10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

It must indeed have been a bit kafkaesque for a bird that is clearly primarily purple to wake up one morning, see itself in the mirror and learn that it is now a Grey-headed Swamphen. In 2013, it was even included in the birdwatching list of the American Birding Association. An Indian Grey-headed Swamphen (near Delhi). not grey!)

China 260

China Florida Kenya India 260

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2022

It is not particularly big but has a reported 430 bird species including migrants, though during my short stay it seems I missed most of the key attractions among them. It goes like this: While fishing, the bird tucks its head down and uses its wings to create a shady area. Pel’s Fishing Owl, where were you?

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds Fish 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

Re-evaluate the songs Double-pack with a photograph Extra track (and a tacky badge) So sing The Smiths in “ Paint a vulgar picture “ As you can probably guess, the main purpose of my posts not centered on a specific location (e.g., “Birds of Shanghai”) is to reuse photos I have already used in such location-specific posts.

South Africa 208

South Africa Africa India China 208

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

With the lockdown lasting until the end of May (ironically thus pretty much including the whole spring migration – the divine sense of humor is a rather malign one, I am afraid), June still had the freedom of birding anywhere in Shanghai, not just inside a smallish compound. Accessorizing for birds.

Singapore 147

Singapore Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

India, February 2013. I am camping in the dry-deciduous jungle in eastern Maharashtra, near the geographic heart of India. Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe. These days, the species shares habitats with Tigers, Snow Leopard, Bears, etc. Against snakes,” he said.

Tigers 239

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 239

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. CR being the highest category in the Red List , if I want to see some of those birds, I better hurry! Locals being vegetarians, why are there no birds?

India 247

India Sudan Ukraine Camels 247

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 243

India Gazelles Endangered Species Pakistan 243

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

And where all those birds are? This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And it raises a question: if all the birds are having a party over there, am I in the wrong spot? I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

One of these days, Jeopardy will feature a category called “Field Guides” and the first clue will be: “This landlocked South American country finally got its own bird field guide in 2016, but it wasn’t available in the United State until 2019.” Bolivia doesn’t come up much in discussions of birding travel.

Bolivia 174

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Miami, Florida has a reputation among the birding community for being overrun with exotic bird species. However, the typical birding experience for someone down here also includes a large menagerie of other species such as Orange-winged Parrot , Mitred Parakeet , Egyptian Goose and Nutmeg Mannikin.

Miami 200

Miami Asia Florida Malaysia 200

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

In mid-December, I was birding along the Beljarica levee (Beh-LYAH-ritza), my local patch north of Belgrade, when something other than birds attracted my attention: three wild boars , appearing all black because they had just swam through the swamp to reach the bottom of the levee. I barely started when some sulphur (a.k.a.

Serbia 245

Serbia Otters Boars Eagles 245

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Grey Hypocolius is a Holy Grail of Middle Eastern birding. Part of its attraction lies in it being a monotypic bird in the family Hypocoliidae – there are no other bird species in its genus and family. No, birds are way too smart for that stupid trick. But I have never seen any bird with anything like it!

India 221

India Iran Pakistan Afghanistan 221

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Will Raup is a birder from upstate New York who helped Corey learn a lot about birds when Corey was first starting out as a birder. When you think of invasives, you think of the birds that have been helped by human beings to get where they are, such as House Sparrow or European Starling. There are two main subspecies, the nominate B.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I fully realize that my last post was not a bird post in the strictest sense. That’s why I won’t talk too much this time – just the birds. Instead, the species distinguises itself as one of the worst ambassadors of conservation there are in the avian world. The Black-tailed Godwit in particular.

Germany 176

Germany Russia Iceland India 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

In short, the accepted view used to be that a small breeding population of Egyptian Vultures inhabited Southern Africa, but has vanished facing the spread of towns, roads and farms. It was not the first note I have published, but was the only one about a bird I have never laid my eyes upon!

Sudan 228

Sudan Macedonia Botswana Serbia 228

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2015

Are we going to bird in the fog? This is my first visit to this area, known as the Madz Brod, where two new breeding species for the country were discovered a decade ago. They are common winter visitors, but this is my first observation of them in the breeding season. Still, it’s a new bird for my country list.

Europe 248

Europe Serbia Russia Breeding 248

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2013

It is easy to tell when some species become extinct — a Martha or a Lonesome George dies and there are no more, not now, not ever (until science fiction kicks in.) Such is the case with the Pink-headed Duck , Rhodonessa caryophyllacea , a native of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Is it extinct? So not utterly hopeless, either.

Myanmar 191

Myanmar Bangladesh Ducks Wisconsin 191

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.

Africa 241

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 241

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

The Rose-ringed Parakeet naturally occurs in two isolated areas: a thin strip across Africa just south of the Sahara, and south Asia where it is mostly found in India with smaller ranges in adjacent countries. This is what happens when people choose their pet birds on visual factors alone without taking vocalizations into account.

