10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

From Hiro, we learn how Northern Pygmy Owls are “rule breakers,” not incubating eggs till all are hatched and then raising owlets that mature at the same rate even though the eggs were laid asynchronously (as most owl eggs are). They are also hunted.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Another item they feed on is hunting edible bird nest swiftlets, which are quite common in edible swiftlet houses in Sabah, Malaysia ( source ). The first attempt in hunting was made by the male hornbill which was seen snapping at a passing swiftlet, but was unsuccessful.

Rhinoceros 124

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 124

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2024

Interestingly, only about half of the helpers are related to the breeding pair … … and only the ones not related to the pair gained some parentage, either by sneaking in some sex with the breeding female or by adding an egg. I guess it would not be ok to do this to your own relatives, but with strangers, it is probably ok.

Birds 215

Birds Indonesia Breeding Charlotte 215

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2011

A big moon gives enough light for the gulls to hunt by, so the shearwaters seldom come onto land while the full moon is up. After mating, a single egg is laid and incubation duties are shared by both parents. Shearwater remains litter the island with the carcasses picked clean, leaving just the wings, breastbone and girdle.

United Kingdom 159

United Kingdom Brazil Eggs Abandon 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

I once knew a guy who kept and raised cats. When you throw the feral Cat in there, not only do they push out the indigenous wild carnivores, but they are hunting animals that are not quite adapted to avoiding them as well as they may be to avoiding other animals. But they don’t live in North America. Unless we put them there.

Feral Cats 252

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 252

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Not only were they a common bird, they were a common bird nearshore; indigenous peoples hunted them up and down the coast. The most notorious effect is that their eggshells become so thin that a parent bird will crush it’s eggs while attempting to incubate them.

Albatross 198

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 198

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2013

02–19 There may be a crisis of the Duck Stamp, and the relationship between duck hunting, habitat preservation, and funding may be shifting as Duck numbers and Duck stamp sales no longer correlate. 01–15 Who could forget the catfish that figured out how to eat birds ? With global warming, this has meant earlier hatching.

Science 185

Science 2013 Elephants Birds 185

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

In contrast, the females need to make sure not to get duped into raising actual cuckoos – the buntings are a targeted host species ( source ). Fortunately for the buntings, they seem to detect most cuckoo eggs smuggled in (75% in one study). Maybe there is some justice in this world after all. Better safe than sorry.

Birds 197

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 197