10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration. It certainly does not refer to the status of Nanhui.

Birds 221

Birds LACS France Japan 221

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The “Owls and Albatrosses” chapter, for example, begins with Doug’s personal experiences observing of the nesting strategies of Malleefowl and a Moluccan Megapode, Australasian “chickens who lay their eggs in unusual ways and do not parent. The text itself refers to the plates in all the appropriate places.

Science 207

Science Albatross Research Birds 207

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2016

Shrikes by the numbers: The family Laniidae is composed of 31 species of shrike, around the globe. Each nesting pair will have 4-8 eggs, and there is some reference to location being a factor on that quantity. The Loggerhead Shrike is 9 inches over all, and the largest of the shrike family is 20 inches.

Butcher 113

Butcher Birds North America Mexico 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

The Latin species name vermiculatus (worm-like) refers to the markings on the upperparts. While hoopoes are in their own family, DNA studies suggest that the hoopoe diverged from hornbills, and the wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills from the hoopoe. Of course, the second explanation makes a lot more sense.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2016

In doing some research on the Motmot family, I found several references to the fact that the long decorative tail is actually quite fragile. They lay 3-4 eggs, inside a nest that is located in the back of a tunnel, they dig in a bank. The Motmot never flew away, and as soon as the dog was out of sight, the tail stopped wagging.

Mexico 104

Mexico Reptiles Research Dogs 104

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Most Acorn Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders and live in family groups of up to a dozen or more individuals. Within a group, 1–7 male co-breeders compete for matings with 1–3 joint-nesting females who lay their eggs in the same nest cavity. References: 1 Birds of North America Online a.

Woodpeckers 183

Woodpeckers Breeders Groups North America 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2023

The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society is not particularly sensitive to the feelings of kingfishers, calling them a “stockily built birds” The Black-capped Kingfisher is among the more attractive ones, which is not an easy feat among this bird family.

Birds 130

Birds Raised Cattle Mammals 130

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. At first glance, the difference between the Black-hooded Oriole … … and the Black-naped Oriole is just that they use different makeup artists.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

I also enjoyed reading the company histories of familiar brands like Duncraft, Kaytee, Droll Yankee, and Wagner all of which started as family companies, some as offshoots of other businesses, some as the result of clever inventions. The story of Duncraft is a good example. This is too bad. Margaret A. The writers have created a good book.

America 224

America Industry Squirrels Birds 224

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Birders are always happy to see a turtle or tortoise, and there are times of the year when my social media feeds are sprinkled with photos of turtles beings removed from roads or crawling to land to lay eggs. Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 191

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 191

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2012

As the name suggests, the Goliath Heron is the world’s biggest member of the Ardea family. Using the ubiquitous Great Egret as a reference, the Goliath Heron is half a meter taller (from bill-tip to toe) and four times as heavy. For this reason it needs huge wings, outspanning the Great Egret by a meter.

Hunting 182

Hunting Battery Raised Adoptable 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, Pygmy leaf-folding frogs, Afrixalus brachycnemis, from Tanzania, tiny climbing frogs who lay their eggs in leaves and then fold the leaves over them for protection, sealing the nest with secretions. There is a large family of frogs, Bufonidae, that includes most of the warty, hoppy creatures we think of as toads.

Reptiles 182

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Not a great place for a family vacation, though I think Duncan will disagree. The Indexes show images of the most common birds of the area against a painted background, with page references to species accounts. Species Accounts are grouped by family, following what appears to be Sibley and Monroe’s 1996 taxonomy. (I

Brunei 173

Brunei Birds Asia China 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Artists rendition of Inkayacu paracasensis There are 17 living species of penguins, which make up their own Linnean family (Spheniscidae), which is the only family in the order Sphenisciformes. They have special adaptations to stay warm and to keep their eggs and chicks warm.

Penguins 189

Penguins Seals Peru Science 189

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

Animal Person

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

And there is a family in rural England who charts their energy use and we see that food is the second highest use of energy for them (air travel takes up the most). And the wife says that one thing the family does is eat less meat and eggs (and they raise the animals on their land), but even that is glossed over.

Nigeria 100

Nigeria Vegan Neglecting Vegetarian 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 202

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

The species are taxonomically divided into two families: Tytonidae, Barn-Owls, and Strigidae, Owls, encompassed in one order, Strigiformes. Most of the people interviewed and quoted are listed, illustrations are indicated in italics, and cross-references are smartly employed. Jennifer Ackerman is one of my favorite bird authors.

