10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2014

Earlier this afternoon my small family made a drive out to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. Unlike Desi, the researchers involved don’t think the owls are curling up in a nice warm bed in a hut in the woods, but they don’t have much better answers than that, at least not yet. Do it for science! Do it for Bill!

Owls 200

Owls Research Science Collecting 200

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.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2015

Within species, or closely related groups of species, beaks vary by small amounts that result in important adaptive fine tuning, as we see in the Grand’s studies of the Galapagos Finches; Beak related behavior is at the cutting edge of survival for many bird species. See: Four Wings Good Two Wings Better? So how did beaks evolve?

Alligators 207

Alligators Chickens Research Birds 207

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

How to choose bird feeders; how to make nutritious bird food; how to create a backyard environment that will attract birds; how to survey your feeder birds for citizen science projects; how to prevent squirrels from gobbling up all your black oil sunflower seed (sorry, none of that works). million people in the U.S. in 2011*) came about.

America 222

America Industry Squirrels Birds 222

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

The bulk of the book is devoted to heavily illustrated accounts of 35 groups of similar looking birds, offering instructions on how to differentiate species by size, structural features, behavior, plumage pattern and general coloration, habitat use, and vocalization. Gladwell is a good read, but not credible scientific support.

Birds 168

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

This is more than eBird reports–a checklist generated from the citizen science database lists only 1,413 species. But, the numbers are quite large, and the birds organized in groupings that, for the most part, make it an easy process to figure out which Antwren (or Woodcreeper or Seedeater) is which.

Bolivia 168

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

I could go on and on, it’s that kind of a book—a comprehensive treatment of a species we respect and adore, based on the most current research, written in a style that, while factual, is from the author’s viewpoint, flavoring facts with a witty, observant personal quality. Mitochondrial DNA analysis strikes again.

North America 214

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Last month, I wrote about hypothesized relationships between passerines, parrots, falcons, and seriemas , noting a need for further research on the subject. The post stimulated some great discussions but not really any additional commentary on the science behind these proposed relationships. Ringer Suh et al.

Parrots 187

Parrots Falcons Indonesia Rodents 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

The photographs are from VIREO, the ornithological image collection associated with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, which licenses bird photographs to many guides and reference books. Color-coded page headings denote bird groups, matched by color-coded bird silhouette icons located midway down the edge of the page.

North America 278

North America America Birds California Condor 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2016

They used Great T**s from non-urban and urban areas, and mixed them up through breeding, to rule out any possible family history of telomere length. Research done quite a while back suggests that this is adaptive. Researchers have been studying song learning in birds for some time. You are certainly already familiar with this.

Mammals 108

Mammals Zebras Birds Primates 108

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

For example, on finding gulls: Close study of gulls is not for everyone, and birders shouldn’t feel obligated to get deep into it if you prefer colorful, less-confusing, families of birds. But, as we say in the book review world, you can’t keep a critical mind down. And Nate knows that. Actually, I exaggerate. And, it is.).

Birds 262

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

This is essentially a survey of ornithological marine research told in the voice of one of its most passionate and experienced participants. Mostly, as you can probably tell from the last paragraph, I learned how a marine ornithologist thinks, and how challenging this research can be. Who is it for? The penguin fanatics.

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2011

convergent aquatic adaptations of loons and grebes on the morphological side and certain molecular sequences on the DNA side) and that by synthesizing all available information, we can both achieve greater confidence in hypothesized relationships and expose areas needing further research. Mayr names an assemblage of waterbirds Aequornithes.

Madagascar 163

Madagascar Birds Louisiana Groups 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s relatively easy to classify birds into family groups based on physical characteristics. We view them as our enemies when they eat our crops and as an extension of our family when we see them at our feeders. Jonathan Elphick and John Fanshawe provided “specialist research” and support.”

Birds 205

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2019

Clearly, author Phyllis Limbacher Tildes, the author of 24, soon to be 25, children’s books, is also a birder (and a little research brings up a presentation she gave at Ogeechee Audubon, Georgia with the biographical information and she and her family “love watching birds and wildlife seen near their lagoon on Skidaway Island.”

New York City 142

New York City Pelicans Birds New York 142

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

There are over 5,000 species of frogs in existence (5,858 at the time the book was written, the exact number changes as research dictates re-arrangements of taxonomy and new species are discovered). But, within the frog group there is a tremendous range of diversity. If you don’t live near a science museum, then read this chapter.

