10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

His second book on migration is a tale of many birds and many research studies all connected by the theme of migration and by his thoughtful narrative voice. Even if you have read about these research projects, Weidensaul’s accounts offer fresh angles and updated information. is through the personal and the specific.

Cyprus 264

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

While these birds are very much liked by Chinese birders, the species could unfortunately not be named the National Bird of China as the Latin species name of the bird is Grus Japonicus. From my home in Shanghai, it is about a four-hour drive to the North to Yancheng, a place to look for Red-crowned Cranes in winter.

Eggs 263

Eggs Bald Eagle Birds Owls 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2024

Any place that used to be good for an interesting species last year is likely to have been turned into another construction site this year. I don’t think many other bird species are named after Japanese citizens. Also, there are quite some variations within each species – for details, see here. One, a Ryukyu Minivet.

Chicago 205

Chicago Birds Asia China 205

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2015

However, that would be unfair since Asian scientists had to cope with tropical heat, leeches, kraits, and thick jungle while North American researchers just had to get over more or less severe cases of warbler neck, so I guess I’ll leave it at that and quickly return to the Pygmy Wren-babbler.

Vietnam 190

Vietnam Timor Myanmar Asia 190

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2014

Some of the migratory shorebirds will make a stopover in the Mai Po Nature Reserve and the Deep Bay area of Hong Kong, China. Another useful website in China is here. It is truly remarkable and it is happening right here in Broome with our migratory shorebirds and all across the world with a huge variety of species.

Belarus 162

Belarus Cameroon Taiwan China 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2024

Given that according to the HBW, the species prefers dense primary and secondary montane forests, the note that the bird also forages among kitchen waste (in the same HBW entry) seems somewhat incongruous. Fish & Wildlife Service has a web page for this species – but it contains absolutely no information.

Burma 246

Burma India Indonesia Thailand 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2015

In the Old World, Horned (Slavonian) Grebe breeds in a wide belt stretching from Scandinavia to Kamchatka and it spends winters along sea coasts, from Japan to China and from Norway to France, plus the Adriatic and the Black Sea (west and east of the Balkans, respectively). As a consequence, this species is only a rare vagrant in Serbia.

Serbia 189

Serbia Norway France Japan 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

I was fortunate to spend time scanning open fields, wetlands, and the inlet separating Hong Kong from China with this large group of friendly and avid avian observers. Mai Po Nature Reserve : world famous locale for shorebirds, waterfowl, waders, and wetland birds; wintering grounds for certain endangered species. Do your research.

2014 252

2014 Eagles Asia China 252

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Shanghaibirding describes the Brown-headed Thrush as “a scarce passage migrant through northern and central coastal China, including Shanghai” – given that I only saw it once on Tianmashan, that is probably correct, though the date (January 09) seems rather late for a migrant.

China 147

China Birds Reptiles Killing 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2014

The majority of the smaller shorebirds use Cable Beach on higher tides, so the main species that I observe are Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, Red Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone and Common Greenshank.

Japan 173

Japan 2012 Taiwan China 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

It is a fascinating world of swampy forests of willow and poplar, inhabited by Black Storks , White-tailed Eagles , Eastern Olivaceous and Icterine Warblers (above), among more than 200 other species. Locations, dates, species and numbers, right? Among the common species, Nagy mentions the Corn Crake.

Beavers 176

Beavers Serbia Hungary Eagles 176

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

I tried to get a better idea of what exactly the definition of cuckoo-dove is but am still not very clear about it – Wikipedia only offers the rather formal definition “any of several species of bird in the genera Macropygia , Reinwardtoena, and Turacoena of the pigeon family.” But I may well be wrong.

Geese 147

Geese Birds Fish Sparrows 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

If I was an ornithologist aiming for a grant, I would now definitely highlight the need for more research on this topic. The Grey-Streaked Flycatcher looks only marginally more interesting, and while the Latin species name griseisticta sounds vaguely mysterious, it only means grey-spotted.

Mountain Goats 147

Mountain Goats Singapore Giraffes Birds 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Maybe better not to ever meet such a “mother” (given that I have been living in China for too long to be up-to-date regarding political correctness etc., According to Couzens, after laying the eggs, females sometimes immediately abandon their first mate and pair up with another male. No wonder it looks a bit pissed off.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

Animal Ethics

MARCH 10, 2008

As the planet warms, fragile habitats that countless animal species depend on for survival will be destroyed. We have already witnessed radical changes in the polar icecap, changes that threaten numerous arctic species. Recently published research suggests that the situation is even more dire than previously predicted.

Washington 40

Washington Obama Animal Ethics Legislation 40

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2021

In fact, indeed one or two of the Japanese-language bird books I own have this species on their cover. Another attractive species on offer is the Chinese White-browed Rosefinch. Siberian Rubythroat (Nanhui, Shanghai, China). The White-capped Redstart is quite common in China, including Balangshan. What do you think?

China 264

China Birds Raised Species 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2023

That comes at a price – the HBW describes the species as “stocky and fairly sluggish” and – with a critical undertone – continues to state that the species is “generally less agile in flight than are most flycatchers”. Why the Latin species name is cyaniventer (meaning having a dark blue belly) remains a mystery to me though.

