10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.”

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 278

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

Birders often venture into various habitats, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, or coastal areas, to encounter different bird species. The primary objective of birding is to identify bird species based on their physical characteristics, behavior, and vocalizations.

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

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 210

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

Maybe these people like challenges – at least here at the monastery, getting good shots of this species is quite easy. Another species apparently enjoying the proximity of a monastery is the White-winged Grosbeak. In the non-breeding season, Common Merganser all look pretty much like females.

Birds 208

Birds Germany India 2018 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

It’s similar with birds: good birds never come if you have a way of documenting them. This is an uncommon species here – only about a dozen birds overwinter in the country annually. published in the US as “Birds of Europe”), shows only a male in breeding plumage. And you know how rain never falls when you carry an umbrella?

Serbia 266

Serbia Birds Cyprus Ducks 266

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2018

There are an additional 1,200 acres of surrounding protected refuge, supporting a documented 525 bird species! In the park proper, 358 species have been recorded. One of the highlights of birding in this Texas state park is the chance to see five owl species that breed here. Photo by © KS Nature Photography.

Texas 150

Texas Owls Barn Owls Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

I was surprised that this species is named for its vocalization – which sounds like laughter. For example, the Diamond Dove is the world’s second-smallest species of the columbidae order ( source ). The Latin species name haematonotus (“blood-backed”) sounds a bit more exciting but not necessarily more accurate.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” The authors’ detailed delineation of problems with the accuracy of NYC breeding bird surveys or with the limits of historical writings may test a reader’s patience. Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.”

New York City 148

New York City New York Birds Breeding 148

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. Habitat loss, as documented by hieroglyphs. Hence, this species has earned the German colloquial common name “Nimmersatt”; meaning “never full”.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Eggs Africa 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2017

Now that I can travel, I have perversely discovered the charms of really working over one spot of habitat across the seasons and the years; as such I’m on a mission to find 100 species of bird in Socrates Sculpture Park, a bit of Queens between the East River and Vernon Boulevard where artists create open-air displays. Why an asterisk?

New York City 104

New York City New York Illinois Wisconsin 104

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2016

For example, years ago, Eiton Tchenrov postulated that the wild progenitor of the domestic dog, some subspecies or another of wolf, could benefit from overlapping its breeding territory with human hunters. This often applies in animal behavior and ecology, and this often comes about in relation to predator pressure.

Alligators 115

Alligators Leopards Rabbits Protection 115

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2023

Flight Paths traces the history of migratory research in nine chapters, starting with the earliest attempts to track birds, bird banding/ringing (which she traces back to Audubon), and ending with ‘community science’ projects such as Breeding Bird Surveys and eBird. Geological Survey.

Science 185

Science Illinois Investigation 2006 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2018

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to some of the largest assemblages of breeding seabirds in the United States. Invasive species , particularly rodents, have long been a problem on the Hawaiian archipelago. The document consists of an executive summary, nine chapters, two appendices, and many tables and figures.

Mice 102

Mice Albatross Honolulu Rats 102

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2021

Earlier in the day, as we ventured out towards the deep waters off of Malpais, Costa Rica at 6 in the morning, another Galapagos Shearwater was the first real pelagic species we encountered. There was even that outside, enticing chance of documenting something new for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Dolphins Sea Turtles Turtles 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

It’s always tragic when a species goes extinct. But that tragedy is compounded when the species at risk is a country’s national bird. A field team recently discovered a juvenile Manumea (and documented it with photographs). For more info on both species, check out this video from Samoa’s Ministry of Environment.

Samoa 169

Samoa Bald Eagle Campaign Hunting 169

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

The species that manage to colonize these islands evolve in competition with relatively few other species, developing survival strategies based on interdependence, co-evolution, and mutualism rather than adapting to deal with a broad range of predators and competitors. A species, wiped off the earth, never to exist again.

Cuba 243

Cuba Columbus Parrots DC 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

The story of the White-winged Guan , in some ways resembles the re-discovery of some species thought to be extinct. Some remained stored for decades before a researcher would pick them up and inquired about these poorly documented specimens. The decades of storage in a museum came after it was regarded as an extinct species.

Collecting 268

Collecting Peru Neglecting Ecuador 268

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

After writing this last sentence, I looked up the species in the HBW and found the sentence “Song poorly documented” in the appropriate section, while with regard to calls, the description is that “call is a two-note raspy nasal ‘ryeeh-reh’”. In New Zealand, the Spotted Dove is an introduced species.

Mountain Goats 147

Mountain Goats Singapore Giraffes Birds 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 171

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 171

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds. The end result is that the whole “biographic” area (NCA plus southern Mexico and northern Nicaragua) is home to 41 endemic bird species.

