1. Let’s start with a fun piece from NYTimes on one smart Cockatoo: Every day, the Goffin Lab in Vienna offers the same luncheon to its patrons. At 2 p.m., the diners — a flock of white parrots known as Goffin’s cockatoos — receive an assortment of dried fruit, seeds, cornflakes, bird pellets and a dry, twice-baked toast known as rusk or zwieback. It’s a perfectly palatable meal for a parrot, and most birds dig right in. But a few of the cockatoos are more discriminating, customizing their meals with one final flourish: Before eating the rock-hard rusk, they dunk it in a tub of water. Although the gesture is familiar to biscotti lovers with opposable thumbs, for the Goffin’s cockatoo, the behavior appears to be an innovation in food preparation. The cockatoos sometimes devoted considerable time and energy to the task, actively transporting the rusk to water and then waiting for it to soften. (via The New York Times)
2. Who doesn’t love Wood Ducks?: It’s hard to mistake a Wood Duck in the wild. From the kaleidoscopic male’s iridescent green crest and intricate markings to the female’s distinctive white eye patch, these birds are some of our most beautiful native waterfowl and always a treat to see. In fact, their scientific name, Aix sponsa, loosely translates to “bridal duck,” as the species—the male, particularly—is so well appointed that it appears dressed for a wedding. Such striking good looks have long made Wood Ducks a favorite of birders and a source of inspiration for artists and wood carvers. Fortunately, these gorgeous birds are fairly easy to see throughout much of the United States and southern Canada. (via Audubon)
3. In the “no good deed goes unpunished” category: The unceremonious end of Robert Everett’s decades-long career as a pioneering wildlife rehabilitator came without warning recently as state investigators appeared suddenly at his San Dimas home. After answering a sharp rap on the door early one morning in late October, the 80-year-old said he stood on his porch as California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers “came in, narco-style,” and began evaluating his injured, diseased and orphaned avian patients to determine which ones should be released, transferred elsewhere or euthanized. (via The Los Angeles Times)
4. Practice makes perfect - songbirds rely on a daily vocal workout: When humans learn to speak a language, we learn to produce new vocalizations and use them flexibly for communication, but how the brain is able to achieve this is an important but largely unanswered question, according to Zhilei Zhao, Klarman Fellow in neurobiology and behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). To explore this question, Zhao and Cornell collaborators compared the brain pathways of songbirds and parrots. The two groups diverged 50 million years ago but both have vocal learning ability. The researchers found drastically different effects in thxercisexercisee two species’ brain mechanisms, providing a clue into how parrot – and human – brains allow continuous, flexible vocal learning. (via Cornell Chronicle)
5. From Columbia comes a report of a “bilateral gynandromoph” of the Green Honeycreeper. And you might ask what is a “bilateral gynandromoph”- read on: We report recent sightings, substantiated by color photographs and a short video, of a bilateral gynandromoph of the Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) from Villamaría, in the department of Caldas, Colombia. The bird exhibited typical male plumage on its right side and female plumage on the left. It was present for at least 21 months, and its behavior largely matched that of other wild Green Honeycreepers, although it often waited until they were gone before feeding on fruit that was put out daily by the property owners. Researchers provide a comprehensive list and review of previous records of passerine bilateral gynandromorphy, noting which sex’s plumage occurred on the left side. It is observed that female plumage is possible on either side, supporting the double-fertilization model of bilateral gynandromorphy. (via Journal of Field Ornithology)
6. “She is quite spry for a septuagenarian” – Wisdom, the 70-something female Laysan Albatross returns to Midway Atoll NWR: Earlier this month we celebrated the birthday of the oldest living land animal in the world and now it’s time to celebrate the return of the world’s oldest living wild bird to land. Wisdom the albatross came back to her nesting site of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the North Pacific Ocean on December 1. Wisdom is a female Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), also called a mōlī, who is thought to be at least 70 years old. These albatrosses return to these tiny island atolls every year to breed, with the males typically arriving earlier than the females. Almost the entire population of these birds relies on the islands in the Hawaiian island chain as their breeding grounds, according to All About Birds. (via IFL Science)
7. TED talk…Remember the farcical “Birds Aren’t Real” conspiracy theory? Its creator reflects on “what the fake movement reveals about belief and belonging” – worth a listen: In 2016, Peter McIndoe started a farcical conspiracy theory called Birds Aren't Real—gaining a following of Gen Z adherents. In a new TED Talk, he reflects on what the fake movement reveals about belief and belonging. Peter McIndoe is the founder of Birds Aren't Real and has a social media following of 500,000. Growing up, McIndoe was home-schooled in a deeply conservative religious community in rural Arkansas. Today McIndoe works to explore the "us-versus-them" mentality implicit in conspiracy theories. His work has been featured everywhere from The Guardian to 60 Minutes. He is currently working on a book, due out in 2024. (via National Public Radio)
8. 10 principles of bird-friendly forestry: Most of the world's natural forests are subject to logging operations, many of which are highly detrimental to forest birds and other wildlife, and demand for timber is expected to continue to grow. Europe has the highest proportion of the world's forests dedicated to the production of wood and other commodities, and logging operations have also changed North American forests and bird communities. In recent decades, many European resident and American migratory bird species that nest in forests have exhibited population declines related to logging. Researchers have investigated relevant research to synthesize 10 principles of bird-friendly forestry that forest managers may apply to improve the bird conservation value of logged forests. The research is published in the journal Birds. We briefly summarize these principles below. (via Phys Org)
