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15 Australian Birds (Episode 2)

10,000 Birds

Quite likely, these birds are also the inspiration for Australian science communicator Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki. Anecdotally, this first volume is reported to have been much more successful than its successor, “The Useless Birds of Southern Australia”, R Hall, 1908. This is the most common swallow in Australia. .

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15 Australian Birds (Episode 6)

10,000 Birds

According to Tim Low (in “Where Song began”), “so easy were they to breed that by 1859 they cost less to buy in London than in Sydney.” ” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. Is it offensive to say that Australian Zebra Finches breed like rabbits?

Birds 147
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The popstars are back: Paradise Flycatchers in Shanghai

10,000 Birds

Fear not, science has an answer: about 1.16 This name is derived from Commander John Matthew Robert Ince (1812-1850) Royal Navy, surveyor, collector in Australia, New Guinea and China (source: HBW). Switching to the Amur Paradise Flycatcher , which has the Latin species name of incei.

Japan 130
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Birding Chongming Island in summer

10,000 Birds

I do not get too many comments on my blog posts, but it seems that whenever I write about jacanas – whether in Africa, Australia, or Asia – there is an unusually high number of reactions (well, maybe one or two rather than the usual zero) from female readers. This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). End of side note.

Birds 162
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Coral bleaching along Broome’s coast

10,000 Birds

Over the past week in Australia there has been a lot of talk in the media about coral bleaching and most of the conversation has been about the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. Sooty Oystercatchers breed on offshore islands rather than the mainland in this part of Western Australia.

Australia 102
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Mallard Complexity

10,000 Birds

The mallard is a mighty duck indeed, successful all across its broad range from the Americas through Eurasia down into Australia and New Zealand. Not only are most domesticated duck breeds descended from A. platyrhynchos , but many distinct populations of wild ducks have sprung from the productive loins of this dynamic dabbler.

Purebred 138
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What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

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.

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