10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. These birds have lost more than half their global population, and the 33 species combined have lost hundreds of millions of breeding individuals in just the past 40 years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWptY0dfDsU.

North America 188

North America 2014 California Birds 188

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

There are no Atlantic Puffins on Hog Island; they live locally only on Eastern Egg Rock, a painstakingly-restored seabird nesting colony which hosts three species of tern (including the endangered Roseate Tern ), Eider Ducks , Black Guillemots , and more, as well as 120 pairs of puffins. There’s one!”. I wanted more birds.

Puffins 274

Puffins Eggs Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle 274

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. How do they know?

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2013

In these situations, the birds have been treated like pests and targeted for extermination, or lost their eggs and nestlings to harvesting of the fields. federal level, and a Species of Special Concern in California. (For To learn more, check out Audubon’s video about the program.

Blackbirds 185

Blackbirds California Cattle Farming 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

The northwestern spread of this non-native species made it to my yard a few years ago. The lightest shade of lavender coincides with a 0 – 2% frequency of sightings, the next darker shade 2 – 10%, the next 10 – 25%, the next 25 – 40% and the darkest (almost black) shade is a 40 – 100% occurrence of the species.

Breeders 178

Breeders 2002 North America Bahamas 178

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 218

Dissection Birds Research Europe 218

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2014

Among birds the Egyptian Vulture uses rocks to crack Ostrich eggs, the New Caledonian Crow and Woodpecker Finch (one of several Darwin Finches of the Galapagos Islands), uses sticks to extract grubs from inside a branch. This is similar to the fact that all birds, even first time breeders within a species build identical nests.

Fish 163

Fish Woodpeckers Ostriches Eggs 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

According to the HBW, when breeding, male birds do most of the incubation and parenting while females often leave the nest up to one week before the eggs hatch. According to Couzens, after laying the eggs, females sometimes immediately abandon their first mate and pair up with another male. But maybe that is actually a good thing.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

This way, you can easily look up images and videos of the many fantastic birds described. This is a bit of a rabbit hole, however, and you may find yourself, as I did, spending the day watching videos of Superb Lyrebirds singing and Kea Parrots making snowballs. It’s fascinating stuff.

Research 221

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Both the male and female of the species have a bright red crown. You can get a brief look into their comical behavior from this video showing two females at my woodpecker feeder. You can get a brief look into their comical behavior from this video showing two females at my woodpecker feeder. www.youtube.com/watch?

Woodpeckers 184

Woodpeckers Breeders Groups North America 184

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Bufflehead ( Bucephala albeola ) Female at Cavity Entrance photos by Larry Jordan “Some 85 species of North American birds excavate nesting holes, use cavities resulting from decay (natural cavities), or use holes created by other species in dead or deteriorating trees. Talk about cute! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWDXIhy9oJA

North America 213

North America America Barn Owls Falcons 213

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2017

Steal and eat their eggs? They leave comments on your videos and give you cute names like Ozzie the Osprey and Wisdom the Albatross. I get that good nest sites are at a premium, whether you’re in the market for a box along a bluebird trail in Iowa or a ledge overlooking pigeon-rich Central Park. We all need this.

Bald Eagle 100

Bald Eagle Belize Iowa Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2012

It is illegal for any person to take, possess, transport, sell, or purchase them or their parts, such as feathers, nests, or eggs, without a permit. In the meantime, if you are like me and you enjoy watching Cliff Swallows , here is a video I shot of a colony nesting under a bridge over Cow Creek in Shasta County.

San Diego 165

San Diego illegal California South America 165

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

BirdLife International believes that this might be maximum population the species can reach, as it seems to completely saturate its range. Occasionally the Tristan Thrush Nesocichla eremita will prey upon chicks from the two-egg nest of the Inaccessible Island Rail but this not enough in any way to threaten the species.

Science 203

Science Transported Shelters South Africa 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2013

Yah, another western species. White-headed Woodpeckers usually lay 4 to 5 eggs in a clutch and we’ve seen at least three different nestlings here now. You saw this in the video at the top of the post. White-headed Woodpecker Male. Why are they found only in this habitat?

Woodpeckers 154

Woodpeckers North America America Eggs 154

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 208

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 208

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Even the Latin species name soror (“sister”) indicates the similarity to another pitta species (blue-naped). The eBird description of the Small Niltava starts with the surprisingly dull statement that “size distinguishes this species from other niltavas” Who would have thought.

China 226

China Birds Pythons Eagles 226

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Kooyman (co-author with Jim Mastro) spent decades studying Emperor Penguins and can be considered the world’s foremost expert on the species. Empire Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the largest living penguin species, almost four feet tall (taller when they stretch), and the least likely to be seen on birding or nature trips.

Penguins 155

Penguins Seals Leopards Research 155

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

In total, there are eight species of hornbills in Borneo – the best place to see them seems to be the Kinabatagan River area (also known as Sukau). Another paper reviews information on Oriental Pied Hornbills raiding the nests of various bird species in Singapore and even pet bird cages.

Rhinoceros 126

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 126

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

The most common species we see are the Stoke’s Sea Snake Astrotia stokesii , Dubois’ Sea Snake Aipysurus duboisii and the Olive Sea Snake Aipysurus laevis. Speaking of pregnant snakes, do sea snakes lay their eggs ashore like sea turtles or do they keep them internally until the young are ready to hatch/ be born, like some sharks?

