10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

Wood-Wrens , birds of the family Henicorhina , are very small wrens of Central and South America that like to live very close to the ground, in dense forest underbrush or elfin forests. It’s a long drive, at least an hour of steadily climbing twists and turns; but there are high-altitude species I can only see there.

Mexico 188

Mexico South America Species America 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2019

It’s also a big time for bird movements, a period punctuated by waves of migrants, first the early ones, then a time of many species, and finally, those last “late” migrants moving north. While our winter residents bulk up to head north, they are joined by other species coming from South America.

Costa Rica 136

Costa Rica South America Tennessee Philadelphia 136

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2013

They packed up in June of 2013 and headed south from San Diego with the southern tip of South America as their destination. We hope that our journey will provide important information about many Neotropical bird species as well as inform conservation.” Very little is known about this enigmatic species.

South America 182

South America San Diego Mexico America 182

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2020

This sort of biozone mixing can create a tremendous richness of species. Each of these habitats attracts its own group of species. I mentioned last week the Jamaican Nettletree, whose tiny fruit was attracting all kinds of species — even some I thought did not eat fruit or seeds. This one was a true lifer for me.

Mexico 239

Mexico Lamb Nicaragua Sparrows 239

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

Osborn, a passionate field biologist who participates to the core of her being three re-introduction projects aimed at saving three very different, endangered species: Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow (‘Alala)*, and California Condor. Sophie Osborn’s stories are personal and inspiring, but this is more than a personal memoir.

California Condor 174

California Condor Falcons California Birds 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

According to the HBW, there are 41 species of African Barbets and 34 species of Asian Barbets. There are also 14 species of New World Barbets and 2 species of Toucan-Barbets (all in South America). T he Golden-throated Barbet (Baihualing, Yunnan) has an interesting species name, franklinii.

South Africa 202

South Africa Africa India China 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

and Canada and winter in northeastern Mexico, while the sedentary wrens of central Mexico, Central America, and South America are now to be identified as Grass Wrens. But its two mixed-breed children would make an 80’s British soccer club proud, with their punk hairstyles. Did they show up for us? Why yes, they did!

Barn Owls 256

Barn Owls Owls Mexico Leopards 256

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

But it wasn’t the day’s first FOY species. As it turned out, these were not the only bad photos to help me flesh out my 2022 year list that day (species 201-211, on February 12th). But previous experience with Ejido Triquillo taught me that another species might turn up during the spring.

Mexico 179

Mexico Guatemala South America United States 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Twenty two species are distributed among six genera, depending on what happens to be extinct, and for the most part one grebe is like another. This makes Grebes vulnerable to climate change and the predation of invasive species. It is easy to see how Minks set lose in a welcoming habitat could eat an entire species.

2010 200

2010 2011 South America Argentina 200

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

This is when we might see the greatest variety and numbers of wood-warblers, where we can watch dizzying groups of swallows zip through the skies as kettles of Turkey Vultures , and Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks flow towards South America. Swallows Everywhere. How many Sinaloa Martins also fly this way?

Costa Rica 317

Costa Rica West Virginia New York South America 317

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2016

Baltimore Orioles spend their winters in Florida, Central, and South America, and migrate north to breed in much of the Eastern United States. It’s true that many know the bird because of Baltimore’s baseball team, but the species’ history with Maryland goes back much further.

Maryland 103

Maryland Baltimore United States Legislature 103

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2017

A new study published in The Condor analyzed the feathers of Bobolinks to determine what they eat after they leave their North American breeding grounds and fly south for the winter. Rice farmers may use pesticides, or other methods to prevent the birds from eating their crops, further hastening the decline of the species.

Advocacy 100

Advocacy South America Research America 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2013

This photo could have been taken in Florida’s Treasure Coast during the winter months or in South America during the same period. And by similar, I mean the species and abundance of shorebirds and gulls. In Florida, there is a resident small gull, two species of large gulls, and one species of gull that is abundant.

Chile 188

Chile Peru South America Florida 188

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, birds in the U.S. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 194

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 194

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

Geographic patterns of species richness for birds (1,558 species) in East Africa at 0.25° resolution (blue indicates low species richness, while brown indicates high species richness). At the time of writing, Uganda has 16 hotspots with 400+ so far eBirded species, of which one has almost 600 species.

Africa 196

Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 196

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2014

They are listed as a Species of Special Concern in Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and as Threatened in California. Each autumn, nearly the entire breeding population of the Swainson’s Hawk migrates from the temperate zone of North America to wintering areas in South America.

Nevada 160

Nevada Utah North America Oregon 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

Nothing against the Rocky Pigeon but let’s be honest, if a breeding plumaged Blackburnian Warbler hops into view, It’s pretty easy to forget about that pigeon, Warbling Vireo , or even a Pine Warbler when you can treat the good old retinas to a striking combination of red-orange, black, and white.

Costa Rica 179

Costa Rica Emotional South America Birds 179

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

The Brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican are closely related and once were considered the same species. Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. The Brown Pelican occurs in both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America and northern South America. Peruvian Pelican in non-breeding plumage.

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Fish 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2015

Most birds use these ephemeral beaches as breeding grounds. They have adapted to breed during the dry season when sand bars are exposed and food is plenty. Depending on the age of the dry season, birds will re-start another breeding attempt or give up until the next year. Pied Lapwing. Photo Credits: Amy McAndrews.

