10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2015

The newest find of this extremely scarce bird was a male, and was “collected” (an innocent-sounding euphemism for “killed”) for the American Museum of Natural History. The justification was ridiculously laughable: in order to further study the species. How it raised its chicks? Or how gracefully it flew? Who its predators were?

Collecting 240

Collecting Wildlife Rehabilitation Solomon Islands Texas 240

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

The idea of Lost Animals was conceived after the publication of Extinct Birds (2001), a 400-page, four-pound book on 75 extinct species. They would pause over them and just gaze, sometimes even raising the book towards their eyes in the vain hope that this action would allow them to see more. Other species are less known.

Animal 270

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 270

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

The USFWS designated the whooping cranes in this population “nonessential and experimental.” What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird? It may be as sick as deliberately targeting an endangered species for death. It flies on.

2011 243

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

We nature lovers, celebrants of life in all its exquisite multiformity, feel more keenly than most the loss of even the most undifferentiated species. Enjoy these eloquent Extinction Week eulogies and regret those species we have lost, if only so we needn’t lose any more. Australia’s extinct and threatened bird species.

Marsupials 173

Marsupials Costa Rica Elephants Cuba 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

Dirt hawking is a form of falconry that involves hunting rabbits and other small game with Harris Hawks (other hawk species also qualify). One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk ) that hunt cooperatively.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

And of course you’ll be keen to keep an eye open for Mantell’s Moa , one of ten species you should see on your tour. This species, the smallest, is endemic to North Island and should be fairly common in the wet lowland forests. Like many of its relatives, this species was also flightless.

New Zealand 211

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 211

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2012

There are at least three species of wildflowers clinging to this cliff by the way. It watched me, calmly, until I sat down about 7 feet away (almost at minimum focusing distance) and we both regarded each other, and I occasionally raised the camera and snapped off another frame. Feather’s from the kill float in the water.

Falcons 169

Falcons Killing Fur Owls 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2013

A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. They raise their trunks, sniffing the air. Sniffing us.

Africa 200

Africa South Africa Elephants Rhinos 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Kills in Canada, Alaska and Mexico are not included in the count. Hunting sandhill cranes in Kentucky is a bad idea from a public relations standpoint, considering the growing cadre of birders and nature enthusiasts for whom cranes are a touchstone species. 18 Responses to “Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?!

2011 254

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 254

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

processed the entire genomes of 48 bird species and compared nearly 42 million base pairs of DNA (Hackett et al. Now we move on to the Neognathae , which also has two very deep branches that lead to all the other living species of birds. Erich Jarvis discuss key findings. ). were revolutionary for using 32,000 base pairs!) This is why.

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2015

Without further ado, here are our Best Birds of the Year for 2015… Jochen makes us all jealous with a bird that most of us would kill to see. During my previous five trips to Indonesia, I only heard but never caught a glimpse of three species. Now my tally stands at four species seen and a fifth heard-only.

2015 188

2015 Costa Rica Birds Sparrows 188

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. The warbler is on the road to being delisted from the Endangered Species List.

Michigan 240

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 240