A new species of prehistoric hoatzin from the late Eocene of France is the earliest fossil record of hoatzins and the first one from Europe, according to a team of scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. Hoatzins (Opisthocomus hoazin), also known as Hoactzins, Stinkbirds, or Canje Pheasants, are […]
An American Bittern at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge
I have seen quite a few American Bitterns (Botaurus lentiginosus) over the years but most I didn’t spot until they were startled into flight. That all changed last November when I spotted this bird out in the open at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. The American Bittern is a solitary, secretive, cryptically colored heron that breeds […]
Not seen in over 130 years, ‘extinct’ frog rediscovered in Sri Lanka
In 1876 – the same year that the first telephone call was made – the British scientist Albert Günther described a new species of frog from Sri Lanka, but the species, known as the webless shrub frog (Pseudophilautus hypomelas), was never seen again. Having disappeared into history, scientists considered the species extinct—that is until a […]
Why Are Birds of the Arctic in Decline?
With some species of Arctic birds experiencing steep drops in population and their prey also undergoing marked shifts, scientists are working to understand what role climate change is playing in these unfolding ecological transformations. On Coats Island, in northern Hudson Bay, thick-billed murres — members of the auk family — have been under assault on […]
Cooper’s Hawk
The cooper’s hawk is about the size of a crow. Immatures are mottled brown on top with brown-streaked creamy breasts and yellow feet. Adults are slate-gray above with reddish barred light breasts and red eyes. They are found year-round in all but the coldest parts of the lower 48 United States. Birdwatchers call them coopies. […]
Red toad discovered in the upper reaches of the Amazon
Scientists have described a previously unknown species of dead-leaf toad in the Peruvian Andes. The species, which is a master of camouflage, is named Rhinella yunga after the Yungas, the montane forest ecoregion it inhabits. It lives in leaf litter, where it blends in with its cryptic coloration and leaf-like body shape. Until its description […]
Birds’ migration secrets to be revealed by space tracker
Small birds, butterflies, bees and fruitbats will be fitted with tiny radio transmitters and tracked throughout their lifetimes from space when a dedicated wildlife radio receiver is fitted to the International Space Station next year. The ability to follow the movements of very small organisms hour by hour from space will revolutionise our understanding of […]
Garcita azulada, Striated Heron, Butorides striatus
Esta Garcita azulada juvenil la fotografié en la Reserva Itá el 10 de Enero gracias a Graciela Lopez Torres que me avisó; ya había recorrido varios lugares de la reserva cuando llego a la oficina y Graciela me mostró la foto y me indicó el lugar en el que estaba la garza. Caminé hacia la […]