Reptiles 182

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 182

Animal Person

JUNE 8, 2009

For those who didn't read the five-part Slate series " Pepper, the stolen dog who changed American science " by Daniel Engber , I recommend it for the history, but also for the misconceptions and assumptions that you might want to discuss on the Facebook discussion about the series. Let's deconstruct: Part I: Where's Pepper?

Animal Welfare 100

Animal Welfare Monkeys Animal Welfare Act Vivisection 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

I happen to be particularly fond of turtles because my family has taken care of a small box turtle for 30 years (beware–turtles are extremely low-maintenance pets but will outlast your child’s youth and probably your life). Or that tortoises and terrapins are considered part of the turtle family. Lovich and Whit Gibbons.

Turtles 189

Turtles Tortoises Family Terrapins 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. ’s bird family tree in a new tab and follow along as you read. Columbea is the smaller of the two, and it contains several previously difficult-to-place groups.

Family 279

Family Parrots Birds 2014 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

UNLESS that is you get yourself down to the internationally-renowned Tambopata Research Centre in southern Peru where literally hundreds of macaws (and other parrots) congregate around a 50 meter high clay bank. The clay consumed at the colpa contains chemicals that bind with these ingested alkaloids thus neutralizing their toxicity.

Peru 254

Peru Parrots 2011 Research Center 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

And they were intrigued and they had questions, lots of questions, more questions than could be answered by a field guide or a social media group. Each spread consists of a full-page painting of a bird or group of birds on the left and a combination of text and illustrations on the right. copyright @2020 by David A llen Sibley.

2020 262

2020 Birds Groups North America 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

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.

2011 157

2011 Cyprus Deer Species 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

The single greatest challenge facing any book of science writing is balance. Otherwise, there would be no science writing, everyone would just go straight to the journals. ” or “What about…?” They are right, I think, in saying it is perverse that we can kill crows but not coddle them.

Humane 139

Humane Emotional Stray Dog Science 139

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. But it is utterly bewildering to me to see news reports about this recent science that read “… An icon knocked from its perch&# or “Archaeopteryx no longer first bird.&# What evolved into what?

Mammals 240

Mammals Europe Groups Family 240

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Seabirds are one group of birds that go for the latter strategy. A few families have a small number of eggs in the clutches, like gulls or cormorants. Some birds pump em out by the dozen in the hope that at least one or two survive. Others invest much more effort into fewer young, giving a smaller number a much better start.

Eggs 163

Eggs Puffins Breeding Raised 163

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2011

Way back when I started what turned out to be my thesis research (on humans), it became important for me to learn about bird migration. I was involved in the study of human movement and navigation on land, and there was a lot of research coming out about bird navigation. Itcher birds, migratory members of the tern family.

Research 187

Research Humane Compassion New York 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

For my new book, due out in 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I’ve been researching sandhill crane hunting. Sincerely, Julie Zickefoose Tags: cranes , sandhill crane hunting , sandhill cranes • Camping tents - Check out our pop up tents , family tents , and more! Or These Blasts From The Past What’s In A Name?

2011 239

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

I am not sure about the security situation in Iraq these days but at least some people do ornithological research there – resulting in papers such as one titled “Breeding observations of the Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines , 1789) in Iraq” Impressive. Like this bird family b. Like bad jokes and c.

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

At least in the northeastern United States, their rate of so doing is high, according to research I summarized here. Then I spotted an easy and obvious one, the Black-eared Wheatear , while the group climbing the steep hillside found the Rock Nuthatch , as well as the Rock Sparrow , striped, pale and indescribable.

2015 180

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 180

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2018

Describing gull plumage is a combination of science, graphic art, and visual metaphor. I suppose this works with such a small family, but it made my librarian brain ache just a little bit. He notes in the Acknowledgements that photographs were obtained by the publishers initially, and then by requests to gull-oriented Facebook groups.

2004 142

2004 North America America Europe 142

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

Science and Conservation , the second section, presents two-page summaries of the diverse research being done around the world about penguins. An interesting way of presenting images resulting from a group project; one that makes us think about the subject rather than the creator. I like it, but I also feel frustrated by it.

Penguins 191

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 191