10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year. As has been the case every time I’ve been to Africa before, I won’t be there just for play. Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once. Conservation Africa Offbeat Birding volunteering' I still have that marker.

Sharks 161

Sharks Uganda New Zealand Africa 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

The Trogon family (and order, since the order only includes one family) is quite widespread, being found in all the tropical (and some subtropical) regions of the world. So far, one third of my weekly outings have involved trogon sightings, with their distinctive calls being heard on a few other trips. Those are good numbers.

Mexico 186

Mexico Indonesia Arizona North America 186

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

For example, I was going to add “no tail” to the list of features above, what all frogs share, when I remembered that there are indeed a small family of Tailed frogs, four species in New Zealand and two in North America (though, the tails are quite tiny). If you don’t live near a science museum, then read this chapter.

Reptiles 186

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 186

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

Mike Unwin, the author, is a British natural history and travel writer who spent eight years living and working in southern Africa; his previous titles include the RSPB Guide to Birdwatching. Each 2-page chapter is designed as a graphic whole, with text and graphics playing off of each other in a wonderfully complementary way.

Albatross 199

Albatross Campaign Protection Birds 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Hugh Powell is a science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And I, like some dowager countess in a birding vest, am expected to know each one’s family at a glance and greet them by name. This is his first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Come to Peru, they said. Scads of Storm-Petrels on Pre-Rally Pelagic – Nature Travel Network.

Peru 254

Peru South America Birds Kenya 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Birkhead, the experienced storyteller who is also Emeritus Professor at the School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, author of multiple scientific articles as well as books of popular science, knows how to make it readable and fun. Colonialism and appropriation of knowledge is discussed in Chapter 6, The New World of Science.

Dissection 224

Dissection Birds Europe Eggs 224

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

Bird communication is a complex and evolving science. Ballantine and Hyman explore how birds communicate and summarize studies on how that communication functions in diverse bird families all over the world. Bird communication is much broader than just vocalization, something I tend to forget.

North America 279

North America Research Birds America 279

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. While hoopoes are in their own family, DNA studies suggest that the hoopoe diverged from hornbills, and the wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills from the hoopoe. Of course, the second explanation makes a lot more sense.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Benin South Africa Birds 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Said Blue-throated Barbet – maybe lacking an altimeter – indeed could be seen very close to its family member at Tongbiguan. Does that mean that families in Florida should on average be larger than in Colorado? This avian marvel, belonging to the family Picidae, is a sight to behold, especially for any dedicated bird lover.

Birds 179

Birds China Woodpeckers Breeding 179

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

Jennifer Ackerman points out in the introduction to What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds , that we don’t know much, but that very soon we may know a lot more. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read. They are also hunted.

Owls 215

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 215

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

They occur in three biogeographic regions; the Neotropic, Afrotropic and Indo-Malaya ecozones, basically tropical South and Central America, Africa south of the Sahara and tropical Asia. The diminutive Tinkerbirds are Africa’s smallest barbets, depicted here is Red-fronted Tinkerbird photographed at Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia 234

Ethiopia Tanzania Uganda Africa 234

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

The reality is that it’s if pretty difficult to see most penguin species, excepting the wonderfully accessible African Penguins at Boulders Beach outside Cape Town, South Africa and the Galapagos Penguins, ironically one of the rarest and most commonly seen species. That’s a lot of books about a bird family that cannot fly.

Penguins 201

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 201