10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

A lovely looking and distinctive sounding bird (so they say, I sadly have not seen one…yet), the Kirtland’s Warbler can only be found during its breeding season in Jack Pine forests 5 to 20 years old in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It was the end of prescribed burns as part of the Kirtland’s Warbler recovery plan.

Michigan 221

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

In China, wherever there is one real tourist attraction (like the Great Wall), the local strategy seems to be to add some fake attractions – replicas of palaces or tombs, amusement parks, shopping centers – in order to maximize the income from tourists. But the starting point has to be a real attraction, not a fake one.

China 217

China Birds Pythons Eagles 217

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

The vast majority of the 10,000+ living species of birds are passerines, and the vast majority of those have a similar system of breeding: Mom and dad bird make a nest and share parental responsibilities roughly equally, if not identically. In the latter, three or more adult individuals contribute to the raising of offspring.

Breeders 195

Breeders Breeding Birds Groups 195

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Starvation and predators make it hard to grow up, and birds have evolved a lot of strategies to give (at least some of) their chicks the best chance in life. One strategy that varies among birds (and other animals) is the number of offspring. Seabirds are one group of birds that go for the latter strategy. So why do it?

Eggs 163

Eggs Puffins Breeding Raised 163

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

Within the bird world, so many different strategies and methods of mating and reproduction have evolved, it simply boggles the mind. When it comes to breeding, Yellow-rumped Warblers are a good example of what many people regard as a “regular” bird. Believe it or not, this is what “fidelity” looks like.

Albatross 186

Albatross Birds Lifestyle Raised 186

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2012

Many of the most peculiar aspects of birds are involved with mating, whether it’s for attracting mates, defending nests against predators, or raising chicks. One of the more interesting aspects (in my opinion) of breeding in birds is their mating strategy. The final, rarest mating strategy, found in less than 0.1%

2002 164

2002 North America 2000 2009 164

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2022

For the authors of this study on the Sabota Lark , this makes them end the abstract of their paper with the slightly pompous and simultaneously slightly unambitious claim that “This study provided a foundation for future comparative studies on avian life-history strategies in larks.” She also laid eggs in Melba Finch nests.

South Africa 179

South Africa Africa Birds Cape Verde 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Black-naped Orioles are breeding in Fengxian. Here is a presumed pair. but they do.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147