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. They are also hunted.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Birkhead, the experienced storyteller who is also Emeritus Professor at the School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, author of multiple scientific articles as well as books of popular science, knows how to make it readable and fun. The difference seems to be that Selous had previously killed birds and she had not.

Dissection 234

Dissection Birds Research Europe 234

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Described in the “Territoriality and aggression” chapter, this is a sublime example of behaviour from the “Understanding Animal Behaviour” by Rory Putman, an Emeritus Chair in Behavioural and Environmental Biology at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. From the behavioural point of view, what has happened?

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

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 ). As it is critically endangered (there are only about 100 left), I think it can be forgiven for killing the occasional Pale Thrush (which is listed as Least Concern).

Birds 221

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 221

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). But it is all for science, I hear them say.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2011

Then, as often happens, a PhD student (one of mine) by the name of Rusty Low came along and proved that the Holocene was full of all sorts of rapid climate change thus killing my beautiful hypothesis with a bunch of ugly facts. Well, imagine raising the sea level 20 meters (and yes, that is more than a little bit possible).

Penguins 209

Penguins Birds Cooking Fish 209

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird? My friend Vickie Henderson , who has some serious long-range vision, looked at the science behind Tennessee’s crane hunting proposal and found it badly wanting. Here’s the petition.

2011 243

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 243