10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2023

Note to other species: better do not rely on mature primary forests, as this may lead to extinction. This says more about my inability to differentiate between warbler species than about the rarity of the bird – but the bird was kindly singing. Also, do not smoke as it is not good for your health.

Birds 130

Birds Raised Cattle Mammals 130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2011

Four families are often recognized: storm-petrels, albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels , and diving-petrels. But several studies suggest that the storm-petrels actually belong in two different families and that diving-petrels are embedded within the rest of the petrels and shearwaters.

Albatross 180

Albatross Penguins Groups New Zealand 180

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

The species is fairly widespread in the Western Pacific, ranging from New Zealand to Japan, and contrary to its name it isn’t actually a true snapper (family Lutjanidae), but is instead a member of the porgy and sea bream family (Sparidae). Possibly due to often being fed!

New Zealand 153

New Zealand Goats Fish Protection 153

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Ackerman surrounds each individual story with background facts and studies on other birds who mimic, play, parasitize nests, engage in complex cognitive routines, parent in unusual ways–presenting a complex mosaic of avian behaviors amongst bird families and the scientific histories of trying to understand them.

Research 222

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 222

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. Remarkably, there are 59 bird families that have very little cultural significance; these are listed in Appendix III.

Birds 213

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

” Writing about owls means writing about roughly 250 species (I counted 245 on the 2022 Clements spreadsheet, but I might have missed a few, and we all know that each classification system is different). These are behaviors that are most likely to vary across species and topics that make for compelling stories.

Owls 210

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 210

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2023

And frankly, the genus name of Eurystomus , or “wide-mouthed”, does not sound that attractive either … But it is a beauty, the Oriental Dollarbird , in line with some of the other members of its family, the Rollers. In a study conducted in Southwestern Japan, dollarbird nestlings first reached a weight of about 160 grams.

Malaysia 130

Malaysia Indonesia Lifestyle Japan 130

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2022

Here in Shanghai, December is the month that a birder’s addiction cannot be satisfied by the increasingly meager assortment of species at Nanhui – we have to go to other places as well. This includes the Common Pochard , a species classified as Vulnerable despite a relatively large population that is, however, declining rapidly.

Birds 212

Birds Chickens Mammals Japan 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2020

If we had been at home and we had all day to bird we would have expected to reach over one hundred bird species on the first day of the year. I started my own list during that walk and I was familiar with the walk and had envisioned which bird species I may see.

Fish 136

Fish Australia Ducks Japan 136

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

The lake was filled with families of Dusky Moorhens and Purple Swamphens (or Pukeko as we call them in New Zealand), all tending small groups of black chicks. Magpie-larks are neither magpies nor larks but are the largest of the monarch-flycatchers, and the most terrestrial of the family.

New Zealand 171

New Zealand Ducks Australia Japan 171

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Several, like the mocker and the hummer, were members of families I hadn’t encountered before, either. It was during this period that I took part in a bird race in Kenya, where I saw 290 species in one day, 442 in two. Thus in 48 hours I’d seen more species of birds than most people see in a lifetime in Britain. Fantastic!

Sri Lanka 233

Sri Lanka Kenya San Francisco Greece 233

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2019

And is that rising sun motif behind the cardinal adding another layer of imperial confusion with a nod to Japan?). It’s a convincing argument, as the caracara – actually a member of the family Falconidae – is far more common in Mexico than any true eagle. .

Rattlesnake 138

Rattlesnake Mexico Eagles Virginia 138

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. The Species Accounts vary in length from one to three pages. The taxonomy is tricky, as Gorman notes in the introduction.

Woodpeckers 242

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 242

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Eighteen-hour trips are the rule and only about four or five hours are spent in the prime area to see the species most birders are hoping to see. Where Hawaii, Japan, and Siberia are just an ocean away. That said, I’ve had some pretty amazing trips over the years. Where the possibilities seem limited only by your imagination.

Whales 110

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 110

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2020

Wenfei Tong’s Bird Love: The Family Life of Birds addresses such topics as courtship, mating systems, raising chicks, sex role reversals, and others. What does Dragan, a world-traveler after birds, like about the Lynx Edicions field guide, Birds of Japan, by Otani Chicara ? Look at that cover!

2020 196

2020 Birds North America Italy 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2023

Plume hunting raged supreme 150 years ago, when egret feathers were part of a worldwide trade in feathers and other bird parts, used for women’s hats and other articles of clothing (but mostly hats), delighting the upper classes and practically wiping out bird species. ©2023, Donna L. But this is not a hagiography.

Connecticut 147

Connecticut Washington Legislation Hunting 147