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Birding Hongbenghe, Yunnan (Part 1)

10,000 Birds

This is the home of the Rusty-naped Pitta , admittedly one of the less glamorous of the family, particularly the subspecies found in Yunnan, but still a nice sight and still a pitta. No doubt, the Lesser NLT will be relieved not to be bossed around by its erstwhile bigger family member anymore. ” ( source ).

Burma 206
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Vagrancy in Birds: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

It also summarizes the vagrancy status of every bird family in the whole wide world, which makes it fun to read as well as superbly educational. There are many more factors than I imagined: compass errors, wind drift, overshooting, extreme weather and irruptions, natural dispersal, and human-driven vagrancy.

Birds 261
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Birds and People: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

It’s relatively easy to classify birds into family groups based on physical characteristics. It’s very hard to organize the many ways in which human beings relate to avian beings into comprehensible text. 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.

Birds 218
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Birding Hongbenghe, Yunnan

10,000 Birds

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue.

Birds 147
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The Kookaburra, an Australian Icon

10,000 Birds

Meanwhile across the ditch , my useful column last week explaining how awful oxygen thief Tony Abbott could distract Australia from his flailing incompetence has sadly for him arrived too late and he has been disposed in what Australians mysteriously refer to as a spill. Progress, of a sort. This is a double edged sword for me.

Australia 158
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Revenge Birding (Shanghai, early June 2022)

10,000 Birds

Barn Swallows are a bit unhappy with their image as restless aerial hunters and would like to gain a more stately and dignified profile. The researchers are quite aware of the differences between humans and birds and thus have completely ignored another explanation for this behavior. Accessorizing for birds.

Singapore 147
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Africa’s Big Five and Little Five

10,000 Birds

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. They are harmless to humans and their horns are used for wrestling other males for mating rights. They are called Antlions due to ants being one of their main prey items and “lion” referring to hunter or destroyer.

Buffalo 207