1. At its most basic level, eBird documents bird sightings. A team at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology created the platform in 2002, and it became widely used by birders within a few years. As of 2020, it has collected more than 860 million global bird observations from over 597,000 registered eBirders. By sheer numbers alone, eBird is one of the world’s largest citizen-science projects. It is now used to understand species distributions, population trends, migration pathways, and even habitat use. (via Outside Online)
2. Scientists and casual observers alike have known for years that ravens and their corvid relatives are extremely smart. But most studies use single experiments that provide a limited view of their overall intelligence. A new study that tries to address that deficit provides some of the best proof yet that ravens, including young birds of just four months of age, have certain types of smarts that are on par with those of adult great apes. The brainy birds performed just as well as chimpanzees and orangutans across a broad array of tasks designed to measure intelligence. (via Scientific American, Nature)
3. For bird species that migrate during the night, one of those dangers is the disorienting influence of light pollution from cities. A new study examines how artificial light at night and urban landcover are associated with the presence of nocturnal migrants across seasons. The study authors, Scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University, say their findings highlight the value of tree canopy cover in urban areas during migration and the breeding season, and the importance of reducing light pollution during migration when the most significant adverse effects for migratory bird populations are likely to occur. (via Phys Org)
4. And speaking of trees: A Senate version of the “Trillion Trees” bill that was introduced on Dec. 9th is a bipartisan effort to invest in natural resources to combat the effects of climate change while protecting wildlife and the environment. The bill was introduced by Senators Braun (R-IN), Coons (D-DE), Young (R-IN), and King (I-ME) as an alternative to a similarly named House bill that was introduced in February. Both the House and the Senate bills prioritized the planting of trees as a means of naturally reducing harmful carbon emissions that contribute to rising global temperatures, though the Senate bill will measure success by the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere and stored in the forest, rather than just measuring the number of trees planted. (via Audubon)
5. Good news for loon lovers (in New England): In the midst of a global pandemic, Vermont loons provided some much-needed normalcy in 2020. Vermont Center for Ecostudies was fortunate that our loon field season could proceed much like any other summer’s. While in-person volunteer interactions were greatly reduced and outreach programs restricted to webinars, VCE and community loon enthusiasts still managed to fix nesting rafts and put out nest warning signs during an unusually busy boater season. Loons responded with another strong nesting performance. Of the 95 pairs that attempted nesting, 65 successfully hatched 102 eggs, with 75 chicks surviving through August. (via VTECO Studies)
6. A new correspondence paper has put forward the idea that russet sparrows (Passer cinnamomeus) in China are using wormwood leaves in their nest as a preventative medicine, to reduce parasites and help their babies get bigger. The conclusion that animals can use medicinal plants to their benefit is not necessarily new, pregnant elephants in Kenya eat a particular leaf to induce birth, while many other mammals use medicinal plants to self-medicate – sometimes to prevent disease or just generally feel better from an ailment. But it's still pretty amazing that a tiny sparrow might know that some plants are more important than others for protecting against disease. (via Science Alert)
7. When you’re sick, you go to the pediatrician. When your pets have a problem, you take them to a veterinarian. When wild birds are hurt, if they’re lucky, a good Samaritan takes them to an animal rehabilitator. New York City’s rehabilitation facility is called the Wild Bird Fund, or WBF. It also treats opossum, squirrels and rabbits. Each year its staff cares for more than 7,000 animals. Some of them are pigeons or hawks hit by cars or poisoned by lead in the environment. But because New York, like Washington, is part of the Atlantic Flyway, many of them are birds that pass through during migration season. Many of them crash into buildings. (via The Washington Post)
8. Flightless and nocturnal, the kiwi’s feathers evolved into softened, fur-like filaments and its nostrils migrated to the tip of its long beak, which it uses to snuffle in the dirt of its forested New Zealand habitat for the archipelago’s famously giant earthworms. It’s a member of the ratites, the avian order that includes ostriches, emus, and rheas, but the largest kiwis are only the size of a plump laying hen, while the smallest is the size of a guineafowl. Strangest of all, it lays an egg that can weigh up to a quarter of its body mass. Proportionally, this is by far the largest of any bird in the world. Imagine a chicken laying a one-pound egg, or, more graphically, a human giving birth to a fully formed four-year-old. Yowza. (via Audubon)
9. Backyard birders take note: Birds are readily visible from your home, but if that doesn’t work, nearby parks and nature preserves offer surprising abundance. On a typical day birding in Atlanta, birders sees more than 40 species. Even small backyards and urban jungle pocket parks host resident and migratory species, which all vary depending on location, as well as time of year for the latter. Some migratory birds linger for entire seasons, while others touch down for brief layovers on their journeys along one of the four flyways that stretch north to south across the United States. (via The Washington Post)
Bonus: You will want to go out and grab your binoculars right after watching Birders: The Central Park Effect, a stunning documentary about the backyard wilderness in the middle of Manhattan. The documentary makes a point of showing us the enormous variety of birds that come through Central Park during the spring and fall migration, as well as those that stick around for the summer and even winter seasons. According to the film, and we see a tracking device in the movie that shows it, millions of birds fly over Manhattan on any given night, and a few thousands descend each dawn into the park to feast and rest for the day. This and other urban parks provide small green oases up and down the East Coast. Available for streaming on Amazon Video. (via The Martha’s Vineyard Times)
Bird Photo of the Week
By Hap Ellis, Dunlin.
Bird Videos of the Week
By NBC News, “Great Blue Heron Caught on Camera Swallowing Baby Alligator in Florida”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Tropical Toucan.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - White-winged Dove.