You might be familiar with one of the most famous murders of the 20th century, that committed by Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, teenagers who killed a 14 year old Bobby Franks in 1924 apparently for thrills, money, and the thought that they were smart enough to get away with it. They were intellectually astute […]
Nathan Leopold, Birdwatcher and Murderer Read More »
The general assumption here is that the brightest, most active, aggressive, colorful males (and sometimes females) attract the best or most (for polygamous species) females, ensuring that their offspring have the best genes. It’s also reasoned that this is a tradeoff as the most obvious males would be most likely to attract predators and/or be
As I drove home from a week at a lake, catching few fish, I saw a group of fish-eating birds circling overhead – pelicans. Were the Pelicans mocking me? Probably not, but I stopped to admire these large, seemingly ungainly waterbirds which are so adept at piscivory. Known for their unique long beaks and large
There was an article in the New York Times recently about the evolution of birds, a field of knowledge that still has lots of mysteries. There are thousands of bird fossils, many of which have still to be fully examined and classified. But we are learning. One of the more interesting is Caihong juji, an
The Rainbow Dinosaur Read More »
I discussed The Canary Bird earlier; here’s a bit more. Years ago, singing canaries were popular. A radio show in the 1940’s in the U.S. featured dozens of canaries singing along with classical records. There was also a canary song training record from Hartz Mountain you could use at home to teach your canary to
An interesting bird name is “swallow.” In late Old English and Middle English it meant “gulf, abyss, hole in the earth, whirlpool,” also, in Middle English, “throat, gullet.” The name apparently stuck to the birds because of their dizzying, whirlpool-like flight, or their voracious eating habits. A In Ancient Greece, swallows were associated with Aphrodite.
Rough-winged Swallow Read More »
Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, is an unusual environment and as a result, 90 percent of its plant and animal species are endemic. It has 23 species of raptors, 17 diurnal and 6 nocturnal. Of these, 13 are endemic to the island. The Madagascar Serpent Eagle (Eutriorchis astur) is one of the
Madagascar Serpent Eagle Read More »
If you Google “life list”, you come up with various definitions such as goals for your life, bucket list wishes, or any other list of things you want to possess or achieve. Some people want to visit every major league ballpark or every state capitol building or own all the versions of Beanie Babies. But
Bustards, the largest flying birds, are ground-dwelling birds found in Africa, Europe, and Asia. There are 26 species in the family Otitidae, ranging in size from 16 to 60 inches. The Great Bustard (left) can weigh as much as 40 pounds while the smallest species, the Little Brown Bustard, weighs around 1.6 pounds. Bustards are omnivorous,
Blister Beetles and Bustards Read More »
Every once in a while, I like to step back from my usual patter about the interesting things in the bird world and just talk about one bird in particular. This is about one I have seen many times but they always surpise me with their unusual appearance. Widespread across much of the Old World,
The Eurasian Hoopoe Read More »
