10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

The very last Sunday of the decade heralded our final CBC – with group sizes limited to five persons. Likely a Tropical Screech-Owl , but nothing definitive. By this time, the rest of the group had arrived and we were busy counting Silver-beaked Tanagers darting across the roadway as well as a family group of Smooth-billed Anis.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Livestock Groups Eagles 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

A few years ago, in the American Birding Association FB group I posted a question: Where would you go if funds weren’t a problem? The rest of the 216 pages long book is devoted to various African bird families and half a dozen individual species. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

Congo 264

Congo Africa South Africa Madagascar 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2020

Despite depicting 540 species/56 families, it is a lightweight book of 173 pages, easy to pack and carry. Strictly speaking, Mammals of South Asia is not a field guide, because some larger groups (rodents, bats) cannot be identified down to a species level following the concise descriptions and a single illustration.

Asia 179

Asia Mammals Sri Lanka Bhutan 179

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

A group of five spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jays made a raucous appearance. And this one’s was definitely when a bird briefly took wing just to the left of our path, only to settle right back down to the ground. With this sighting, I have now seen four of Michoacán’s six members of the Nightjar family.

Bats 130

Bats Mexico ALA 2020 130

Animal Person

DECEMBER 17, 2011

Violet's a member of our family. but a friend who volunteers for a rescue group told me of a greyhound event around the corner from my house. Stanley, Emily, Violet and Sky are members of our family. I definitely don't think adding any more creatures of any kind to the house would be a good idea. And she does.

Family 100

Family Greyhounds Adoptable Puppies 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2021

Wood-Wrens, which like to live close to the ground in deep brush, definitely follow this rule; they are not at all colorful, but their song sure does ring. You truly cannot experience the Gray-barred Wren without hearing the raucous calls shared among group members of this highly-social species.

Trinidad 188

Trinidad Emotional Transported Mexico 188

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

My reasons for not liking a strict taxonomic order were essentially twofold: Similar species are not grouped together making identification harder than it should be. The figures show the order of bird families in the four field guides mentioned above. Order of bird families, non-songbirds. Order of bird families, songbirds.

Brunei 161

Brunei 2009 2016 2014 161

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2020

But if you really want to rack up the numbers on each and every outing, you should definitely come here in the winter. Followed by the intriguing sight of a large group of Violet-green Swallows , which all dive-bombed the reservoir at once. Four Least Grebes at once! That’s a personal best.

Game 159

Game Lions Africa Family 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. Another member of the stork family, the African Openbill , looks like it is could benefit from a good orthodontist. And sadly, it is listed as Endangered.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

If there’s one group of birds that just won’t let you be miserable it would have to be the Grey-crowned Babbler. They are usually in a group and our garden regularly has a family group of eight visit it. It makes perfect sense that they are called Babblers , as that is exactly what they do.

Australia 157

Australia Groups Family Experience 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2023

Way back in 2014, when I saw my first Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo near the little town of Pino Real, and shared the sighting on a birders’ chat group, it took just over a month for the first biologist/ornithologist to visit me. And, in return, they share their expertise with me — definitely a win-win situation.

Mexico 217

Mexico Cuba Species 2014 217

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

According to an article in the Guardian , “nearly a quarter of black swan families are parented by homosexual couples, the males sometimes mating with a female simply to have a chick. No wonder species definitions are so problematic. Once the egg has been laid, the female is chased away and the males hatch it.”

Birds 216

Birds China Pythons Breeding 216

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2017

For anyone who has even a passing interest in words, definitions, or dictionaries, it is fascinating. But the verb definition (“to observe or identify wild birds in their habitats”) is also included. Combining the definitions, the word “birder” means “a person who observes or identifies wild birds in their habitats.”

Albatross 105

Albatross Bears Ducks Bald Eagle 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2022

The scimitar gave the name to a group of birds, the 17 species of scimitar babblers (claims that these birds were named after the Scottish naturalist Edgar Scimitar, 1755-1806, are plainly wrong). Confusingly, while there are more than 50 species in the fantail family, the Yellow-bellied Fantail is not one of them.

Litter 222

Litter China Species Abandon 222

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The answers involve phylogenies, evolutionary family trees, derived from DNA studies combined with fossil records, and geological concepts of how the continents and oceans were formed from super land masses. These words and others are listed in the Index, with page numbers given for their definitions.

Science 223

Science Albatross Research Birds 223

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2020

Didn’t every household have a copy of a Peterson Field Guide on the shelf, maybe a third or fourth edition that family members grew up with, which they could quickly consult to see the arrow pointing to that belly band? .” I was puzzled by what seemed like a universal lack of knowledge about hawks and falcons.

North America 234

North America America 2020 Hawaii 234

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

We all have them: families of birds that are maddeningly similar, forever leaving nagging doubts about our identifications. My region, thankfully, only seems to host migratory Hermit Thrushes from this group. Having said all of this, I must say that the Nightingale-Thrushes are a charming little group. Thanks again, Fabián!

Mexico 142

Mexico Argentina Experience Experiments 142

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

The answers are: (1) the definition is what the authors have decided based on their experience and knowledge of taxonomy, and (2) the terms ‘oceanic birds’ and ‘seabirds’ are interchangeable (so, I will use both in this review). Coverage of all families is not comprehensive.

