10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

Together, these birds compose the family Alcidae , and they share adaptations that we recognize as penguin-like: an upright stance on land, black-and-white plumage, and — most important — wings that propel them underwater in pursuit of prey ( see them in action here ). Birds alcids taxonomy and systematics'

Penguins 233

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 233

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2019

Despite what the name of this column may have led you to believe, I almost never drink and bird. On days I do bird, it’s usually the very first thing I do in the morning – often before the sun is up – at a time of day when coffee is my beverage of choice. I can’t think of many easier or more pleasant ways to bird.

Goats 123

Goats Seals 2003 South America 123

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Birders know that the pairing of farms and birds represents more than mere bucolic romance – it’s a match borne out of a real avian dependence on these man-made landscapes. Note the two birds flying over the wheatfield on the lefthand side. By the early twentieth century, however, saison was sliding into obscurity.

Vermont 121

Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 121

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

These were the sounds I heard as I walked around a small pond in Amherst, Massachusetts last week, looking for dragonflies, listening for birds. Or, one of the 145 species of Glass frogs living in the Cental and South American rainforests, I could look through the transparent skin on their undersides and see their internal organs.

Reptiles 190

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 190