10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2013

Peripatetic ornithologist Nick Sly has long been a friend of the blog here and has contributed such classics as Green-rumped Parrotlets from Egg to Adult and Forpus passerinus and the Ornithologists of Masaguaral. This kind of detailed genetic and developmental work has traditionally relied on model species in the lab (aka chickens).

Panama 201

Panama Research Investigation Chickens 201

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Ridgway himself had 23 species, 10 subspecies, and two genera of birds named for him, including Ridgway’s Hawk.) The team explored Nevada and Utah, with Ridgway collecting thousands of bird specimen, plus nests and eggs for the Smithsonian. That’s a photo of Ridgway’s office on the right, fifth floor of the South Tower.

Collecting 145

Collecting Illinois United States Science 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

As a Northeast birder I am familiar with the alarming decrease in the number of Red Knots along Atlantic shores and have signed petitions and written e-mails calling for legislation and rules that will limit the overharvesting of the horseshoe crab, whose eggs Red Knots depend on. million in the late 1990’s. Should the gulls be controlled?

Delaware 176

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2015

The species was in the news because some scientists had finally managed (or bothered – it’s much the same thing) to locate the population high in the mountains of the Solomon Islands, and catch and photograph one. I’m not going to rehash the arguments for scientific collecting here. Box after box of egg.

Collecting 214

Collecting Solomon Islands New Zealand Fiji 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

More than 150 bird species are known to have become extinct over the past 500 years, and many more are estimated to have been driven to extinction before they became known to science. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 183

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Even the Latin species name soror (“sister”) indicates the similarity to another pitta species (blue-naped). The eBird description of the Small Niltava starts with the surprisingly dull statement that “size distinguishes this species from other niltavas” Who would have thought.

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. There are variations on that theme, of course. Even the non-passerines often follow this pattern.

Breeders 195

Breeders Breeding Birds Groups 195

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2023

For birders, the Wolongshan area is like a poorer cousin of Balangshan – due to the lower elevation, the bird species here are more common and thus less interesting. Some Chinese Babax waste part of their lives feeding chicks of Large Hawk Cuckoos, which parasitize the babax species.

Hamburgers 198

Hamburgers Birds Science China 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2014

A History of Birdwatching in 100 Objects uses stuff, redefined as ‘objects’, a term that gives an archival sheen to everyday items, to tell our collective history. I expected a picture book; I got a collection of essays! 32, 1887) and Egg collection (no. There are many unexpected goodies here.

Mauritius 172

Mauritius Collecting Egypt Cyprus 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2018

Redgannet added another splash of colour to the collective profile by falling asleep on a boat and waking up in Uruguay , the 44th country to feature in the list. Their 185 checklists contained 951 species during April! Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail. 01 Jan 2018.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100