Loose Feathers #365

A new avian family tree / Credit: University of Sheffield

Birds and birding

• What happens to birds in a hurricane? Some birds' habitat is destroyed or reshaped. Others try to hunker down in sheltered areas or get swept up in the storm's winds and carried to far-off locations. (via Nick) The ABA Blog reports on unusual bird sightings in Sandy's wake (part 1; part 2; part 3). Despite record flooding, the Wild Turkey at Battery Park survived the storm.
• Seabirds are among the most threatened birds. Conserving them requires a variety of strategies, from clearing islands of invasive predators to improving fishing techniques to make them less deadly to birds.
• A new study maps the evolutionary position of almost all of the world's 10,000 bird species based on their genetics.
• Much remains to be discovered about the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis, and basic details of its life history have only recently come to light.
• Five British ornithologists met while being held in a German PoW camp during World War II and later went on to lead conservation efforts.

Nature blogging

• Extinction Countdown: 9 New Tree-Loving and Endangered Tarantula Species Discovered in Brazil
• Anything Larus: Primary Molt in an Adult Ring-billed
• The Birdist: Can you ID Selasphorus hummingbirds by call note?
• Net Results: Our online seed guide
• The Wilderness Alternative: Rediscovery of Sillem’s Mountain Finch
• Not Exactly Rocket Science: ‘Bird mimic’ dinosaur hints that wings evolved for show not flight
• Compound Eye: 13 Horrifying Ways To Die (Arthropod Edition)

Environment and biodiversity

• Hurricane Sandy dominated the news for the past week as it made its way from the Caribbean to Canada via New Jersey and killed dozens of people and set numerous weather records in the process. The obvious questions (from an environmental perspective) are how much climate change influenced the storm and whether a warmer climate will mean more storms like this in the future. Here is a roundup of articles on that subject. In light of climate change, does it make sense to rebuild the shore as it was, or should more allowance be made for rising sea levels? The storm stirred up all sorts of contaminants. 
• The last dam on the Elwha River is slowly draining as part of the Elwha restoration project. The goal is to restore the river to its natural, undammed state.
• Despite an active conservation program, axolotls have struggled to survive in the wild.