10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

Shockingly, the Ashy-throated Parrotbill apparently is a species heavily hunted for bird fighting in Guizhou Province, China ( source ). If being hunted by evil humans was not enough, Ashy-throated Parrotbills are also hosts of the parasitic Common Cuckoo. Some individuals even rejected their own eggs when they were in the minority.

Eggs 164

Eggs China Birds Mammals 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

But the honeyguides, indigobirds, and a single species of duck all do the classic cuckoo strategy (obligate interspecific brood parasitism) as well. This behavior is most common in colony nesters, since popping next door to drop off an egg is a lot easier than hunting down another nest through acres of forest or grassland.

Eggs 155

Eggs Neglecting Adoptable Hunting 155

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Tall grass, grass in burnt areas, leaves stems, small mammals, large mammals, invertebrates, birds, bird eggs, even hyena feces (that’s the Leopard Tortoise). Thankfully, as the authors note, this focus on animals to hunt has given way to visitors’ fascination with a range of creatures.). Such a great variety of food!

Rhinos 235

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2012

The quills of the “Saqu Ettair” Secretarybirds feed on small lizards, insects, rodents, birds eggs and, of course, snakes. Watching them hunt is fascinating. Another strategy regularly employed by these weird raptors is that they will soar great distances, utilizing thermals in search of bush-fires.

Botswana 217

Botswana Eagles Porcupines Hunting 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

” Blue-bearded Bee-eaters seem to have a pretty clever hunting strategy. The authors of the paper sound a bit helpless, stating that “At the time of discovery, both birds [two bee-eaters] were still alive, but it was not possible to free them from the net because the bees began to attack the ringer.”

Squirrels 136

Squirrels Birds China Bears 136

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

Hunting: You may have noticed that the Written Species Accounts include a section on hunting. I am a city girl and until I became a birder my contact with hunting was limited to occasionally seeing dead deer on the tops of cars in upstate New York. So–not a fan of hunting. I was really taken aback when I saw this.

Ducks 115

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 115