10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews.

South Africa 214

South Africa Malaysia Africa China 214

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2015

A new paper out this month attempts to paint the most comprehensive picture yet of the origins and diversification of the American sparrows, wood-warblers, blackbirds, cardinals, tanagers, and their kin, an enormous group of birds more than 800 species strong.

Sparrows 243

Sparrows North America South America Blackbirds 243

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The text goes far beyond just those two birds, however, as Doug works his way through the puzzles presented by the incredibly wide diversity of bird behavior, even within species, citing current research and new and old theories, reasoning out the most likely and unlikely answers. The six middle chapters are my favorite reading. ” (p.

Science 203

Science Albatross Research Birds 203

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

However, there are those species which have a hard time bringing attention to themselves such as Yellow-shouldered Blackbird , Giant Nuthatch , and Vinaceous-breasted Parrot. Regardless of their popularity, these species and the threatened ecosystems they inhabit are equally spectacular. Curassows are such stately birds.

Brazil 205

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 205

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

At mid-life crisis, the mother, Lili, decides to leave her husband (Gabe’s father) and return to take up farming on her family estancia in eastern Uruguay, far from the delights of Montevideo where most of her rambunctious, rollicking family resides, overseen, not always approvingly, by Gabe’s quirky abuela. Gabe agrees to come along.

Uruguay 152

Uruguay 2001 Bald Eagle Science 152

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2021

Even so, he still knew many species and always yearned to learn about the wildlife he encountered. Groups them by family too and by their shape” His extra long arm extended and passed me that precious book. The remaining four species are the most grouse-like of the bunch. “Check it out!”

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Chickens Pennsylvania Litter 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

You’d think that dressing in green to hide from predators inside a dense rainforest is as a strategy as plain as day, yet only a surprisingly limited number of bird species on Borneo have ventured down that evolutionary road. Interestingly, the females are more varied between the species and are far more readily identified.

Indonesia 162

Indonesia Birds Asia Groups 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

I had taken the short drive to the park to search for a family of American Dippers sighted near the visitor center by a fellow birder a few days before. I didn’t know what species of woodpecker it was, but I knew it was just in the clearing on the other side of the road. It was July of 2012. It was a cool 48 degrees. Version 1.0.

Woodpeckers 169

Woodpeckers California South Dakota Chad 169

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

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

This lucky youngster from Massachusetts has almost 300 ticks, but just added his favorite— a Great Gray Owl his supportive family drove hundreds of miles to glimpse. contemplating the pretty blue eggs are American Robins are soon to lay is a good coping strategy.). And as a ferocious storm bears down on much of the northern U.S.,

Massachusetts 100

Massachusetts Eggs Falcons Rights 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

I was surprised that this species is named for its vocalization – which sounds like laughter. For example, the Diamond Dove is the world’s second-smallest species of the columbidae order ( source ). The Latin species name haematonotus (“blood-backed”) sounds a bit more exciting but not necessarily more accurate.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

A family motel and passion for responsible ecotourism brought her home to the Oregon Coast where she and her husband, Erik, adventure and record a podcast ( Hannah and Erik Go Birding ), created in an effort to inspire others to get out and bird. Marion has a fascinating history with invasive species. Just get rid of the mice.

South Africa 261

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 261

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

This species are long living and so the population appears to be sustainable at this stage despite the predation. The Pied Oystercatchers are actually incredibly predictable when it comes to the dates that they lay eggs, the locations that they choose and the various strategies that each pair use in order to protect their young.

Breeding 158

Breeding Eggs Camels Raised 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

The Edwards’s Pheasant is a rather smart blue-black member of the pheasant family and it may be on the edge of extinction. It has recently been reclassified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List; this category is reserved for only the most threatened species in the world.

Vietnam 153

Vietnam 2000 Germany Asia 153

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

Illustrated by Chandler’s mainly excellent photos, the book shows about 180 species, or some 80 % of the total. Basically, it is an overview of the world’s 226 shorebird (in Europe: wader) species (following the IOC checklist), proceeded by essays on their plumages and behavior. What is it, then? Have you ever heard of it?

Botswana 114

Botswana 2017 Groups Europe 114

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. It was during these long evening sessions that I allowed my mind to wander to far-away destinations, making plans and coming up with strategies on how to see them all with a minimum amount of trips.

Europe 100

Europe Birds Kazakhstan Russia 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2012

SUPER STARLINGS Tanzania plays host to a wide variety of Starlings, over twenty species in fact. Singularly beautiful as individuals but glared at by many a birder for their stubborn survival streak which can play havoc with the delicate nesting strategies of pre-established locals. I could watch scenes like this all day.

