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”. In 2018, there were 1,745 birds living in 92 different zoos and collections.

Morocco 235

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 235

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2018

Pink Pigeons were featured on episode four of the second season of The Zoo , the excellent television series about The Bronx Zoo,* and their story was disturbing. This description appears to be an overstatement though, because we learn by the end of the episode that The Stud and Serendipity have not produced one viable egg.

Mauritius 102

Mauritius Stud Zoos Eggs 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

While the jays did catch our attention by way of a smart crest and different shades of blue and gray punctuated by a black necklace and mascara, they were part of our common natural experience, their existence was taken for granted. Like crows and jays, they are social, vocal, intelligent, and omnivorous (including eating eggs and nestlings).

Costa Rica 186

Costa Rica Panama Eating Eggs South America 186

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

The stunning head plumes of the Gray Crowned-Crane make it attractive to bird collectors and zoos; illegal collecting of wild birds is one of the reasons why this species is now considered Endangered. A pair of Hooded Vultures in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania by Adam Riley.

Endangered Species 200

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2023

In Kangding, there is a rather opulent bird hide – two stories, solid construction, spacious, lots of glass, a separate paved parking lot, though mysteriously (and as far as I can tell from my experience of living in China for almost 20 years, not indicative of fundamentally different physical needs of Chinese people) missing a bathroom.

Birds 147

Birds Mammals St. Louis Monkeys 147