1. Google searches for “birds” reached an all-time high in the U.S. last week, and searches for “best binoculars for birding” have spiked 550% since March, according to Google Trends. Downloads of the Merlin Bird ID Wizard app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology were up more than 133% in May compared with the same time last year. (via USA Today)
By Hap Ellis, Yellow Warbler.
2. A teenage birdwatcher known as “Birdgirl” has become the youngest Briton ever to receive an honorary university degree. Mya-Rose Craig, 17, has been recognized for her campaigning projects to make the natural environment more accessible to people from minority ethnic backgrounds. The Bristolian, known as Birdgirl due to her Twitter username, has set up nature camps and conferences for young people and is also the youngest person to have seen half of the world’s bird species. She received the doctor of science degree from the University of Bristol. (via The BBC)
3. When an animal species is pushed to the brink of extinction, there’s often little that can be done to turn things around. That was the case on the coral atoll of Aldabra, where a flightless species of rail — a medium-sized bird about the size of a chicken — went extinct roughly 136,000 years ago. Aldabra was swallowed up by rising seas and the flightless birds could not escape, and in one fell swoop, the entire species was wiped out. That would typically be the end of the story. Extinct animals don’t come back… or do they? In a rare and incredibly interesting turn of events, Aldabra reemerged from the ocean, and just a few thousand years later the flightless birds were back. (via BGR, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society)
4. When they met, Kirby and Suzie differed in ways that went beyond what people usually notice first about them, their color. He was large. She was small. He was bold and a gifted talker. She was sweet and more selective with her words. Theirs is a rare pairing, one that both defies nature and resulted from it. The two are species of parrots that don’t normally mate: Kirby is a harlequin macaw and Suzie is a military macaw. About a year ago, their firstborn hatched from an egg, leaving the aviary with a unique quandary: What do you call a species that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere else? (via The Independent)
5. There are some beautiful birds in the world but perhaps none with a name quite as frightening as one species found in New Guinea—the Dracula parrot. This is the nickname for the Pesquet’s parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus), which is endemic to the island’s hill and montane rainforest. With rich black feathers and a scarlet red underbelly, it has all the coloration of Count Dracula’s cape. These rare birds are the only members of their genus, and this genus is the only member of the subfamily Psittrichadinae, which shows how unique these parrots truly are. (via My Modern Met)
6. Last spring, a parrot was taken into custody after nearly spoiling a raid while playing lookout for two crack-dealing suspects by repeatedly yelling, “Mamãe, polícia!” according to Brazilian police in the state of Piauí. Police encountered the unnamed parrot at the home of the two alleged crack cocaine dealers, perched inside a small brick one-story home with a windowless facade, Brazil’s R7 news channel reported. As police searched for the suspects, it seemed the bird knew exactly what to do. “He must have been trained for this,” one officer involved in the operation said of the parrot’s attempt to interfere with law enforcement, The Guardian reported. “As soon as the police got close he started shouting.” (via The Washington Post, R7 News, the Guardian)
By Hap Ellis, Hooded Warbler.
7. Mealworms rather than nuts and seeds should be left outside if people want to boost songbird populations in cities, a study suggests. Researchers found that supplying high-quality insect food to urban great tits — one of the most vocal of the species seen in British gardens — dramatically boosted their breeding success. The benefits of supplementing food were not seen in great tits living in forests, where high-quality food was abundant. The researchers believe that a shortage of food in urban areas plays a role in reducing the breeding success of insect-eating birds. The results were published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. (via The Times)
Bird Photo of the Week
By Hap Ellis, Prairie Warbler. Read more about warblers in “It's the Perfect Time to Look for Warblers” (via WCAI)
Are you an avid birder and photographer? Submit your photos to our Photo of the Week! Include a short summary of when and where your photograph was taken, what kind of bird, and anything else you’d like to share. Send submissions to our editor Lisa at birdnewsitems@gmail.com.
Bird Videos of the Week
By CBS News, “Conserving North America’s bird populations”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam “Panama Fruit Feeders”.
Cornell Live Bird Cam “Barred Owls”.