10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers! Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. The Bronx also has a special place in birding history.

New York City 157

New York City New York Birds Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2012

I live near a small zoo. All of the animals, birds and reptiles who live there are native species who were once injured, have gone through rehabilitation, and ended up with a permanent disability which prevented their return to the wild. The man arrived at the zoo with bloody puncture wounds up and down both arms.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 216

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wounded Zoos Reptiles 216

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

Robert Gallardo is well-known to many readers of 10,000 Birds as an outstanding Neotropical nature guide, author, and manager of La Chorcha Lodge. Everyone talks about human rights and there exists so many groups that are either governmental or non-governmental who work toward that cause. How many institutions exist who speak for them?

Honduras 190

Honduras illegal Parrots Birds 190

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Most of the books about extinction, including Fuller’s Extinct Birds (now, ironically, out of print), describe what was lost and look for explanations, scientifically and historically. The idea of Lost Animals was conceived after the publication of Extinct Birds (2001), a 400-page, four-pound book on 75 extinct species.

Animal 270

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 270

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2013

From Owls in the Family to Wesley the Owl , the narrative in which a human interacts with another species and learns a bit about life along the way has long been a popular and affecting one. This is a pretty good model of the modern environmental ethic of self-restraint and respectful watching.

Stray Cat 172

Stray Cat Stray Zoos Owls 172

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

I had an interesting email come in this winter: “I have been photographing birds for the past 8 years and have been confronted by numerous “Rude Birders.” I worked with education owls for over ten years, from Great Horned Owls to Saw-whet Owls (above bird). So, how close is “too close” for an owl?

Owls 269

Owls Barn Owls Agenda Zoos 269

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. It is also related to Wood Stork of the Americas and Milky Stork of Asia.

Africa 246

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 225

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 225

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 200

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

“A reading of recent research shows that Australian birds are more likely than most to eat sweet foods, live in complex societies, lead long lives, attack other birds, and be intelligent and loud.” When going to Australia, one of the two birds I wanted to see most was the Tawny Frogmouth.

Birds 242

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 242

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

But, in the next year, 2009, only one human was killed by a tiger, leading to a conclusion that all the tigers in the conflict area (practically, the wider reserve buffer zone) have been wiped out. During 1990s, the South China Tiger became extinct in the wild (some still survive in zoos) and the number of extinct races reached four.

Tigers 252

Tigers India Killing 2012 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

The NYC owls have little to do with the book in front of me except that it too is about birds and people. The 26 essays in When Birds Are Near are all about the real-life and emotional spaces where people overlap with birds. The essays range widely in place, bird, and voice, though the emphasis is on the North American.

New York City 199

New York City Birds Owls Fox 199

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. In many ways, human emotions are the gifts of our animal ancestors. Donna Fernandes, president of the Buffalo Zoo, witnessed a wake for a female gorilla, Babs, who had died of cancer at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Germany is underrated as a birding destination. We have, for instance, very beautiful birds, like European Bee-eater , Blue Tit , and Kingfisher. Then of course, we have amazing birds such as Wallcreeper , Hoopoe , and Black Woodpecker. Then of course, we have amazing birds such as Wallcreeper , Hoopoe , and Black Woodpecker.

Germany 255

Germany Birds 2000 South America 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

so I’m a bit behind in my intense pursuit of scientific findings related to birds. First, the bird butts. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of birds flying by out there are going the other way. If half the Warblers go extinct, that would be a lot of species but you’d still pretty much have Warbler DNA.

Birds 185

Birds Bald Eagle Zoos Philippines 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Pink Pigeons were featured on episode four of the second season of The Zoo , the excellent television series about The Bronx Zoo,* and their story was disturbing. Basically, this species is so dimwitted, it doesn’t know how to survive. More about the Dodo in a minute.)

