10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Fortunately for the honor of the species, the researchers found that kleptoparasitism was practiced at a low rate (4% of observations) while much more often, drongos captured insects disturbed by other species (41% of observations). Trust me, the species name makes sense for the male, though not for the female.

Birds 213

Birds Sri Lanka Taiwan Cats 213

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

I used to play Subbuteo as a kid … a kind of tip-kick football game that was named after this species (apparently, the inventors first wanted to name the game “Hobby” but that was rejected as too generic, or so the story goes). The Eurasian Hobby was another notable raptor of the month.

Birds 198

Birds China Eggs Owls 198

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

A few families have a small number of eggs in the clutches, like gulls or cormorants. Others, like the petrels and some of the auks, will lay a single egg per breeding attempt. Others invest much more effort into fewer young, giving a smaller number a much better start. Seabirds are one group of birds that go for the latter strategy.

Eggs 164

Eggs Puffins Breeding Raised 164

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

These fossils are seen as proof that some dinosaurs brooded over its eggs. And, he places current research within a framework of paleontological history of intrigue, backstabbing, and name-calling feuds. (No, There is a lot of science here to explain. Like birds. Don’t let the university press imprint deceive you.

Mongolia 183

Mongolia Science Reptiles Indiana 183

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2013

If we were just birders, or photographers, this would be dreadful behavior, but we were here to watch people engaged in Science. And Science requires Sacrifice. The aim of the game was to band raptors, and specifically to band Golden Eagles. Sara, one of the researchers, explained that it was a newish bird. I’m not.

Eagles 175

Eagles Tethering Science Wounded 175

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). Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147