Owls 203

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 203

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

But, unlike most books focused on a bird family, this one is organized geographically. When we come to Gentoo Penguin again in the South Georgia chapter, for example, we’re referred back to its first appearance in Antarctica, utilizing the outline numbers.). A scientific analysis of the bird family was written by Lloyd S.

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 277

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

Wrynecks are fascinating because they are woodpeckers, taxonomically and evolutionarily, yet they do not share many behaviors and anatomical features of most members of the Picidae family. But they are woodpeckers: the genus Jynx of the subfamily Jynginae of the Picidae family. They are beautiful, but in a different way.

Woodpeckers 227

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 227

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

They are part of a family of New World Quail which includes Gambel’s, Mountain, Scaled and Montezuma Quail, as well as the Northern Bobwhite. In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. References: 1 Baicich, Paul J.

California 214

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

In other words, you can’t say something like, “humans, gorillas, chimps, and bonobos are all in the same family and equally related to each other.” That strategy determined the fact that all mammals would have the risk of somatic mutations that accumulate over time affecting their eggs. Think about it. But here’s the thing.

Monkeys 134

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 134

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

When these birds breed, this can lead to highly cringeworthy announcements, for example from Adelaide Zoo : “We have egg-citing news!” The Black-faced Monarch is a relative in the same bird family, the Monarchidae. It seems that quite a few zoos keep Tawny Frogmouths.

Birds 220

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Considering this adherence to scientific accuracy, it is intriguing that the authors have put aside a taxonomic form of organization and have instead opted for “a pragmatic field guide sequence… that groups bird families according to the broad biomes in which they are most likely to be encountered—marine, freshwater and terrestrial…” (p.2).

Australia 106

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 106

Animal Person

OCTOBER 26, 2009

He always refers to himself and his wife and his child as "vegetarian." Yet he spends time describing the miserable deaths of day-old male chicks and understands what happens in dairy production, and I assume he doesn't partake of anyone's eggs or milk. He is against it for himself and his family. He never says he is.

Factory Farm 100

Factory Farm Factory Farming Animal Vegan 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

Species accounts are organized by family; Broad-winged, Spreadwing, and Pond for damselflies and Petaltail, Darner, Clubtail, Spiketail, Cruiser, Emerald, and Skmmer for Dragonflies. Within families, species are organized by genus. With odonates, there are always exceptions!

United States 227

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 227

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

In Grey-backed Shrikes (at least those breeding on the Tibetan plateau), the eggs laid during one breeding attempt get larger with time – presumably an attempt to at least partly overcome the disadvantages the last chick faces ( source ). The site states that in captivity, “two hens can be paired with one male.”

Burma 183

Burma Birds Vietnam Laos 183

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

Plus there is my librarian-ish reluctance to use anything on the web for reference unless I know the author or the author’s credentials. The where and how of egg laying and larva emergence is briefly treated, with page references to larval drawings at the back of the book.

Ireland 169

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 169

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

When talking about bird sizes, the frame of reference is everything – for eBird, the Green-backed Tit is a “small songbird” while for the HBW it is a “large … tit” Why oh why do abstracts so often start with totally meaningless sentences?

Squirrels 136

Squirrels Birds China Bears 136

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

There’s even been speculation that all of the first seven gifts are meant to be birds, with the “five gold rings” really referring to “five goldspinks,” an archaic term for the goldfinch.

Birds 240

Birds Colombia Collecting Bald Eagle 240

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2014

32, 1887) and Egg collection (no. It omits Audubon’s uneven business history, his bankruptcy, and the fact that Lucy, his wife, eventually had to support the family through teaching. There are many unexpected goodies here. Who knew that you could purchase a DNA Thermal Cycler at auction for $150?

Mauritius 172

Mauritius Collecting Egypt Cyprus 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. This is a comprehensive, handsome reference book that is likely to become the standard for many years.

Woodpeckers 237

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 237

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

This is how, I think, the “Crossley technique” works best—coverage of specific bird families that pose identification challenges to birders at all levels of skill. And Hybrids: Waterfowl tend to hybridize to a greater degree than most other bird families, and the guide does an excellent job of covering hybrids. Barker and Carrol L.

Ducks 115

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 115

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

That year Congress passed the Lacey Act, followed by the tougher Weeks-McLean Act in 1913 and, five years later, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protected not just birds but also their eggs, nests, and feathers 1. References: 1 Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct , 2 Trump Wildlife Protection Board Stuffed with Trophy Hunters.

Hunting 109

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 109