10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2021

21 species is less than 6% of the total number of hummingbird species in the Americas.) All but one of those times, the ID occurred because I got a brief glimpse of this species’ unmistakeable long-tailed male. Here’s another female Broad-billed Hummingbird , and a Dusky Hummingbird for comparison.

Mexico 247

Mexico America Species Family 247

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2024

This is the home of the Rusty-naped Pitta , admittedly one of the less glamorous of the family, particularly the subspecies found in Yunnan, but still a nice sight and still a pitta. The scientific species name of the Rusty-naped Pitta oatesi honors Eugene William Oates (1845-1911), an English civil servant in India and naturalist.

Burma 236

Burma India Indonesia Thailand 236

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2020

The family of Pied Oystercatchers soon made their move to Gantheaume Point. Typically the whole Pied Oystercatcher family spend a lot of time either feeding or roosting. The juvenile Pied Oystercatcher gives you a glimpse into its development when it stretches a wing out and when it stands close to its parents for size comparison.

Eggs 189

Eggs Breeding Family Protection 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. It is not a handbook, though it approaches species from a collective viewpoint. “BBI

New Jersey 180

New Jersey Birds Science New York City 180

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

Just last year, 5 new bird species and 5 new subspecies were discovered in a few short weeks of fieldwork on the islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka. In recent years Indonesia has been competing with the Andes as the region giving rise to the biggest number of undescribed bird species (naturally, all of them endemics).

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2024

Familiar, but beautiful regardless: Blue-headed Parrot Another small parrot species landed on a tree in the distance. It was a Black-headed Parrot , a species that I had meagrely attempted to see in Trinidad once without success. Painted Parakeet As predicted, we were off to a solid start.

Guyana 241

Guyana Parrots Trinidad Monkeys 241

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume. This volume is no exception.

North America 182

North America America Family Falcons 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 246

Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2015

This year, what with family plans and other commitments, I didn’t get out on the pond until later than usual but it was worth the wait. Combined, I netted eighteen species of shorebirds in the two days, a tally that included my favorite shorebird, featured above, a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher.

Jamaica 162

Jamaica Wildlife New York City New York 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2015

Similar comparisons can be made with other bird features such as how their hips work. The feature distinguishes birds from other species; All birds have them, no other species do. The feature distinguishes birds from other species; All birds have them, no other species do. See: Four Wings Good Two Wings Better?

Alligators 243

Alligators Chickens Research Reptiles 243

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2013

Rare species, like North Island Brown Kiwi , have been reintroduced. Fernbirds are what were formerly known as Old World warblers and are now considered a member of the grassbird family, and are typically as skulky as the rest of their reed living relatives. New Zealand fantails were very common. My terrible shot of a Fernbird.

New Zealand 164

New Zealand Sanctuary Mammals Wildlife 164

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2015

Gordon, president of the ABA, an Introduction, Species Accounts, Acknowledgements, Image Credits, a Checklist of the Birds of the state, and a Species Index. Species Accounts in both titles are arranged loosely in ABA Checklist order, with some flipping around of order within each family.

Colorado 261

Colorado Florida New Jersey North America 261

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Covering 1,261 species with data and taxonomy current up to August 2017, the field guide is an exciting achievement. And, then there are the more familiar birds–Wood-warblers, sandpipers, hawks–some species migrants, some species with a wide range. Can you guess which of the species cited above are endemic?

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

They portray the nesting cycles of Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Robin, illustrating the various ways in which birds create families. Do they have families too and do they take care of them? Some of the chapters focus on a specific bird, most are about bird families like hawks, tanagers, wrens, etc.,

2020 264

2020 Birds North America Sparrows 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

For example, on finding gulls: Close study of gulls is not for everyone, and birders shouldn’t feel obligated to get deep into it if you prefer colorful, less-confusing, families of birds. Most of these photos are by photographers associated with the USFWS and Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources and by Nate.

North Carolina 263

North Carolina Birds North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

The hope and claim is that transferring this process to gull identification works more easily and just as accurately (at least for species) as an examination of plumage and molt patterns. Species Accounts. Gulls Simplified covers 25 species. From the Laughing Gull species account. These vary according to species.

North America 213

North America El Salvador America Nicaragua 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

A family motel and passion for responsible ecotourism brought her home to the Oregon Coast where she and her husband, Erik, adventure and record a podcast ( Hannah and Erik Go Birding ), created in an effort to inspire others to get out and bird. Marion has a fascinating history with invasive species.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2014

From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November. The prinias are a group of around 25 Old World warbler species found in Africa and Asia. The Brown Prinia is an Asian species with a very peculiar range.

Burma 166

Burma Laos Cambodia Indonesia 166

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. So, how do you find the species account for Kestrel if falcons are not placed between woodpeckers and parakeet?

