10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World states that “disturbance by local people, tourists, and egg and zoo collectors has similarly reduced the colonies, and more protection is vital”. Many have been shot since the project started, despite a great deal of publicity raising awareness of the birds.

Morocco 235

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

If you remember that the first edition of Sibley was published with “National Audubon Society” on the cover, raise your hand. The photographs are from VIREO, the ornithological image collection associated with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, which licenses bird photographs to many guides and reference books.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

In contrast, the females need to make sure not to get duped into raising actual cuckoos – the buntings are a targeted host species ( source ). Fortunately for the buntings, they seem to detect most cuckoo eggs smuggled in (75% in one study). Maybe there is some justice in this world after all. Better safe than sorry.

Birds 221

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 221

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). But it is all for science, I hear them say. but they do. See the sequence below.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147