Louisiana’s barrier islands provide critical and unique habitat for a range of migrant and wintering bird species. Shorebirds in particular utilize a variety of specialized feeding techniques to harvest their own favored types of prey. Louisiana’s barrier islands are rapidly disappearing.
Category: Wildlife
The Brilliant Song of the Northern Cardinal
Macaulay Library Curator, Greg Budney, talks about the brilliant song of the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).
The Raucous Calls of Barred Owls
There are few sounds in nature as raucous as the calls of Barred Owls (Strix varia). Listen and watch as The Cornell Lab’s Laura Erickson sets the scene.
The Erie Yodel Of The Common Loon
The erie yodel of the Common Loon (Gavia pacifica) is a symbol of the wild North. The territorial call of the male loon can be heard from lakes across Canada to the very northern United States.
Birds of the Mississippi River Delta
John Fitzpatrick, Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, takes us on a bird-tour of the Mississippi River Delta. The Louisiana wetlands that they call home are fast disappearing.
Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction
Three species of south Asia’s vultures are critically threatened with extinction in the near future. We have to act now to save these birds. The Oriental white-backed vulture was so abundant in India in the 1980s that it was probably the most common large bird of prey in the world. Only one in a thousand […]
Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper from Extinction
An international team of conservationists is on an emergency mission to help save one of the world’s rarest birds from extinction. Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus is a remarkable bird, but its shocking drop in numbers indicates likely extinction within a decade if urgent action is not taken. The team plans to establish a captive population […]
Sacred Nesting Grounds of the Ibis
Birdwatchers from across Asia and beyond flock to Cambodia’s forests for a glimpse of two of the world’s rarest birds: the giant ibis and its cousin the white-shouldered ibis. Each year, the birders follow the birds to their nesting grounds at the outskirts of Tmatboey, a rural Cambodian village some 200 miles north of Phnom […]