Release by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY—Scientists have shown that a bird found in Pennsylvania is the offspring of a hybrid warbler mother and a warbler father from an entirely different genus—a combination never recorded before now and which resulted in a three-species hybrid bird. This finding has just been published in the journal Biology… Read more »
(Washington, D.C., November 6, 2018) A coalition of more than 170 organizations supporting wildlife conservation and public lands sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen expressing serious concern over plans to expand the United States – Mexico border wall across environmentally sensitive conservation areas of Lower Rio Grande Valley National… Read more »
Three thousand feet above the Alabama Coast, small migratory birds face a critical decision. Ahead lies 600 miles of open water—the Gulf of Mexico—and a 22- to 24-hour flight without rest or food. On the other side, if they make it, they’ll continue the journey to their South American winter habitat. For some, the journey… Read more »
Source: American Bird Conservancy The Milwaukee Bucks have achieved a first with their new arena: Fiserv Forum will be the world’s first bird-friendly sports and entertainment arena, upon completion of the Bucks’ application for LEED Silver® certification. This is a significant victory for bird conservation because up to 1 billion birds die annually after colliding… Read more »
Approximately 33 whooping cranes, captive breeders at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, will take to the air on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, but not via their own wing power. The U.S. Coast Guard will transport the big birds from Laurel, Maryland, to Louisiana, according to a USGS news release. The birds’ destination… Read more »
Reports of drunk and disorderly individuals in small Midwestern towns seldom make the Washington Post, but this police warning from Gilbert, Minnesota (population 1,790) did: “The Gilbert Police Department has received several reports of birds that appear to be ‘under the influence’ flying into windows, cars, and acting confused. The reason behind this occurrence is… Read more »
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are working to protect a small, secretive marsh bird that is in steep decline. Some populations of the eastern black rail along the Atlantic coast have dropped by as much as 90 percent, and with a relatively small total population remaining across the eastern United States, the Service is… Read more »
Following a review of 51 bird species considered Critically Endangered, a team of ornithologists recommends that eight such species be declared Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, or Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct). The most familiar of these species is likely Spix’s macaw. Fans of the 2011 movie Rio will remember Blu, a captive-raised Spix’s macaw, who… Read more »
Endangered California Condors to be released on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. (The Peregrine Fund) There is nothing quite as iconic in the western United States as a California Condor soaring over the red-rock-canyon landscapes of northern Arizona and southern Utah. Thanks to people working together to recover this species, condors… Read more »
An organization instrumental in establishing the eastern migratory flock of whooping cranes has withdrawn from the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership and announced plans to disband. Between 2001 and 2015, Operation Migration pilots used ultralight aircraft to guide captive-hatched, imprinted whooping cranes—186 of them—along a migration route between Wisconsin and Florida. The aircraft-guided migration ended in… Read more »
