A multi-agency report on the state of birds in the San Francisco Bay area paints a mixed picture, with most bird species doing well after decades of investments in habitat restoration, but many are vulnerable to rising sea levels, extreme-weather events, non-native predators and other threats. The analysis was based on years of [...]
A male Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) in May 2010 wove a nest in the branch of an arroyo willow along the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside, California. But he didn’t build it for a female of his own species. By Rex Graham His mate was a female White-eyed Vireo (V. griseus). The [...]
By Rex Graham BirdsNews.com Nocturnal predators and full moons are deadly combinations for many mammals. No wonder rabbits, deer mice and even bats exhibit “lunar phobia,” becoming less active and more vigilant as moonlight intensity increases. They tend to spend moonlit nights in thickets and other safer areas even if there is less food to [...]
By Rex Graham BirdsNews.com On July 12, ornithologist Dr. Colin Miskelly received a phone call with mind-boggling implications. A Department of Conservation colleague reported that Broad-billed Prions, which spend their lives at sea, had been blown over the Tararua Range of New Zealand’s North Island. And then reports of massive prion fatalities on New Zealand’s [...]
Humans and birds are united thousands of times a day worldwide in an ornithological ritual. Researchers catch birds in mist nets, place metal or plastic bands around their legs or wings, make a few measurements and let them go. Since mist-netting became the preferred method to capture wild birds for banding studies in the 1950s, [...]