Birds and birding news
- As of last Thursday, rescuers have recovered 329 oiled birds from the Galveston Bay oil spill, with at least another 500 oiled birds sighted but not captured.
- The first few captive-bred California Condors released to the wild had behavioral problems, which has led the conservationists running the program to change their rearing techniques.
- EDGE released its top 100 list of endangered bird species, many of which are receiving no conservation attention or are poorly documented. You can see the full list (with photos) at the EDGE website.
- In related news, a study used DNA to rank species by their evolutionary distinctiveness. It is accompanied by an interactive website where you can check which species are most distinctive in your area. In my area, Osprey seems to be the most evolutionarily distinct species even though it is very common. Australia is home to 96 bird species among the top 10% most distinct birds.
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service reopened the public comment period for its proposal to list the Red Knot rufa subspecies under the Endangered Species Act. Those who wish to comment may submit comments at regulations.gov through May 19, 2014.
- CLO has a new site for learning about feathers.
- The Smithsonian gardens in Washington now feature five sculptures of extinct birds.
- Since its initial discovery, the Black-throated Blue Robin has only 58 sightings, but there are indications that the population may be more abundant than it seems.
- If you go out on a spring night in the right habitat, you may hear the courtship songs of American Woodcock.
Science and nature blogging
Environment and biodiversity