#ornithology

Bird migration fact of the week!

Common Swifts migrate from Europe to Africa and back WITHOUT EVER LANDING. They just stay airborne for 10 months, hunting insects (and presumably sleeping!) in flight. #birds #science #ornithology

https://www.audubon.org/news/the-common-swift-new-record-holder-longest-uninterrupted-flight

There's a new guest post on the WOS blog! Daniel Munoz describes the adventures behind a new paper in the WJO on the habits of elusive South American swifts. #ornithology https://wilsonsociety.org/2023/09/25/guest-post-in-pursuit-of-swifts/

Start your week with a fun story about cockatoos that make their own percussion instruments. #ornithology https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/15/australian-bird-of-the-year-guardian-birdlife-palm-cockatoo

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! Plus de 1 500 Chevaliers tachetés ont été comptés en septembre 2023 dans la zone humide de Tiaozini (Chine)

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/breves/plus-de-1-500-chevaliers-tachetes-ont-ete-comptes-en-septembre-2023-dans-la-zone-humide-de-tiaozini-chine/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

Something fun for academics to play around with. A new word cloud generator that pulls abstracts from PubMed. I am reasonably pleased with mine, although I did not appreciate how much I apparently use the word "two" in abstracts!
https://shiny.rcg.sfu.ca/u/rdmorin/pubmedcloud/

#academia #neuroscience #ornithology

An Endangered Mexican Parrot Is Thriving In Urban Areas Of South Texas | @TAMU @TAMUVMTH | @DiversityMDPI

by @GrrlScientist via @ForbesScience / @Forbes

#SciComm #parrots #ornithology #EndangeredSpecies #conservation #Texas https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2023/09/25/an-endangered-mexican-parrot-is-thriving-in-urban-areas-of-south-texas/

First record of Canada Warbler to the UK as remains of Hurricane Lee lands in UK. 15 american spp recorded
#ornithology #Twitch #birdsofmastodon #hurricanelee
#rarebirdnews

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/25/canada-warbler-magnolia-uber-rare-american-birds-land-in-uk-aoe

Folks, I am guest editing a Scientific Reports Collection on Animal Migration. If you are interested in contributing, feel free to DM me with any questions. #migration #animalmigration #Ornithology #Entomology #Ichthyology #MarineBiology #Mammalogy

https://www.nature.com/collections/bfghhegbcg/

From the current WJO issue: Life history notes on the Spot-fronted, Chestnut-collared, and White-collared swifts in the Andes of Venezuela. #ornithology https://meridian.allenpress.com/wjo/article/135/2/127/495825/Life-history-notes-on-the-Spot-fronted-Cypseloides

At this time of year, ruffed grouse are typically spotted more frequently because they are moving around more (and broods of they year are breaking up). I typically hear them before I see them. They have a very specific footfall pattern as they walk across dried leaves in the fall. You can sometimes hear males performing their drumming display too.
#WildCanada #birding #birdsofmastodon #ornithology

I haven’t posted on here a for a while so lets make a fresh start with one of my latest articles on #Northwestnatureandhistory which looks at the Golden Plover #Ornithology, #Uplands, #Moors, #autumn, #nature, #conservation, #waders, #Lancashire, #Forestofbowland, #Pennines https://northwestnatureandhistory.wordpress.com/2023/09/18/golden-plover/

Aussie bird of the year time again. My vote today is going to the under-rated Willie Wagtail. Cast your vote today (and every day)!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2023/sep/25/australian-bird-of-the-year-2023-vote-the-guardian-bird-life-australia-poll

#wildoz #birding #ornithology

Not sure whether this is a house sparrow or a tree sparrow. Perhaps the #ornithologists on Mastodon could help? #photography #PhotographyOnMastodon #Ornithology #Birds #Wildlife

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! 7ème Festival « Dans les Bras du Rhône » dans plusieurs communes du Pays d’Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône) du 6 au 16...

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/breves/7eme-festival-dans-les-bras-du-rhone-dans-plusieurs-communes-du-pays-darles-bouches-du-rhone-du-6-au-16-octobre-2023/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! Test du Canon EOS R6 Mark II pour photographier les oiseaux lors d’un safari en Afrique du Sud

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/pratique/equipement/test-du-canon-eos-r6-mark-ii-pour-photographier-les-oiseaux-lors-dun-safari-en-afrique-du-sud/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

A #CoopersHawk came to hang out in our yard while I was on a conference call. Thankfully I was on mute and was able to grab my camera with the good lens and telex already setup. I have better/sharper shots but this one is funny.

