birds
grrlscientist | October 10, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, birds, SincoraÌ Antwren, Formicivora grantsaui, ornithology, Brazil
Male SincoraÌ Antwren,
Formicivora grantsaui.
Potentially a new bird species that was recently discovered in Brazil.
Image: Sidnei Sampaio. [larger view].
In a world where many humans believe they know the identities of every living thing on the planet, it is truly refreshing to learn that we have found yet another species of bird that is new to science. This new species was recently found in eastern Brazil. The bird was captured, studied and its vocalizations were recorded by ornithologists.…
grrlscientist | October 9, 2007
Image: Brent Ward; Sedgwick County Zoo.
Thanks to a friend, who shall remain unnamed, it looks like I will be adding a bird to my flock, a species that I bred for many years before I left Seattle for NYC (a species that I gave up when I moved to pursue a career that seems to have gone nowhere, unless you think of the Coriolis Effect, as it applies to a swirling toilet, as "going somewhere").
To say the least, I have missed my birds so terribly, so deeply, so desperately at times, that this one little guy (girl?) will add a little something to the stillness that my vanished flock of…
grrlscientist | October 9, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, conservation, birds, ornithology, ecology, environment, endangered species
Image: Robert Linder.
I suppose this seems obvious to you city dwellers, but recently published research demonstrates that urban birds are better overall survivors than their country-dwelling cousins. Apparently, this is because city-dwelling birds are less specialized in their requirements, and thus, are more broadly adaptable to a variety of microenvironments, such as those found in large cities. While this might seem to be a mere conversational topic to many of you, this observation…
grrlscientist | October 8, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Can anyone out there identify these mysterious birds? I have no information about the birds, such as location, but several experts are already proposing their guesses (one thinks it's a Chough, another one disagrees). Several ornithologists think these birds are captives rather than wild birds. [larger view].
Birds in Science
Urban birds are regular tough guys compared to their country cousins. The avian urbanites adapt to changing environments and noisy, crowded habitats, a new study shows. Birds that hang out on…
grrlscientist | October 5, 2007tags: birds, birding, blog carnival
The 59th edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. Be sure to go there and give them some support by reading the stories they have linked!
grrlscientist | October 4, 2007tags: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, birds, Image of the Day
Yesterday's mystery bird is revealed: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis.
Image: David Lee. [Wallpaper size]
grrlscientist | October 4, 2007tags: birds, birding, word play, humor
When I was working on my dissertation, my colleagues and I referred to any large or mixed flock of birds as "a shitload of birds" for obvious reasons. I hadn't thought about this for awhile until recently, when I noticed that one of the email lists I am on is discussing the made-up nouns that we use to describe flocks of particular bird species .. you know, like "a murder of crows" and that sort of thing. Below the fold are some of these names for you to enjoy and of course, feel free to add your own inventions to the list!
A coronation of Emperor Geese…
grrlscientist | October 3, 2007tags: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, birds, Image of the Day
The photographer writes: I took some pictures this weekend at my bird feeder (in Eagle River, AK). [More of these images will follow, so be sure to check in here]
Image: David Lee. [Wallpaper size]
mystery bird, revealed.
grrlscientist | October 1, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Back from the brink:
The endangered Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii,
has been successfully reintroduced to Ätiu.
Image: Phil Bender.
Birds in Science
Migrating birds, it seems, can "see" the Earth's magnetic field which they use as a compass to guide them around the globe. Specialized neurons in the eye, sensitive to magnetic direction, have been shown for the first time to connect via a specific brain pathway to an area in the forebrain of birds responsible for vision, German researchers said on…
grrlscientist | September 29, 2007tags: white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, birds, Image of the Day
White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, 1st winter plumage.
Image: Kevin T. Karlson [larger view].
