Leopard hunt – this was beyond our wildest dreams?

Snow Leopard 279

Snow Leopard Leopards Hunting Sheep 279

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

The project recruited schoolkids from eight Asian nations, from Russia down to Thailand, to help color in frames of an animation that depicts the lonely and perilous migration of a Spoon-billed Sandpiper as it faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. Birding Birds Conservation Inspiration News spoon-billed sandpiper video'

Asia 148

Asia Thailand Russia Endangered Species 148

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2016

Many states choose their representative bird based on common, native birds spending part or all of the year within the states’ borders. South Dakota went a different way, designating the Ring-necked Pheasant as the state bird in 1943. Ring-necked Pheasants are native to Asia, brought over in the 1880’s.

South Dakota 100

South Dakota Hawaii United States North America 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2015

It can’t have escaped your notice lately that the blog has been overrun with articles about North America’s pseudo-warblers (or wood warblers, as some people, apparently unaware the name is taken by a proper European species, call them), and, even worse, no small amount of poetry. Baby’s First Bird, if you will.

Africa 175

Africa Feral Ethiopia Tanzania 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2014

From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November. The prinias are a group of around 25 Old World warbler species found in Africa and Asia. The Brown Prinia is an Asian species with a very peculiar range.

Burma 161

Burma Laos Birds Indonesia 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

Usually, it’s “Bird eating fish” but here we have a case of a “Bird-eating fish.” ” The Wels Catfish, Silurus glanis , is the second largest fish in its range, which covers much of Europe and parts of West Asia. 28% of the time the fish got the bird, dragged it under water, and swallowed it.

Fish 207

Fish Birds Whales Whaling 207

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2013

The survival of songbirds depends in part upon eliminating illegal hunting. If you are a migratory bird in Europe and western Asia, this is your sweet spot. That means passing over the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East, where you’re liable to get shot, trapped, or otherwise hunted.

Cambodia 144

Cambodia Slaughter Slaughtered Cyprus 144

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

You may not realize it when you look at those bizarre looking waders with the massive bills and the vacant expression, but you’re looking at a group of birds that has inspired humankind for literal centuries. The group has a worldwide distribution; 28 species living and two additional extinct.

Birds 218

Birds North America Charlotte New Jersey 218

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. We’ve traveled to lots of places, seen lots of great birds, and met lots of great birders. So, as we’ve done for the last several years we thought we would share our Best Birds of the Year with you. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 193

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 193

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

The danger of reviewing a field guide to the birds of an exotic country you’ve never been to is that you become obsessed with visiting that country, no matter how far away and how expensive it may be. Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? I’m already looking up birding tours of Borneo and pricing airfares.

Brunei 177

Brunei Birds Asia China 177

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Birds are supposed to have feathers and birds without feathers look incomplete, like they left home with shaving cream on their ear and toothpaste spots on their shirt. The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. Griffon Vulture , photo by Alan Tilmouth.

California Condor 186

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

The family Picathartidae consists of two very unusual birds; White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes , endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa; and Gray-necked or Red-headed , restricted to Lower Guinea forests of Central Africa. They are also believed to be related to the Rail-Babbler of Tropical Asia.

Sierra Leone 270

Sierra Leone Ghana Cameroon Equatorial Guinea 270

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. It is also related to Wood Stork of the Americas and Milky Stork of Asia.

Africa 243

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. As visitors’ and the public’s interests expanded from the Big Five, and an appreciation for lesser mammals, birds and smaller wildlife has became more widespread, the term Little Five was coined.

Buffalo 209

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 209

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2015

One – the Takahe is far too cool a species to lose. Two – there is so much distinctness amongst the different forms of the Purple Swamphen that lumping means we may as well lump all the world’s reed warblers into one huge species and be done with it. This is ridiculous for two reasons.

Spain 157

Spain Hunters Africa Hunting 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

It has recently been reclassified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List; this category is reserved for only the most threatened species in the world. If this bird did become extinct, it would be the first pheasant species to have been lost in the 400 years since proper records began.

Vietnam 155

Vietnam 2000 Germany Groups 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China. Within its European range, it was heavily hunted until the late 19th century, and the Mute Swan was subsequently a very rare bird to encounter in the wild.

Feral 170

Feral Europe Asia North America 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2011

Black Skimmers are another of those birds, like White-breasted Nuthatches , that people can’t help but like. A bird such as Rynchops niger is a testament to the marvels of evolution. Black Skimmers are one of three species of skimmer in the world, all in the genus Rynchops. flavirostris and South Asia has R.

