10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

According to Wikipedia, these birds are good at multitasking, being “in some parts of its range … known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity” As in humans, “the social implications of dancing [among the cranes] are complex in meaning” ( source ). If everybody did this, the result would be chaos.

Birds 211

Birds Eggs Bald Eagle Owls 211

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

In fact, the Dodo belonged to a clade (sometimes called Raphini) of 15 remarkable, bizarre, intriguing island-adapted pigeons, some of which are still alive today, but eight of which have been hacked from the tree of life, driven to extinction by humans. The painting above is by 17th-century Flemish artist Roelant Savery.

Solomon Islands 278

Solomon Islands Guinea Mauritius Humane 278

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Geophagy, the intentional consumption of soil by vertebrates, has long been documented in a number of bird and mammal species – including wide-spread use by humans – which consume soil to increase absorption of certain minerals not naturally occurring in the local diet. Spring is the perfect season to take this book for a spin!

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255