10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2020

Dollarbirds left Broome earlier this year to return to Asia. They had arrived from Asia and were being chased away by Torresian Crows. This line gets used every day by many bird species. It remains on the power line waiting for a mate to arrive from Asia. So much has happened in the world in their absence from Australia.

Asia 278

Asia Australia Eggs Raised 278

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

It was also great to finally travel overseas again, meet a lot of people I did not know (and some I did), to be in a new country… and not just the new country, but its best birding area, where almost all local hotspots are yellow (150+ species) and several are ochre (200+ sp.), impressive for Central Europe.

Austria 299

Austria Factory Asia Battery 299

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 244

Sparrows Italy Kyrgyzstan Asia 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

850 illustrations by Tomasz Cofta are both accurate and stunning, and 2,400 photos by Michal Jakuj and 189 other photographers from Europe and Asia are good documentary shots. Each species is described only by features that may (although not always) be seen in flight; those impossible to notice in flight are omitted. And the result?

Europe 262

Europe Asia Cyprus Turkey 262

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. Like the Adjutants in Asia and Jabiru of the Americas, the Marabou is our bare-headed scavenging stork.

Africa 249

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 249

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. I’d really like to see a Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo (South-East Asia), while to see any of the Madagascan couas would be pretty cool (there’s 11 of them). I reckon I’ve seen around 60 or them, which still leaves a lot to go.

Cyprus 242

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 242

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Due to habitat encroachment and environmental degradation in its traditional home base of Asia, the bird’s worldwide population has dropped to roughly 20,000 individuals, marking it as a Vulnerable species. The world’s biggest flying bird—the Sarus Crane , with a maximum of height of 6 feet/1.8 meters—has had a rough go of it.

Thailand 252

Thailand Asia Hunters Species 252

Critter News

DECEMBER 29, 2008

A breeding program in Malaysia will attempt to breed a rescued Borneo Sumatran rhino in order to save the endangered species. Experts cannot confirm how many Borneo Sumatran rhinos remain in the wild, but estimates range from 10 to 30 individuals, many of them isolated from others in their species.

Rhinos 100

Rhinos Malaysia Species Wildlife Reserve 100

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.

Sparrows 274

Sparrows North America South America Blackbirds 274

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

JULY 5, 2013

The project seems to be just as much about the process as about the product, since the coloring sessions were wonderful teachable moments that got kids enthused about saving this Critically Endangered species. With population estimates in only the triple digits, these special shorebirds need all the help they can get.

Asia 156

Asia Thailand Russia Endangered Species 156

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. We have both resident and migratory species, and this post will briefly discuss each of the 20 species of African bee-eaters.

Africa 266

Africa Gabon South Africa Uganda 266

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews.

South Africa 261

South Africa Malaysia Africa China 261

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

Birders normally care about species and make species lists, how do families fit into those? Adding more species brings a lot of excitement, as long as you bird your own country or a continent. 11,000 species require lots of money and a good portion of one’s life. That gamble is rigged, so the house always wins.

Family 299

Family Birds South America Breeding 299

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2023

Before my first trip to the tropics many years ago I always wondered how is it even possible that new bird species are discovered with all the deforestation and general habitat obliteration going on all over the world. I mean, we as a species are today basically everywhere. But still new species are found.

Solomon Islands 242

Solomon Islands Ecuador Colombia Rats 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. Trogons and quetzals are an ancient, colorful bird family that occurs in forests and other wooded habitats from the American tropics to Africa to Southeast Asia. So let’s look at this sampler, shall we?

America 264

America Arizona North America Texas 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

With binoculars around my neck, I am leaving home, wondering which will be the first species on my year list. By contrast, the wild Rock Pigeon, Columba livia livia , is an ill-numbered species that I have seen only a few times, in mountain gorges or Mediterranean islands, further away from villages. New Year’s Day 2014.

Feral 260

Feral Meat Serbia Species 260

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

Shimmering in the distance, Nilgais , the biggest antelopes of Asia, walk by. Hunting and disturbance, deterioration, fragmentation and destruction of habitat were the forces behind the decline of this, once widespread species, making it Critically Endangered on the IUCN Global Red List. The main tactic is diversion. Males reach 1.2

Gazelles 264

Gazelles India Pakistan 2012 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2012

The study was conducted on a population of Striated Munias, Lonchura striata, but it would seem that they are not the only species to take advantage of the body-building power of algae. White-backed / Striated Munia Lonchura striata Munias or mannikins (but not manakins), are small, seed-eating finches from Africa, Asia and Australia.

Asia 212

Asia Feral Breeding Africa 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

The Rose-ringed Parakeet naturally occurs in two isolated areas: a thin strip across Africa just south of the Sahara, and south Asia where it is mostly found in India with smaller ranges in adjacent countries. Rather, it originates from the white-hot evil fire that is the soul of an invasive, alien species hell-bent on destruction and mayhem.

Germany 254

Germany Netherlands Zoos Costa Rica 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2013

To all but the greediest rice and spirulina farmers of Southeast Asia, any member of the genus Lonchura is a joy to watch. The munias, or mannikins, or silverbills, as the genus’ members are called, are finches belonging to the Estrildidae , and the 40-odd species range from Africa throughout South and Southeast Asia to Australia.

