10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There’s a new proposal before the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee to split Painted Bunting into two species (yay! — maybe, more later) and to name the new species “Eastern Painted Bunting” and “Western Painted Bunting” (no!).

Mississippi 278

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 278

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

Hybrids between separate species are rare. But they do spark an interesting and somewhat controversial debate that inevitably leads back to the same old question of what constitutes a species. Suspected hybrids between heron species, whilst extremely rare, have been documented for some time.

Arizona 221

Arizona Florida Cattle California 221

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2014

The photo above is a breeding-plumaged Myrtle Warbler by Kelly Colgan Azar. Write the authors: Near the border of Utah and Arizona there is a transition to a second, deeply divergent mitochondrial DNA clade (Brelsford et al. 2011), which was previously assumed to be geographically restricted to Mexico in the black-fronted warbler.

United States 267

United States 2011 Guatemala North America 267

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 235

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 235