China 147

China Hunting Birds illegal 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

While I am still not so sure about China’s sense of humor – though admittedly, the issue is mostly a mismatch between what I think is funny and what the average Chinese thinks is funny, an issue that I have had in other countries as well – the country sure has its fair share of Laughingthrushes. This post shows some of them.

San Diego 274

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 274

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

Interestingly, these juveniles look more similar to another species, the Pale-billed Parrotbill, than the adult babblers – and they sometimes are part of the same flock. If you want to see how this species builds its nest, see here.) These roads are much less of a hindrance for the Pin-striped Tit-babbler , a mid-story bird.

Burma 246

Burma Vietnam Birds Laos 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

The last time I birded Longcanggou, a national forest park in China’s Sichuan province, was in November 2021. Today, the national forest park is open to tourists – which in China means large groups of people in similarly large buses. Shame on the researchers. However, instead of a tit joke, some wren pornography.

Eggs 236

Eggs China Mammals Birds 236

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 264

China Birds Penguins Asia 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China Then one day you go to a conference of historians and there is a special symposium being held by some well regarded colleagues, who have been working for months with some archaeologists on a secret project. The trait must then be identifiable as to whether or not it exists in a certain species.

Mammals 267

Mammals Europe Groups Family 267

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

And, he places current research within a framework of paleontological history of intrigue, backstabbing, and name-calling feuds. (No, The new species was subsequently named Sinosauropteryz prima , ‘first Chinese lizard wing’ Its discovery disrupted the paleontologic community, and it hasn’t been the same since.

Mongolia 239

Mongolia Reptiles Science Indiana 239

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2024

One paper – describing research conveniently done at the university campus of Chittagong University, presumably close to the canteen – looks at resource partitioning between this bee-eater and another one, the chestnut-headed bee-eater. So, basically, the two species do exactly the same things.

Vietnam 240

Vietnam Zebras Birds Dissection 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2022

.” This should make the bird somewhat unpopular with the socially rather conservative Chinese government – maybe the birds in China do not show this behavior in order to adapt to local customs? On the other hand, given China’s low birth rate, they might serve as an example for the future.

China 264

China Birds Pythons Breeding 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

It is listed as Vulnerable, as its range is rather restricted, though it has been found outside of China as well, e.g., in Vietnam, though the HBW does not seem to have read that paper yet. Some ornithologists are so desperate to add papers to their resumes that they write about new records of Black-crested Bulbul subspecies within China.

China 147

China Vietnam Monkeys Birds 147

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 270

Birds China Eggs Owls 270

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

The falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China but winters in Southern and East Africa. The Latin name of the Chinese Sparrowhawk is Accipiter soloensis, and if (like me) you are wondering (like me) what makes this species particularly solitary (the “solo” in soloensis), you are (like me) barking at the wrong tree.

Falcons 264

Falcons Japan China South Africa 264

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. My way of squeezing more blog posts out of my birding trips.

Vietnam 246

Vietnam Birds Woodpeckers Bangladesh 246

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. Red-billed Leiothrix are a popular cage bird in China, though I imagine its popularity has declined after the introduction of color television.

China 219

China Hawaii Asia Hunting 219

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. THIS IMAGE NOT IN THE BOOK. Schulman, 2023.

Science 258

Science Illinois Investigation 2006 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2024

A Japanese book on Hokkaido birds lists 6 species of woodpeckers – I saw three of them, presumably the most common ones. While the name suggests an endemic, it is not – it can also be found in Northeastern China, parts of Russia and the Koreas (though I would probably advise against a birding trip to North Korea).

Woodpeckers 245

Woodpeckers Renter North Korea Finland 245

Critter News

AUGUST 17, 2010

One died and the other two were seized for sheltering at a research institution. Both species are endangered and it is illegal to cross breed them. Cross-breeding two protected species is completely against nature. A fine of NT$50,000 is a mere slap on the wrist, " said Lin Tai-jing, an EAST researcher.

Taiwan 100

Taiwan China Lions Tigers 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2022

Somehow, I feel this post about the few pheasants I have seen in China has gotten off to a wrong start – not quite the kind of motivation to blog readers to continue reading this post. So, back to the wonderful world of pheasants in China. This turned out to be nice for one researcher who thus could do the research for her Ph.D.

Rhode Island 147

Rhode Island South Dakota North Dakota Nebraska 147

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. While it is listed as Least Concern, it is rare in China – the range map in the HBW barely touches Chinese territory.

Myanmar 147

Myanmar Birds China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Its mood is not helped by the ambiguous review on eBird: “Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range” The Latin species name of the Dusky Thrush is eunomos (I guess that is Greek, but whatever) – meaning well-ordered. One page is dedicated to the Long-tailed Shrike.

Blackbirds 246

Blackbirds Birds Indonesia Bhutan 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2013

When scientists created a sense of threat by playing another species alarm call, the parents increased their efforts in feeding the grounded birds, but not the birds in the nest. In other bird science news, we should be concerned about waterfowl in China. ” A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. .”

South Africa 226

South Africa Fowl Africa China 226