Ireland 166

Ireland Birds Falcons Turtles 166

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Primates are exceptional among the mammals, living amphibians (which represent only a small part of the original amphibian family tree) are pretty noisy too. It is costly, it determines mating success, it defines and controls territoriality, and in some species may be communicative in other ways as well. But there aren’t any!

Primates 174

Primates Groups Collecting Bats 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2011

Even if you don’t live in the summer range of a particular species, you may have opportunities to observe it while it passes through, especailly if you live in an active flyway, like I happen to. Itcher birds, migratory members of the tern family. The birds do the flying for you. Specifically, Itcher Tern. Image source.

Compassion 219

Compassion Humane Research Egypt 219

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2018

And that begs the question, anthropocentric comparisons aside, what makes a bird a jerk? This is because we have had to work together to survive and thrive as a species, and that’s probably why selfish behavior is not generally viewed as being the nicest of ways to be. Maybe even pyschos. I’m pretty sure they are!

Humane 187

Humane Neglecting Investigation Woodpeckers 187

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south. I had hoped to have some Semipalmated Plover chick photos for comparison but as of last night they seem to be still at the egg stage. So you’ll just have to make do with these… See, little balls of puffy down.

Eggs 210

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 210

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize. Some chapters focus on one species (Yellow Warbler), some on several related species (Chickadees and Nuthatches).

Eggs 263

Eggs 2006 Family New York 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

North America 247

North America America Hawaii Birds 247

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

In addition to splits, selected rare visitors have been added (Lesser Sand-Plover, Zenaida Dove, Red-vented Bulbul and African Collared-Dove are some of the species new to the East book, Streaked Shearwater, Stonechat, Red-flanked Bluetail and Japanese White-eye are some of the West adds), and selected exotics.

North America 185

North America 2003 Birds America 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2024

But there are, Ollerton thinks, 1,380 bird species that may be pollinators (and some 20,000 bird-pollinated flowers), and part of the purpose of his new book, the impressive (and delightful!) Birds & Flowers: An Intimate 50 Million Year Relationship is to highlight other bird families that pollinate.

Denmark 259

Denmark Pythons Europe Birds 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

The latest edition of the Clements Checklist that I could find, last modified in August 2022, lists 965 species (a little more manageable!), including 355 endemics, 28 introduced species, 6 extinct species, and 77 globally threatened species. There are three to four species on each page, for the most part.

Australia 272

Australia 2017 Birds New Zealand 272

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2013

I’m going to go right to a discussion of the Species Accounts, because I know that’s where you all want to be, with the warblers. I do love the fact that the table of contents lists all three names (all pointing to the same species account). The authors note when a species cannot be sexed or aged with certainty.

United States 268

United States North America New York Species 268

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2022

I’m going to go right to a discussion of the Species Accounts, because I know that’s where you all want to be, with the warblers. I do love the fact that the table of contents lists all three names (all pointing to the same species account). Page two of each species account offers “Distinctive Views”, “Additional Photos” and notes.

United States 252

United States North America 2013 Species 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 241

North America Birds Owls Canada 241

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2013

I haven’t done any surveys, but I would bet my binoculars that images and stories of hawks attract more attention and adoration from birders and the average person on the street than any other bird family. Families do not hike up mountains to sit all day on pointy rocks to watch woodpeckers. Those cameras are aimed at hawks.

Bald Eagle 241

Bald Eagle North America Falcons Owls 241

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. The USVI are smaller and have fewer habitats and, as a result, fewer bird species. All Americans Should be Full Members of the ABA Family. Because it is much larger, this will focus on Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 183

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 183

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Within each group, birds in the same family are grouped together and birds in the same genus “usually occur consecutively.” 210-531), indicated by brown page tabs.

Australia 117

Australia Penguins Birds New Zealand 117

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

As someone who has a spent a week this August on a family vacation in Seattle I think that I am eminently qualified to write a full blog post on how to bird Seattle. Both parks are pretty and well-attended but comparisons essentially should stop there.

Seattle 186

Seattle Bald Eagle Squirrels Birds 186

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2013

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has documented 596 bird species in the wild as at 1 January 2013; 265 are listed as Accidental, 59 as Scarce Visitor, and 2 as Extinct. Species Accounts are organized into seven chapters based on two major habitats: - Waterbirds—Swimming Waterbirds, Flying Waterbirds, Walking Waterbirds.

Ireland 178

Ireland 2013 Breeders United Kingdom 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2022

A family group of eight Grey-crowned Babblers bounced around the surrounding trees and dropped to the water to drink. Budgerigars have a much longer and thin tail in comparison to the dumpier Varied Lorikeet , which also has a pink colour on its head. Zebra Finch. Pied Butcherbird , Torresian Crow and multiple Magpie-larks.

Australia 113

Australia Zebras Ducks Family 113