This morning, I ran into a little bird at the entrance to the library where I go every day. I was actually distracted, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed this was a white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, instead of the ubiquitous house (english) sparrows. Not only are white-throated sparrows the sister species to my dissertation bird, the white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys, but…
bleimanb | September 28, 2007Birds have the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field, and now scientists believe that they may actually "see" it with their eyes. According to a study posted on PLoS, a molecule known to be in birds' eyes that is sensitive to magnetic fields is directly linked to a part of birds' brains where visual information is processed.
I see London. I see France...
As the study puts it, "In garden warblers, Sylvia borin, the cryptochrome-expressing retinal ganglion cells and a neuronal cluster located in posterolateral regions of both forebrain hemispheres ("Cluster N") show high, sensory-driven…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2007tags: parrot, lories, lorikeet, loriinae, loriidae, Rimatara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii, conservation, ornithology, South Pacific Islands
Back from the brink:
The endangered Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii,
has been successfully reintroduced to Ätiu.
Image: Phil Bender.
As I've mentioned a few times already, my life's passion is the birds of the South Pacific, particularly the Loriinae, which are parrots commonly known as the lories and lorikeets. I study them professionally and I have lived with them and bred them for most of my life. So it was exciting to me when I…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2007tags: researchblogging.org, Seychelles warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis, birds, evolution, social behavior, helping behavior, grandmothers
Seychelles warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis.
Image: J. Komdeur.
When talking about evolution, some people have wondered aloud about why grandmothers exist in human society since they clearly are no longer able to reproduce. However, these people are conveniently overlooking the fact that grandmothers perform a valuable service; they help their relatives, often their own children, raise their offspring -- offspring that are genetically related to…
grrlscientist | September 24, 2007Well, I haven't forgotten about it, but I have had wifi problems over the weekend once more. In an effort to circumvent those problems, I crawled out of bed early this morning and trekked in to Lincoln Center where they have free wifi so I could work on Birds in the News for a couple hours before my laptop battery ran down completely. I sat in the bright sun (so bright that I could barely see my computer screen) between the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera. Even though I logged in to the Lincoln Center wifi connection, I was still unable to access the internet! WTF? So I instead…
grrlscientist | September 21, 2007tags: birds, Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi, Green-naped Rainbow Lorikeets, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus, Seram, Indonesia, Image of the Day
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper right and lower left (upside down)), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (center; one bird is hanging upside down), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
These photographs were taken recently on the Island of Seram, in Maluku Province, Northern Indonesia. Shown…
grrlscientist | September 21, 2007Just for all my bird-loving pals, the 58th edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for you to enjoy. This blog carnival was written as a conversation between the author and Doctor Who. Who? As usual, there are plenty of birdalicious links for you to explore, so be sure to pop in and check them out!
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: birds, Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi, Green-naped Rainbow Lorikeets, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus, Seram, Indonesia, Image of the Day
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper, center and right), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (lower, center (that bird is hanging upside down) and left), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
As you know, dear readers, I am passionately in love with the birds of the South Pacific Ocean, especially…
grrlscientist | September 14, 2007tags: birds, Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, Image of the Day
Male Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, in Central Park during moult.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
The photographer writes: I'm not sure how to file this particular photo. Does it go in the "almost-too-cute-for-words" file or the "evil eye" file?
The adult male striking this provocative pose is one I call "Papa Meadow" because the center of his territory is the Maintenance Meadow in Central Park. Here he seems to be giving me an…
grrlscientist | September 12, 2007tags: birds, "white" American Robin, Turdus migratorius, Image of the Day
"White" American Robin, Turdus migratorius, on a sidewalk in Casper, Wyoming.
Image: Norma Brown. [wallpaper size].
I am going to speculate here, but I think that, because this bird is pale colored everywhere it would normally be brown, grey or black, this bird's melanin-producing gene(s) have been deactivated. However, because the bird's breast is red, as is typical for this species, carotenoids (red pigments obtained from the bird's diet) are still being added to the bird's feathers when they are growing, as normal…
grrlscientist | September 11, 2007I promised that I would post the link to the interview with Irene Pepperberg by All Things Considered, so here it is. It also includes a streaming version [3:53]