10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2016

For example, years ago, Eiton Tchenrov postulated that the wild progenitor of the domestic dog, some subspecies or another of wolf, could benefit from overlapping its breeding territory with human hunters. The humans tended to keep away a range of predators that might take the pups as a form of interference competition.

Alligators 114

Alligators Protection Leopards Birds 114

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

I’ve been banding birds of prey for 5 years it is easy to put ourselves through endless fog days and cramped quarters when the end result is good research, accurate data, and minimal impact on the raptors we encounter. Above, a Merlin sits through a few quick documentation pics before… …heading off into the sunset.

Research 200

Research Welfare Rights Humane 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

The first half describes the problem (why birds hit windows, the scale of the deaths, scientific research, what happens when birds strike windows) and the second half discusses what to do about it (community and worldwide education, window deterrent solutions, legal mandates and building codes, citizen science–what individuals can do).

New York City 249

New York City Birds Illinois Science 249

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2018

Major extinction events that are geologically instantaneous have been followed by periods of time with reduction of species or unstable habitats that last for hundreds of thousands or millions of years. There are about 10,000 species of them, after all, which is a lot for a vertebrate. Here, according to the research , there is.

2018 101

2018 Science Humane Species 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

If this was America, we might not be concerned because starlings are an invasive species, at least in North America. Researchers are wondering if the die-off might spread to other birds or even fish. This is not something I needed to tell you but there is some new research. Since then the deaths haven’t stopped.

Science 151

Science Iraq Research Birds 151

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 206

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 206

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s very hard to organize the many ways in which human beings relate to avian beings into comprehensible text. Jonathan Elphick and John Fanshawe provided “specialist research” and support.” Cocker writes about the species within each family with a literary specificity softened by a tone of conversational patience.

Birds 207

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 207

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Nearly 70 species of parrots have been recorded flying free at some stage or another in Miami, including Hyacinth Macaws. Dozens of other introduced bird species, largely escapees from pet owners, now call Miami home. But I couldn’t help but get more excited about the countable species as opposed to the uncountable ones.

Miami 131

Miami Parrots Research Birds 131

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

In its natural old-world range, the House Sparrow offers an interesting identification challenge and has vagrant potential since it is a polytypic species with a highly complex taxonomy. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas.

Sparrows 210

Sparrows Italy Asia Austria 210

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” Not all habitat change is due to humans; there is Chestnut Blight destroying American Chestnuts in the early 1900s, and the more recent Dutch Elm disease. Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.”

New York City 147

New York City New York Birds Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Recently it has also been documented as breeding in Wisconsin, Ontario, and the Upper Michigan Peninsula, but those birds are few and not always accessible. It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Michigan 223

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 223

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2011

You’d think, then, that applying science to philosophy by studying the evolutionary underpinnings of thought and behavior across species would be right up my alley. I would have liked to see far more examples of moral structures that would not look good or bad to the audience’s eyes but completely orthogonal to human morality.

Morals 108

Morals Animal Humane Research 108

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Ackerman’s new book is about owls and owl research–the knowledge recently and currently being discovered through DNA analysis, new-tech tracking and monitoring, and old-fashioned fieldwork under the auspices of organizations like the Global Owl Project and the Owl Research Institute.

Owls 203

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

The idea of Lost Animals was conceived after the publication of Extinct Birds (2001), a 400-page, four-pound book on 75 extinct species. And so, Fuller embarked on a new initiative—locating and researching photographs of lost birds and, expanding his scope, of mammals. Other species are less known.

Animal 265

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 265

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 199

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

As you read the below timeline and see the below images, don’t ever forget the perils that walk hand-in-hand with human greed. Oil begins to wash up on the beaches throughout May and June of 2010 May 6, 2010 Oil washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species.

2010 228

2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 228

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

UNLESS that is you get yourself down to the internationally-renowned Tambopata Research Centre in southern Peru where literally hundreds of macaws (and other parrots) congregate around a 50 meter high clay bank. That’s right – birds eating clay. Chestnut-fronted Macaws Ara severa.

Peru 254

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

In 2012, I reviewed The Jewel Hunter , an absorbing narrative in which author Chris Goodie travelled throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia to observe and photograph every Pitta species in the world. Hummingbird species, on the other hand, number in the hundreds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

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 220

China Birds Pythons Eagles 220

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2019

The human and economic consequences were dramatic, and continue to be felt. These hurricanes prompted a personal interest in the impact of hurricanes on birds, so I did some research, which ultimately led to an article in the April 2018 issue of Birding magazine. Some species experienced dramatic declines.

Puerto Rico 254

Puerto Rico 2017 2018 Virgin Islands 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

The story of the White-winged Guan , in some ways resembles the re-discovery of some species thought to be extinct. Some remained stored for decades before a researcher would pick them up and inquired about these poorly documented specimens. The decades of storage in a museum came after it was regarded as an extinct species.

Collecting 267

Collecting Peru Neglecting Hunting 267

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2015

A new research project using Zebra Finches in semi-wild conditions indicates that for some bird populations a certain aspect of climate change may have a negative effect on the viability of populations by causing increased mortality in a subtle but significant way. The study looks at changes in the range of daily temperature variability.

Killing 201

Killing Zebras Birds Research 201

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

She doesn’t know the species till it emerges, almost dreamlike, from the heavy glare of the sun. This is the story of Fox’s experiences on board the Achiever, the research vessel of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Fox encounters 69 species, some singly, some in huge feeding or migrating flocks.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

And, I looked at my eBird list and realized I’ve seen nine species of Antpitta and one of Gnateater. Antpittas and Gnateaters covers 64 species in six genera and two families. (I The Species Accounts feature highly detailed text by Harold Greeley, distribution maps, and over 250 photographs by a number of photographers.

Research 137

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 137

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

The title is a bit deceptive, for while photographs are a huge part of the book, it is grounded in the 239 species accounts written by woodpecker guru Gerard Gorman. This background material is a good, succinct framework within which to read the Species Accounts, particularly for birders new to woodpecker study.

Woodpeckers 237

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 237

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

During my previous five trips to Indonesia, I only heard but never caught a glimpse of three species. Now my tally stands at four species seen and a fifth heard-only. At least in the northeastern United States, their rate of so doing is high, according to research I summarized here. Clare went a chose a first for Australia.

2015 182

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 182