10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

And apart from local people, primate researchers sometimes spot it, but it is a species seen by fewer than ten living birders. The rest of the 216 pages long book is devoted to various African bird families and half a dozen individual species. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

Congo 264

Congo Africa South Africa Madagascar 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

In other words, you can’t say something like, “humans, gorillas, chimps, and bonobos are all in the same family and equally related to each other.” People use the terms “primate” and “monkey” interchangeably, and refer to such things as lemurs as monkeys. Monkey is a common, not scientific, term.

Monkeys 136

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 136

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2013

These large seedeaters (belonging to the weaver family) are so named for the generally black plumage of the adult male, resembling a widow in mourning. The 9 species of whydah are brood-parasitic seedeaters belonging to the Indigobird family. A family of Red-faced Mousebirds take a drink in Namibia. Widowbirds. Sugarbirds.

Papua New Guinea 238

Papua New Guinea South Africa Africa Zimbabwe 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Primates are exceptional among the mammals, living amphibians (which represent only a small part of the original amphibian family tree) are pretty noisy too. One of the key features of birds, and I use the term “key” literally, is vocalization. Very few other vertebrates use sound so socially and so critically.

Groups 169

Groups Collecting Primates Bats 169

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

This was the idea originally proposed to explain unbelievably huge sexual swellings in primates, to let males know who the females are. Birds (or other animals) need to be whacked on the head with some over the top obvious signal of something important or they won’t notice it.

Breeders 200

Breeders Breeding Birds Groups 200

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. If you lay out all the mandibles and maxilla of all the mammals, you could construct a phylogeny that would be a pretty good first stab at a reasonable mammal family tree. That’s what Archaeopteryx is.

Mammals 247

Mammals Europe Groups Family 247

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

The average (responsible) dog-owner does not think of his or her dog functioning on instinct, but as a organism with deep emotional ties to its family that seeks out pleasures and avoids pains… which, fundamentally, is how we people operate. has gained a solid foothold in the scientific community.

Emotional 204

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

These strange birds are two species in their own family; White-necked or Yellow-headed, endemic to the Upper Guinea forests and Grey-necked or Red-headed, restricted to Lower Guinea forests. Official estimates suggest that logging is proceeding at about four million cubic meters per annum – four times the sustainable rate.

Ghana 191

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 191