Friday, March 16, 2007

Loose Feathers #90

News and links about birds, birding, and the environment

  • Birds may use grains of iron in their bills to guide long-distance flight. The iron, present in skin cells at the base of the bill, may act as a compass that helps the birds read the Earth's magnetic field.
  • Lumber interests are suing to remove protections for endangered marbled murrelets in the Pacific Northwest.
  • Rare northern bald ibises have returned to their breeding grounds in Syria.
  • Male lance-tailed manakins pair up for aerial courtship dances, but only the dominant male gets to mate.
  • Texas biologists are relocating captured wild turkeys across the state to study why turkeys do well in some areas but not others.
  • A Canadian birder had the bad luck to watch two bald eagles shot with a rifle.
  • Another bird shot with an arrow: this time a pelican.
  • This past winter (December to February) was the warmest on record. A moderate El Nino effect was a major contributor.
  • Liverpool is installing robotic falcons to drive away pigeons.
Birds in the blog world
Carnivals and link posts