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go 🤷🏻‍♂️💩

#BackyardBirds #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #WildlifePhotography

From the current WJO issue: Poleward expansion of Turkey Vultures under future conditions. #ornithology https://meridian.allenpress.com/wjo/article/135/2/118/495813/Poleward-expansion-of-Turkey-Vultures-Cathartes

🚨New byline alert! For Hakai Magazine, I wrote about a clever experiment to address the "nature vs nurture" question as it applies to shorebird migration: Do birds inherit their migratory routes from their parents or learn them from their peers? #ornithology #birds #science https://hakaimagazine.com/news/birds-of-a-feather-flock-with-whoever-is-nearby/

A little Friday fun: Check out this story about a weird Jurassic-era bird with long, stork-like legs. #ornithology https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/one-of-the-earliest-birds-ever-discovered-has-rare-stork-like-legs

Höckerschwan im Speedmodus. Er bekommt sogar 'ne prächtige Bugwelle hin! 👍❤️

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #Enten #Ducks #Vögel #Schwan #Swan #Höckerschwan #MuteSwan #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Schilfpiraten ❤️

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #Spatz #Hausspatz #Sperling #Haussperling #Sparrow #HouseSparrow #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Not good! #Birds #Ornithology

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-pathogen-threatens-rare-parrot.html

The Cape Barren goose, one of several endemic species of Australia was once an endangered species. Thanks to widespread efforts, the species is secure and a relatively common sight in some parts of southern Australia.
#wildoz #birds #birding #ornithology

From the current WJO issue: Refueling performance of migratory passerines stopping at an inland stopover site in the Connecticut River Valley. #ornithology https://meridian.allenpress.com/wjo/article/135/2/103/495818/Refueling-performance-of-migratory-passerines

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! Afflux remarquable de jeunes Faucons kobez en Allemagne en septembre 2023

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/breves/afflux-remarquable-de-jeunes-faucons-kobez-en-allemagne-en-septembre-2023/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

There's a NEW ISSUE of The Wilson Journal of #Ornithology online now! (There was a delay with this issue but we should be back on schedule shortly.) Enjoy 17 new papers on topics ranging from Turkey Vultures' range expansion to whether birds locate insect prey by smell! https://meridian.allenpress.com/wjo/issue/135/2

Bird migration fact of the week! 🐦

We know migrating birds can navigate using the alignment of stars overhead thanks to some really clever experiments from the 1960s that involved placing birds under a planetarium so their view of the "sky" could be rotated. #ornithology #birds #science https://www.vox.com/22538268/animal-navigation-starlight-emlen-planetarium-experiments

#ornithology

https://phys.org/news/2023-09-urban-pollution-linked-smaller-eyes.html

Bright City Lights Linked To Smaller Eyes In Urban Birds: Study | WSUPullman | Global Change Biology

by @GrrlScientist via ForbesScience / Forbes

#ornithology #UrbanBirds #evolution #ecology #LightPollution https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2023/09/20/bright-city-lights-linked-to-smaller-eyes-in-urban-birds-study/

From 9 years ago, the aptly named large-billed crow (formerly called the jungle crow) in the botanic gardens of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. This one of a handful of corvids that has been tested extensively in cognitive tasks in the lab.

#Japan #birdsofmastodon #birds #ornithology

Are you a crow fan? This recent story from The Conversation summarizes some of the fascinating experiments that have been done to test crows' intelligence. #ornithology https://theconversation.com/are-crows-really-that-clever-212914

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! Premiers cas confirmés de nidification du Guêpier de Perse en Tunisie en 2023

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/breves/premiers-cas-confirmes-de-nidification-du-guepier-de-perse-en-tunisie-en-2023/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

In case you missed it: The most recent guest post on the WOS blog is about WOS Research Award recipient Heather Kenny's research on the movements of female Tree Swallows. #ornithology https://wilsonsociety.org/2023/09/06/guest-post-on-the-mating-market-how-far-do-nesting-swallows-roam/

Ibis (aka bin chickens) are somewhat maligned in Australia because they are so frequently encountered in urban and suburban areas feeding on garbage. But these birds are amazing in how they have adapted to these environments so readily. And the plumage of straw-necked ibis in particular can be impressive.

Taken at Holloway's Beach, Queensland.

