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The majority of wildcats live today in Africa, and virtually none of them have provided the DNA from which supposed histories of domestication have been constructed by researchers. But they don’t live in NorthAmerica. I find it astonishing that people argue of whether feral cats are bad for birds in NorthAmerica.
My feelings about shorebirds came back to me a few days later, as I observed a mixed group of peeps and Dowitchers at Mecox Inlet, eastern Long Island, not far from where Peter Matthiessen once observed the shorebirds of Sagaponack, the stars of the first pages of his classic The Shorebirds of NorthAmerica (1967).
Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. And now we have the third iteration in Audubon’s guide book history: National Audubon Society Birds of NorthAmerica. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.
Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms of NorthAmerica, Second Edition by Karl B. McKnight is not totally new, it’s a revision of A Field Guide to Mushrooms: NorthAmerica (Peterson Field Guides) b y Kent H. This second edition covers 685 species found in the continental U.S. Species Accounts. ” (p.
Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of NorthAmerica 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. And the term is ‘non-reversed size dimorphism.’).
The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of NorthAmerica, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of NorthAmerica, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume.
I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and NorthAmerica. Data were collected from the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Pan-European Common Birds Monitoring Scheme. Stephens et al. Let’s look at that first.
These and several other species might end up being armchair ticks if and when we take a closer look at their evolutionary history. Taxa that could end up being split into one species occurring north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and one south of the isthmus. (2). Bird species that require further research.
A new paper out this month attempts to paint the most comprehensive picture yet of the origins and diversification of the American sparrows, wood-warblers, blackbirds, cardinals, tanagers, and their kin, an enormous group of birds more than 800 species strong. The paper is by leading researchers F. Keith Barker, Kevin J.
Marybeth Lima’s ‘real life’ work is academic, she is a professor of biological and agricultural engineering as Louisiana State University with research interests in community-based design and service-learning in engineering. Adventures of a Louisiana Birder: One Year, Two Wings, Three Hundred Species.
There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. Bird communication is a complex and evolving science. How do they know?
You can blame the nice people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who took it upon themselves to send me a review copy of the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern NorthAmerica by Seabrooke Leckie and David Beadle. Moth plates from Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern NorthAmerica. Let that sink in.
In June, I visited North Dakota for the first time. Like any birder visiting a new place, I had a target species list I was hoping to seek out during the one day I had available between business commitments. Black Rosy-Finch. Brown-headed Nuthatch. McCown’s Longspur. White-headed Woodpecker.
These bark-burrowing beetles, which apparently hitched a ride in cargo shipments from their native Asia, have been starving the ash trees of eastern and midwestern NorthAmerica to death for a dozen years now. … Here at 10,000 Birds 20 July – 26 July is Invasive Species Week. Enter the woodpecker.
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.
Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the “Rufa” population of Red Knot ( Calidris canutus rufa ) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia. Conservation'
This is the first identification guide that I know of that covers Mexico (technically NorthAmerica but rarely included in North American raptor guides) and Central America. Like Peterson’s Hawks of NorthAmerica, 2nd edition (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), which Clark co-authored with Brain K.
Many species that are currently common may stay that way, and some species will likely increase…and hopefully species besides House Sparrows , European Starlings , Rock Pigeons and Eurasian Collared-Doves , which those in NorthAmerica know as the four avian horsemen of the apocalypse. Whats in it for birds?
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.
Guiding aside, Howell is a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and the author of many books, including Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of NorthAmerica (Princeton). We have tended to a liberal (= realistic) direction when recognising species.” Well, this is one interesting claim.
It’s a decidedly different direction for the author of Kingbird Highway (1997), Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of NorthAmerica (2005), and A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration (2019), to cite just three of his books, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, underlined with energy, and am still thinking about.
It’s mid-July, which among other things means that those of us in NorthAmerica are starting to check local mudflats for returning shorebird migrants and waiting impatiently for the AOU to hurry up and create five species from the Clapper-King rail complex (the reasons for which we covered last year ). Gowen et al.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler ( Setophaga coronata ) complex is one of the most abundant and widespread representatives of the New World warbler family in NorthAmerica, present in many parts of the United States even through the winter months, when the birds feed on small fruits and other foods, including sap.
The survey was commissioned by National Flyway Council (NFC), which implements the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), which, in turn, aims to maintain abundant waterfowl populations in NorthAmerica. Thus, birders like natural areas close to home with rare species, and perhaps some ducks. Paul, MN 55108.
