10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2013

This photo could have been taken in Florida’s Treasure Coast during the winter months or in South America during the same period. And by similar, I mean the species and abundance of shorebirds and gulls. In Florida, there is a resident small gull, two species of large gulls, and one species of gull that is abundant.

Chile 187

Chile Peru South America Florida 187

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

The first, A Guide to the Birdsong of South America , was released in 2015 and helped raise nearly $15,000 for a pair of non-profit environmental organizations in South America; Aves Argentinas and the Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco in Ecuador.

Costa Rica 224

Costa Rica Nicaragua Cuba Mexico 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Greater Rheas, a species the Germans call Nandu, are very popular in Germany and frequently kept in zoos as well as private enclosures. The Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (equivalent to e.g. the AOU) only considers species as established after they’ve survived in the wild for more than 3 generations (amongst other criteria).

Germany 239

Germany 2000 South America Birds 239

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

What happens when you visit one of the best birdwatching sites in the region with the highest number of endemic bird species in the Americas in the world’s birdiest country? We spied 11 tanager species including the highly coveted Black-and-gold Tanager. Your mind gets blown. But the birds we did see were stellar!

Colombia 260

Colombia South America Birds America 260

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2023

Yet, I was not aware of any of Arjan’s big year updates in English, so I had no clue where he was or how many species he managed to see. After 3 months of South and Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Australia, Arjan’s count stood at 2,060 species. And I wanted to learn about his travels in detail.

Papua New Guinea 241

Papua New Guinea Guinea Suriname Brazil 241

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially –especially when reviewing books like A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia or Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds.

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia Albatross New Zealand 277

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2013

They packed up in June of 2013 and headed south from San Diego with the southern tip of South America as their destination. We hope that our journey will provide important information about many Neotropical bird species as well as inform conservation.” Very little is known about this enigmatic species.

South America 179

South America San Diego Mexico America 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2013

Southwest all the way down through Central America to parts of South America and the Caribbean. gundlachii ), currently embargoed by the United States, is widely considered a distinct species. anthracinus subtilis ), on the other hand, was a formerly distinct species now absorbed back to the Common core.

Chicago 237

Chicago South America Illinois 2013 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad. Red-crowned Woodpecker.

Woodpeckers 232

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

Birders normally care about species and make species lists, how do families fit into those? Adding more species brings a lot of excitement, as long as you bird your own country or a continent. 11,000 species require lots of money and a good portion of one’s life. That gamble is rigged, so the house always wins.

Family 288

Family Birds South America Breeding 288

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Decades of land transformation and hydrological changes resulted in the decline of the only species of apple snail native to Florida and the kite population followed suit. While the native apple snail continued declining, another species of apple snail native to South America began to appear in canals and ponds in South Florida.

Florida 212

Florida South America Bolivia Eggs 212

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2011

Not all bird species are equally spectacular. Male Sword-billed Hummingbird at Yanacocha Reserve The Sword-billed Hummingbird ( Ensifera ensifera ) is a South American hummingbird found at high elevations (1700-3600m) in the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Bolivia 216

Bolivia Venezuela South America America 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

It sports the intense purple back and head of its close relative, the Purple Martin , which is found in much of North America (summer) and South America (winter). I have now seen the species in eight different years. Of course, Paso Ancho is also a hotspot for many other beautiful species and endemics.

Mexico 202

Mexico South America 2020 America 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2021

In Costa Rica, with around 50 hummingbird species on the list, we have our fair share of minute feathered stars. I feel fortunate to see one or more of this species on a daily basis. Being smaller than the other species, it seems to sneak in and out of their territories. Cinnamon Hummingbird. Plain-capped Starthroat.

Costa Rica 258

Costa Rica South America Arizona Species 258

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Twenty two species are distributed among six genera, depending on what happens to be extinct, and for the most part one grebe is like another. This makes Grebes vulnerable to climate change and the predation of invasive species. It is easy to see how Minks set lose in a welcoming habitat could eat an entire species.

2010 198

2010 South America 2011 Argentina 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2021

They’ve not wasted any time, having drifted northward from mainland South America only a few weeks ago. Some species have already fledged their young and are in the process of feeding the juveniles. I saw one adult male along with this young male, learning the musical ropes of this rarely seen species.

Raised 264

Raised Breeding South America Family 264

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. As the rally tore through its itinerary, the species piled up.

Peru 254

Peru South America Birds Kenya 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2012

Colombia is not only home to nearly 20% of all avian life on the planet but this birding mecca also accommodates an incredibly high percentage of highly sought after species. Nearly 80 species are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. But we just could not ignore the plentiful antpitta species too.

Colombia 239

Colombia Ecuador South America North America 239

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2015

Growing up in South America, I distinctly recall the arrival of “the swallow with a deeply forked tail”. They fly from extreme northern North America to the southern tip of South America and are seldom seen perched during migration. I later learned about the Barn Swallow’s amazing annual migration.

