10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

I happen to be particularly fond of turtles because my family has taken care of a small box turtle for 30 years (beware–turtles are extremely low-maintenance pets but will outlast your child’s youth and probably your life). Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 197

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 197

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2011

I, like many of you, eagerly await the release of the AOU 52nd checklist supplement, even though these days, the contents are already pretty well known in advance. And so it’s July, which for this North American birder means a couple of things: 1. whose full make-up and internal relationships are not resolved.

Madagascar 164

Madagascar Birds Louisiana Groups 164

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

With so many book indexes listing species under family name, I am thankful that the decision was made NOT to list all 39 owl species under the heading “Owl.” Thankfully, English names are listed by whole name; for example, Stygian Owl is listed as “Stygian Owl”, under S.

North America 222

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 222

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Years of follow-up research conducted by one of Earthwatch’s principal investigators on the Tambopata Macaw project, Dr. Don Brightsmith, shows, however, that within the study area of the clay lick the birds tend to choose the soil with the highest sodium content over soils that are best for neutralizing toxins.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 255

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Their taxonomic affinities have caused great confusion and debate amongst ornithologists; they were originally assigned to the thrush family, then Old World warblers before being shifted to babblers (the last mentioned a common dumping-ground for any aberrant passerines).

South Africa 223

South Africa Lesotho Africa Swaziland 223

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Species are arranged by family and genus along taxonomic lines, but not always in accordance with the very latest molecular DNA research. This is great, I only wish there was some kind of index or table of contents to this feature. Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. First page (p. © 2021 by Dennis R.

Costa Rica 260

Costa Rica North America Family America 260

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

Location, location, location – some practical advice for River Lapwings aiming to have a family: “ River Lapwing nests on open, unvegetated river banks achieved significantly greater nesting success than those in crop fields” ( source ). Which sounds like a species name taken from a science fiction novel for children.

Squirrels 138

Squirrels Birds China Bears 138

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2014

I am also writing it on the tails of an excellent review by Corey who, although he termed his post a collection of “impressions,” really did nail down the great content of The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition , by David Allen Sibley, as well as the minor items that need to be improved. I wish we had the equivalent for color.

North America 238

North America Birds Species America 238

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

The contents are a balance of the visual, the factual, and a form of participant-observation, oriented towards people who know little about penguin habitats, life cycles and conservation issues. Science and Conservation , the second section, presents two-page summaries of the diverse research being done around the world about penguins.

Penguins 198

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 198

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2018

Describing gull plumage is a combination of science, graphic art, and visual metaphor. The Table of Contents is the best starting point for finding the gull you want, and with 61 species accounts, listed with common and scientific name, it’s pretty easy to scan and pinpoint a name. Browsing through this book is tough.

2004 150

2004 North America America Europe 150