10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

It’s always risky to say what separates humans from other animals — tool use, self-awareness, and the perception of morality no longer being as obvious a set of distinctions as they once were – but I will go out on a limb and say that narrative is at least as characteristic of humans as feathers are of birds.

Montana 215

Montana Horses Eggs Morals 215

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

The vast majority of the 10,000+ living species of birds are passerines, and the vast majority of those have a similar system of breeding: Mom and dad bird make a nest and share parental responsibilities roughly equally, if not identically. In the latter, three or more adult individuals contribute to the raising of offspring.

Breeders 229

Breeders Breeding Science Raised 229

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

When people think of birds and their sex lives…most of us don’t know much, although it’s not for a lack of interest. Within the bird world, so many different strategies and methods of mating and reproduction have evolved, it simply boggles the mind. This is just a small slice of how birds get it done.

Albatross 222

Albatross Lifestyle Birds Raised 222

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2012

Think about the difference between birds and mammals. Think about the difference between a typical bird, say, your favorite common songbird, and Elk. Both Elk and songbirds have the same basic method of inseminating eggs, which is one of the steps in reproduction (but not by any means the first!), What’s that?

Mammals 177

Mammals Eggs Abandon Abandoning 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

Gaines, notwithstanding that the story (1) takes place in the Uruguay of 1999, with plenty of commentary on the Uruguayan political scene of that time, (2) is narrated by a bird illustrator who identifies the birds he sees only by their common Spanish names, and (3) flashes back to the use of torture by South American juntas in the 1970’s.

Uruguay 162

Uruguay 2001 Bald Eagle Science 162