10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

In the slightly frighteningly named journal “Science of The Total Environment”, there is a paper on organochlorine compounds in Purple Heron eggs nesting in sites located around a chloralkali plant (Ebro River). Summary result: relevant chemicals emitted by the plant can be found in the eggs.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders Breeding 130

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2015

(If you’re feeling particularly science-y, the full paper is here.). By studying Zebra Finches and domestic chickens, the scientists discovered that multiple sperm appear necessary for a fertilized egg to progress to the embryo stage (a process called “polyspermy”.)

Zebras 145

Zebras Pythons Mammals Eggs 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

Bird communication is a complex and evolving science. The six chapters that follow explore bird communication in mating; defending territory; rearing children; responding to predators; interacting with neighbors and functioning in large groups; and communicating successfully in a noisy human world. There is so much here!

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

They have special adaptations to stay warm and to keep their eggs and chicks warm. However, we now know that human ancestors became upright first, and were bipedal for millions of years before they started to use tools extensively, and then another million years went by before their brains started to evolve a significantly larger size.

Penguins 188

Penguins Seals Peru Science 188

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

It’s all about the improbable intersection of human beings and Emperor Penguins, and if I can’t make it to an Emperor Penguin colony (highly unlikely), reading this book has been the next best thing. It’s part memoir, part travelogue, part scientific narrative, part prologue to making an argument for Antarctic conservation.

Penguins 151

Penguins Seals Leopards Research 151

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

They insinuate themselves in normal bodily processes, but at some key stage instead of doing what is supposed to be done, they do something very different, everything gets screwed up, and the particular system they were involved in is seriously disrupted and the host organism gets very sick or dies. It is a very nice bit of science.

Mammals 225

Mammals Birds Fish Cooking 225