Tanzania 173

Tanzania Chickens Blackbirds California 173

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2011

Sometimes called “Poor-me-ones&# on account of their haunting calls, these bizarre denizens of the night come in 7 different flavors from the family Nyctibiidae within the order Caprimulgiformes. This is an adaptation that it shares with other potoo species, as shown in Corey’s photo of a roosting Great Potoo.

Costa Rica 231

Costa Rica Jamaica Eggs Cooking 231

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. Each pair has a strategy and sometimes it is successful and sometimes it is not. Family of five-adult Pied Oystercatchers on the right.

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Because when we look at the birds that make up the family Sulidae – not just the tropical boobies, but their burly temperate-zone cousins the gannets as well – we see a pretty incredible group of birds. And what is that foraging strategy? Nazca Booby, by Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela. Red-footed Booby, by Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela.

Birds 191

Birds Buffalo New York Pelicans 191

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way. Bicolored Antbird.

San Diego 182

San Diego South America Costa Rica America 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2013

As bad as a cold, wet, and windy Memorial Day Weekend is for people it is even worse for birds, especially species that rely upon flying insects for sustenance. So while the rest of my family slept in I nipped out to the park this morning to see how the swallows were doing. Strong wind and lots of rain has only added to the misery.

Suffering 178

Suffering New York City United States New York 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Both the male and female of the species have a bright red crown. Most Acorn Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders and live in family groups of up to a dozen or more individuals. Acorn Woodpeckers are the only species to store individual nuts in holes drilled in granaries. Click on photos for full sized images.

Woodpeckers 183

Woodpeckers Breeders Groups North America 183

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 211

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 211

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

Well, they weren’t so much of a flock as they were a group of birds all following their own foraging strategy in the same area. Later in the season more species show up. Black-necked Stilt is one of those species that needs no explanation for their common name. No, make that two Lucy’s Warblers !

Las Vegas 195

Las Vegas Nevada Birds Blackbirds 195

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

They are two strikingly different strategies, both of which seem to working well this spring, as everywhere one turns there is new life on the Tundra. Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south. They are born nearly naked, with the odd tuft of down, blind, and helpless.

Eggs 183

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa).

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

As mentioned in many other posts on this blog, the avifauna of Trinidad & Tobago consists of several species and family groups occurring very interestingly, in threes. Short-tailed Nighthawk (above and below) Overall, this species seems to be poorly known, which is understandable given its habits. Well, kind of.

Trinidad 130

Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

In China, wherever there is one real tourist attraction (like the Great Wall), the local strategy seems to be to add some fake attractions – replicas of palaces or tombs, amusement parks, shopping centers – in order to maximize the income from tourists. But the starting point has to be a real attraction, not a fake one.

China 216

China Birds Pythons Eagles 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 277

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

The latter is half the size of the Grey, but with its stout beak and prominent eyes shows a distinct family likeness. Note the family likeness to the Grey Plover, with big head and large eyes Brancaster is always a reliable site for Black-tailed Godwits, but when I first arrived there were none to be seen. A Ringed Plover.

Geese 174

Geese Russia Breeding Unwanted 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

The vast majority of the 10,000+ living species of birds are passerines, and the vast majority of those have a similar system of breeding: Mom and dad bird make a nest and share parental responsibilities roughly equally, if not identically. It turns out that the two strategies may be related.

Breeders 194

Breeders Breeding Birds Groups 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Rather, cladistics is a way of looking at the process of evolution of species.

Monkeys 132

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 132

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

One of the less well remembered awful things that happened in the Second World War (a six year period of history filled with an uncountable number of awful things) is that war’s direct role in the extinction of two species of rail. The loss of these two species was, in fact, no aberration, except in how late the extinctions were.

Hawaii 196

Hawaii Mammals Guam Fiji 196

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2022

Gisela Kaplan has written a book about the species, and how they seem unperturbed by humans: “It’s one of their most successful defense strategies. ” The Australasian Swamphen used to think of itself as a subspecies of the Purple Swamphen but then started a self-improvement program and ended up as a full species.

Birds 216

Birds Australia Ducks Mountain Goats 216

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

The species that manage to colonize these islands evolve in competition with relatively few other species, developing survival strategies based on interdependence, co-evolution, and mutualism rather than adapting to deal with a broad range of predators and competitors. A species, wiped off the earth, never to exist again.

Cuba 237

Cuba Parrots Collecting Columbus 237

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 224

Ducks Groups Species North America 224