Germany 246

Germany Netherlands Zoos Geese 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

Birds & birding were definitely the last thing on my mind. They mostly winter in Africa just south of the Sahara and in southern Asia (from India to southern China), and there is – very curiously – an isolated resident population in southern Africa. I’ll present it as a short picture story.

Germany 151

Germany Asia China Russia 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

Perhaps where the form asks if I have ever indulged in criminal or terrorist activities, or whether I have more than $10,000 in negotiable monetary units, they should include a section inquiring as to my thoughts on the new classification and sequence of genera and species adopted for gulls of the subfamily Larinae.

Philadelphia 178

Philadelphia Russia Europe North America 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2012

I could have sat for days and watched the interplay of cloud and sky and sun and grass and flower but we had birds to see and a plane to catch so our time on the steppe in the tulip patch was rather short. It turns out that the steppe is one of the places tulips come from and is a center of tulip species diversity. No, no, and no!

Sri Lanka 198

Sri Lanka Kazakhstan 2009 Portugal 198

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Not much was known about Ethiopia’s birds and there was no decent fieldguide. Addis Ababa is a good a site as any for this bird.

Ethiopia 269

Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 269

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

“ There is, perhaps, no better place in the world for birds than this country. The bulk of the population (approximately 80%) belong to the Zulu tribe, but significant numbers of Xhosa and Afrikaans, as well as immigrants from India and Britain call this beautiful patch of land on Africa’s eastern seaboard their home. At 36,433 sq.

Mozambique 188

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 188

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2018

In North American birding, east versus west is the most basic geographic division of the continent. Of course, reading field guides breeds jealousy. It’s easy for West Coast birders to covet the variety of wood-warblers back east, while eastern birders may lament the dearth of hummingbird species on their side of the continent.

Pelicans 113

Pelicans India Vermont San Diego 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

That comes at a price – the HBW describes the species as “stocky and fairly sluggish” and – with a critical undertone – continues to state that the species is “generally less agile in flight than are most flycatchers”. Why the Latin species name is cyaniventer (meaning having a dark blue belly) remains a mystery to me though.

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

In total, there are eight species of hornbills in Borneo – the best place to see them seems to be the Kinabatagan River area (also known as Sukau). Another item they feed on is hunting edible bird nest swiftlets, which are quite common in edible swiftlet houses in Sabah, Malaysia ( source ).

Rhinoceros 127

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 127

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

It was a good birding year. Many sad and unfortunate things occurred in 2016, but the birding was good. I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey.

2016 110

2016 India Ducks Birds 110

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

MARCH 30, 2023

As you probably are aware, male Lady Amherst’s Pheasants regularly get into fights with other birds. The typical scene is something like this: the pheasant enters a bird bar and orders a beer. Some other bird in the bar asks for its name, and it gives an honest answer: Lady Amherst’s Pheasant. Judge for yourself.

China 234

China Research India Zoos 234

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 264

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

The Eurasian Wryneck is the woodpecker that doesn’t look like a woodpecker, the bird with the portmanteau name that is also a medical condition (and which may remind some people of a Nora Ephron essay). They are slim and small-headed birds and their bills are fine, not strong and dynamic. They are ant specialists.

Woodpeckers 237

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 237

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

According to the eBird description, it is everything I am not: a “neon-colored, noisy, highly social bird” Shudder to think (not the bird part though). Next, this post has a long section on babblers, a very ill-defined category of birds. If you want to see how this species builds its nest, see here.)

Burma 193

Burma Birds Vietnam Laos 193

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

There are few stories in ornithology I enjoy more than those of a Lazarus taxon, a species thought to be extinct being found alive and well in some hidden part of the world. Jerdon’s Courser , a small nocturnal wader from India, wasn’t seen between 1900 and 1986. New Zealand has had its share of rediscovered birds too.

New Zealand 191

New Zealand India 2003 Collecting 191

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2013

Now nearing 50 and duly lost in a mid-life crisis, Dragan Simic took to birding rather late – only half a lifetime ago, after successfully testing his inadequate skills in other life threatening activities, such as rock climbing and vertical caving. We look forward to many more missives from Dragan. Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle !

Spain 220

Spain Terrapins Eagles Europe 220

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Birders have a natural tendency to appreciate variety in form, from the bewildering range of colors displayed within a single avian family, to minute distinctions between otherwise similar birds wholly inscrutable to the untrained eye (or even to those of many birders!). More birds mean more potential lifers.

Ohio 113

Ohio India Hawaii United States 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Orange-headed Thrush Orange-headed Thrush By Redgannet • March 6, 2011 • 18 comments Tweet Share The Orange-headed Thrush , Zoothera citrinus, is common across much of India and south-east Asia.

2011 183

2011 Deer India New York 183