This week in birds - #648
A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
This is the Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, an endangered Hawaiian species that is this week's American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. It is only found now on the island of Hawaiʻi although in the past it was present on other islands in the group. Habitat destruction and degradation are contributing to the bird's decreasing numbers.
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Monarch butterflies will soon be beginning their migration south through the western states.
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A new study has found that clues to Earth's climate past can be found in dinosaur teeth.
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Following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, survivors of the catastrophe continued to live amid the rubble of the city for hundreds of years.
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Humans are having an effect on animal evolution.
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Rabbits in northern Colorado are sprouting horn-like growths on their faces.
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Misinformation is affecting Oregon's response to the wildfire season.
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Bees and wasps can be a problem on hummingbird feeders. Here are some ways to discourage them.
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For the third year in a row, a wave of water has gushed out of an Alaskan glacial lake, threatening the city of Juneau, but flood barriers installed by the city have protected it.
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It wasn't all dinosaurs on Earth 145 million years ago; there were mammals as well, including this mouse-sized one whose fossil was discovered near Dorset, England.
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Air conditioning is just about universal in my part of the world and summers would be almost unbearable here without it. It is less prevalent in Europe but that may be changing.
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A study has found that sex reversal in birds is more common than had previously been thought.
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The plastic industry knew as early as 1974 that recycling could not be a total solution for the problem of pollution.
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A multicolored mural created by an Indigenous group more than 3,000 years ago has been discovered in Peru.
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The fossil of a 25-million-year-old ancient whale that had razor-sharp teeth and eyes the size of tennis balls has been discovered in Australia.
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It turns out Cockatoos are capable of some pretty intricate dance moves.
Good morning, Dorothy. I am having one of those nights when I just can’t sleep so it’s a good time to have the roundup to keep me company. Gouldian Finches are not the only species having difficulty coping with extreme heat, and humans are finding that we are not immune from its consequences. Increased availability of air conditioning is not going to make much difference when wildfires burn everything in sight. I just read yesterday that your government is now going to remove satellites that report on pollution levels, ocean temperatures, currents etc. And the United States and Saudi Arabia have blocked progressive measures to rein in plastics. The madness continues. Have a great, air-conditioned weekend! All the best - David
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, I had one of those nights, too, and when I finally did sleep, I slept long and hard which is why I'm getting to your comment very late. I think the theory of this government is that if there is no one left who can or will tell you that problems exist, then everything is just swell, so why would we need all those satellites feeding us information. Honestly, the stupidity is appalling.
DeleteI keep losing my comment - third time lucky.
ReplyDeleteDinosaur teeth and climate records - that must be fascinating, if painstaking work.
Poorer citizens living in the ruins of Pompeii is not so surprising, I suppose. What is surprising is that the ruins were inhabited for hundreds of years.
As a teenager, I seriously wanted to be an archaeologist and I sometimes regret that I didn't pursue that as my major course of study. Nevertheless, I maintain my lifelong interest in the subject and always enjoy reading news on the subject. The past has so much to teach us; unfortunately, we are not always willing learners.
DeleteIf I had seen the photo of the Gouldian Finch on another branch of social media, I would have suspected AI. I'm so glad I live in a world where this finch is real.
ReplyDeleteI remember life before ac, and I suspect you do, too. It was brutal here along the Gulf Coast of Texas when I was a child and my mother sent me outside "to get some sunshine" in the life-draining heat of summer.
Indeed, I grew up n Mississippi in a house with no air conditioning. In fact, for the first few years of my life, we didn't even have electricity. I well remember the day when we got "electrified." After that, we got window fans that helped move the air through the house, and some years later, window unit air conditioners. "Brutal" is a good word to describe those summers before air conditioning.
DeleteI do appreciate electricity and air conditioning. And mosquito control here along the Gulf Coast.
DeleteSeeing the pictures of those rabbits with the growth horn things is awful. It looks so painful. And scary.
ReplyDeletePompeii will be so fascinating to me, forever
Pompeii has been fascinating to me since I read "The Last Days of Pompeii" as a teenager.
DeleteI have never seen a bird like the Gouldian Finch. Oh my it's elaborate with the colors scheme. So unique looking. Also I want to say while at the beach in SoCal this week I'm seeing lots of Monarch butterflies on flowers and flying about with other monarchs. In fact, I have not seen this many before ever! What a joy.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear that you are seeing lots of Monarchs.
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