10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. Its range also extends to nearby Madagascar. This colossal bird is now placed in its own family Balaenicipitidae and it forms an ancient link between storks and pelicans.

Africa 248

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 248

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Well, actually the study does not really call these mistletoe nesters stupid – that would be a bit too unkind, apparently – but rather states that “nesting in mistletoe may be maladaptive” Somehow this seems like a good moment to mention the Darwin Awards but as far as I know, they are only given to humans, not to animals.

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

Not, as Linneaus thought, an ostrich, nor even, as later scientists concluded, a distant cousin of pigeons deserving of family rank, it was an honest-to-goodness pigeon, deeply embedded within the family Columbidae. The Dodo lived on Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

Solomon Islands 279

Solomon Islands Guinea Mauritius Humane 279

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2012

It’s actually a member of the family Artamidae, which includes the woodswallows (not actually swallows), the butcherbirds (not actually shrikes) and the peltops (which actually are peltops, since there are no others). A young bird contemplates a future of attacking humans in a funny field.

New Zealand 160

New Zealand Birds Australia Kangaroos 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

While the HBW describes the bulbul family as “often rather plain”, I find them usually quite attractive, though in an understated way that may not appeal to the flashiness-seeking HBW authors. The Black Drongo is a very common member of the family. Going with a Chinese friend or guide is thus recommended.

Birds 173

Birds Woodpeckers Kangaroos Madagascar 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

I have thoroughly explored vast parts of the continent as well as neighboring Madagascar, in the process seeing over 2,000 birds on the continent and all but one Malagasy endemic. Madagascar’s mammals are equally remarkable; over 100 species of endearing lemurs and bizarre carnivores amongst them!

Papua New Guinea 237

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 237