birds
grrlscientist | June 27, 2008tags: Chattering lory, scarlet lory, Lorius garrulus, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Fifth in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Profile of a Chattering Lory, Lorius garrulus. Two subspecies are formally recognized and are found on nearby islands in Indonesia.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
clock | June 26, 2008There is an exciting new study in Science that reshuffles the avian phylogeny pretty thoroughly - Grrrrl and Greg have excellent summaries.
As a part of the monthly topic being birds in June, there is an ongoing Journal Club on PLoS ONE.
And if that is not enough birds for you today, the new edition of I and the Bird #78 is up on It's just me.
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: Brown lory, Duyvenbode's lory, Chalcopsitta duivenbodei, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. The best friend I ever had was duyvenbode's lory, in fact. How I miss my lories!
Fourth in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Brown Lory, also known as the Duyvenbode's Lory, Chalcopsitta duivenbodei. This species is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: The Last Flight of The Scarlet Macaw, conservation, endangered species, parrots, politics, Bruce Barcott, book review
Nonfiction books are often thought of as being "good for us", as if they were literary vitamin tablets, but many people take their summers off from their vitamins by reading trashy novels or mysteries while ensconced under an umbrella on a sandy beach. So what would you say if you could read a book that has the best qualities of both genres? If you think that such a book doesn't exist, well, think again: Bruce Barcott's recently published book, The Last Flight of The…
grrlscientist | June 25, 2008tags: Chattering lory, scarlet lory, Lorius garrulus, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Third in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
ABSTRACT: Chattering Lory, sometimes known as the Scarlet Lory, Lorius garrulus.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
clock | June 24, 2008As part of the monthly focus on birds, there is a new Journal Club in PLoS ONE this week.
Dr.Elizabeth Adkins Regan from Cornell and her postdoc Dr Joanna Rutkowska from Jagiellonian University have already posted their first comments on the paper by Keith Sockman (here at UNC): Ovulation Order Mediates a Trade-Off between Pre-Hatching and Post-Hatching Viability in an Altricial Bird.
You should all join in the discussion!
retrospectacle | June 24, 2008
Hi everyone, thought I'd drop by and say hello and remind ScienceBlogs (as well as myself) that I do still exist beyond the lab, and have not yet degenerated into a shadowy specter capable only of writing up data in the bowels of the University of Michigan. I have gotten very pale though, so that may be debatable. Anyway, the thesis work is chugging along and I now have a defense planned for December (of 2008!!!!). I'm currently looking around at post doc positions for after that, but not before I take a good long breather to the tune of 4-5 months playing Wii. Oh, and I'm getting married…
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008tags: Dusky lory, Pseudeos fuscata, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts one of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Second in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Orange phase Dusky Lory, Pseudeos fuscata.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 23, 2008tags: Rainbow Lory, Trichoglossus haematodus, birds, Image of the Day
First in a series of lory images by this photographer.
ABSTRACT: Rainbow Lory, Trichoglossus haematodus.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 23, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Yellow-rumped warbler, Dendroica coronata, After Hatch Year male.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [larger view].
People Hurting Birds
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) in South Africa said it was out of options trying to prevent a bird hunt organised by the High School Hans Strijdom in Mookgophong (Naboomspruit). The school apparently organised a bird hunt to take place over the weekend to raise funds, but the NSPCA condemned it as unethical. "The linking of a school with flagrant slaughter, turning killing into sport…
grrlscientist | June 22, 2008tags: Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, birds, Image of the Day
The cassowary, Casuarius casuarius,
is a large, flightless bird that is native to Australia and New Guinea.
Image: Orphaned [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 21, 2008tags: Anna's hummingbird, Calypte anna, birds, Image of the Day
Female Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, sitting on her nest.
Notice the uncommonly bright colors on her gorget.
This bird is nesting on Bainbridge Island in Washington state.
Image: Eva Gerdts, May 2008. [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 21, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, quaternary ammonium compounds, fertility problems, repoductive problems, zoos, aviculture, medicine, disinfectants
I know a fair number of zoos and aviculturists who disinfect the premises occupied by their breeding flocks of birds with quaternary ammonium compounds to prevent the spread of diseases, especially viral disease. But according to a story that just appeared in the top-tier journal, Nature, exposure to the quaternary ammonium compounds, ADBAC (n-alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride) and DDAC (didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride), could cause a sharp…
grrlscientist | June 19, 2008tags: Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris, birds, nature, Image of the Day
A Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris, gathers cattail material
for its nest along the shore of Lost Lake in North Central Washington
just 10 miles south of the Canadian Border.
Image: Jeff Larsen, Writer/Photographer [larger view].
View more images by this photographer.
Jeff Larsen retired from his position as a photojournalist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to focus his creative energy on bird photography. He currently is working on a weekly travel piece about birds that will appear, along with his beautiful…
grrlscientist | June 18, 2008tags: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, birds, nature, Image of the Day
Female black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, Cave Creek Canyon, AZ.
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008 [larger view].
More images from Dave's recent Arizona vacation.
grrlscientist | June 17, 2008tags: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, birds, nature, Image of the Day
Male black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, Cave Creek Canyon, AZ.
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 16, 2008tags: Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus, birds, nature, Image of the Day
My good friend, Dave Rintoul, has just returned from a much-deserved vacation camping in the Chiricahuas and Gila Wilderness area and sent a couple images to share with you.
Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus, Cave Creek Canyon AZ
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 16, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
"Blue enough for ya?"
Male Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [larger view].
Birds and Dads News
I stop for pileated woodpeckers. That'd be my life's bumper sticker. These days, I know my birds. Not because I ever saw them as a kid, but because on the way home from hikes with my dad, I'd grab his Golden field guide, Birds of North America, and read up on what we just spent the whole day not seeing. Pileated, by the way, means capped, a reference to its distinctive triangular red crest. Woody…
clock | June 15, 2008Miriam points to this set of pictures of the development of the chicken embryo. As I have written before, I did have to learn how to precisely stage the chick embryos, both the older stages and the early stages, in order to manipulate them at exactly the right time. Cool pics.
grrlscientist | June 15, 2008tags: Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, birds, nature, Image of the Day
My good friend, Dave Rintoul, has just returned from a much-deserved vacation camping in the Chiricahuas and Gila Wilderness area and sent a couple images to share with you.
Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, on the trunk of an Alligator Juniper, Cave Creek Canyon AZ.
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008.