10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

It is listed as Vulnerable, as its range is rather restricted, though it has been found outside of China as well, e.g., in Vietnam, though the HBW does not seem to have read that paper yet. Some ornithologists are so desperate to add papers to their resumes that they write about new records of Black-crested Bulbul subspecies within China.

China 147

China Vietnam Birds Monkeys 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

While I would not want to encourage anyone to put birds in cages, it is interesting to read about the experience of somebody breeding Black-headed Sibias in captivity. So, there are some positive aspects of Facebook being blocked in China. If you do not want to be put in a cage, it presumably helps to be a bit aggressive.

China 189

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2023

So, all this makes birding this place an occasionally less than pleasant experience. One interesting paper argues that contrary to what might seem logical, cuckoos do not aim to lay eggs specifically into the nests of those parrotbills whose egg color and pattern match their own.

Pandas 213

Pandas Birds Eggs China 213

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2023

Indeed, most cuckoo eggs are accepted by the babax ( source ), although a small proportion of hosts reject cuckoo eggs and often boast about this capability when having a few too many drinks. He spent the years from 1836 to 1858 in Asia, first in Indonesia, then in China, partly as the consul of the city of Hamburg in China.

Hamburgers 218

Hamburgers Birds Science China 218

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

Of course, it is hard to resist looking at a paper titled “Host personality predicts cuckoo egg rejection in Daurian redstarts” Basically, the personality of a female redstart (bold or shy) predicts the responses to parasitic eggs – bold hosts are more likely to reject parasitic eggs. Not this one though.

Birds 204

Birds China Eggs Owls 204

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

Shanghai parks are rather crowded and noisy places, but the goshawks – who unlike me have lived in China all their lives – apparently do not mind. Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

In the slightly frighteningly named journal “Science of The Total Environment”, there is a paper on organochlorine compounds in Purple Heron eggs nesting in sites located around a chloralkali plant (Ebro River). Summary result: relevant chemicals emitted by the plant can be found in the eggs. Bye, bye, Lesser Coucal.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders Breeding 130