After a latest longer publish specializing in Dunlins, the species simply makes a shorter look on this publish …
… although I managed (a rarity for me) a half-decent flight shot.
Pink-throated Pipits embrace people that appear totally misnamed …
… whereas others nonetheless cling to their name-giving function, no less than a bit.
In case you are focused on increasing your life record with out shifting your ass (you already know who you might be), here’s a paper suggesting to separate the Water Pipit into three species. You would possibly need to help the concept.
The American Pipit will quickly be renamed because the X Pipit, if Elon Musk will get his will.
Crested Mynas apparently use egg dimension as an indicator to detect cuckoo eggs, which they then reject. However they’re a bit sluggish on the uptake, main researchers to conclude (and I feel this sentence ought to develop into part of self-help books all around the world) “We advise that the periodicity of egg rejection experiments might be appropriately prolonged, particularly for species with comparatively low egg recognition capability.”
One other paper studies that Crested Mynas add snakeskin (which in different areas of the world, e.g., Texas, is become very ugly cowboy boots and thus not out there to mynas) to their nests. Nonetheless, this addition appears to be completely pointless, because the paper finds that “There have been additionally no important variations within the variety of nestlings hatched for every nest, nestling rising and breeding success between the snake slough and the non-snake slough group”. This discovering doesn’t preserve the researchers from speculating in regards to the rationale for including the snake pores and skin: “snake slough in crested myna nests might serve to scale back nest predation, enhance the immunity of nestlings or function a post-mating sexual sign eliciting differential reproductive funding in mates”, ending with the traditional “additional analysis is required”, which right here is phrased as “these speculations require additional investigation”.
Saunders’s Gull is listed as Weak. It’s named after a banker (actually?) who apparently was additionally a traveler, ornithologist, and an authority on the Laridae (says Cornell) – Howard Saunders (1835-1907).
So, he died when he was 72 – will need to have felt like no less than 100 years if he primarily targeted on gulls …
In any case, his obituary in Nature in 1907 notes that “IT is with unfeign remorse that report the dying of Mr. Howard Saunders, after a protracted and painful sickness”.
Can sexism ever by justified by information? eBird states that the male Narcissus Flycatcher has eye-catching black, orange-yellow, and white plumage, whereas the feminine is extraordinarily drab.
A bit harsh, I feel …
Then once more, should you see the male, there’s some reality to it.
Bramblings might be fairly sexist themselves – a paper inspecting the intercourse distribution in massive Brambling roosts discovered a a lot increased density of females on the periphery of the roost, a location that’s extra uncovered to predation (supply).
Possibly it’s partly a weight concern? In a examine on Noticed Redshanks, males have been discovered to be heavier and larger than females. Nonetheless, the pinnacle dimension of the males was smaller than that of the females. Not so smug now, are we, males?
(Aspect notice: that examine concerned abdomen removing of the birds for intestine evaluation – I’m not certain such research are a superb factor).
A Gray Plover in all probability thought it was fairly secure emigrate at an altitude of about 3000 meters, no less than from marauding scientists – till it was killed at that altitude by a Peregrine Falcon, as described right here.
The scientific identify of the Taiga Bean Goose is Anser fabalis, which vaguely feels like “fabulous” however sadly isn’t the explanation for the species’ identify. Apparently, fabalis means “of beans”, and Cornell no less than offers a normal clarification for the “Bean” in Taiga Bean Goose: “the common look of flocks of untamed geese, which arrive each autumn …on the time of bean harvest and when the bean stubbles have been prepared for them”.
Whereas this Little Grebe seems prefer it has been overdoing its cocaine use …
… within the literature, there’s a report of a Little Grebe consuming a mammal. Possibly a consequence of drug use?
eBird calls the Yellow-bellied Tit a “tiny luminous ball of feathers”, which sounds about proper.
For the Black-faced Bunting, eBird appears to be a bit ambiguous on whether or not this fowl is a skulker or not: “A small songbird that always skulks deep in shrubbery however emerges to forage within the open greater than some buntings”. So, eBird, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being an invisible fowl and 10 one completely out within the open, the place do you find this bunting? (you may inform my background and expertise in doing administration consulting, specifically, workshops, from this query).
The Gray Heron doesn’t skulk. How might it, given its open surroundings?
It isn’t a lot a problem of dimension – Eurasian Bitterns (which aren’t small birds) – are a lot better at camouflage.
