Dr. Roger Lederer

Birds Disappearing from Feeder in the Fall

September 19, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I have received several emails lately from folks asking why the birds have disappeared from their feeder. Well, I could be a wise guy and say “How am I supposed to know?” because I often don’t know where they live, where the bird feeder is located, what kind of seeds…

Roadrunner- Meep Meep

September 12, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Here’s an award-winning grand prize photo. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 22,000 images into the Bird Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. Alejandro Prieto won this year for his poignant image of a Greater Roadrunner stymied at the U.S.-Mexico border wall. He took the photo at…

Giant Tortoises of the Seychelles

September 5, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I was on an ocean cruise several years ago in the Indian Ocean. As we approached the island chain of the Seychelles I looked over the horizon and saw a very prehistoric-looking bird, nothing I recognized. As the distance between the ship and the “bird” closed, I discovered it was…

Mousebirds

August 29, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Mousebirds, sometimes called Colies, and found only in sub-Saharan Africa, are so named for their mousy color and their behavior as they move gingerly through the vegetation searching for food and scurry along the ground between bushes. Slender greyish or brownish birds with soft, hairlike body feathers, crests, curved claws,…

Kleptoptilia

August 22, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

The word kleptomania is from the Greek words κλέπτω (klepto) "to steal" and μανία (mania) "mad desire, compulsion", meaning a compulsion to steal. In birdy news lately is the term kleptotrichia, referring to the behavior of birds stealing hair from mammals to line their avian nests. But some birds steal…

The Tits (Birds, of Course)

August 15, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Titmice From Middle English titmose, compound of tit (“small bird”) and mose, from Old English māse (“titmouse”). In the U.S there are five species of titmice: the Tufted Titmouse, permanent resident of the eastern U.S.; the Oak Titmouse, resident mainly of the California Valley; the Juniper Titmouse, resident of the…

The Science of Birds Podcast

August 8, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I would rather read rather than listen partly because my hearing isn’t what it used to be and I tend to be distracted while earbuds are inserted. But I do occasionally listen to podcasts, as many of you do, while tinkering, working in the garden, walking, or driving. I checked…

The Guineafowl

August 2, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

My expertise is that of wild birds. I know little about the care and keeping of caged birds and even less about poultry. Nonetheless, I regularly receive questions about breeding cockatiels, training conures, or the reproduction of barnyard ducks. The other day someone asked me if a guineafowl could mate…

The Drought’s Effect on Avian Survival

July 25, 2021July 25, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Models of environmental conditions demonstrate that long term drought can affect the species diversity of birds. The lack of water and the temperature that goes along with it stresses the birds, although different species may respond differently.I can see the effects in my own backyard in northern California. The winter…

Avian Home Invasion

July 18, 2021July 25, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

News Nation Now reported via YouTube a story about birds invading homes in southern California in April by flying down chimneys. One pair of homeowners estimated the flock at 800 birds - which they called starlings and blackbirds. Public comments on the video referred to Eurasian Starlings as invasive pests,…

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