In the late 1800’s bird feathers, and especially plumes, were literally worth more than gold. The feather trade was active, supplying plumes and even whole birds as hat decorations. Egret colonies were decimated, the adults stripped of plumes while the nestlings starved. “When the Audubon Society first formed in 1886, plume hunters were decimating North American bird …
An ancient myth refers to the Phoenix, a bird which was supposed to live for 500 years, go up in flames and arise anew from ashes. It has come to represent rebirth, renewal, hope, etc. Ever since there have been terrestrial plants and animals, there has been fire. Ecosystems have evolved and the burning of …
Are birds immortal? Not exactly. Generally we consider mortality as immunity from death – living forever. As we all know, though, death is inevitable for all living things. Humans have extended their life span, though and some radical thinkers believe immortality is possible. Males born in 1940 were expected to live to be 65, …
Leading world lister Tom Gullick became the first person ever to see 9,000 bird species in 2012 when he saw the endemic Wallace’s Fruit-Dove in the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. He saw 9,047 species on a bird tour there. Britisher Tom Gullick, 81, has been the top world lister since 2008 and has been birding for 40 …
Research has demonstrated that we humans don’t multitask well; instead we switch quickly from one single task to another. But this switching produces a mental bottleneck and interferes with performance. This means that the moron in the BMW next to you texting his girlfriend is either driving or texting at some level, but not both …
This is the time of year when birds begin their reproductive cycle in the northern hemisphere. People find eggs, nests, and baby birds and try to help them. Generally, that is not a good idea. Only 10-20% of songbird eggs ever result in an adult bird. The eggs might be infertile, die during incubation due …
The word “gull” originally came from the Welsh, meaning “cry or mew.” In the 16th century it came to mean one who is gullible or easily swallows a story, deriving perhaps from “gullet.” There are about 45 species of gulls around the world, all called gulls except for two kittiwakes. Although seen all over the …
The Evening Grosbeak is an attractive yellow and black heavy-billed finch with a white wing patch most obvious in flight. The scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertinus, means “sound of the evening,” although the idea that they are mainly crepuscular is mistaken. They were apparently first named by French explorers who probably first observed them in the twilight …
In the early 1800’s an eleven year old Hungarian boy named Ignaz Von Peczely caught an owl and accidentally broke its leg. The boy looked into the bird’s eye and noticed a black stripe in the iris. Years later Peczely came up with the idea that illnesses or a propensity towards them could be diagnosed …
I’m looking up information on the internet today and found the Lifestyle Lounge that boldly states that ducks don’t have nerves or blood vessels in their legs and that’s why they can swim in cold water. No, the reason they can swim in cold water has to do with something called “countercurrent exchange” between the blood …
