10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China. Within its European range, it was heavily hunted until the late 19th century, and the Mute Swan was subsequently a very rare bird to encounter in the wild.

Feral 169

Feral Europe Asia North America 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. Carmine bee-eaters occur throughout most of Subsaharan Africa, and many populations migrate widely post breeding.

Africa 263

Africa Gabon Uganda South Africa 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

Leading scientists, conservationists and aviculturalists from Europe and South-east Asia met at Walsrode in Germany recently to formulate a rescue plan. Concern for the future of this species is such that the WPA and BirdLife International-Vietnam Programme are working together to organize immediate action.

Vietnam 154

Vietnam 2000 Germany Asia 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Kinabalu (at 13,455 feet the highest peak in southeast Asia), and human development that has resulted in freshwater rice fields, secondary forest, and oil palm plantations, this means that Borneo offers an incredibly high degree of biodiversity. Borneo, the authors say, is under-birded. I think we need to do something about that.

Brunei 174

Brunei Asia Birds China 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2013

From one side, the reserve is under the attack of spreading arable fields, from another by numerous wind generators and it is no easy task to support the surviving breeding birds within its borders. Shimmering in the distance, Nilgais , the biggest antelopes of Asia, walk by. The main tactic is diversion.

India 239

India Gazelles Pakistan Endangered Species 239

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

European Red Foxes were brought into Australia in the 1850′s for recreational hunting and soon spread rapidly. We have seen them on remote beaches hunting shorebirds and taking their eggs and they have been responsible for much of the egg loss in breeding Pied Oystercatchers along the Broome coast. Rock Doves in Broome.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

In the 70s, with the survival of the species in jeopardy, the entire wild population was captured and brought into a captive breeding program in southern California. In parts of southern Asia the population has plummeted 90% or more, necessitating action from local governments, which thankfully came in the not to distant past.

California Condor 179

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 179

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

The four authors, themselves field ornithologists, conservationists, birders, and writers with years of experience in southeast Asia, researched scientific studies ranging from early 19th-century descriptions of the birds of Java to the latest phylogenomic studies. The maps on the inside front and back covers help a lot.

Indonesia 124

Indonesia Brunei Malaysia Papua New Guinea 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

There are a lot of other large Galliforme birds around the world, and before the Spanish were busy conquering the New World, one of these, from Central Asia most likely, was already being imported as a food product and as live birds into Europe. They may have also had hunting dogs with them as well. This is where they got their name.

Turkey 201

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 201

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

They are also believed to be related to the Rail-Babbler of Tropical Asia. Here local hunters who had known about the colony and for generations had been harvesting the birds by simply picking the adults off their nests during the breeding season.

Sierra Leone 266

Sierra Leone Ghana Equatorial Guinea Cameroon 266

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2024

Surprisingly, the chance of a nest being robbed is greater in the forest interior than close to the road, as three of the four predator species listed above (all except the magpie) prefer hunting there. Research required to determine its feeding ecology and breeding biology.” ” “Breeding Mar–Jun.

Vietnam 212

Vietnam Birds Woodpeckers Bangladesh 212

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

Oriental Pied Hornbills are common enough and probably the most likely hornbill to be seen in many parts of SE Asia, but seeing them at such close quarters and seemingly so relaxed is unusual. Oriental Pied Hornbills by Redgannet. Though Clare K. no longer regularly blogs here on 10,000 Birds he shared his Best Bird of the Year anyway!

2013 167

2013 Costa Rica Birds India 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

The Bar-backed Partridge is a species of partridge found in southwestern China and Southeast Asia. The Bar-backed Partridge was also one of four focal species in an investigation into illegal bird hunting in Southwestern China. Unsurprisingly, it is. If I can give you some advice: Better not be a bird in China.

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2018

Usually when we observe Peregrine Falcons they are hunting shorebirds around the Broome coastline and you don’t always get a chance to see all of their characteristics. The subspecies of Peregrine Falcon that we believe to be visiting Broome would normally breed in the Eurasian Arctic and migrate to South Asia and Africa.

Falcons 113

Falcons Australia Investigation Asia 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

Bang Pra is a reservoir and no-hunting area to the south east of Bangkok. I must confess I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, as the related Australian White Ibis is something of a trash bird in Sydney, but this species is extremely rare in Thailand or for that matter South East Asia.

Thailand 153

Thailand New Zealand Terrapins Asia 153

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). Larry’s BBOTY – Great Gray Owl.

2014 187

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Penguins 187

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

This striking black and white bird is a common sight in the city, even in the central business district, but it is especially common in the park and breeds on the islands in the lakes here. The large ponds were home to great numbers of waterbirds of several kinds, many of which, like the ibis, breed on the islands in the lakes.

New Zealand 171

New Zealand Ducks Australia Japan 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

What the Owl Knows is organized into nine chapters: introduction, adaptation (including vision and flight), research and researchers, vocalization, courtship and breeding, roosting and migration, cognition, and two chapters on owls and humans–captive owls (not zoos, educational owls) and owls in our cultural history.

Owls 207

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 207

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

.” It is a relief to eventually reach the chapter on The Life of Waterfowl, written in a much more conversational style and unashamedly fascinated with waterfowl’s unique breeding behaviors. Hunting: You may have noticed that the Written Species Accounts include a section on hunting. So–not a fan of hunting.

Ducks 117

Ducks Geese North America Hunters 117