10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2011

Sadly, as I’ve explained before , most of these species became extinct as humans arrived on the islands, and with it one of the most astonishing radiations of birds imaginable. I wasn’t there for birding per se, just a chance to get away from New Zealand’s winter in a sunny tropical island.

Tonga 165

Tonga New Zealand Samoa Fiji 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

I recently asked whether Puerto Rico should be part of the American Birding Association’s ABA Area. Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. Although different territories, they are nearby and share many of the same birds.

Puerto Rico 149

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 149

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2013

In his comment in last week’s post on the Marlborough Sounds , Beat writer Jochen described the New Zealand Fantail as one of the best birds in the world. wakawaka, the New Zealand Fantail is a delightful inhabitant of New Zealand, and one of my favourite local birds. Birds New Zealand endemic New Zealand endemics'

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Samoa Fiji Killing 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Not, as Linneaus thought, an ostrich, nor even, as later scientists concluded, a distant cousin of pigeons deserving of family rank, it was an honest-to-goodness pigeon, deeply embedded within the family Columbidae. All of the birds within Raphini are highly specialized for island life. ” Beehler et al.’s

Solomon Islands 273

Solomon Islands Guinea Mauritius Humane 273