Elizabeth Gould

Dr. Roger Lederer
Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird of the Himalayas and the Gouldian Finch of Australia were named after Elizabeth Gould (1804-1841), bird artist of the early 19th century. Elizabeth Gould married John Gould, also a famous taxidermist and bird artist of that time. She designed, lithographed, and painted over 640 plates for birds…
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Bird Friendly Coffee

Dr. Roger Lederer
I don’t always think about the environmental issues surrounding food purchases, mainly because it’s too complicated. When I buy a head of cabbage, I don’t think about where it is grown and how much diesel fuel it took to get to the grocery store or how much pesticide or fertilizer…
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Research in Ornithology

Dr. Roger Lederer
You often hear the word “research” related to someone looking up new information – researching a new car, researching a term paper, researching a recipe, etc. Here is example of what real field research is in ornithology, based on one of my research subjects, Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Male Yellow-headed Blackbird At…
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Photobugs and Birds

Dr. Roger Lederer
I’ve noted before the occasional conflicts between birdwatchers and photographers and I’ve received stories from readers regarding experiences with rude picture-takers. There’s the one about the professional photographer who aggressively pursued a rare Kirtland’s Warbler in front of a group of birdwatchers. He chased to bird out of its hiding…
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The Word Spreads Fast

Dr. Roger Lederer
Over the last few years there have been sightings of rare birds in Central Park in New York City. Birders were obviously excited to see the Mandarin Duck, Barred Owl, and recently, a Snowy Owl. Of course, the word gets out and avid birders of all types show up to…
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Diseases at Bird Feeders

Dr. Roger Lederer
The British naturalist James Fisher wrote that the first person recorded as feeding wild birds was the 6th-century monk Saint Serf of Fife who tamed a pigeon by feeding it, but the first indication of bird feeding in United States came from Henry David Thoreau who fed birds on Walden…
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The Emu

Dr. Roger Lederer
The Emu, another ratite, is the second-largest living bird after the Ostrich and the largest bird species in Australia where it is found almost all over. Officially, the Spotted or Larger Emu, it is generally just called the Emu because there is only the one species. An adult Emu stands…
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