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This week in birds - #669

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

These are a pair of Northern Emerald-Toucanets, a bird found in parts of southern Mexico and into Central America. It is a bird of forested habitats and it eats mostly fruit. They are nonmigratory and the population size is really unknown but it is thought to be decreasing. Its main threat is loss of habitat through deforestation. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week. 

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It has been a hot month so far in the Southwest. Heat records could be toppled in various places.

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Death Valley National Park is full of life - specifically wildflowers that are blanketing the park in the most breathtaking bloom seen there in a decade.

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Whooping Cranes are among the most closely tracked and monitored birds in North America. We almost lost them in the last century and we don't want that to happen again. We are still learning about how they utilize their habitat.

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So it looks like the controversial weedkiller Roundup will be on the market again, thanks to an executive order from the president.

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The government of Ecuador is attempting to silence defenders of the environment by shuttering their bank accounts.

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El Niño is likely coming this summer and may bring severe weather with it.

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Did the ancient Egyptians invent Wite-Out?

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The endangered lemurs of Madagascar love the strawberry guava but the fruit is choking the island's forests.

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As war rages in the Persian Gulf, Iran's supply of fresh water is at risk.

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What is under the oldest trees on Earth? Inquiring minds wanted to know so scientists looked.

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Baroness is a python and she is the longest snake ever measured at 23.5 feet long.

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A rare white whale has been spotted and photographed off the coast of Mexico. Whatever would Captain Ahab think?

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Bumblebees are remarkable creatures but the fact that the queens can survive underwater for a week may be one of the most amazing things about them.




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