Latest Bird migration Stories
Climate change could result in massive displacements by mid-century, according to a new report from climate change experts at Columbia University, the United Nations University and CARE International."Unless aggressive measures are taken to halt global warming, the consequences for human migration and displacement could reach a scope and scale that vastly exceed anything that has occurred before," researchers wrote in the report "In Search of Shelter"."Climate change is already...
Smithsonian Institution scientists say the birds that struck a plane in New York, forcing it into the Hudson River in January, were migratory Canadian geese. The researchers said they examined the feather remains from the Jan. 15 US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike and determined the geese were from a migratory, rather than resident, population. Scientists in the Feather Identification Laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History said they used molecular genetic...
Smithsonian Institution scientists say the birds that struck a plane in New York, forcing it into the Hudson River in January, were migratory Canada geese. The researchers said they examined the feather remains from the Jan. 15 US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike and determined the geese were from a migratory, rather than resident, population. Scientists in the Feather Identification Laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History said they used molecular genetic techniques...
The first analysis of the effect of habit changes on migrating grazersDensely packed wildebeests flowing over the Serengeti, bison teeming across the Northern Plains"”these iconic images extend from Hollywood epics to the popular imagination. But the fact is, all of the world's large-scale terrestrial migrations have been severely reduced and a quarter of the migrating species are suspected to no longer migrate at all because of human changes to the landscape. A recently published research...
The U.S. government says a Utah law setting permissible selenium levels in the Great Salt Lake is illegal because it violates a treaty on migratory birds. The Utah standard of up to 12.5 parts per million in mallard eggs would kill about 10 percent of the birds before they hatch, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday. The current level in the lake is about 2.7 parts per million. Between 9 million and 12 million migrants visit the lake wetlands every year to winter, nest or rest for a few...
A study released on Wednesday showed that climate change will force bone-weary birds migrating to Europe from Africa to log extra mileage, with possibly devastating consequences.The research found that the annual voyage of some species, which fly north in search of food and suitable climes, could increase by as much as 250 miles.Stephen Willis, a professor at Durham University in Britain and the main architect of the study, said marathon migrations for some birds are set to become even...
There has been a group of 40 genes uncovered by scientists that appear to make North America's monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles south each autumn.This is the first time that researchers have honed in on the exact genes driving migratory behavior in any animal.Monarchs are famous for their 2,500 mile overland migrations from Canada to Mexico, but what drives them is a mystery.Steven Reppert a neurobiologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and colleagues have found a...
An avian expert says he has been unable to determine why thousands of gulls have made Ohio's Hoover Reservoir their new home. Jim McCormac, an Ohio Division of Wildlife avian educator, said the number of gulls that traditionally reside at the reservoir has increased by thousands this year, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch said Wednesday. This is really, really remarkable for central Ohio, McCormac said of the unusual population increase. The place is just lousy with gulls. There are way more...
For the first time, scientists have been able to track a tiny outfit of songbirds to study their annual migrations between North America and the tropics. Researchers were astonished to discover that the purple martins and wood thrushes flew more than 300 miles a day during their migrations. The number was much higher than the 90 miles per day that researchers estimated.According to a report in Friday's edition of the journal Science, the researchers were able to equip the birds with...
A New York resident says an anti-firearm law is preventing would-be hunters from killing troublesome geese, which he says are delicious when cooked. New York resident David Stern said if city or Port Authority officials began offering a limited number of individuals the right to hunt area geese, he could help protect aircraft from the winged creatures while also trying out his recipe for goose jerky, the New York Post said Thursday. Maybe the city or the Port Authority could license a number...
Latest Bird migration Reference Libraries
The Green Pygmy Goose (Nettapus pulchellus) is a small perching duck found in southern New Guinea and northern Australia. It is largely resident, apart from dispersion during the wet season. The habitat is well vegetated lowland lagoons and other permanent fresh waters.
The Canada goose (Branta canadensis), also called the Canadian Goose in North America, belongs to the Branta genus of geese. This genus contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. The species name, canadensis, is a New Latin word meaning "of Canada". The black head and neck with white "chinstrap" distinguish this goose from all except the Barnacle goose, but the latter has a black breast and grey, rather than brownish, body plumage. There...
The Red Knot (Calidris canutus), or Knot in Europe, is a species of bird found in the tundra and Arctic mountains in the far north of Canada, Europe and Russia. North American birds migrate to coastal Europe and South America, while European birds migrate to Africa, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. This species has an extensive range and a large population of about 1.1 million individuals. There are six subspecies. The adult is 9 to 10.25 inches in length with an 18.5 to 20.8...
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is a very large crane and the tallest North American bird. Adult birds are white with a red crown and a long dark pointed bill. They have long dark legs which trail behind in flight and a long neck that is kept straight in flight. Black wing tips can be seen in flight. Immature birds are pale brown. Their breeding habitat is muskeg; the only known nesting location is Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and its surrounding area. They nest on the...