Australia 150

Australia 2011 Sharks Deer 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2023

A rather clever approach of evolution to reduce hunting by that rather misnamed species Homo sapiens. The Latin species name of galericulata means hooded – this hood is not always visible but see below. Whether this is because they rank them higher or they dislike them more than non-relatives is hard to say.

Ducks 198

Ducks Adoptable Eggs Hunting 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

This happened to me recently on a birding trip, with somewhat egg-on-the-face results. We were driving up to northwestern Michigan from our homes in Ohio (me) and West ByGod Virginia (Geoff) in search of a bird species that would be a lifer for both of us: the Bohemian Waxwing. I was on a birding quest trip with my friend Geoff Heeter.

2011 218

2011 Birds Michigan Ohio 218

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

With a hardiness that belies their delicate looks (but helps explain their phenomenal success), these pioneering pigeons are already sitting on eggs at at least one location in Montana. Especially of all the species that had been introduced to the US. So right now I’m feeling pretty good about Eurasian Collared-doves.

Montana 134

Montana 2011 New York Bahamas 134

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

Once the egg has been laid, the female is chased away and the males hatch it.” eBird seems to be critical of this species’ work ethics, stating that “it flies lazily over open fields or marshes” Maybe the owl is just sleepy, not lazy. No wonder species definitions are so problematic.

Birds 205

Birds China Pythons Breeding 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. She will usually lay 12 to 17 eggs, averaging five per week 1 , before beginning incubation. Occasionally, larger clutches occur due to egg dumping by other females. References: 1 Baicich, Paul J.

California 218

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Or the time in Suriname that we drove 3 hours to film Capuchinbirds only to learn that he left our video camera back at the lodge (next to an empty vodka bottle!). Few nests of this species have been located, with the majority in overgrown and inaccessible locations. But I digress.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Suriname Eggs Hunting 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2015

During the 1980s, the Pacific Coast Population swans became the source of eggs for several restoration programs in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa 2. However, even though this species restoration is often considered a classic conservation success, significant problems for some flocks still exist. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1bx7Ic2FY.

North America 176

North America Iowa Wisconsin America 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

For example, a researcher and presumed ornithologist set out with two hypotheses related to the Ashy Drongo (and another drongo species) and wrote a paper about it. For them, God probably was the one instructing the drongos to mob one species but not the other. Why show photos of species as boring as this Ashy-throated Warbler ?

China 181

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2013

The birdlife in the Cape is nothing short of spectacular, with a healthy dose of charismatic endemic species. Over 40 species of South African endemics can be found in the Cape – Cape Sugarbirds, Cape Rockjumpers, Orange-breasted Sunbirds to name but a few. White Sharks, especially young ones, will prey on African Penguins.

Penguins 213

Penguins South Africa Africa Sharks 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2012

The pair may have to compete for nesting cavities with several other species including native Tree Swallows and Violet-green Swallows, as well as non-native House Sparrows and European Starlings. The female alone incubates the usual 4 to 6 eggs for about two weeks beginning the day the last egg is laid. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2blVsU0rdxY

Washington 183

Washington Eggs California 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

videos (see Birding Hongbenghe part 1 to understand this obscure and not very good joke). Unfortunately, juvenile White-hooded Babblers do not look cool and hedonistic enough yet, so they are usually excluded from these videos. If you want to see how this species builds its nest, see here.)

Burma 189

Burma Birds Vietnam Laos 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2012

However, for a few species, things gets…weird. By bird standards it’s huge and some species go the extra mile like the Argentinian Lake Duck with its over 16 inch long member (when stretched out, is a little longer than the duck itself ). With birds, it’s generally not about quality, it’s about quantity.

Buffalo 279

Buffalo Birds Ducks Eggs 279

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2011

If this sounds good to you, you may wish you were a Wilson’s Phalarope ( Phalaropus tricolor ) or any of the three species of Phalarope. As strange as it may seem, sexual dimorphism and breeding behavior are reversed in these species. They will both work on the scrape and the female will begin to lay her usual four egg clutch.

North America 167

North America Eggs America Breeding 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2023

For birders, the Wolongshan area is like a poorer cousin of Balangshan – due to the lower elevation, the bird species here are more common and thus less interesting. Some Chinese Babax waste part of their lives feeding chicks of Large Hawk Cuckoos, which parasitize the babax species.

Hamburgers 207

Hamburgers Birds Science China 207

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

How do I know of their Gothic moods when they have hidden them so well in an egg-white shell of conformity? And I haven’t even started to write about ageing them … What are your experiences, and what is the colour of the claws on your local gull species? It is the claws that give them away, their black nail polish.

2011 161

2011 Birds Deer Europe 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

You can also see the owl not moving much in a short video. In Alaska, they were found to mimic 30 different species ( source ). Maybe they have decided to boycott species with Russian-sounding names as a way to protest against Putin’s policies. It did not seem to bother the owl much though. Oh, the excitement.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2023

Anyway, in case you are still reading, the main attraction at this hide is Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, which perversely is not featured in this post (it is treated in a separate one, thus grudgingly acknowledging the almost disgusting flamboyance of that species). This species tends to use plenty of hair gel to get the perfect wet look.

Birds 147

Birds Mammals St. Louis Monkeys 147