10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

It is hard to imagine any birder not liking woodpeckers – they are the “motherhood and apple pie” of the avian world. The Bearded Woodpecker (Mkuze, South Africa) does not really look any more bearded than many other woodpeckers. It is the most widespread woodpecker in Africa, claims the HBW.

Woodpeckers 258

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue. The Latin name “ chinensis ” is somewhat misleading as is much more common in Southeast Asia than in China – apparently, it was chosen in the mistaken belief that the type specimen had come from China.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2020

It originally served as the port of entry for goods brought from Asia by Spanish galleons. I had never birded this way before, and can confirm that what I had heard is true: Birds are much more tolerant of human presence when those humans are on a boat! They even seemed to enjoy going along for the ride.

Birds 174

Birds 2006 Mexico Morocco 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Other birds with webbed feet, including ducks and geese, have only three webbed toes; the hallux (which in birds is usually the “hind toe&# and in humans, the “big toe&# ) is free. For all of recorded history, humans have classified other living things by their physical characteristics.

2011 160

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Anyway, one of the babblers of Sepilok is the Bornean Black-capped Babbler – the result of a split of the Black-capped Babbler (well, at least from a human perspective – the birds themselves are probably quite nonchalant about it). Sepilok is a good place to see a number of woodpecker species.

Woodpeckers 237

Woodpeckers Birds Eggs India 237

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2023

The Speckled Piculet is a budget version of a woodpecker, measuring only about 9 to 10.5 eBird describes the Speckled Piculet as a “tiny” woodpecker while Marco Rubio once stated that Donald Trump has “small hands” The photo below presumably shows a male bird given its rufous-orange to yellow forehead.

Birds 147

Birds Asia Battery Woodpeckers 147