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Ornithology - The Science of Birds - Nature & Animals
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Birds of Christmas - Ornithology
Now that it is almost Christmas, you will hear the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” created in about 16th century England. This song has more birds in it than any other holiday song. You know, “On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.” The second day involves “two turtle doves”, then come three “French Hens” (probably just regular chickens), and then four “calling birds.” Actually, the song originally referred to “colly birds”, colly meaning ‘black as coal’ and probably originally referred to blackbirds baked in a pie. Then on the fifth day come “five golden rings”, which actually refer to the Ring-necked Pheasant. On the sixth day arrive “Six geese-a-laying” most likely referring to the Graylag Goose, the ancestor of our domestic geese and the “Seven Swans-a-swimming” to the Mute Swan. At the end of the song, if you do the math, there will be 12 partridges, 22 doves, 30 hens, 36 blackbirds, 40 pheasants, 42 geese, and 42 swans; or something like that.
Flocks Heading South for the Winter - Ornithology
This is the time of year you see flocks of birds heading south. If they are geese, they typically fly in a skein or V formation. Ducks fly in looser skeins, and smaller birds like shorebirds and songbirds fly basically in a bunch. Pelicans and cormorants fly in a line. And many blackbirds and starlings … Flocks Heading South for the Winter Read More »
Do Ducks' Quacks Echo? And Other Bird Myths [Updated] - Ornithology
I receive all kinds of questioDuck-Quacks-Dont-Echo-Lee-Mack-02-16x9-1ns from around the world via my website, ornitholo.wpenginepowered.com. I have been contacted by newspapers, magazines, radio and TV shows, Hollywood producers, authors, artists, scientists, architects, and even a fighter pilot in Iraq, asking about some aspect of birds. Mostly they are straightforward questions about identification, bird houses, feeding, behavior, diseases, etc., but occasionally the questioner alludes to some old wives’ tale such as that of touching a bird’s nest or eggs or young causing the parents to abandon the nest or even kill the young.
Birds in Modern Life - Ornithology
Birds have been around for over 200 million years. Of perhaps 125,000 avian species that existed during that time, over 11,000 still populate every habitat on Earth except the center of Antarctica and the depths of the oceans. Hominids have been around for maybe six million years, and modern humans only around 200,000 years. But … Birds in Modern Life Read More »
Nature Knows Best - Ornithology
In the northern hemisphere spring and summer are the times of the year birds are breeding – singing, courting, nesting, egg-laying, incubating, and feeding young. For most songbirds, incubation will last about 7-10 days and the young remain in the nest after hatching while the parents feed them. As the young grow, the nest eventually … Nature Knows Best Read More »
The Evolution of Bird Color Guides and Identification - Ornithology
With its three-color receptors, the human eye can distinguish over a million colors. An LCD television can produce over one billion colors. And Sherwin Williams, a paint manufacturer, makes about 1700 colors. And someone has to name them. Until the 17th century, there was no word for the color orange, so orange-colored things were described … The Evolution of Bird Color Guides and Identification Read More »
Birds Named After People - Ornithology
It is considered the height of arrogance, and now against the rules of nomenclature, for the discoverer of a species to name the organism after his or herself, but many species have been named in honor of others, such as Baird’s Sandpiper, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Bouganvilla. Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823 -1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and … Birds Named After People Read More »
Bird Names - Ornithology
There are a number of species of birds with widespread distributions such as the Peregrine Falcon, Mallard, and European Starling. Each has a designated scientific name, but all of the nearly 11,000 species of birds have an official common English name as well, as established by the International Ornithological Committee. So for every English-speaking country … Bird Names Read More »
Cabinets of Curiosities - Ornithology
Museums did not come about as we know them, places for education, study, and research, until the late 19th century. Before museums, wealthy individuals made their own collections, sometimes in the form of “cabinets of curiosities,” which came about in the sixteenth century. They were not actually cabinets but rooms with a plethora of natural … Cabinets of Curiosities Read More »