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

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 245

China Research India Zoos 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2011

As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil giveaway we asked readers of 10,000 Birds to name the bird in Brazil that they would like to see more than any other species. What follows are the responses that readers offered, a veritable aviary of sought after species. My most-desired Brazilian bird?

Brazil 216

Brazil 2011 Birds Wildlife 216

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

– Birds are indeed dinosaurs, yet, are indubitably not. Knowledge is knowing that a bird is a dinosaur. Wisdom is not charging people extra to see your reconstituted Jurassic Park style dinosaur zoo when all you’ve got is a barn full of chickens. Some sort of ancient fish-with-feet is the ancestors of humans.

Monkeys 145

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 145

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. All of the birds within Raphini are highly specialized for island life.

Solomon Islands 279

Solomon Islands Guinea Mauritius Humane 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Islands, with their high levels of endemism and specialization, are particularly fragile and vulnerable to human activity. Unfortunately, these features that make island ecosystems so unique have also lead to a disproportionate number of extinct island birds relative to continental ecosystems. Nests were in hollows in palm trees.

Cuba 252

Cuba Parrots Collecting Columbus 252

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Long-time readers of this blog probably also know Tai Haku, the scuba-diving, tree-planting, bird photographing nature blogger at Earth, Wind, and Water. For a successful relocation, check out Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man who Brought it Back from Extinction.) It is extinct.

Puerto Rico 195

Puerto Rico Guam Virgin Islands Feral 195

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Our wine of the week – the 2017 Raimat Saira Albariño – features these graceful, long-necked birds on its label, where the storks take shape in a flying formation of lovely geometric abstractions reminiscent of the work of Charley Harper. Good birding and happy drinking! Raimat Saira Albariño (2017). Three out of five feathers (Good).

2017 114

2017 Spain California Condor California 114

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

It is the 100th Anniversary of the extinction of the species known as the Passenger Pigeon and writers are paying attention. And, when you think about it, it is pretty remarkable that anything new can still be said about the bird. We have a lot of source material. “Winter Sports in Northern Louisiana: Shooting Wild Pigeons.”

2014 161

2014 Killing Michigan Kentucky 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

Animal rights is concerned with preventing the suffering or even use of animals by humans. Wildlife conservation is concerned with protecting wildlife at the level of species or perhaps population. A more problematic conflict is that fought over what to do with damaging introduced species. It’s only natural.

Animal Rights 267

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 267

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

Most of the people debating this issue are for conservation, they are against wild areas being destroyed and wild species being threatened with extinction. The way things should be is a very powerful motivating factor in human lives. Having decided to conserve species and save them from extinction, how do you go about doing it?

Tigers 178

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 178

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers, listers and photographers, friends and fellow travelers near and far! Writing a post scheduled for January 1st for a birding blog is a big responsibility. On the first of the year, every bird is a new bird! It was a United States lower-48 birding year for me.

2018 167

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

According to a local African superstition that I just made up, it is not harmful to eat toxically colored birds if you eat them in the dark. Colonial history reflected in bird names. Unfortunately, the Fork-tailed Drongo is not the honest and god-fearing bird one could wish for.

South Africa 197

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 197

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2022

To be precise, “Birding Shanghai from June 10 to June 30, 2022” – but that is even less of an exciting title than the one above. The reason for this post only covering the period from June 10 being that an earlier post, “Revenge Birding”, was about the first 9 days of June. You should try it too.

Birds 197

Birds Sparrows Protection Humane 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

None fly, most are curious and social, which probably contributes to our cultural perception of penguins as one step away from human. They are software mascots, cartoon characters, animated film dancers, children’s book heroes, zoo celebrities, and documentary film stars. And that’s just the top section!

Penguins 209

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 209

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

In 1850, the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ) was the most abundant bird in North America and possibly the world. ” In 1900, even before the last Passenger Pigeon’s death in the Cincinnati Zoo, Republican Congressman John F. Some people actually don’t consider human beings as animals.

Hunting 115

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 115