Birds of Christmas
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
2M ago
Now that it is almost Christmas, you will hear the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” created in about 16th century England. This song has more birds in it than any other holiday song. You know, “On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.” The […] The post Birds of Christmas appeared first on Ornithology ..read more
Visit website
The Evolution of Bird Color Guides and Identification
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
2M ago
With its three-color receptors, the human eye can distinguish over a million colors. An LCD television can produce over one billion colors. And Sherwin Williams, a paint manufacturer, makes about 1700 colors. And someone has to name them. Until the 17th century, there was no word for the color orange, so orange-colored things were described […] The post The Evolution of Bird Color Guides and Identification appeared first on Ornithology ..read more
Visit website
Why do Woodpeckers Peck?
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
4M ago
Woodpeckers are successful creatures and well-known to everyone. Perhaps the most famous woodpecker is Woody, the cartoon woodpecker, but the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, very likely extinct since 1948, is the most well-known real one.  There are many kinds of woodpeckers in the world, around 250 species. Propped against the side of a tree trunk, they rapidly … Why do Woodpeckers Peck? Read More » The post Why do Woodpeckers Peck? appeared first on Ornithology ..read more
Visit website
Flocks Heading South for the Winter
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
4M ago
This is the time of year you see flocks of birds heading south. If they are geese, they typically fly in a skein or V formation. Ducks fly in looser skeins, and smaller birds like shorebirds and songbirds fly basically in a bunch. Pelicans and cormorants fly in a line. And many blackbirds and starlings … Flocks Heading South for the Winter Read More » The post Flocks Heading South for the Winter appeared first on Ornithology ..read more
Visit website
Birds in Modern Life
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
7M ago
Birds have been around for over 200 million years. Of perhaps 125,000 avian species that existed during that time, over 11,000 still populate every habitat on Earth except the center of Antarctica and the depths of the oceans. Hominids have been around for maybe six million years, and modern humans only around 200,000 years. But while birds have adapted to the changing environments of the world over 200 million years, humans have changed the environment in a far shorter time. A century ago, when Americans could expect to live to their mid-50s, the human population was 1.8 billion; today, the ..read more
Visit website
Birds Named After People
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
9M ago
It is considered the height of arrogance, and now against the rules of nomenclature, for the discoverer of a species to name the organism after his or herself, but many species have been named in honor of others, such as Baird’s Sandpiper, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Bouganvilla. Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823 -1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and museum curator; Queen Anne (165-1714) was Queen of England; Bouganvilla, discovered by the French botanist Philibert Commerson in Brazil in the 1760s, was named after his friend Lo ..read more
Visit website
Bird Names
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
10M ago
There are a number of species of birds with widespread distributions such as the Peregrine Falcon, Mallard, and European Starling. Each has a designated scientific name, but all of the nearly 11,000 species of birds have an official common English name as well, as established by the International Ornithological Committee. So for every English-speaking country or individual, a common English name is established for each particular bird, eliminating any confusion among species.  Not everyone speaks English, however, so there are still a variety of common names for one particular bird speci ..read more
Visit website
Cabinets of Curiosities
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
10M ago
Museums did not come about as we know them, places for education, study, and research, until the late 19th century. Before museums, wealthy individuals made their own collections, sometimes in the form of “cabinets of curiosities,” which came about in the sixteenth century. They were not actually cabinets but rooms with a plethora of natural objects gathered by explorers around the world.  In the 1600’s there were no telephones, TVs, radios, or computers. So how would you entertain your guests after a lavish dinner? Perhaps with a live musical performance or play but the aristocrat often ..read more
Visit website
Birds and the Eclipse
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
10M ago
On April 8, 2024, there was an eclipse. On average, there are total eclipses of the sun every 18 months, so every two or three years. In this century, there will be 224 eclipses, 68 of them in total. Some people are so fascinated by the phenomenon that they travel the world to see each one. I was once on a special cruise to the South Seas – in the areas of Fiji and New Caledonia- to see a total eclipse. My first. Some passengers had seen as many as 19 total eclipses.  There’s a lot of speculation about how eclipses affect birds. Some say birds quit singing or flying or somehow interrupt ..read more
Visit website
Mimics of the Bird World
Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog
by Dr. Roger Lederer
10M ago
Wendy Valencia via www.eurekalert.org There are lots of examples of birds looking like other things in order to avoid or frighten away predators. Many nightjars (Order Caprimulgiformes) look like leaf litter, bark or leaves. The Brown Creeper blends in with the tree trunks it climbs. The winter plumage Willow Ptarmigan is all white to blend into their snowy landscape. The Sunbittern, when frightened, spreads its wings to display its eye-like markings as if it were a fierce giant. The indigo birds and whydahs of Africa are nest parasites; their young imitate the gape pattern of the young of the ..read more
Visit website

Follow Ornithology - The Science of Birds Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR