10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

In its natural old-world range, the House Sparrow offers an interesting identification challenge and has vagrant potential since it is a polytypic species with a highly complex taxonomy. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas.

Sparrows 214

Sparrows Italy Kyrgyzstan Asia 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

But first, not thinking of proper research, I made no difference between questions, nor were the mentioned destinations really visited or only dreamed about. Yet, the fact that tiny Panama is as popular as huge Brazil, with twice as many bird species, speaks volume for Brazil’s stage of ecotourism development. 8%: Brazil, Panama.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

In 2012, I reviewed The Jewel Hunter , an absorbing narrative in which author Chris Goodie travelled throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia to observe and photograph every Pitta species in the world. Hummingbird species, on the other hand, number in the hundreds. Is all that material on Selkirk needed?

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Bolivia Ecuador 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2022

In Europe, most of them winter south of the Sahara but an increasing share winters north of it – which sounds like an interesting research topic for people who, ahem, find such topics interesting. It is rumored that one of the researchers later became a software developer. No need to remind us all the time.

Cattle 147

Cattle Portugal Buffalo Alaska 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2016

The species, which migrates from the Russian Arctic to Southeast Asia, is down to about 200 breeding pairs in the wild, due to habitat loss and poaching. First, wildlife officials in Louisiana announced the first successful wild Whooping Crane nest in that state since 1939. Now, it’s Spoon-billed Sandpipers’ turn.

Louisiana 190

Louisiana Eggs Breeding Asia 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

Just last year, 5 new bird species and 5 new subspecies were discovered in a few short weeks of fieldwork on the islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka. In recent years Indonesia has been competing with the Andes as the region giving rise to the biggest number of undescribed bird species (naturally, all of them endemics).

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. It seems that this is another species for which the standard phrase of scientists anywhere, “more research needed”, applies.

Myanmar 147

Myanmar Birds China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

These bark-burrowing beetles, which apparently hitched a ride in cargo shipments from their native Asia, have been starving the ash trees of eastern and midwestern North America to death for a dozen years now. … Here at 10,000 Birds 20 July – 26 July is Invasive Species Week.

Woodpeckers 273

Woodpeckers Illinois Chicago Kentucky 273

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2015

For a long time it was treated as a subspecies of the ubiquitous Black Kite, a species of scavenging bird of prey much hated by my grandfather (they used to steal food from troops during the war, if memory serves). A valuable lesson in looking twice at the ubiquitous species. And as you can see, they are pretty good looking too.

South Africa 160

South Africa Africa Botswana Wolves 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

Not bad given that the 5 families in the inner circle of the laughingthrush family have a combined number of about 68 species. ” Fortunately, most of these researchers could be taken off their antidepressants after proper sound recording was invented. 36, if my counting is right and there has been no very recent split or lump.

San Diego 204

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 204

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2015

A new paper out this month attempts to paint the most comprehensive picture yet of the origins and diversification of the American sparrows, wood-warblers, blackbirds, cardinals, tanagers, and their kin, an enormous group of birds more than 800 species strong. The paper is by leading researchers F. Keith Barker, Kevin J.

Sparrows 250

Sparrows North America South America Blackbirds 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Admittedly, I might be tempted to compare Temminck’s, Buettikofer’s, Horsfield’s, Abbott’s, or Vanderbilt’s Babblers to Audubon’s, Townsend’s, Kirtland’s and MacGillivray’s Warblers by pointing out that dull scientists went to Asia while more colourful personalities went West.

Vietnam 159

Vietnam Timor Myanmar Asia 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2015

Recent research however has shown it to be more closely linked to Ardea -herons. You see, the Great (White) Heron/Egret is a polytypic species with four subspecies: alba in Europe, egretta in the Americas, melanorhynchos in Africa, and modesta in Asia and Oceania. Just so you know.

Asia 178

Asia Europe Germany Breeding 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago covers 1,417 species, 601 endemics, 98 vagrants, 8 introduced and 18 undescribed species. The archipelago consists of 17,000 islands stretching out over 2500 miles along the Equator with a varied history of avian research and study, most on the under- or not-studied side. Co-author Frank E.

Indonesia 124

Indonesia Brunei Malaysia Papua New Guinea 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Starting in the mid-1990s, there was a “where to watch birds in…” series of five site guides written by Nigel Wheatley and covering South America (1994), Africa (1995), Asia (1996), Europe & Russia (2000) and Central America & the Caribbean (2001). Species accounts for all 2,792 bird species. Well, I have to agree.

Africa 168

Africa Botswana Nigeria Namibia 168

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

Photo by Adam Riley (Rockjumper Birding Tours) Despite initial appearances, these birds are in fact very large passerines (13-16 in) and research has shown them to be an ancient basal offshoot from the passerine evolutionary tree. They are also believed to be related to the Rail-Babbler of Tropical Asia.

Sierra Leone 266

Sierra Leone Ghana Equatorial Guinea Cameroon 266

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

The fins are then utilized in a wide variety of ways, especially in areas of Asia. For example, shark fin soup is a delicacy in most of Asia, especially China. Claims for shark fins include relieving joint pain and curing cancer, though no research is available to back any of these claims.

Sharks 100

Sharks Asia Endangered Species Hunters 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

When I read somewhere that Pygmy Geese were not actually geese at all I started doing some research. African Pygmy Geese are one of a number of waterfowl species that have a rather misleading name So where does that leave the Pygmy Geese, of which there are three distinct species? But they are not just any ducks.

Geese 179

Geese Ducks Botswana Madagascar 179

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I do not get too many comments on my blog posts, but it seems that whenever I write about jacanas – whether in Africa, Australia, or Asia – there is an unusually high number of reactions (well, maybe one or two rather than the usual zero) from female readers. This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway).

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandoning 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

Mai Po Nature Reserve : world famous locale for shorebirds, waterfowl, waders, and wetland birds; wintering grounds for certain endangered species. The combination of these scheduled and informal birding efforts culminated in an amazing 135 species seen, many of which were lifers for me! Do your research. SPECIES LIST.

2014 212

2014 Eagles Asia China 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

.” The Wels Catfish, Silurus glanis , is the second largest fish in its range, which covers much of Europe and parts of West Asia. It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. It is sometimes known as the European Catfish.

Fish 202

Fish Whaling Whales France 202

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2014

Many of these migratory shorebirds will be heading into the Arctic to breed and some will make a stopover in Asia on their way to their breeding grounds. I knew very little of Lake Komuke and so while I waited for a reply from Japan I did some research into the area and it is an important area for a variety of birds.

Japan 173

Japan 2012 Taiwan China 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 201

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 201

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Originally from India and the vicinity, it is believed that they had already undergone two major expansions – through Asia Minor in the 1600s, and then across Europe in the 1900s – when they first appeared in North America. Especially of all the species that had been introduced to the US. Get yours today!

Montana 134

Montana 2011 Bahamas Deer 134

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

Among these white-headed/dark-winged gulls formerly lumped into the genus Larus , there were 18+ recognized species the last time I checked, sharing similarities that make telling them apart for the amateur birdwatcher very difficult. 1998), then the proper name for this species is L. fuscus – should be separated as species.

2011 157

2011 Cyprus Deer Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

This species is not only usually the earliest, but the most common. What’s remarkable about this species is what we don’t see here: the extremely long migration that this species makes, with some individuals traveling from Sub-Saharan Africa to Greenland and back every year. Get yours today!

Cyprus 145

Cyprus 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2024

Kind of an innocent version of tropical China, but I guess that is a rather naive view … Most birders coming here presumably do not have babblers as their main targets, even though there are quite a few species here, and some of them are quite attractive as well. Take the Scaly-crowned Babbler , with its chestnut crown.

Vietnam 212

Vietnam Birds Woodpeckers Bangladesh 212

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Furthermore, the total population in Hemis National Park is estimated at 50-60 individuals, making the park an important genetic reservoir for this species which is classified on the IUCN’s Red Data List as Endangered. However most recent research places them amongst the Panthera. Monasteries such as this abound in the vicinity of Leh.

Snow Leopard 279

Snow Leopard Leopards Hunting Sheep 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

Published by Princeton University Press in early 2016, Waterfowl of North America, Europe, and Asia (I’m going to use this shortened title for the rest of the review), covers 83 species of Anseriformes–ducks, geese, and swans–of, yes, Europe, Asia and North America. Plate 29, Mallard and Mexican Duck.

North America 147

North America Asia Europe America 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2013

I also pulled three species of tailorbird along with Asian Glossy Starling , Black-naped Oriole , and White-bellied Sea-Eagle en route. The wetlands actually host a much higher diversity of shorebirds, but many of the more exotic sandpipers and the many other plover species had come and gone before mid-December.

Singapore 135

Singapore Zebras Zoos Owls 135

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2020

The speaker turned out to be Tim Laman, and the topic was the incredible research he and Ed Scholes had spent years doing on birds of paradise in New Guinea. The introductory material is organized and written clearly, giving both background on the bird families and an explanation of how species-level is organized in the next two sections.

Guinea 262

Guinea Papua New Guinea Birds Family 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2021

Instead, I want to talk about those bird species that look like being drawn by a talented cartoonist even when in fact it is just me having taken a photograph. In Europe, further research into Larsonidae is necessary before any conclusive statements can be made. In Africa, Larsonidae are represented by the African Penguin.

China 228

China Birds Penguins Asia 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

Which made the rest of the trip a bit of a waiting period for contracting covid … Apparently, the Large Niltava is Asia’s largest flycatcher. Even in China’s slightly more remote provinces, one is never far away from species with treacherously pornographic names such as Japanese Tit. End of side note).

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2019

Perhaps you don’t know it yet, but with more than 1000 bird species, palm-fringed sandy beaches, developed tourism infrastructure, moderate prices and political stability, Thailand is a country you definitively want to visit. Among them are 20 endemics and near-endemics, and 58 vagrant species. And what do you need to pack?

Thailand 186

Thailand Zambia Asia Birds 186

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

For this reason, the species is evaluated as Vulnerable.” The Rufous-tailed Robin used to be called Swinhoe’s Robin but apparently, somebody decided that there were already too many bird species (6, according to the HBW) named after him. The Eurasian Hobby was another notable raptor of the month.

Birds 195

Birds China Eggs Owls 195

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

These characteristics (well, not the pagoda, I guess) make it an interesting location for birdwatching in Shanghai, with some species that are difficult to find elsewhere. Presumably, the species is not too proud of its crest (HBW: “short, pointed crest usually depressed and not visible”). I swear it wasn’t me.

China 160

China Hawaii Asia Hunting 160