10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

Most of these birds are small, finch-like species with thick, conical bills for cracking seeds or eating insects. He goes on to describe how early classifications of the nine-primaried oscines relied on bill shape to determine family boundaries. A new perspective on tanagers Much of the core of the tanager family remains intact.

2003 260

2003 Sparrows South America Family 260

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2021

The islands and surrounding islets of Trinidad and Tobago boast an astounding list of almost 500 species of birds. For such a small place, birders are often spoiled for choice, there seems to be a representative of almost every neotropical family making their presence felt in some corner of habitat. Green Honeycreepers.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Groups Family Species 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Most of the birds I spotted this weekend are the same species I’ll be hanging out with all winter. Corey spent the last weekend before his son started school camping with family and friends in the western Catskill Mountains. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

Breeders 264

Breeders Owls Birds Family 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2022

The Beautiful Sibia is one of 11 bird species listed in the HBW with the word “beautiful” in its name. However, the Latin species name is desgodinsi after Auguste Desgodins, a French missionary whose sole claim to fame seems to be that he attempted to enter Tibet in the early 1860s. Nationalism still sucks.

China 264

China India North Korea Birds 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior. Now that we’re later in the season, they are grouping either in family clusters or anticipation of migration.

2013 232

2013 United States Birds Family 232

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2014 249

2014 Birds Family Experiments 249

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Why is camping so interesting? How about you? Birding best bird weekend'

Philadelphia 250

Philadelphia 2014 Birds Family 250

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2014

Proving that cruelty knows no bounds, some (language unsuitable for a family blog) in Virginia Beach is shooting blow darts at birds. Meanwhile, an Oregon farmer caught a beating from a neighbor irritated by his loud “bird cannons.” (Who Who knew there was such a thing?).

Israel 251

Israel Science Hawaii South America 251

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I was looking for a title for this third part of a blog post on the birds of Baihualing, and thought that the made-up term “Trequel” would sound fitting. Somewhat confusingly, its Latin species name is boulboul – a word that stands for nightingale but of course is also the name of a large bird family, the bulbuls.

Horses 270

Horses Family Blackbirds Species 270

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Actually, signs that winter won’t release its icy grip so readily are also apparent… my traditional Easter family hike was canceled on account of snow. Corey had quite a few species to choose from this weekend but decided that his Best Bird of the Weekend was the simple Tree Swallow. How about you?

2015 242

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 242

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad.

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

Ivy and I couldn’t shake an owl out of Owl Woods but we walked away with all kinds of FOY species such as the unexpected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling high in a tree. But it was during an outing to Rockaway Beach with his family on Sunday afternoon that he saw his Best Bird of the Weekend, his first Piping Plover of the year.

2020 254

2020 Owls Birds Family 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered. Whatever species it turns out to be it is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

Texas 248

Texas New York Owls Birds 248

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2011

On a recent family trip to Jones Beach, on New York’s Long Island, I had the opportunity to observe a small flock of gulls bathing, resting, and preening in some shallow brackish water that had collected behind the beach. I need to go find some sparrows or some other species that are really easy to deal with… a.

New York 241

New York Collecting Sparrows Family 241

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species. barbata , but present name has priority. So, I later looked this up.

China 264

China Austria Birds ALA 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

This species is quite rare during migration in my area and this bird was, in one sense, way too early but, for my purposes, right on time. Corey enjoyed his Easter weekend upstate with his family, though he did sneak out in the early mornings to look for birds. Now that’s a Best Bird of the Weekend worth watching! How about you?

2014 247

2014 Birds Family Rights 247

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2022

As this African Green Pigeon shows, the color should offer good camouflage for species living on trees. In case you do not know that brimstone is sulfur, the Brimstone Canary brings the point home by having the Latin species name sulphurata. Different bird families, I know. Lucia for the birds. Celebration everywhere.

South Africa 263

South Africa Africa Saint Lucia Camels 263

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Shorebirds – or “shorbs” for the cuteness factor (as if that needed any enhancement) – remain one of the most fascinating families of birds for me. Obliging species like Grey-headed Kingfisher , Long-crested Eagle , and even a pair of Greater Blue-eared Starlings ensured we didn’t get anywhere quickly.

Buffalo 264

Buffalo Kenya Trinidad 2019 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

It is one of several species in the Mallard -complex of ducks, along with American Black Duck , Mexican Duck , and quite a few others. Now, what I found interesting is the idea that at least some of the birds in this blog post likely have at least some Mallard genes in them. I hope you liked this blog post of questionable quality.