Indonesia 185

Indonesia Asia 2012 Africa 185

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Black-bellied Plover: Known as Grey Plover in Europe and Asia. Grey-tailed Tattler: I already made fun of this poor species in my last post. Cuckoo species (Common?): As this is a coastal place, there are of course lots of waders, in larger numbers, and more variety than in Shanghai. Point for American birders, I am afraid.

China 301

China Birds Asia Fish 301

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

We saw a lot of great birds but only one truly rare one, a species that everyone on that trip will long remember. Unfortunately for me, that special species spotted in the bay separating Hong Kong from China was Red-breasted Merganser. I don’t want my Best Bird of the Weekend to be Red-breasted Merganser while I’m in Asia.

2014 211

2014 Feral Asia China 211

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2014

It’s perhaps an easy one for many people to overlook, since they don’t occur in Europe or the Americas, but visit a patch of forerst or bush in Asia or Africa and there should be one or two species around. Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush ( Rhinoichla treacheri ).

Malaysia 216

Malaysia Squirrels Asia Africa 216

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

Most endemic species in Borneo are either found across the whole island or are restricted to upland areas in the central and northern mountains.But there are a handful of species that are found in the lowlands of Sabah but not across the rest of the island. I have encountered this sister species, insofar as I heard one once.

Asia 202

Asia Species Birds 202

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

Oriental Plovers Charadrius veredus are a species of shorebird that we see in varying numbers around Broome and they may be on the beach, feeding on insects across the plains or at the ephemeral lakes. During February there have been astonishingly high numbers some years and this has been as a result of insect activity.

Mongolia 200

Mongolia Asia China Shelters 200

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2012

I also know the field guides I use very well, and I know where to find which bird species in the book. You see, the species in my field guides, as in the vast majority of field guides everywhere, are in taxonomic order. Then came April, and with it my first ever trip to South-East Asia.

Indonesia 256

Indonesia Family Asia Groups 256

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2015

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. But we’re far from done with the confusion.

Asia 197

Asia Europe Germany Breeding 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

And, to give his dream year a little more oomph, he created a grand once-in-a-lifetime goal: to track down and see every pitta species in the world in one year. I get my own idea of the lunacy of Gooddie’s quest when I talk to a friend who has birded Asia and Africa. I’m reading a book about a man who is doing a Pitta Big Year,” I say.

Hunters 218

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 218

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant. The little – the two species of black Buffalo Weavers obtain their appellation from their dark coloration that resembles their fearsome namesake.

Rhinoceros 230

Rhinoceros Buffalo Leopards Elephants 230

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2023

Yet, I was not aware of any of Arjan’s big year updates in English, so I had no clue where he was or how many species he managed to see. After 3 months of South and Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Australia, Arjan’s count stood at 2,060 species. And I wanted to learn about his travels in detail.

Papua New Guinea 264

Papua New Guinea Guinea Suriname Brazil 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2012

There are two species in the Old World woodpecker genus that sounds like birds that birders would never be able to see. Eurasian Wrynecks are found breeding across the temperate zones of Europe and Asia. They migrate to warmer climes in Africa and south Asia to winter.

Hungary 181

Hungary Asia Woodpeckers Africa 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2020

This means that every year, millions of birds fly by the city on their way between their breeding grounds in Northern Asia and their wintering spots in Southeast Asia and Australia. In addition, some vulnerable bird species such as the Reed Parrotbill live in Shanghai year-round and rely on the reedbeds for survival.

Wildlife Reserve 187

Wildlife Reserve Asia China Factory 187

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2013

The Hypocolius (sometimes styled as Grey Hypocolius , Hypocolius ampelinus ) is a fruit-eating, migratory bird of southwest Asia. Its genus name refers to supposed similarities between it and the African mousebirds , and its species name refers to waxwings. Here’s the only known video footage of that species: Kauai Oo.

Saudi Arabia 242

Saudi Arabia 2008 Indonesia Colombia 242

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2021

Other species probably breeding here – judging from their presence in pairs during the summer months – include Black-winged Cuckooshrike … … Black-naped Oriole … … Lesser Coucal … … And Pied Kingfisher. As a consequence, it was felt that the bird’s name needed to be changed.

Cats 252

Cats Kittens Birds Transported 252

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2013

At the time this post goes live I’ll be wandering around Hong Hong in a bemused state of mind trying to identify not only the native birds but the multitude of other species released by the inhabitants into the area. The Brown-headed Gull is a bird of Asia, breeding from Turkmenistan to Mongolia, and winters along the coasts of Asia.

Turkmenistan 160

Turkmenistan Mongolia Asia Europe 160

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

His obsession with all things feathered has led him to visit 20 countries around the world in the pursuit of thousands of different species of birds to watch, photograph, and enjoy. On Hokkaido there are three primary species that people go to see in the winter – the Big Three as I think of them. Trips Asia Hokkaido Japan'

Japan 193

Japan Massachusetts Asia Birds 193