South Dakota 167

South Dakota South America North America Wyoming 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Two weekends ago I was scheduled to take part in a live birding video, one of twenty birders from across North and South America who were out and about looking for good birds to share with the world through Swarovski Optik Birding’s Facebook page. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Nelson’s Sparrow sit up so long.

South America 264

South America Sparrows Birds America 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2014

New studies find that: when birds migrate from the Arctic to South America, fragments of mosses, fungi, and other “diaspores” hitch a ride (and a similar phenomenon may have spread acacia trees from Hawaii to an island in the Indian Ocean); caterpillars which feed on many different types of plants are more attractive meals for birds than caterpillars (..)

Israel 189

Israel Science Hawaii South America 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

As a hanger-on of my wife’s family I find myself this week in Aruba, one of the ABC islands just off the coast of northern South America. Is it it’s own species? While Caribbean has many great and wonderful birding islands, Aruba isn’t really one of them. Where others are lush, it’s dry.

South America 161

South America Netherlands America Sparrows 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

The Buller’s Mollymawk is an endemic breeder to New Zealand, although it ranges widely away from the islands to feed, and regularly goes to South America’s Humboldt Current to feed. As albies go they seem to be doing better than most species, and are only listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Albatross 202

Albatross New Zealand South America Breeders 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2020

This sort of biozone mixing can create a tremendous richness of species. Each of these habitats attracts its own group of species. I mentioned last week the Jamaican Nettletree, whose tiny fruit was attracting all kinds of species — even some I thought did not eat fruit or seeds. This one was a true lifer for me.

Mexico 233

Mexico Nicaragua Lamb Sparrows 233

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

This species loves to sing while high up in pine trees. But I was delighted to see a Black-chinned Sparrow near the shore; this is only my eighth sighting of this species. With 60 mostly-high-quality species on my first visit, you bet I will! It’s a rare treat to see a Mexican Violetear low enough to give a good view.

2020 259

2020 Reptiles South America Birds 259

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2021

Fortunately, China itself has a large number of bird species and habitats. According to a Wikipedia entry, China has 1413 bird species – though strangely, another list found online, purportedly based on Birdlife International, claims only 1288 species. One of my target species for the trip was Indian Blue Robin.

China 264

China Pandas Birds Zoos 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2013

Does the word define a species within country terms, regional terms etc? Is the term defined at the sub-species or full species level in terms of classification? The species must be listed as a separate, full species by both of the most widely used ornithological bird lists, Sibley/Monroe and Clements.

South Africa 198

South Africa Birds South America Feral Cats 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

from South America. Mitred Parakeets are native to southwestern South America. They are a temperate zone species, found at high elevations, so they are somewhat cold-adapted. Mitred Parakeets have been seen in New York since at least 1984, mostly in southwestern Nassau County and Queens.

New York City 207

New York City Los Angeles New York South America 207

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2012

Actitus macularius , as spotties are known to the scientific set, are widespread across North America and winter across Central and South America, even as far south as Chile.

New Jersey 171

New Jersey North America Chile South America 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

They are species that breed in the US and then spend the winter in Central and South America, eating what’s avialable–especially fruit. Some of my happiest memories were sitting on the deck with a big ole’ cup of coffee and watching the parade of birds come in for the fruit.

Nigeria 243

Nigeria Belize Birds South America 243

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2019

Reachable by direct flights from Portugal, the island country of Sao Tome and Principe lying in the Gulf of Guinea, in the armpit of Africa, has about 140 bird species and 28 endemics – more endemics per square mile than anywhere else on Earth. The main island of Sao Tome has about 100 species and 17 endemics among them.

Costa Rica 187

Costa Rica Sri Lanka Rwanda Papua New Guinea 187

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Gray Kingbird perched on a Gumbo Limbo Tree, another typical West Indian species native to South Florida. Although a reasonably common species in southern Florida, Gray Kingbird is especially abundant in the West Indies where even islanders not interested in birds are very familiar with this species.

Dominican Republic 205

Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Miami Florida 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

Across the world’s northern oceans, 24 species of auklets, murres, puffins, guillemots, and related seabirds make a living catching food beneath the waves and breeding, often in large colonies, on coastlines and islands. All alcid species alive today can fly, but with difficulty.

Penguins 217

Penguins Puffins 2008 Sharks 217

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

The dichotomous republic of Trinidad and Tobago may be something of a cipher to anyone unfamiliar with the point where the Caribbean ends and South America begins. I actually turned down an opportunity years ago to see this species in Ecuador because I wanted the Dunston Cave birds to be my first.

Trinidad 242

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 242

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The idea is that some finches from what is now Ecuador ended up on the Galapagos Islands, and subsequently diversified into a number of different forms … they speciated … filling various niches that on the mainland would have been filled by a number of different species. I’d like to outline what a couple of these things are.

Tortoises 193

Tortoises South America Panama Culling 193

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, birds in the U.S. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 190

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

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.

Arizona 258

Arizona Mexico Los Angeles Houston 258