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Caspian Gull: The continental gull

10,000 Birds

Amongst all the species that were split off the Herring Gull, the Caspian Gull is my favourite one, and its existence alone is our fair reward for the identification crisis we had to endure during the dark ages of the 1990s. This area – roughly – is the most continental landscape on earth.

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What is Mexico’s National Bird?

10,000 Birds

In fact, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology , “The Golden Eagle is the most common official national animal in the world – it’s the emblem of Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan.” The oldest known Golden Eagle was over 30 years old, and as a species they prefer open and semi-open landscapes.

Albania 101
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Siberian Chiffchaff in the Altai Mountains

10,000 Birds

The Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita is an abundant species with an impressive global range that stretches from the West of Europe across Siberia to Russia’s far East, just falling short of reaching the Bering Straits by a laughable 800 kilometres, a fact one individual apparently found too awkward to bear. canariensis ).

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The Hidden Qualities of House Sparrows

10,000 Birds

In its natural old-world range, the House Sparrow offers an interesting identification challenge and has vagrant potential since it is a polytypic species with a highly complex taxonomy. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas.

Sparrows 215
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Of Snowflake Birds and the Cold War

10,000 Birds

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. Yes, in the face of all the human tragedy the Cold War caused it may seem a miniscule aspect, but to a young boy who was passionate about birds, it wasn’t. This made me truly sad.

Europe 100
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NYT Equine Thought Experiment

Animal Person

The New York Times presents us, this morning, with "Equine Alternative" regarding the recent discovery that horses decided to allow themselves be domesticated by humans for our mutual benefit, earlier than we had thought (3500 BC, and we preciously thought it was more like 2500 BC). The Botai did not just herd horses for meat.

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Polygynandry and avian swingers

10,000 Birds

These Blasts From The Past Striped Basilisk Lizard Lore Herps in Rockland County and Orange County Diamondback Terrapin at Jamaica Bay The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) Lizards of Kazakhstan About the Author Dale Forbes Dale got his first pair of binoculars for a very early birthday after his dad realized that it was the only way to be left in peace.

2011 210