#wildoz #birdsofmastodon #birds #birding #ornithology

Junger Hausspatz im Schilf ❤️

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #Spatz #Hausspatz #Sperling #Haussperling #Sparrow #HouseSparrow #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Vocal Learning Skills Linked To Problem Solving Abilities And Brain Size In Birds | Rockefeller University & ScienceMagazine

by @grrlscientist via ForbesScience / Forbes

#ornithology #birds #learning #intelligence #cognition https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2023/09/18/vocal-learning-skills-linked-to-problem-solving-abilities-and-brain-size-in-birds/

Nouvel article de Ornithomedia ! Observer les oiseaux dans le parc écologique Izadia (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), un vestige de l’ancienne embouchur...

Lien : https://www.ornithomedia.com/magazine/observer-france/observer-les-oiseaux-dans-le-parc-ecologique-izadia-pyrenees-atlantiques-un-vestige-de-lancienne-embouchure-de-ladour/
#ornithomedia #news #biodiversity #science #ornithology

Congrats to Colorado State University's Yuting Deng, 2023 WOS Research Grant recipient for the project "Climate change impacts on aerial insectivores’ roosting phenology at the Great Lakes"! #ornithology https://wilsonsociety.org/2023/07/05/2023-wos-research-grant-recipients/

Did you know? 🤔

Millions of years ago, finches arrived in the #Hawaiian Islands through #storm winds, leading to "adaptive #radiation". Similar to the #Galapagos, these islands supported over 50 #honeycreeper species. Today, #conservation efforts aim to protect these unique #birds. 🐦🌺

👉 Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/jewels-of-the-forest-kauais-endangered-honeycreepers

#Nature #Ornithology #birding #Hawaii #Finch

A purple swamphen performing a behaviour that occurs rarely outside of parrots, songbirds, and falcons: picking up an object with its foot. It is unclear how or why swamphens do this, but using the foot this way does not appear to occur in other rallids.

For more see our recent paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05151-z

#ornithology #wildoz #birds #animalbehavior

Red-naped Sapsucker
#woodpecker #sapsucker #bird #birds #ornithology #birdsofmastodon

Williamson's Sapsucker
#woodpecker #sapsucker #bird #birds #ornithology #montana #wildlifephotography #wildlife

Kohlmeischen ❤️

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #Kohlmeise #GreatTit #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Graureiher beim morgendlichen Wärme tanken.

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #Graureiher #Fischreiher #GrayHeron #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

A grey fantail giving me "the look" at Hastie's Swamp, Queensland 2 months ago.
#birds #birding #ornithology #wildoz #birdsofmastodon

This recent feature from Undark delves into the surprising complexities of providing artificial homes (such as bird nest boxes) for wildlife. #ornithology https://undark.org/2023/09/11/in-search-of-safer-refuge-the-challenges-of-replicating-nature/

This year I have really fallen for Turkey Vultures. They are all over North and South America. These large graceful birds are non-aggressive to humans and pets, and do us all a favor by being nature's cleanup crew.

#Vulture #TurkeyVulture #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #wildlife

#NewPaper #Ornithology

Jennifer C. Cantlay, Graham R. Martin, Stephanie C. McClelland, Simon Potier, Michelle F. O'Brien, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Alexander L. Bond and Steven J. Portugal (2023)

Binocular vision and foraging in ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae)

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290(2006): 20231213

doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1213

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.1213

Studying birds is an easy way to get elementary and middle school students to notice and care about their environment and the plants and animals all around them. From #CitizenScience opportunities to free lesson plans Cornell U #ornithology Lab has a wonderful variety of activities to captivate #K12 learners.

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/get-started/

#STEM #K12 #education #science #FediScience #ScienceMastodon #EarthScience #ecology
#teachers #parents

I'm usually more boring and objective than this, but part of me thinks the veritable invasion of #American #Flamingos in the #US this week is them paying respects to #JimmyBuffett.

#eBird #iNaturalist #ornithology #birding

#ClimateChange has wreaked havoc on ibises' migratory routes over the alps, so some avian heroes and their ultralight aircraft are showing them a new way.

