Problem birds? Call in Zorro
Kelly Ryan Herald Sun
TENNIS fans want Zorro the wedge-tailed eagle let loose to scare pesky seagulls away from the Australian Open.
Zorro and another eagle, Matilda, cleared the MCG of gulls for last year's football finals and his owner says one steely eyed stare from the head of the raptor food chain would do the [...]
Archaeopteryx had (some) black feathers
A team of scientists announced yesterday the first evidence of feather color in Archaeopteryx, a feathered dinosaur that has also long been considered one of the earliest birds. The first fossil remains, consisting of a single feather, were discovered in Germany in 1861. It’s this single feather that was analyzed using a technique developed by Jakob Vinther, [...]
Rare book on birds sells for $7.9M
By Reuters
A full-size, complete first edition of John James Audubon's "The Birds of America" has been sold for $7.9 million at auction in New York to a private American collector, Christie's said.
The four-volume bound set of 435 hand-colored engravings in excellent condition and more than 3 feet in height is considered one of [...]
Research reveals complexity of Noisy Miner vocal behaviour
Research at the University of New England is giving scientists new insights into the complex society of Australia’s Noisy Miner.
In a paper published online in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, UNE’s Dr Paul McDonald reports that Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala) can discriminate among the calls of individuals – even individuals from a distant colony. [...]
Hungry birds to get help from above
By Wang Qian (China Daily)
JIUJIANG, Jiangxi – If weather permits, China will launch its first airdrop of food on Tuesday for starving migratory birds that have taken up residence around its largest freshwater lake.
Around 2 tons of fish and corn will be airdropped to a 133-square-kilometer reserve near drought-hit Poyang Lake, said Zhao Jinsheng, director [...]
Kakapo Found Dead
The death of a male kakapo on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island has brought disappointment to the Kakapo Recovery team, as it faces a year without any breeding.
Waynebo was found dead by Kakapo rangers on the 2nd of January after his transmitter went into mortality mode. The mortality function on his transmitter revealed he had been dead [...]
Do dirty birds last longer?
Most birds like to bathe when they can; it keeps their feathers in prime condition and there's every indication they also simply enjoy a splash.
But does being dirty make them better survivors?
A recent study in the UK, published today in the Royal Society's journal Biology Letters, found that captive European starlings who didn't have the opportunity to [...]
US govt ammends falconry rules
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has ammended federal regulations governing the practice of falconry in several US states.
From January 1st, 2012, those wishing to engage in falconry in the states of Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming will no longer have to obtain a federal permit.
Permits for [...]
Rare ‘Birds’ at auction
Carolyn Kellogg
Book collectors with fat wallets, take note: A first edition of the rare John James Audubon book "The Birds of America" will be auctioned by Christie's in New York on Jan. 20. When another copy of "The Birds of America" sold for $11.5 million in 2010, it became the world's most expensive book.
"The Birds [...]
Rare Asian duck draws bird watchers to Calif.
By GOSIA WOZNIACKA, Associated Press
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A rare duck normally only seen in Asia has somehow turned up in California, drawing excited bird watchers from all over the U.S. and Canada to a wildlife refuge in the state's Central Valley.
Wildlife officials say a male falcated duck, a bird common in China, was first [...]