Ducks 224

Ducks Illinois Florida Mississippi 224

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2011

Life, Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. No surprise: there are about 10000 different species of birds in the world currently living. But how many families of birds are there?” No surprise: finding the number of bird families is no easy task. And counted each and every family.

2011 172

2011 Family Eggs Species 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

Because when we look at the birds that make up the family Sulidae – not just the tropical boobies, but their burly temperate-zone cousins the gannets as well – we see a pretty incredible group of birds. Bird of the Month: Blue-footed Booby – Jan Axel, Jan Axel’s Birding Blog. Northern Gannet , Morus bassanus.

Birds 254

Birds Buffalo Pelicans 2012 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. Order of bird families, non-songbirds.

Brunei 210

Brunei 2009 2014 2016 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

What species is shown? And, as a bonus question, from what blog post on 10,000 Birds is the picture taken? We are devoting a whole week to wood-warblers but are only just barely scratching the surface of possible topics involving this amazing family of birds. Below is the logo. Leave your best guess in the comments.

United States 178

United States South America 2011 2012 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

The message she relayed made me blurt out a string of words that cannot be repeated on this blog – let’s just say that my priorities immediately shifted. Typical of the species. Both species seemed content to observe each other though. I was washing the dishes at the time, so my wife took the call.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Birds Squirrels 2012 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2014

My last blog post about the Great Vly is nearly a year old and involves a lifer, a King Rail that I twitched last June. I spent this past weekend in Saugerties at my folks’ house in order to look for Easter eggs, let Desi enjoy time with his cousins, and generally have a good ol’ time with family.

New York 231

New York Birds Ducks Blackbirds 231

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2017

Rochester is still wintry, but bird activity among the common species has picked up quite a bit. On Saturday he dragged his family to the Adirondack Mountains to see a stake out Great Gray Owl in Keene, a first for all three in the family. My best sighting was a Hairy Woodpecker puffed up to fight the cold.

2017 170

2017 Owls Woodpeckers Birds 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way. Bicolored Antbird.

San Diego 245

San Diego South America Costa Rica America 245

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2024

I felt sorry for an American family that couldn’t understand anything said in our church services, so I started interpreting for them. The first Monday out after the festival, I took six people to Las Mesas, because it is almost within the city of Morelia, but offers a wide collection of habitats and species. So that happened.

Turkey 246

Turkey ALA Mexico Collecting 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2024

The proximity to the Myanmar border is reflected in the presence of Burmese Shrikes here – on the wrong side of the border, but it is well known that this species has never been particularly good at geography. This photo explains the scientific species name haemacephalus (bloodheaded).

Myanmar 244

Myanmar Sri Lanka Nepal Niger 244

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 246

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

It’s my fantasy and it’s yours: Quit the job, say good-bye to the family, and bird. 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. It’s what I dream of every Monday morning. And mosquitos.

Hunters 248

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 248

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2013

For some reason the Fringillidae, as the finch family is called if you want to be highfalutin, frequently tend toward pink. I am sure it was the first pink finch that I saw but, tainted by field guide descriptions, I never really considered it a pink finch until I stopped to think about as I wrote this blog post. Purple Finch.

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Kazakhstan New York 2006 United States 208

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration. Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do.

LACS 264

LACS Birds France Japan 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. A White-browed Scrubwren ; one of the insectivorous passserines in my yard that will benefit from more native plant species. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology. The sad part of the story? POST SCRIPT.

North America 264

North America Wildlife Mammals Breeding 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

Good news for those frightened by the title of my last blog post – we are now back in the safe and boring world of highly descriptive headers. It helps that there is a little bird hide almost on top of the hill, guarded by a Chinese lady and attracting a substantial number of species of birds and birders. You are welcome.

China 264

China Birds Zebras Germany 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Of course, it is hard to justify such an obsession in a blog post ostensibly all about birds. I stopped at the Red Crossbill , realizing that the species indeed “occupies an immense range, including North America, Eurasia, and northern Africa” (HBW) – including Baxi forest, China. Progress of sorts, I guess.

China 264

China Birds Nevada North America 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Eight days with 20 of the world’s top birding guides looking for some 1,000 species and three dozen endemics. You can see as many hummingbird species as the folks at Magee Marsh are seeing warbler species—during 25 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. As the rally tore through its itinerary, the species piled up.

Peru 255

Peru South America Birds Kenya 255