Woodpeckers are successful creatures and well-known to everyone. Perhaps the most famous woodpecker is Woody, the cartoon woodpecker, but the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, very likely extinct since 1948, is the most well-known real one. There are many kinds of woodpeckers in the world, around 250 species. Propped against the side of a tree trunk, they rapidly […]
Why do Woodpeckers Peck? Read More »
Birds have been around for over 200 million years. Of perhaps 125,000 avian species that existed during that time, over 11,000 still populate every habitat on Earth except the center of Antarctica and the depths of the oceans. Hominids have been around for maybe six million years, and modern humans only around 200,000 years. But
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In the northern hemisphere spring and summer are the times of the year birds are breeding – singing, courting, nesting, egg-laying, incubating, and feeding young. For most songbirds, incubation will last about 7-10 days and the young remain in the nest after hatching while the parents feed them. As the young grow, the nest eventually
There are more than 90 million pet cats in the U.S. learn about their effect on the bird population.
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On April 8, 2024, there was an eclipse. On average, there are total eclipses of the sun every 18 months, so every two or three years. In this century, there will be 224 eclipses, 68 of them in total. Some people are so fascinated by the phenomenon that they travel the world to see each
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There’s a recent (Oct 2023) article in the journal Ornithological Applications entitled “Historical racial redlining and contemporary patterns of income inequality negatively affect birds, their habitat, and people in Los Angeles, California.” It’s rather complex but the basic idea is that well-to-do or even moderate-income neighborhoods have a greater diversity of birds than do low-income
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Data show that up to 65 million birds in the U.S. are killed by flying into powerlines, or perching on them and being electrocuted, each year. Worldwide, the mortality might be as high as 175 million birds. Some areas are installing powerlines with insulators so the birds do not make contact with power and putting
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A recent (June 16, 2023) article in the New York Times described the loss of trust in science, which is rather odd because during the pandemic the trust in science went up. What is science? It is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based
Thirty-three leading science and conservation organizations have released the State of the Birds report for 2022 and the results are mainly grim. There are some not so well known birds on the list such as the Ashy Storm-Petrel and the Cassia Crossbill, but many are familiar species: Allen’s Hummingbird, Chimney Swift, Ruddy Turnstone, and Tricolored
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I often receive emails asking advice on caring for a sick, injured, or baby bird. I offer what advice I can and also suggest they contact their local wildlife rehabilitation center or wildlife official. There are a plethora of reasons birds get into these conditions but this email was unusual. The bird, a Dark-eyed Junco, was
