In many parts of the world, once-forested areas have been broken up into patches, surrounded by farmland, roads, railroad tracks, and urban areas. There might be 60 acres of forest adjacent to a wheat field on one side and corn fields on the other three. This is especially true in the eastern U.S. but it …
Previously I described what it takes to do ornithological research, culminating in, hopefully, a published paper. Where would you publish this? There are a number of places, but peer-reviewed research is typically published in a format called a journal like The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Australian Field Ornithology, Journal of Avian Biology, Journal of Ornithology, …
Parthenogenesis means birth without fertilization. In other words, a female gives birth to offspring without having been impregnated by a male. This phenomenon occurs normally in some plants and a number of invertebrates like nematodes, some scorpions and mites, aphids, some bees, and parasitic wasps. It also happens among all vertebrates except mammals – yes, …
Bird populations have been declining over the past half century. Perhaps 40 percent of North America’s birds have disappeared during that time – over 3.5 billion birds! According to the IUCN Red List, 23 percent of the world’s birds are threatened or near-threatened, and 44 percent have declining populations. On field trips I used to …
Contrary to popular belief and studies on some hummingbird species, hummingbirds apparently have an active sense of smell. We have known for some time that New World Vultures have an excellent sense of smell, as do many seabirds (Procellariformes). This is due in part to their large olfactory bulbs-rounded mass of tissue that contains several …