El Salvador 231

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 231

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2019

The endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler breeds only in Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio, but much of its nesting grounds have cleared in favor of subdivisions. First, some background regarding the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the listing of the Golden-cheeked Warbler is required. What is a conservation bank? # # #.

San Antonio 124

San Antonio Endangered Species Texas Austin 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2018

Major extinction events that are geologically instantaneous have been followed by periods of time with reduction of species or unstable habitats that last for hundreds of thousands or millions of years. There are about 10,000 species of them, after all, which is a lot for a vertebrate. But, that is also a naive view.

2018 101

2018 Science Humane Species 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2022

There are quite a few raptor species around Skukuza. Most likely, the devil, not god created this species. While some bustards are the largest bird species capable of flight, the Black-bellied Bustard is only mid-sized. It is also documented on video. African Spoonbills seem unfazed by large reptiles.

Africa 147

Africa Eagles Birds Barn Owls 147

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

JUNE 17, 2023

The Majestic Wetlands: Within Shanghai’s boundaries lie several pristine wetland habitats that serve as vital sanctuaries for a plethora of bird species. This expansive marshland is home to rare and endangered species such as the charismatic Black-faced Spoonbill, Saunders’s Gull, and the elegant Oriental Stork.

China 163

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

The Yellow-throated Warbler is a wood-warbler that breeds almost exclusively in the southeastern United States. In New York City we get them as migratory overshoots though they do stick around and attempt to find a mate on occasion (and there has been documented breeding of the species in the state).

Florida 171

Florida New York City Dominica United States 171

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

I’d seen nine warbler species, Baltimore Orioles , a brilliant Scarlet Tanager , and what seemed like dozens of catbirds when an odd warbler caught my eye. The mystery bird looked something like a male Blackpoll Warbler in alternate (breeding) plumage, but it was yellow and black instead of black and white.

Minnesota 180

Minnesota New York City New York Baltimore 180

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Their habitats vary widely in both rural and urban landscapes; open habitats are preferred and the species generally shuns only extensively forested areas and wetlands 1. To show how adaptive this species is, the following photograph was sent to me by one of my readers and I use it with her permission.

Hunters 175

Hunters Hunting North America Game 175

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2021

On the breeding grounds of the north, a small bird flies into the night, takes a bearing for the south, gains altitude and flies onward. If Wood Thrush hasn’t been documented as Cane Toad prey, it can now be added to the list. Migrant birds make an incredibly perilous journey, twice per year. The equation seems incredible.

Costa Rica 255

Costa Rica Investigation Shelters Illinois 255

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

Hybrids between separate species are rare. But they do spark an interesting and somewhat controversial debate that inevitably leads back to the same old question of what constitutes a species. Suspected hybrids between heron species, whilst extremely rare, have been documented for some time.

Arizona 170

Arizona Florida Cattle California 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2017

Birds of Kruger National Park covers the 259 species most frequently seen in the park, about half of the total number of birds documented there. This still leaves the user flipping through sections, looking for the species in question, though I don’t think there are many species with this habitat overlap.

Ecuador 170

Ecuador Wildlife Reptiles Mammals 170

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2014

I was chatting with Gordon about this and we discussed how drones could be a safer way to get photos of birds or document birds for breeding surveys, but he was quick to point out, “You and I already have an idea of what a safe distance would be to test that out with an active bald eagle nest. What if the bird attacks?

Bald Eagle 193

Bald Eagle Mississippi Eagles Ducks 193

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? Phillipps’ Field Guide (I’ll be using this shortened form of the title) covers 673 avian species, including 59 endemics, and 53 species that have not been documented yet for the area but which may show up in the next few years.

Brunei 174

Brunei Asia Birds China 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

So, for example, Essay #15, “Individual Variation,” uses Herring Gulls to introduce the concept that one species, even one species at a specific age, can vary widely in appearance. The Checklist is more than a taxonomic listing of species and chapter number and title; it also contains useful notes on each bird family.

North America 115

North America Birds Prairie Dogs Barn Owls 115

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2016

Muttontown, an evocatively-named village in the evocatively-named town of Oyster Bay, is part of Long Island’s fabled “Gold Coast” — the area known for its excess of Vanderbilts, Guggenheims, and Pratts and for being documented by the glittering typewriter of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Albania 100

Albania Kentucky Baltimore Birds 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

These arid hills, cloaked in a mosaic of deciduous scrub and desert vegetation, form a northern outpost for several Neotropical species while also harboring several key endemics and southwestern Nearctic species. This poorly documented swallow is a breeding endemic to these high mountains. Photo by Andrew Spencer.

Mexico 190

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Bats 190

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. The 39 owls include five endemic Caribbean species.

North America 219

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 219