By the way, “Camouflage” can also be the title of a music by Stan Ridgway, beforehand of Wall of Voodoo, answerable for in all probability the very best ever cowl model of “Ring of Hearth”.
On Chongming Island, the primary households of Hooded Cranes have arrived – typical Chinese language households ensuing from China’s one-chick coverage.
However some much less typical groupings are additionally potential.
Rooks are uncommon in Shanghai, so it was a shock to see a flock of them additionally on Chongming Island.
It’s in all probability no coincidence that I noticed them in the identical week that The Treatment launched a brand new album, the primary in 16 years.
In case you do a Google seek for “Rook analysis”, you get to the online web page of Rook Analysis, an organization that “makes a speciality of internet scraping and extraction of Different Knowledge.” Different information sounds scarily Trumpish to me. However possibly that’s the level right here.
The scientific identify Corvus frugilegus is a bit puzzling as frugilegus means “fruit-gathering” – fruit don’t appear to be a serious part of the species’ food regimen.
Like people, Rooks present a rising tendency to winter in cities (supply).
And Rooks are well-studied on account of their intelligence and social habits – for instance, they’ll clear up sure psychological duties (supply) and after conflicts appear to hunt out affirmation from different Rooks (supply).
In another methods, additionally they behave quite a bit like people. Apparently, people eat as much as 75% extra meals when in firm with others – and Rooks additionally eat extra when along with one other Rook (supply). Weight loss program tip: eat by yourself.
(associated music lyrics: “consuming meagre meals with the curtains closed, “Ciao!” by Lush with a visitor look by Jarvis Cocker)
A part of the social exercise of the Rooks I watched was to mob a Black Kite.
An Japanese Marsh Harrier was mobbed by Oriental Magpies as a substitute.
Widespread Starlings are fairly unusual in Shanghai.
Within the USA, they’re widespread – however that is in all probability not the consequence of a Shakespeare lover releasing them, although that story has made it into many fowl books.
A narrative even propagated by Cornell College, the supposed authority on all issues avian.
They’re considered pests in lots of nations – the truth is, an internet site named Pestsmart has its personal Widespread Starling web page.
For shade, the November in Shanghai gives Bluethroat ….
… (effectively, the feminine not a lot) …
… the primary Northern Lapwings of the season …
… and Daurian Redstart.
In case you choose your birds in black and white, you may select species such because the Pied Kingfisher …
… Pied Avocet …
… and White Wagtail.
Wintering spoonbills have additionally returned – principally Eurasian Spoonbills …
… but additionally a couple of Black-faced Spoonbills.
A examine inspecting historic (1894-1926) migration information for Eurasian Woodcock discovered that the birds returned to their breeding grounds earlier in years with milder climate than in colder and wetter years. This appears to be aligned with research on the affect of worldwide warming on migration – birds migrate to their breeding grounds earlier and can also keep there longer than up to now. In any case, I’m glad they’re again on Chongming now.
On the one hand, Cornell describes the Widespread Pochard as “considerable, with a world inhabitants estimated to #1,950,000–2,250,000 people”. Then again, it’s labeled as Weak, and the identical Cornell entry states “Not considered a species of conservation concern till 2015, when info suggesting that the inhabitants has declined quickly throughout nearly all of its vary precipitated the species to be labeled as Weak.”
Many causes for the decline sound depressingly acquainted: wetland degradation and destruction on account of agricultural growth, urbanization, local weather change, looking, and lead poisoning (supply). A considerably much less apparent motive is the abandonment of fish farms in western Russia that had previously supplied habitat for breeding birds (supply). Possibly Russians must eat extra fish once more.
Rustic Buntings are additionally not doing effectively and are additionally listed as Weak. My private impression is also that their quantity on Chongming Island has declined up to now few years.
That makes one nearly grateful that the Black-tailed Godwit is simply listed as Close to Threatened.
Given the present weak state of China’s financial system, some Eurasian Hoopoes these days work as guards regardless of being overqualified.
And a few extra music recommendation for the month. Whilst you might not need to put on a T-shirt with the band identify “The New Pornographers”, their music “Myriad Harbour” is nice. And humorous.
Talking of which – do you suppose that now that the Japanese Tit has been lumped with the Cinereous Tit, it is going to be talked about roughly continuously in my posts?