South America 167

South America Fish Breeding Eggs 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Gray Kingbird perched on a Gumbo Limbo Tree, another typical West Indian species native to South Florida. Although a reasonably common species in southern Florida, Gray Kingbird is especially abundant in the West Indies where even islanders not interested in birds are very familiar with this species.

Dominican Republic 209

Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Miami Florida 209

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Very few birds – or animals for that matter – would plunge head-first into the churning cauldrons of some of South America’s most treacherous rivers. Otun Quimbaya remains a very good place to view this highly enigmatic and entertaining species. Torrent Ducks are the thrill-seekers of the avian world.

Ducks 238

Ducks Colombia South America Squirrels 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

The Andean Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus andinus ) is one of the three flamingos occurring in the high Andes of South America. Egg harvesting to sell as food was intensive then, with thousands taken annually from the breeding colonies in Chile. The Andean Flamingo is now protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Chile 154

Chile Endangered Species Eggs Lifestyle 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2015

Plus, there was once a time when I couldn’t tell a tern from a gull, let alone differentiate between species. I’ve seen Forster’s Terns and Common Terns , but one particular species was fast becoming a nemesis bird: the Black Tern. Black Tern in Breeding Plumage. Black Tern in Non-Breeding Plumage.

Breeding 160

Breeding South America Florida Protection 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

Across the world’s northern oceans, 24 species of auklets, murres, puffins, guillemots, and related seabirds make a living catching food beneath the waves and breeding, often in large colonies, on coastlines and islands. All alcid species alive today can fly, but with difficulty. See Cairns et al.

Penguins 221

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 221

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Decades of land transformation and hydrological changes resulted in the decline of the only species of apple snail native to Florida and the kite population followed suit. While the native apple snail continued declining, another species of apple snail native to South America began to appear in canals and ponds in South Florida.

Florida 217

Florida South America Eggs Bolivia 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2012

When they are not getting ready to breed they are a pretty bland brown-and-white bird. Actitus macularius , as spotties are known to the scientific set, are widespread across North America and winter across Central and South America, even as far south as Chile.

New Jersey 173

New Jersey North America Chile South America 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

The Buller’s Mollymawk is an endemic breeder to New Zealand, although it ranges widely away from the islands to feed, and regularly goes to South America’s Humboldt Current to feed. As albies go they seem to be doing better than most species, and are only listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Albatross 206

Albatross New Zealand South America Breeders 206

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

The Indigo was even on its way to becoming my default species for any indescript female LBJ. But, until 2020, I almost never saw it, which is frustrating with such a loud species. It is one of those interesting few species that winter in South America, but only migrate as far north as Mexico to breed.

Mexico 163

Mexico 2020 2019 Turkey 163

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2017

I traveled up and down the beach, then out in to the arroyos for three days and came up with 45 species, a fairly decent number. I had targeted three species that I had hoped to spend some time photographing, the Wandering Tattler , Snowy Plover and the Horned Lark. Well, you know what they say, two out of three ain’t bad!

South America 104

South America Alaska Mexico Breeding 104

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

There is another area of the Queens County CBC where a team will also likely see Monk Parakeets , Myipsitta monachus , but I am seriously determined to count that bird for my area, Coastal Flushing, a section of northeast Queens, New York, that includes Whitestone, home of one of the loudest invasive bird species in the U.S.

Chicago 198

Chicago New York City New York Illinois 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Are they breeding? from South America. Mitred Parakeets are native to southwestern South America. They are a temperate zone species, found at high elevations, so they are somewhat cold-adapted. The birds have never been recorded on breeding bird surveys (or for that matter on any Christmas Bird Count).

New York City 212

New York City New York Los Angeles South America 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

Recently a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was reported from a park in San Francisco, a long ways away from its home in Central and South America. Superficially similar to Fork-tailed Flycatcher, especially if you don’t know that this species exists! This bird was photographed a few years ago in Connecticut, by Corey Finger.

San Francisco 170

San Francisco San Diego Connecticut South America 170

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2016

This tiny species breeds north of Florida but returns to spend the winter here as well as in Central and South America. I assumed first that I had spotted a Brown-headed Nuthatch , but as it crawled up the bark the white and black striped plumage struck me: I had found a Black-and-white Warbler !

Florida 100

Florida South America Birds Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion. In the east, this species can be found along the east coast of Africa, the Nile Valley,and into parts of the middle east and India and southeast Asia.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

Although both species are widespread in North America as breeders in shrubby edge habitats, that is not the case in the southern half of the sunshine state (the more northerly race of Prairie Warbler is an uncommon breeder in the panhandle). Everyone, I would like you to meet the ‘Florida’ Prairie Warbler ( S.

Florida 184

Florida Miami Breeders Alabama 184

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2013

Phaetusa simplex is the only species in its genus and it seems very unlikely that it will be confused with another tern species. Though the Large-billed Tern is a bird of freshwater rivers, lakes, and marshes of South America it does wander to North America on very rare occasions.

Trinidad 173

Trinidad Nevada New Jersey Illinois 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2015

The birds were not as plentiful because we were there during the tail end of the summer when most species had already flown south. Although they were not there in late September, I now know where Whimbrels, Surfbirds, and Wandering Tatlers breed. These are birds I regularly see in tropical regions as non-breeding visitors.

Alaska 156

Alaska South America Penguins Owls 156