Loose Feathers #487

Common Raven / Photo by Tom Koerner (USFWS)

Birds and birding news

• An ornithologist argues for adopting a standardized approach to subspecies that is compatible with contemporary species concepts. 
• Submissions to eBird show that Calliope Hummingbirds follow different migration routes depending on food availability.
• Agitation waves in starling flocks are caused when birds bank and are not not due to changes in flock density.
• Swift Parrots face population collapse due to intensive logging of trees that the parrots pollinate.
• The most promiscuous male birds do not necessarily have the best genes.

Science and nature blogging

• Laelaps: Sciencespeak: Pycnofiber 
• The Rattling Crow: The very angry Moorhen
• RealClimate: What’s going on in the North Atlantic?
• Anything Larus: Thoughts on Pink Ring-billeds
• The Liber Ero Blog: The Problem with ‘Saving the Bees’
• The Bee Pasture: The emerald city stinks
• birdworthy: The Gray Casts of Green Cay
• Birding Dude: MY Wintering Baltimore Orioles

Environment and biodiversity

• California's desert bloom has potential to attract some interesting butterflies.
• Newark plans to add 1,000 more flowering cherry trees to Branch Brook Park, which has the nation's largest collection of cherry blossoms.
• New Jersey is still trying to decide how to divide up its open space funds.
• Building a road through a forest leads to habitat fragmentation by itself and usually leads to further fragmentation through future development.
• The BioSCAN project identified 30 new species of flies in Los Angeles.