10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

The species is classified as Near Threatened for all the usual depressing reasons – pollution, drainage, hunting, and the collection of eggs and nestlings ( source ). They are also quite catholic (sorry, I really like this word) in their prey selection, feeding on 17 different species of fish and prawn in the study cited above.

Sri Lanka 220

Sri Lanka Taiwan Birds Cats 220

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2014

The local Bald Eagles are getting busy, I suspect there is an egg in the nest. The zoo has already identified several species like the huge monkey-eating Philippine eagle that are at once distinct, endangered, and suffer from lack of attention. All I see are their buts. But that’s not the most interesting thing I’ve seen recently.

Bald Eagle 182

Bald Eagle Zoos Philippines Apes 182

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2024

As is often the case, I marvel at the weird German names of species – in this case, “ Schuppenstirn-Zweigdrossling “ Hearing birds in a noisy environment can be difficult – and the noise often does not come from humans but from nature itself, cicadas being particularly obnoxious. ” And why not.

Vietnam 222

Vietnam Birds Woodpeckers Bangladesh 222

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2022

The bird “spent five months on Mindoro Island in the Philippines during the non-breeding season and migrated through Taiwan, the Chinese east coast, and the Korean peninsula” and on to the Russian Far East (indicating a certain lack of solidarity with Ukraine). Eurasian Bitterns similarly try to stay out of sight.

China 184

China Birds Ukraine Israel 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

I particularly liked the section on Anatomy and Morphology, which explains the anatomical adaptations that enable woodpeckers to do the things they do, like drum at rates that would explode human skulls.

Woodpeckers 248

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Philippines 248