Millions of wild birds may have died from bird flu globally in the latest outbreak, researchers have said, as the viral disease ravages South America, with 200,000 deaths recorded in Peru alone. The highly infectious variant of H5N1, which gained momentum in the winter of 2021, caused Europe’s worst bird flu outbreak before spreading globally. […]
Tag: pelican
Congress Passes Audubon-backed Bill to Assess and Monitor Saltwater Lake Ecosystems in the West
WASHINGTON—Last night, Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act passed the Senate after passing the House last week. This Audubon-backed legislation will establish a scientific monitoring and assessment program to help save the Great Salt Lake and other saline lakes in the West. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and […]
Albania’s pelican colony was bouncing back. Now it faces the threat of a new airport
Half a dozen Dalmatian pelicans fly off as we approach the Narta lagoon, a marshland near Vlora in south-west Albania. It is a majestic sight – six elegantly soaring birds, with necks tilted back and wingspans almost matching that of an albatross. “They’re juveniles,” says Taulant Bino, head of the Albanian Ornithological Society (AOS). “They […]
The Weird and Wild Migration of the Wood Stork Raises Many Questions
The largest wading bird in North America and our only native stork species, the Wood Stork is an icon of the American Southeast. Wading through shallow freshwater cypress swamps, marshes, and lagoons, it is unmistakable, except when flying overhead, where it superficially resembles the American White Pelican. Like the pelican, Wood Storks are excellent fliers, […]
Some birds that fly together in big colonies have evolved brightly-coloured feathers under their wings to avoid mid-air collisions, study suggests
Birds with brightly-coloured feathers under their wings may have developed them to avoid mid-air collisions, experts believe. Researchers compared the underwing colours of 1,780 species and found that larger birds, as well as those that flocked together in big colonies, were most likely to have colourful, contrasting feathers. The researchers think this is because larger […]
Dolphins have begun washing up on Black Sea shores in large numbers due to the Ukraine war
Conservationists at the Tuzly Lagoons national park on the Black Sea in Ukraine have been digging small canals from the coastal lagoons down to the seashore every spring for the past 30 years, linking the bodies of water together. The rivulets, which used to be natural until modern agriculture clogged the little rivers that supplied […]
Charlotte County Birds Falling Ill from Dangerous Red Tide Toxins
The dreaded red tide has been plaguing Charlotte County beaches and making the local birds ill. The toxins from the red tide have already caused a negative impact on sea life, killing fish and sending other aquatic species into hiding. Pamela DeFouw, executive director of the Wildlife Center of Southwest Florida, said, “We’ve definitely seen […]
Response to the bird flu outbreak in Senegal and Mauritania
Nearly 2,500 pelicans died in late January in two National Parks on the border of Senegal and Mauritania as a result of an outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). In late January 2021, 750 Great white pelicans were found dead in the Djoudj bird sanctuary, a remote pocket of wetlands and a UNESCO […]