9. A short take on birding in Tizimin, Mexico: Observing birds, a pastime, also known as birding, birdwatching, or birding, offers a wide variety of improvements for both personal well-being and the environment,” explained the professional. In the first instance, there is a connection with nature, since participating in birdwatching provides the opportunity to immerse oneself in natural environments, which deepens ecological sensitivity and provides a feeling of tranquility and calm. Likewise, this hobby involves exercising outdoors, since searching for birds involves walking or standing for long periods of time, which helps maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Birdwatching also helps reduce stress, because people set the goal of finding specimens, so their mind only focuses on this task and they get away from their worries, even momentarily. (via The Yucatan Times)
10. A nice piece on winter birds from Maine Audubon: This has been an entertaining fall for us at Maine Audubon, as we field inquiries ranging from “Where are the birds!?” to “Why is this bird still here?” We’ve tackled these questions here before, and want to again recognize that a single person’s observations within a limited area is biased. But as we head into December it is worth addressing some of these concerns and questions again, especially with more and new information available – because that is how science works. First, an update on the most popular question of the fall: Where are the birds? (via The Maine Press Herald)
11. The Noisy Miner is just too noisy for some birds: Australia's native noisy miner bird is more of a pest than originally thought, with new research from La Trobe University showing it is preventing forest birds from persisting in residential suburbs. Research from the La Trobe University Research Center for Future Landscapes shows forest birds face two distinct, yet interrelated challenges in urban areas: the loss of suitable habitat due to urban development, and the dominance of noisy miners which aggressively exclude small birds. (via Phys Org)
12. Perils of gold mining for neotropical birds: Gold mining appears to be behind high levels of mercury in tropical birds, according to a new study led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Researchers from seven countries made the discovery when they analysed more than 2300 blood and feather samples from over 320 Neotropical bird species that hail from nine countries across Central America, South America and the West Indies. The total mercury concentrations in these birds were nearly four times higher at sites affected by artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Not only were these levels some of the highest mercury concentrations ever recorded for songbirds, but kingfisher feather samples set a record for a bird species in South America. One green kingfisher had 30 times the amount of mercury considered safe. (via Chemistry World)
13. Travel tip: the “lush landscapes” of Greater Kaziranga during Fall migration: As winter unfolds its chilly embrace, the lush landscapes of Greater Kaziranga in Assam, India transform into a bustling hub for avian activity, welcoming migratory birds from distant lands. This year, the winged visitors have graced the park earlier than usual, with sightings reported as early as October 23, 2023. Greater Kaziranga, renowned for its diverse ecosystem and UNESCO World Heritage Site status, provides a sanctuary for these travellers journeying thousands of miles from regions such as Russia, the Netherlands, and various parts of Europe. The park hosts an impressive array of species adorning the skies and water bodies. (via GPlus News)
14. A terrible “killing spree” in Montana: Two men killed about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, during a “killing spree” on Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere, then sold eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials, a federal grand jury indictment says. The men worked with others to hunt and kill the birds, according to the indictment, and in at least one instance used a dead deer to lure in an eagle that was shot. The two defendants conspired with others who weren't named to sell eagle feathers, tails, wings and other parts for “significant sums of cash” across the United States and elsewhere. (via ABC News)
15. Concern in Kenya for its 103 species of raptors: Conservationists in Kenya warn that nearly all the country’s 103 species of raptors are in decline. These wildlife advocates are now proposing the construction of bird-friendly infrastructure to avert possible extinction. (via Voice of America)
16. Let’s finish with some really unique photographs of birds in flight – not what you might think. Take a look: A photographer created a series of beautiful pictures that show the flight path of different birds by taking hundreds of photos and stacking them into one image. Raghuvamsh Chavali studied the birds near his home in Ontario, Canada, photographing them and then laboring in the editing suite for hours to complete the images. “The true allure of this technique lies in its capacity to unveil the distinct flight patterns of each bird,” Chavali tells PetaPixel. Chavali calls this technique “interlacing frames.” He explains that it involves capturing “several seconds of a bird’s flight as individual frames and subsequently merging them into a unified and coherent image.” “Through the alignment and seamless blending of these frames, a visual narrative of the bird’s flight is woven, emphasizing its grace, agility, and the distinctive patterns that emerge as it traverses the skies,” he adds. (via PetaPixel)
Bird Videos of the Week
By Jeremy Neipp, “I visited American’s Birdwatching Village”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - Spot-crowned Barbets.
Cornell Live Bird Cam - American Goldfinches.
I finally found what I was looking for 😍