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Birding Shanghai in February 2023

10,000 Birds

The Latin species name of the Common Greenshank , nebularia , sounds a bit like a science fiction novel to me – however, it means “misty” and apparently is derived from the birds’ misty, marshy habitat (HBW). Like this bird family b. Fortunately, they are quite common in Shanghai. Like bad jokes and c.

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Latest high-level bird taxonomy summarized in recent paper

10,000 Birds

The following points stood out to me: “Metaves,&# a collection of disparate and puzzling birds recently grouped by the position of a few molecules in one nuclear gene, is probably not an actual clade. This group includes the Suliformes , Pelecaniformes (as newly redefined), storks, tubenoses, penguins, loons , and perhaps tropicbirds.

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Terror from the Trees

10,000 Birds

There are currently 10 species of Treecreepers that form the family Certhiidae, nine in the genus Certhia and an additional oddball in another genus, Salpornis. David Sibley (yeah, the one ) recently raised the question visiting birders (particularly from Germany, not so much from the UK – I am told!) I’ll explain.

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A Problem with Gulls

10,000 Birds

To recap however, grouping them by their slight variation in body size between 53 and 67cm in length (21 to 26in): The biggest two are Yellow-legged and Caspian gulls, distinguishable by the presence or absence of brightly-colored (yellow) legs. Dan is an active member of BirdLife Cyprus and goes birding whenever his career and family allow.

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