This week in birds - #617

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

This little jewel is the White-bellied Woodstar, a resident of forest edges, open pastures, and fields throughout the central and eastern Andes. The three-inch-long bird is fairly common within its range and is mostly non-migratory. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. 

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The next four years do not look hopeful for our confronting climate change.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded. Now that we have reached a dangerous warming threshold, will be be able to reverse the trend?

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The Caribbean area has experienced record-breaking heat over the last couple of years and that does not appear likely to change.

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Moreover, the climate crisis is disrupting the planet's water cycle which is affecting entire ecosystems and billions of people. 

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And yet Nature has shown repeatedly that it has an amazing capacity to adapt.

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Was the brouhaha over the snail darter all just a case of mistaken identity?

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A "rogue rewilding" has returned the lynx to the Scottish Highlands.

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Our current president has just banned drilling in much of the country's coastal waters, an action that, unfortunately, will likely be reversed by the incoming president.

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Venomous snake bites take a heavy toll in rural areas of Africa where medical help may not be readily available.

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Does a palm oil plantation count as a forest? The president of Indonesia claims it should.

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Cuban tree frogs are among the many invasives that have been swept to our shores by hurricanes. (Invasive maybe, but you have to admit he's awfully cute!)

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Australia, the land of so many marsupial animals, even has a marsupial mole!

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Is Florida's Tortoise Conservancy truly a conservation organization or is it just another scam?

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There were some wildlife winners in 2024; among them were salmon, wolves, whales, and bears.

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Finally, from The Guardian, here are pictures of the week in wildlife.