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 …
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. …
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 …
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, …
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 name of the dance called the Cha Cha is derived from the shuffling sound of the dancers’ feet when they dance two consecutive quick steps. It is an onomatopoeia, meaning that the name comes from a sound. Originally from Cuba, it was first called the Cha Cha Cha as the footwork goes one, two, cha cha …
Lark may mean “spree, frolic, merry adventure,” 1811, slang, of uncertain origin; or possibly a shortening of skylark, sailors’ slang for playing rough in the rigging of a ship (larks were known for their high-flying). The bird got the name in the 14th century. The Horned Lark, Eremophila (desert loving) alpestris (of the mountains), is not restricted …
Hundreds of birdwatchers from all over England and even mainland Europe recently descended on the tiny island of Bryher on the Isles of Scilly (pronounced si-lee) southwest of Cornwall, England, to catch a glimpse of a tiny bird from the U.S. which has rarely been seen in the U.K. In Mid-October, 2022, “twitchers” arrived in …
