1. The Andean condor, which can weigh up to 15kg, makes use of air currents to stay airborne for hours at a time. Flight recorders found one bird flew for five hours without flapping, covering about 172km (107 miles). The study is part of a collaboration between Swansea University's Prof Emily Shepard and Dr Sergio Lambertucci in Argentina. They wanted to find out more about how birds' flight efforts vary depending on environmental conditions. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found 75% of the birds' flapping was associated with take-off. (via The BBC)
2. The cassowary, a large flightless bird native to Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, has a reputation for aggression and wickedly clawed feet that can cause serious injury. But they also have a beauty trick: New research published in Science Advances reveals their glossy black body feathers have a structure for producing shine that’s never before been seen in birds. The cassowary instead derives its shine from a smooth, wide rachis—the main “stem” of the feather. University of Texas paleontologist Julia Clarke explains how the cassowary’s color could help shed light on the feathers of extinct birds and dinosaurs—and how paleontologists are investigating the evolution of birds as we see them today. (via Science Friday)
By Hap Ellis, Red-tailed Hawk.
3. Human beings typically don’t leave the nest until well into our teenage years—a relatively rare strategy among animals. But corvids—a group of birds that includes jays, ravens, and crows—also spend a lot of time under their parents’ wings. Now, in a parallel to humans, researchers have found that ongoing tutelage by patient parents may explain how corvids have managed to achieve their smarts. (via Science Mag)
4. The winners of the the 11th annual Audubon Photography Awards competition were recently announced. Photographers entered images in four categories: professional, amateur, youth, and plants for birds. More than 6,000 images depicting birdlife from all 50 states and seven Canadian provinces and territories were judged. The National Audubon Society was again kind enough to share some of this year’s winners and runners-up listed here. You can also see all of the top 100 entries on the Audubon website. (via The Atlantic, Audubon)
5. If you’ve spent any time in the field pursuing birds with a camera, you’ve most likely discovered that locating birds is the relatively easy part, especially now that we have tools like eBird. What’s trickier is keeping birds from seeing you as a predator, fleeing as soon as you draw closer or raise your lens. In her own journey as a bird photographer, Melissa Groo, discovered that knowing how to approach birds, how to simply be around birds, is just as important as knowing which lens to use. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies to make birds more comfortable with your presence and attention, as well as tools that can help you blend into the background. (via Living Bird)
6. When the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) unanimously approved the Icebreaker Wind project, initial reactions were quickly tempered: a condition was included that required turning turbines off, or “feathering,” at night during eight months of the year to protect bats and migratory birds. Project supporters have railed at this condition, calling it a “poison pill” and there has been strong pressure on decision-makers to force the OPSB to reconsider. What has been missing is recognition of why the feathering condition was necessary. The fact is, the Great Lakes are enormously important to birds. It’s why the National Audubon Society designated the area off the coast of Cleveland a Global Important Bird Area. (via Cleveland News, Audubon)
By Hap Ellis, Yellow Warbler.
7. The San Antonio Zoo’s Aviculture Department successfully hatched a Micronesian Kingfisher chick for the first time in 5 years on July 4. The rare birds are extinct in the wild, and only about 140 exist in human care. The chick’s parents are a new breeding pair that were introduced to each other in March. Micronesian Kingfishers are very picky about their partners. Staff began seeing courtship behaviors within a month, and the couple laid their first egg in June. (via News 4 San Antonio)
8. Strange things often wash up on North Carolina's Outer Banks, and the National Park Service says the latest example is a big, prehistoric-looking bird that is far outside its natural range. Cape Hatteras National Seashore says a sandhill crane has been seen roaming the grounds of Bodie Island Lighthouse. "These birds migrate from Florida and Texas to the Western United States and are typically not seen in this area," the park reported on July 13. Out-of-place sandhill cranes—with their large bodies, skeletal legs and distinctive red brows—have been cited as a possible source for West Virginia's popular mothman monster legend. Witnesses have described the mothman as a huge gray-winged creature with large red eyes, similar traits to the out-of-place cranes. (via Phys Org, All About Birds, WV Public Broadcasting)
Bird Photo of the Week
By Hap Ellis, Atlantic Puffin.
Bird Videos of the Week
By The New York Times, “The Bird Kings of Queens”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, “West Texas Feeder”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam, “Red-tailed Hawks”.