Ornithology.com Blogs

There are hundreds of short, 500 or so word, blogs for you to peruse. The most recent ones are excerpted below. Below them is a list of archived blogs by month all the way back to 2015. Enjoy and feel free to comment. And consider subscribing.

  • Birds in War

    War has shaped avian populations in ways that are both devastating and, at times, paradoxically beneficial. The immediate and most obvious effects are direct mortality and habitat destruction. Modern warfare brings aerial bombardment, artillery, and chemical contamination, all of which can kill birds outright or destroy nesting and foraging habitats. Wetlands are drained or polluted,…

  • Red Hawks

    The Red-tailed Hawk (along with the Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks) was once called a “Chicken Hawk,” and the Red-shouldered Hawk was known as the “Hen Hawk.” Undoubtedly, they took a few chickens—but only rarely. Like most stories of wild predators attacking domestic animals, their impact was greatly exaggerated. There’s one story about a farmer who…

  • Birds of Christmas

    Now that it is almost Christmas, you will hear the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” created in about 16th century England. This song has more birds in it than any other holiday song. You know, “On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.” The…