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 173

Arizona Florida Cattle California 173

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 272

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 272

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Or the ones in Arizona that make you feel prety dang satisfied with life? No muddy trails : Muddy trails can’t be helped and you might have to walk on a few to see forest interior species but it’s nice to watch a well-stocked feeder when you get tired of the sticky, tropical mud.

Costa Rica 198

Costa Rica Birds Arizona Woodpeckers 198

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 185

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 185

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2014

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. So what does all this mean — if anything — for how the birds are split or lumped at the species level? So Toews et al. I think it’s unlikely that the Toews et al.

United States 239

United States 2011 Guatemala North America 239