10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The Purple Swamphen now is considered a superspecies, with each of its six races are designated full species – and in the strange world of birding, a superspecies is rather less than a species, not more. This is despite the most likely African origin of the species. Swamphen yes, but Grey-headed? Again: Grey-headed?

China 264

China Kenya Florida India 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

I had the good fortune to visit Lake Nakuru in Kenya in 2019, one of the high elevation rift valley soda lakes. 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. There were many other species around this prolific area.

Buffalo 264

Buffalo Kenya Trinidad 2019 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

And apart from local people, primate researchers sometimes spot it, but it is a species seen by fewer than ten living birders. Peacocks and Picathartes’s author, Rupert Watson, was born in England but has lived in Kenya for over 40 years where he practices variably as a lawyer, mediator, naturalist and writer.

Congo 264

Congo Africa Madagascar Kenya 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2013

They do not look or act much like any other birds (my photo above shows a Speckled Mousebird , Colius striatus , in Nairobi, Kenya). The six living species are all found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mousebirds are social fruit-eaters that dangle precariously at odd angles in tight clumps, feet spread wide and long tails often splayed.

Kenya 189

Kenya Parrots Africa North America 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

To follow on from that, I decided to include a few other often-overlooked birds from my travels to Kenya. Both were similarly sized and shaped with grey heads and red eyes – and neither species was fond of remaining in the same place for longer than a couple seconds! Yellow-breasted Apalis. Northern Anteater-Chat.

Kenya 227

Kenya Washington Groups Game 227

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

4%: Mexico, West Papua (Indonesia), New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya. Yet, the fact that tiny Panama is as popular as huge Brazil, with twice as many bird species, speaks volume for Brazil’s stage of ecotourism development. 6%: Antarctica, Argentina, Indonesia (including the votes for West Papua), India. 8%: Brazil, Panama.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Elephant The big – two species of elephant are now recognized as occuring in Africa, the smaller and more secretive Forest Elephant and the larger, more familiar African or Bush Elephant. Prime destinations for seeing African Elephant in the wild include Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda.

Buffalo 236

Buffalo Rhinoceros Leopards Elephants 236

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2011

Here are the clues: 1. Some references indicate that this country has nearly 900 different species of birds. 3. Corey has written about one of the species, which I will most likely see when I go. 5. And another list shows 6 endemics and 11 endangered species. Instead, name one of the endemic species in this country.

Myanmar 150

Myanmar Bolivia 2011 Venezuela 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2012

Kibale National Park, in the west of the Central African nation of Uganda, is home to a 13 primate species, from Common Chimpanzees to bush-babies. The species has a reputation for being an obligate leaf eater, but actually has a wider diet than that, although leaves certainly form a large part of the diet.

Monkeys 171

Monkeys Uganda Primates Cameroon 171

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

You can’t say the same about migration: you can’t say that every book about birds is necessarily about migration, for the simple reason that only about 4,000 bird species migrate (with some 1,800 of those traveling long distances). (Well, purely physical attributes play a part, too: they’re pretty good looking.).

Alaska 251

Alaska Kenya Georgia Russia 251

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2015

Once upon a time, when I started birding, this great family included a wide range of species collectively known as the robins and chats. They are a single genus, Cichladusa , with three species, found mostly in Central and Eastern Africa. It all comes back to a split in one of the great bird families, the Turdidae, or thrushes.

Mozambique 186

Mozambique Zambia Zimbabwe Namibia 186

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

While Uganda does not have the international reputation of its neighbors Kenya and Tanzania, the experience there is no less extraordinary – and in many ways, particularly for the birder, it’s even more so. In the relatively brief period, my group had something on the order of 450 species. I, personally, had around 430.

Uganda 186

Uganda Africa Squirrels Tanzania 186

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 254

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Cattle 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2015

Yep, those two guys identified 331 species in one small area, sans vehicle. Can you imagine even identifying more than 250 species while walking and using a canoe in one day? Essentially, their record was broken in 1986 by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe when they recorded 342 species during one calendar day in Kenya.

Costa Rica 179

Costa Rica Kenya South Africa Ecuador 179

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

There are also dry areas but this great diversity has resulted in an incredible bird list of over 900 species including Africa’s 2nd highest count of endemics (after South Africa). A two-week birding tour could expect around 400 species and up to 550 in 3 weeks, including sightings of most of Ethiopia’s endemic and near-endemic birds.

Eritrea 275

Eritrea Ethiopia Africa Mammals 275

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. You may have heard of him; he lives in Kenya and holds the Big Day world record.

Peru 255

Peru South America Birds Kenya 255

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2016

and dreaming of a place where the heat is moderate, beer snake-cold and birds innumerable… Let’s say, where the average annual maximum varies from 22 to 24 degrees Celsius / 72 to 75 Fahrenheit and where some 700+ bird species – 24 of them endemic – are waiting for an intrepid birder… Answer to the riddle?

Africa 164

Africa Uganda Gorillas Rwanda 164

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

This country boasts over 1,000 bird species, vast wildernesses, a superb network of protected areas, the greatest concentration of large game and predators on the planet, excellent lodges and friendly people. This 12,000 square mile ecosystem stretches across north-western Tanzania into the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Tanzania 246

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

In my younger days I always kept year lists: my best ever year was 1986, when I topped the 1,000 mark thanks to trips to Australia, Kenya and various European destinations. My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself.