Last night I saw my second plover species of the year, a Common Ringed Plover. Interestingly, until a couple of years ago conventional wisdom held that the north end of Baffin Island was only populated by Common Ringed Plovers , the south Baffin by Semipalmated. The first I saw was its doppelganger, the Semipalmated Plover. Dr. Neal G.
They inhabit the grasslands, shrub steppes, and deserts of western and central NorthAmerica. Note the long yellow gape, a characteristic field mark of this species. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a Sensitive Species by the Bureau of Land Management 1. Obviously more research needs to be done on this magnificent raptor.
With the breeding colony concentrated on one small island this species is vulnerable to a catastrophic weather event. It’s all of the things I learn about different birds from researching to write posts. If you want to learn a lot about bird species, I find “Birds of NorthAmerica Online” the best resource on the net.
There’s been some interesting bird research lately, having to do with the origin of birds ( new analysis of new and old fossils ) and the overarching taxonomy ( using DNA analysis ) but I’ve not had a chance to absorb this weighty new knowledge so I’ll probably write about it next month.
I stopped at the Red Crossbill , realizing that the species indeed “occupies an immense range, including NorthAmerica, Eurasia, and northern Africa” (HBW) – including Baxi forest, China. It is hard to see any scientific value in defining a bird species as a country endemic. Progress of sorts, I guess.
All sorts of exotic and beautiful species may be seen. This would sound attractive even to me, except for one fact: almost all of those exotic and beautiful species are common down here in central Mexico. Southeastern Arizona is unusual, precisely because its species mix is as much Mexican as it is American.
The Red-breasted Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus ruber ) and the Red-naped Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ) were considered different forms of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius ) until 1983 when they were split into separate species. The bird shown above arrived at my house at the end of October, a new species for my yard list!
There are 35 raptor species that have a presence in the United States and Canada, 56 (more or less) if you count by subspecies, and they are all covered in admirable, exhausting, unbelievable detail in B irds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide and Birds of Prey of the West: A Field Guide by Brian K.
Though Ron is based in Ontario his reports are eagerly anticipated by birders across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada because it takes into account a vast array of data to figure out which irruptive species might show up where. Red Crossbills comprise at least 10 “call types” in NorthAmerica.
It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. Previously, even researchers had problems getting access to nesting Kirtland’s Warblers.
So, I was intrigued when I saw that Comstock Publishing, an arm of Cornell University Press, was publishing Baby Bird Identification: A North American Guide by Linda Tuttle-Adams. The scarcity of information on the young of some avian species is astounding. Not all species accounts have corresponding plates or photographs.
You can see some of my older Lassen Park posts featuring several other species from this beautiful park here. This week I am reporting on the Cassin’s Finch ( Haemorhous cassinii ), another western species found nesting in Lassen Volcanic National Park. This is the male of the species (click on photos for full sized images).
Getting to know the subtleties in differences between closely related species takes years of dedication and practice. Thirdly, many species of shorebirds display such vast differences in their summer and winter plumages that it is always interesting to note how some birds in the same flock are in contrasting stages of plumage.
He is currently a Fish and Wildlife Technician with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Research Foundation for SUNY. Being charismatic species, Snowy Owls are the focus of the nature-loving community during the winter. Species have value. 1999, Holt et al.
I was puzzled by a couple of the birds featured in North American Songbirds ; I had never heard of Plain Titmouse nor Water Pipit. A little research revealed that these are old names of birds that have been split into different species. Scientific names don’t reflect the massive changes to species in the warbler family.
The newest bird on the brink to capture her fertile imagination is the California Condor, on which she graciously shares her research and ruminations: Sometimes as a writer you recognize there’s been something overlooked in your midst—something quietly abiding. Their size doesn’t escape you. You think of turkey dressed in black.
What are the best field guides for birds in NorthAmerica? 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.
But getting a grip on gulls can be rewarding, and even within a large group of seemingly drab-colored, dump-loving trash eaters, there are spectacular species, like the dramatic Sabine’s Gull, the nearly mythical Ivory Gull, and easily one of the most sought-after species in NorthAmerica, the mysterious Ross’s gull. (p.
These coveys usually range is size from 27 to 73 individuals but researchers have suggested that in arid areas, larger groups are drawn to the same water source, thereby producing large, stable coveys 2. 2005), Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds , Princeton: Princeton University Press 2 Birds of NorthAmerica Online a.
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