Niger 176

Niger New York Asia Fish 176

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! He asks if the wind generators can influence the bird numbers?

India 245

India Gazelles Endangered Species Pakistan 245

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. They may have also had hunting dogs with them as well. This is where they got their name.

Turkey 207

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 207

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 219

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 219

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

Which made the rest of the trip a bit of a waiting period for contracting covid … Apparently, the Large Niltava is Asia’s largest flycatcher. Even in China’s slightly more remote provinces, one is never far away from species with treacherously pornographic names such as Japanese Tit. Why are people always thinking about sex?

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

That was a wild cat, a wild Wildcat, the cat that lives in the wild because that is where it is from and where it belongs, at the southern end of its pan-African range that extended at one time well into Europe and Asia. I find it astonishing that people argue of whether feral cats are bad for birds in North America. ” Many.

Feral Cats 256

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 256

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

I’ve never been to the Indonesian Archipelago, but I really like the birds there. Lynx Edicions, the ornithological (and now mammal) publisher that gave us the Handbook of the Birds of the World , has now published Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea , by James A. So, this is no ordinary bird guide.

Indonesia 131

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 131

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

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 265

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 265

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

These characteristics (well, not the pagoda, I guess) make it an interesting location for birdwatching in Shanghai, with some species that are difficult to find elsewhere. Red-billed Leiothrix are a popular cage bird in China, though I imagine its popularity has declined after the introduction of color television. A woodpecker!

China 163

China Hawaii Asia Hunting 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Another example of its staggering wealth is the fact that the 22,000 hectare Table Mountain National Park situated within the city of Cape Town has more plant species than the whole of the British Isles or New Zealand! Image by Adam Riley The endemic Karoo Prinia is a common and confiding birding of the region.

South Africa 238

South Africa Africa New Zealand Asia 238

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2018

Usually when we observe Peregrine Falcons they are hunting shorebirds around the Broome coastline and you don’t always get a chance to see all of their characteristics. The general consensus among birders is that this particular Peregrine Falcon is a different sub species and is most likely Falco peregrinus calidus.

Falcons 113

Falcons Australia 2016 Investigation 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

No matter, the warm fire and comforts of home are nice, as is the winter birding here. On the way I managed to sneak in a manic day of birding in and around the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. So much birding was squeezed into this day that I have had to break it up into two posts! If you have two days there are even more options.

Thailand 154

Thailand New Zealand Terrapins Asia 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2012

Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge is one of those birding destinations that leaves those about to go trembling with excitement and those merely reading about it green with envy. The camping ground is at the northern end of the Tableland, but is also convenient for the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, another good birding and wildlife area.

Possums 172

Possums Guinea Marsupials Rats 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

It is no secret that the large civic parks found in most large cities are great places to go birding, and it Centennial Park in Sydney is no exception. I popped in for a visit two days after Christmas in order to walk off some of the excesses of the last three days, and get a few good bird while I tried to salvage my health.

New Zealand 172

New Zealand Ducks Australia Japan 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2021

The recorded bird was a Nordmann’s Greenshank. Nordmann’s Greenshank photographed hunting on the Cairns Esplanade [Ken Cross]. The bird had been found standing calmly on the muddy esplanade of the northern city of Cairns by Adrian Walsh who, just as calmly, sounded the alarm. The bird sadly was very much deceased.

Australia 264

Australia 2019 Thailand Russia 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2014

When you read trip reports of birders going to remote and interesting locations to see interesting (and not so interesting birds, I’m looking at you LBJs), these accounts are typically written by people who have either gone with groups of like-minded people or those that have gone it alone.

Birds 187

Birds Bats Elephants Family 187

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Sepilok is one of the best places I ever spent time birding at – I did so for a week and could have easily spent more time there. So, in order to economize a bit, the Sepilok birds are described in three separate posts. Maybe the HBW should be administered by a university with a stronger interest in birds than Cornell.

Woodpeckers 217

Woodpeckers Birds Eggs India 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Barbets are a group of medium sized, chunky, generally colorful, frugivorous, hole-nesting near-passerines, that are popular targets for anyone birding in the tropics. In Asia, their 30 barbet species are placed into their own family Megalaimidae , and finally in Africa, we have 42 species in the family Lybiidae , the topic of this blogpost.

Ethiopia 237

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 237