Estonia 246

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2020

I wrote previously about the prolific birding that is to be had in the small town of Baringo, Kenya. It was even pumping its tail, much like the New World species I am accustomed to. That post dealt specifically with the dry scrub that surrounds Lake Baringo, however. The lake itself is a whole other pot of gold. Common Sandpiper.

Kenya 170

Kenya Fish Trinidad Eagles 170

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2024

Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa are heavily eBirded because Americans regularly visit. Various species can be found in dry grassland habitats in Africa, Eurasia, and Australia, so it is fun for a North American to stumble upon this not frequently-seen-bird. Scissor-tailed Kites – while not threatened now – are a vulnerable species.

Senegal 237

Senegal South Dakota Gambia Birds 237

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2024

In my younger days I was very keen on what is generally known as Big Day Birding, or trying to see as many species of birds as possible in one day. Called The Big Bird Race , it tells the story of how my team, representing Country Life magazine , recorded 155 species in 24 hours in East Anglia (Suffolk and Norfolk).

Kenya 137

Kenya Birds Barn Owls Owls 137

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

On my 21-day Kenyan safaris we reckoned to find around 600 species of birds and around 60 mammals, both impressive totals. One of my most memorable outings was a night-time game drive in Kenya when we saw an aardvark and a zorilla, so we ticked off both the first mammal in the field guide’s index, and the last.

Fur 230

Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 230

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2014

Even this last bastion has now fallen… In spite of acknowledging that the Egyptian Goose has managed one of the most effective invasions ever to be recorded in Germany, there is still controversy over whether it can indeed be labelled an invasive species. I think we’re not in Kenya anymore.

Germany 150

Germany Netherlands Geese Kenya 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) Five species of frigatebird ply the planet’s tropical skies and seas. Ringer Cormorants and Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) Cormorants are more speciose than other families in the order; 30-40 species range widely on every continent and many islands.

2011 165

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea California 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

The first time I went was for my Masters Field Trip, studying tropical ecology in Kenya (otherwise known as the best month of my life). You may not get the species counts that the race delivers, but you’ll have memories burned into your skull. The second trip was for my masters project ( the one with the cave ).

Uganda 168

Uganda Sharks New Zealand Africa 168

4 The Love Of Animals

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Nat Geo WILD takes viewers around the world to follow dedicated people working to save Nature’s Miracle Babies – often the last hope for critically vulnerable species. The giant panda is one of the world’s most iconic species, but its population numbers are critically low. And Kenya boasts a unique orphanage … for elephants!

Pandas 100

Pandas Leopards Gorillas Zoos 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Especially if they are competing for attention with multiple species of large mammals at a watering hole. Speaking of sparrows, we managed to see several species, many of which were within Nairobi city limits. It was only the movement in a small bush that gave away the presence of a Reichenow’s Seedeater.

Sparrows 231

Sparrows Mammals Parrots Game 231

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

It has entertaining stories, includes animals people care about because they like them (and also addresses that concept), and it describes how the numbers of various species decreased to the point of being classified as "endangered" or worse. It's a great primer on extinction and conservation for the layperson.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

A few years ago while I was watching elephants in the Samburu National Reserve in Northern Kenya with elephant researcher Iain Douglas-Hamilton, I noticed a teenaged female, Babyl, who walked very slowly and had difficulty taking each step. Stories about animals rescuing members of their own and other species, including humans, abound.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2012

The IOC world birdlist recognizes 90 species that bear the name “weaver” or “malimbe” Not all of these are true weavers as we will discuss below. There are currently 64 recognized species in this genus, a remarkable number indeed, and this includes the 5 Asian and 2 Malagasy species.

Tanzania 253

Tanzania Buffalo Kenya Namibia 253

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Few places boast so many different bird species in such a small area — over 900 species (more than Europe, or all of the United States and Canada combined), including 75 different families, like 51 species of hummingbirds, 48 warblers, and 45 tanagers. It was close to 5 a.m., the best time for city traffic to eat me alive.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Nepal Europe 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

Additional back of the book material includes a Glossary, Biographical Details, a Select Bibliography, Notes, Credits, an Index to Species and a General Index. Cocker writes about the species within each family with a literary specificity softened by a tone of conversational patience. Eagles are national symbols of the U.S.,

Egypt 241

Egypt Birds Albania Eagles 241

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2018

It divides countries into categories, where the next category has 200 more species. In some cases the data are outdated, e.g. Costa Rica has 900 and not 800 species, but I made no corrections, remaining faithful to the original map data. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands.

Equatorial Guinea 230

Equatorial Guinea Costa Rica Central African Republic Guyana 230

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

2014) — attempts to answer it by ranking species according to their “evolutionary distinctiveness,” or how distantly related they are to all other living birds. is not primarily a measure of the divergence dates of major clades of birds but rather of individual living species. ’s list.

Madagascar 278

Madagascar Comoros Ecuador South America 278

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2023

Shockingly, the Ashy-throated Parrotbill apparently is a species heavily hunted for bird fighting in Guizhou Province, China ( source ). The other is to mention that the name commemorates Edward Blyth (1810-1873), who published the first description of the species. However, instead of a tit joke, some wren pornography.

Eggs 197

Eggs China Mammals Birds 197