#GoodNews #ornithology #aviation

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/18/world/europe/johannes-fritz-ibises-migration.html?unlocked_article_code=_BuJ2COTz5da2zZKGO559m-IfsavvMGV0CygaWTIx0dQyZD12NiCMkiWBtaMT-EQO3ciUvb2AznnThQ2ZLQMaXw6sRDVV0Zabsih6zq27qz5nCLAp0lWxs7EX85QEarE-r_6K55J2VT8ldRHiWiEv4_TXoWZy3ji_QROxmv3i0iTQhDDqLdSaBUO5gG3OvMwv9s1IbVMLZhyh2iUyOJlrjP-e2ymb2-FPxjJR-Swn1LHlYzhY8sISjnKvzwHmsRFtQAXlg1c_C1ic4F59smx9ws79FzPAeJCU7USerUM3glqaMHnAjJXa6VwL0FXq1b_o1z13H6Rv8c55KSpl4wUWD50zWCE8aDRWThCJmvI&smid=url-share

Your mid-week #ornithology read: How does the use of rat poison affect owls and other predatory birds? https://theconversation.com/rat-poison-is-killing-our-beloved-native-owls-and-tawny-frogmouths-and-thats-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-212184

New article out today on the CBC that covers our recent paper on foot use in birds. Even features one of my photos taken in Lamington National Park last month.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/bird-feet-research-university-of-alberta-1.6950738

#parrots #parrot #evolution #ornithology

This past weekend, another great day bird banding in #BatonRouge with Louisiana Bird Observatory. Migrants are starting to trickle in.

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab.

#birds #birding #BirdBanding #ringing #warblers #flycatchers #BlueJay #ornithology

My latest contribution to BirdNote: A show about studying bird migration through "moon-watching," something I also feature in chapter two of my book! #ornithology #birds #science https://www.birdnote.org/listen/shows/moon-watching-migrating-birds

This morning's stroll through one of our #Missouri nature preserves was incredible. Best and most fruitful visit I've had in recent memory.

Here's a teaser.

#KC #Hummingbird #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #wildlife

Brilliant thesis committee meeting today with a PhD student working with @LucyAplin
Some very cool experiments on cockatoo cognition, and also parrot brains, are on the horizon. This can only be celebrated with another sulphur crested cockatoo project. This cockie is from Lorne, VIC. #CleverCockieProject #cockatoo #parrot #birds #ornithology #animalbehavior #animalbehaviour #animalcognition

New research suggest that the smallest migratory birds may be the ones most at risk from climate change. #ornithology https://wildlife.org/small-migratory-birds-may-be-vulnerable-to-climate-change/

Getting a few snaps of Canadian migratory species before they start heading south this week. Over the weekend, there was an abundance of eastern kingbirds, vesper sparrows, robins, and mountain bluebirds, like this one, at Popson Park in Lethbridge, Alberta. #WildCanada #birds #birding #ornithology

New #introduction for a new (old) server! (Migrated back here because of the ongoing behind-the-scenes drama over at Project Mushroom/Spore.) I'm a freelance science writer with a particular interest in #birds and #ornithology, and my first book, Flight Paths, tells the story of the wild lengths scientists have gone to over the past century in order to figure out bird migration. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/flight-paths-rebecca-heisman

Another brush turkey for #MegapodeMonday. This one was harassing us for food at a picnic table at Lake Barrine, Queensland. #wildoz #birds #birding #ornithology

On a recent visit to the Tolga Bat Hospital, QLD, I happened to snap this shot of a Macleay's honeyeater that flew in to avail itself of all of the bananas and other fruit on offer for the black, spectacled, and grey headed flying foxes. Macleay's honeyeater has a very limited distribution in northern QLD and has an unmistakable look. #wildoz #birding #birds #ornithology

If you already follow @corvidresearch on Facegram or Instabook, and if you read my work then it's likely you do, I suspect Dr. Kaeli Swift needs no introduction to you. However whether you already know her work or not, this recent podcast interview she sat for with the ODFW's Beaver State #podcast is well worth your time to hear.

#birds #ornithology #birding #biology #crows #ravens #corvids

https://myodfw.com/beaver-state-podcast/crows-and-ravens-dr-kaeli-swift

Eine Rauchschwalbe - Selten halten sie mal still, wenn es dann mal mit Fotografieren klappt, sind sie einfach nur wunderschön! ❤️

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Birds #Vögel #RauchSchwalbe #BarnSwallow #Schwalbe #Swallow #Vogelfotografie #Birdphotography #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithologie #Ornithology #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Can Genetic Rescue Save This Critically Endangered Songbird? | @MonashUni @ZoosVictoria published by Biological Conservation

by @GrrlScientist via @ForbesScience / @Forbes

#birds #ornithology #genetics #conservation #endangered #Australia https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2023/08/16/can-genetic-rescue-save-this-critically-endangered-songbird/

File this under things you don’t normally see at the feeder. 👀

For the record it didn’t feed, just perched. Still, WOW!

Took me a while to identify it. Thinking juvenile #CoopersHawk which is very different from how the grownups look.

#BackyardBirds #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #wildlife

I'm hiring!

