article thumbnail

What is the National Bird of the United States?

10,000 Birds

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. No explanation of his decision is known to exist, though he did simply state “The Escutcheon is born on the breast of an American Eagle without any other supporters to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own Virtue.&#

article thumbnail

“The (Big) Year that Flew By: Twelve Months, Six Continents, and the Ultimate Birding Record”

10,000 Birds

He happily commented: “I am now well ahead of Noah’s pace, while I haven’t even started my journey through Africa and, last but not least, the most bird-rich continent of all, South America. Slowly but surely, I start to realize that breaking the world record could become a reality.”

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

Where Are You Birding This Final Weekend of July 2011?

10,000 Birds

I hate to remind you, my teaching friends, but in North America we’re as close to the beginning of a new school year as we are to the end of the last one! Summer, by which I mean practical summer as opposed to natural summer, is just about half-over.

article thumbnail

Shorebirding in Costa Rica

10,000 Birds

Large groups of nighthawks have been seen flying during the day, and other birds that winter in South America are just starting to move through in huge numbers. Counts of anywhere from twenty to eighty Marbled Godwits are standard when birding Chomes or Punta Morales; two of the main shorebird hotspots in Costa Rica.

article thumbnail

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and Who Pays for It

10,000 Birds

Now, in 21st century America, we’re entertaining new considerations, in keeping with our modern understanding of wild animals and conservation. A new willingness among scientists to consider certain moral and ethical implications with respect to wild animals, where previously utilitarian ideas prevailed, including ideas of intrinsic value.

Wildlife 255
article thumbnail

Who cares for your ducks in the winter?

10,000 Birds

Now, I do hope you have stayed with me to this point, because there is a moral to this story: How much do you like your ducks, grebes, sandpipers, and plovers? So, in many cases, their survival depends at least as much on the qualities of wetlands in Latin America. One of these shorebirds is not like the others!

Ducks 126
article thumbnail

Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

The Index lists names, places, birds (by complete common name), and most of the book’s subjects (conservation, cruelty, extinction, morality, but ‘god’ is limited to animal gods). There are two subjects which I think could have been explored more thoroughly–women in ornithological history and colonialism.