10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

I couldn’t help thinking this–me, the anthropomorphism hater– as I watched a pair of Philippine Eagles tend their nest, raise a chick, and tear monkeys apart in Bird of Prey: The Story of the Rarest Eagle on Earth , a well-crafted, beautifully filmed documentary with a mission. The Philippine Eagle has a kind face.

Eagles 203

Eagles Philippines Eggs Birds 203

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

But in Iraq, and more exactly, Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, they are supposed to be there (and are regularly hunted and eaten) and the fighting is not supposed to be there. Researchers are wondering if the die-off might spread to other birds or even fish. This is not something I needed to tell you but there is some new research.

Science 151

Science Iraq Research Birds 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

The causes were the usual reasons for island extinction—deforestation by both humans and invasive plants that crowded out native plants, hunting, and invasive rats, mongoose, monkeys, and, of course, feral cats. Yet, think a bit about what our world would be like if the Passenger Pigeon still existed.

Mauritius 101

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

They are large passerines and research has shown them to be an ancient basal offshoot from the passerine tree (at approximately the same time as rockjumpers, were even placed in the same family until quite recently). Then a few years ago the news broke that picathartes had been rediscovered at a community forest reserve in Ghana.

Ghana 188

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 188