Looking for someone to do quantitative work on the #NOAAFirebird Project and work on structured decision making support for a few other projects

The projects are bird focused, but glad to hire someone with the quantitative skills who is willing to learn the bird part

Located at Forbes Biological Station in Havana, IL.

Starts at 57k/yr plus benefits

Applications due by Sept 5

Glad to answer your questions!

https://illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/7529?c=illinois

#Ornithology #OrnithologyJobs #WildlifeJobs

New paper out today on the evolution of skilled foot use in birds. Unlike mammals, birds cannot use their forelimbs to reach and grasp objects, but they do use their feet. In this paper, we explore what species use their feet, how they use their feet to reach and grasp, and assess the evolutionary origins of this behaviour.

A fantastic covid project by: gallinaciega@gallinaciega@fedisceince.org.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-05151-z

#ornithology #ethology #evolution #parrots

A young #AmericanGoldfinch hanging out on a spent volunteer #sunflower outside my window. They won't visit our feeder, but they don't mind letting me grab a few photos every now and then.

#BackyardBirds #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #wildlife #goldfinch

I decided today could be #MegapodeMonday and share photos of two megapodes found in northern QLD: orange-footed scrubfowl and brush turkey. These photos are of males of both species busy preparing nesting mounds for their mates to eventually lay eggs in. No parental care is provided as the chicks hatch like crocodiles or turtles. #wildOz #ornithology #birds #birding

Listening to a small but very loud bird. I got to wondering: is there a known correlation between bird size and call volume? Has anyone worked on this? #birds #research #zoology #ornithology

Yet another cracticine bird today: the pied butcherbird. Note that unlike magpies and currawongs, butcherbirds have a curved tip to the upper beak, similar to that of shrikes. This specific butcherbird was hanging out for scraps at a cafe in the southern suburbs of Brisbane today. #wildOz #birding #birds #ornithology

This redstart crouches against the wall and does not try to flee when approached. I suspect it is a young one that has just fledged.

Are there a bird experts here who know whats wrong with it? @wurzelmann or @Kuestentroete maybe?

#Birds #BirdsOfMastodon #Ornithology

So far, this is my favourite pied currawong photo that I have taken thus far. Lamington National Park, QLD. But I also find the "corvid-like" birds of Australia fascinating. #birding #birds #ornithology #wildOz

For the benefit of anyone who started following me recently, I am a biologist based in Canada that works on bird brains and behaviour. I often post photos of birds and other wildlife, but sometimes also brains and our lab's research. #neuroscience #ornithology #birds #brains #anatomy #academia

Have you heard about #MOTUS bird tracking? Tiny devices are placed on migratory birds which ping stations throughout north and Central America. Fascinating!

We’re attending a webinar hosted by #MissouriRiverBirdObservatory + US fish and wildlife. They hope to launch a large Wood Thrush study in 2024.

Learn about MOTUS: https://motus.org/

Support ($) project: https://mochf.org/wood-thrush-motus-tagging-project/

#BackyardBirds #Birdstodon #birding #naturalist #Ornithology #nature #wildlife #Missouri #MissouriMasterNaturalist

@r_heisman I'm a scientist in #India doing research in #ornithology, #trees, #ecology, and interested in #naturalhistory with a focus on #tropicalforests. I'm also a writer (#nonfiction, #naturewriting, #wildlife) with a couple of #books done and a couple in the pipeline. Glad to meet you over Mastodon.

Cracticines, the "corvid-like" birds of Australia and New Guinea, are highly under-rated. These two, the Australian magpie and pied currawong are very common in suburban areas, very vocal, but have very different personalities. Magpies are more bold, becoming aggressive during breeding season. Currawongs are more skittish and tend to be more neophobic. Great to see them both again after many years away.
#wildOz #ornithology #birds #birding

Cooper’s Hawk trying to cool down in a bowl of water on a friend’s back patio in Austin, Texas. The temperature is 103 Fahrenheit.

#birds
#ornithology
#GlobalWarming

What humans don't seem to realise is that trying to outsmart #Corvids simply leads to smarter #Birds.

"#Crows and #Magpies using anti-bird spikes to build #Nests, #Researchers find

"#Dutch study identifies several examples of corvids’ ‘amazing’ ability to adapt to the #Urban #Environment...

"...'These... spikes are meant to deter birds, they are supposed to scare them off, but on the contrary, the birds just utilise them...'"

