10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

The land was of course already occupied by San (Bushmen) hunter-gatherers for millennia and more recently Bantu tribes of the Nguni branch (most notably Zulus and Xhosas). Woodward’s Barbet belongs to a group of barbets known as Green Barbets. Image by Adam Riley. It was discovered in KwaZulu-Natal province by Dr Andrew Smith.

Mozambique 191

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 191

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

So, one might surmise, it’s OK if they get shot by hunters thinking they’re sandhill cranes? Another 170 are in captivity, many of them breeding stock for reintroduction efforts. What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird?

2011 243

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 243

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

But you can take solace in the results at the end of the breeding year, when loafing around the intertidal are a shiny new cohort of finely plumage grey youngsters, all ready to carry on Western Gull line into the future. This is quite a big deal for an island group that had no mammals save bats for millions of years.

Animal Rights 266

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 266

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. We actually spent considerable time searching unsuccessfully for this highly sought-after bird; however I did suspect they were not gone, as several hunters I interviewed knew the bird and claimed it still existed.

Ghana 196

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 196