This week in birds - #680

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

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the lively little Nashville Warbler, a bird of the forest and of urban and suburban habitats. It breeds in parts of southeastern and western Canada and northeastern and western United States and can be found during migration throughout most of the United States. Its population is decreasing but its current conservation status is not of concern. 

*~*~*~*

The Monarch butterfly spring migration has now reached as far as Maine and Nova Scotia.

*~*~*~*

Has the risk of global warming been overstated? Scientists are reconsidering.

*~*~*~*

Did you ever wonder why many of the huge predatory dinosaurs had such tiny arms? Scientists think they have figured it out. 

*~*~*~*

And which one of those predatory dinosaurs was the biggest?

*~*~*~*

If you have an orange cat, it is probably a male. Here's why.

*~*~*~*

Cities might be thought to be inimical to birds but they can actually prove quite important as stopovers during migration.

*~*~*~*

Here are some amazing pictures of giraffes in the wild.

*~*~*~*

A new study suggests that daddy longlegs actively hunt frogs in South America.

*~*~*~*

How long have humans had a relationship with pigeons? Much longer than previously thought it turns out.

*~*~*~*

Here are some of the best wildlife photographs from previous years.

*~*~*~*

A centuries-old baobab tree in Madagascar is dying. It is a symbol of something larger.

*~*~*~*

Gray whales in the eastern North Pacific are suffering from malnourishment. They are in serious trouble.

*~*~*~*

After years of a dwindling population in the Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs saw a dramatic boost in their numbers last winter.

*~*~*~*

Sunday night will feature the second full moon of the month, known as a blue moon.