Dr. Roger Lederer

The Ostrich is a Ratite

February 1, 2021February 2, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

The Ratites A little lesson on ratites. A ratite is any bird whose sternum (breastbone) is smooth, or raftlike, because it lacks a keel which is required for the anchorage of the main flight muscles, so these are flightless birds The ratites include some of the largest birds of all…

More on Bird Smarts

January 25, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I’ve discussed the intelligence of birds like crows before. Let’s look a bit more into the subject in a little more scientific depth. Why do mammals like dogs, coyotes, cats, and horses learn all kinds of behaviors in the wild or from their trainers while birds mostly act by instinct?…

Birds Singing for Us

January 18, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

The reasons birds sing is to declare or defend a territory and to attract a mate as part of courtship. They don’t sing because they are happy, although some philosopher and nature guru types might disaagree. Singing attracts attention, which is fine if you want to declare that you are…

It’s All in the Timing

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Several years ago I took my second trip to Australia and this time drove up the Gold Coast from Sydney to past Brisbane and to the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef. Along the way we stopped at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, basically a zoo. An interesting place where you…

The Golden Fleece Award

January 4, 2021March 22, 2021 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

The Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) was a tongue-in-cheek award given by Senator William Proxmire to public officials in the United States for squandering public money, its name taken from the actual Order of the Golden Fleece, a prestigious award created in the late-15th Century. Examples of awards were those given…

Doves and Pigeons and Dodos, Oh My

December 28, 2020December 28, 2020 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I was listening to A Way with Words podcast the other day, the discussion being about horses being named for their color – palomino, sorrel, bay, etc. I learned that the word palomino comes from the early 20th century Spanish palomino ‘young pigeon’, from Latin palumbinus ‘resembling a dove’. The…

Creepy Birdwatchers?

December 21, 2020 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

In 2016 there was a study in New Ideas in Psychology entitled On the Nature of Creepiness. An online survey of 1341 individuals asked what appearances and behaviors by others made them feel creepy. Perhaps not surprisingly, the top three occupations listed as creepy are clown, taxidermist, and sex shop…

The Lyrebirds

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

As I occasionally like to do, here’s a little natural history of an interesting bird group, this time the Lyrebird, either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds of the genus Menura and the family Menuridae. They are notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from…

Bread or Not

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

Ever hear the myth about not throwing rice at weddings because the birds that eat the grains will blow up when the rice expands? That would come as a real surprise to rice farmers who spend a lot of time and effort to keep birds from eating their crop. The…

Book in Progress

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020 by Dr. Roger Lederer

Dr. Roger Lederer

I’m just beginning work on my 11th book, tentatively called An Atlas of Birds. Organized a bit like a geographic atlas, it will feature birds from each of nine biogeographical regions of the world. (although some say there are anywhere from six to twelve major biogeographical regions.) The goal is…

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