#News #Nature #Science #Ornithology

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jul/11/crows-and-magpies-show-their-metal-by-using-anti-bird-spikes-to-build-nests

Here are some #puffins that I photographed on cliffs at Bullers of Buchan in #Aberdeenshire yesterday afternoon.

#nature #birds #seabirds #ornithology

Australian magpies are highly under-rated birds. Amazing plumage, highly inquisitive and one of the best songs produced by a songbird, in my humble opinion. #wildOz #birds #birding #ornithology

AAAS: "Some hummingbirds are flower robbers. Here's how to to spot them." 'Like a sword sliding into a sheath, hummingbirds slip their beaks into the tubes of flowers to drink the nectar within,' or at least that's always been our universal assumption. "Most hummingbird-pollinated flowers droop upside down, so the animals must nimbly hover to access them, frantically beating their wings up to 80 times a second.' Alejandro Rico-Guevara, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Washington, likens the birds to racecars: “They have an impressive engine that allows them to fly backwards, accelerate super-fast, and zoom from flower to flower,” he says. “But because that engine is on the maximum at all times, they need to refuel constantly.” Yet over 20 times in hummer evolution some species have developed shorter beaks + bigger feet, particularly the hallux claw, which is comparable to our big toes or thumb. Their behavior also involves clinging sideways or even upside down, so perhaps their feet are adapted to this task. This feeding behavior saves energy but robs the flower of the chance to leave pollen on the head feathers of the bird. If you look carefully at the photo, you will see a short-beaked fiery-throated hummingbird robbing nectar from a long-tubed flower by piercing its base. Not really a crime scene, because the flower was trying to extort work from the other hapless long-beaked hummers. Nature red in beak + claw. #evolutionarybiology #ornithology #botany

New review: A hoot of a book, What an Owl Knows is a readable, captivating, and touching science narrative of owls and those who study them.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/06/27/book-review-what-an-owl-knows-the-new-science-of-the-worlds-most-enigmatic-birds/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Owls #OwlsOfMastodon #Birds #Raptors #BirdsOfPrey #Ornithology #Scicomm @bookstodon

Anyway I know self-promotion is kind of gross BUT my book made Publishers Weekly's list of best summer reads, so if you're into birds and science and history maybe now would be a good time to check it out? https://bookshop.org/p/books/flight-paths-how-a-passionate-and-quirky-group-of-pioneering-scientists-solved-the-mystery-of-bird-migration-rebecca-heisman/18815100 #ornithology #birds #birding #science

Second, at The Revelator, on the traits that city birds around the world have in common: https://therevelator.org/urban-birds/ #ornithology #birds #birding #science

I have two new stories out this week! First, at Audubon, on the link between lost birds and geomagnetic storms: https://www.audubon.org/news/when-birds-get-lost-space-storms-may-be-blame #ornithology #birds #birding #science

A western meadowlark singing from an unusually high post today: the very top of a very dead poplar tree. #birding #ornithology #yql #Alberta

I have been trying to catch this wren, currently squatting in one of house martin nests, for three days. Anyway, finally! #wren #birdphotography #bird #exmoor #exmoornationalpark #ornithology

Really big birds! Scientific American is embarking on a four-episode podcast series about giant extinct birds of prehistory, beginning with the predatory Pelagornis sandersi. #ornithology https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/this-massive-scientific-discovery-sat-hidden-in-a-museum-drawer-for-decades/

This tiny blob is the brain of a blackpoll warbler. Blackpoll warblers manage to fly incredible distances every year between breeding and wintering grounds, all with a brain of about half a gram. #neuroscience #neuroetholoogy #anatomy #ornithology

(please note that this was a salvaged bird donated to our brain collection from another academic institution)

Increased pesticide and fertiliser use driving bird declines across Europe: https://bit.ly/3Ms0xbb #conservation #birding #birds #birdwatching #birdphotography #ornithology #UKbirding #RSPB

This is a portrait of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that I photographed one afternoon while out spending some time in Nature. A little crop and some texture work and he’s good to go.
#GreatBlueHeron #herons #birds #avian #ornithology #photography #art #artists #MastoPhotography #MastoArt #Florida #BuyIntoArt #SupportIndependentArtists #fediverse #FediGiftShop #SaturdayArt

Big Blue Portrait is available for purchase here: https://www.pictorem.com/191944/Big%20Blue%20Portrait.html

The Bird Banding Laboratory is run by the United States Geological Survey. I used to be a scientist, so you can trust me when I say the following:

This means birds are rocks.

#Science #Birds #Rocks #Geology #Ornithology #Nature #Wildlife #Government