Albatross 164

Albatross North America Birds Groups 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

If you had your choice of one bird family to pursue, to seek out and observe and photograph and kvell over, which one would you choose? A passion for one bird family is also very useful. It provides goals and a definite direction for your birding travels and thoughts; sometimes it even becomes the basis of a book!

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2022

We definitely didn’t need a television! A family group of eight Grey-crowned Babblers bounced around the surrounding trees and dropped to the water to drink. It was very hot and dry and the bird-life all knew where to find water. Zebra Finch. Pied Butcherbird , Torresian Crow and multiple Magpie-larks. Olive-backed Oriole.

Australia 113

Australia Zebras Ducks Birds 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

Red-billed Curassow ( Crax blumenbachii ), a large, ground-dwelling bird belonging to the same family as the more familiar Plain Chachalaca of southern Texas, was never a very widespread species. Having a family of endangered Red-billed Curassow willingly approach me to within such a short distance is definitely one of them!

Brazil 221

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2020

For those of you who are wondering why I’m talking about self-isolation and using “we”; my party consists of myself and my wife – who insists she is definitely not a birder. This extremely vocal member of the vireo family utters its rich warble incessantly from sun-up to sun-down but it rarely makes itself visible.

Trinidad 227

Trinidad Battery Industry Bats 227

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Retz’s Helmetshrike is one of the 8 helmetshrikes within the larger family of Vangidae – apparently, a family that evolved from a single Madagascar-based species. I guess this is the wind, not a highly individualistic hairstyle. Typical for the wonderful world of ornithology, it is not a shrike.

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2022

Once you get to Costa Rica, you’ll already know those birds so well, it will be like meeting distant family members and famous folks for the very first time.Over and over! Now you could see them nesting at a waterfall and get easy, definitive views but that’s also easier said than done. You may say to yourself, “Ha!

Costa Rica 256

Costa Rica Birds Panama Rights 256

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Color-coded page headings denote bird groups, matched by color-coded bird silhouette icons located midway down the edge of the page. Using the icons to locate specific bird families takes a little getting used to, but if you do it often it works well as a finding tool. ” These are all great.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 238

Ducks Groups Species North America 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

Like many of the largest species within bird families, the Great Parrotbill looks somewhat plain, at least in the weather I encountered it. Calls include nasal wheezes, squeals, cackling and churring; combinations of rather high nasal “u-err”, quick high nasal “ii” and rolling “pwaaowa” calls uttered by groups of two or more individuals.

Birds 216

Birds Pandas Mammals China 216

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

Twelve family accounts have been added. It is 72 pages longer than the first edition. An undisclosed number of family and species accounts have been updated. Nine photographers contributed most of the photographs used to illustrate the family sections, including Richard Crossley, Kevin T. Over 70 range maps were updated.

North America 178

North America America Birds Family 178

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

Once the family of Pied Oystercatchers get to the reef they are easily able to hide the chicks and it does not take you long to become familiar with the communication between the adults and young. They are still grouped together with their parents and there is a short “peep” as I approach.

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2012

More importantly, I know which groups/families occur in these regions, which ones resemble each other, and where to find them in my books even in cases where similar groups are found in different segments of my field guide because they are not closely related to each other. I knew nothing about their vocalizations.

Indonesia 243

Indonesia Family Asia Species 243

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. But they were definitely not birds. Ultimately, we want to group together species that have the same derived trait into a single clade, and then sort out that clade with other more finely tuned traits. What evolved into what?

Mammals 254

Mammals Europe Groups Family 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

Definitely my personal favorite of Africa’s pink birds is the delicate Pink-throated Twinspot. Its mostly found on the ground in thickets or the edges of dense vegetation and usually in small family parties. There are certainly some stunners involved. Pink-throated Twinspot.

Africa 217

Africa Somalia Pelicans Mozambique 217

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Within families, the species are arranged less taxonomically and more in line with “design and space considerations,” (Introduction), and on the plates themselves, species are arranged to facilitate comparison. Text is on the left, plates are on the right. It’s a puzzle. Both genus names and species names are listed.

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

But, the numbers are quite large, and the birds organized in groupings that, for the most part, make it an easy process to figure out which Antwren (or Woodcreeper or Seedeater) is which. And, it has to be added that all of these artists and the additional seven artists contributed images that filled out plates of most of the bird families.

Bolivia 178

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 178

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2014

Galahs and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos called noisily overhead and the honeyeater family were represented by Brown Honeyeaters, Yellow-tinted Honeyeaters and Rufous-throated Honeyeaters. We observed a Grey-crowned Babbler flying out of a Boab tree and soon realised that it had come out of a roost where the family group will gather.

Birds 145

Birds Ducks 2015 2014 145

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

For example, on finding gulls: Close study of gulls is not for everyone, and birders shouldn’t feel obligated to get deep into it if you prefer colorful, less-confusing, families of birds. But, as we say in the book review world, you can’t keep a critical mind down. And Nate knows that. Actually, I exaggerate. And, it is.).

Birds 263

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

“In 80 birding tours to more than 100 countries, that was definitely the best day of birding I have ever had in my life!’ A family of endangered Wattled Cranes might be a highlight of the lower sections of the Sani Pass road, by Adam Riley. The endemic Bush Blackcap is now placed in the babbler family, photo by Adam Riley .

Lesotho 175

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 175