This week in birds - #695

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

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the beautiful Baltimore Oriole, the male of which is pictured here. During summer they can be found throughout much of eastern part of the United States and parts of Canada. The member of the blackbird/oriole/troupial family is one of the earliest birds I can remember from my childhood, probably because it is so flashy. Currently their population, like that of many other birds, is decreasing but they are still considered to be of "least concern." Their main threat is habitat loss and pesticides.

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The death of a lab worker in Russia from infection with the bacterium that causes plague is causing scientists to worry, which means that we should probably all be worried. 

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Here are the stories of five birds, including the Passenger Pigeon (seen above), that have disappeared. Their loss is a cautionary tale for us.

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The oldest land animal alive is Jonathan, a 194-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise. Scientists hope that studying his DNA might provide clues to longevity. 

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There is a hole in our stratosphere, the size of which fluctuates every year. This year's hole was the biggest in twenty-five years.

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A diver cleaning up trash from a Wisconsin lake discovered a 1,000-year-old dugout canoe at its bottom.

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Neanderthals long carried a reputation as a brutish and unintelligent branch of humanity but a reassessment finds them to have been intelligent and rather sophisticated.

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The mysterious armored pangolin is being relentlessly hunted and is vanishing from habitats in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists are working to unlock the secrets that might save it.

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One hundred years ago, an extinct crocodilian's skull was found in the rocks used to build the Sphinx. It turns out it was a previously unknown species.

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We are still learning new things about T. Rex, the world's most famous dinosaur and our understanding of the "tyrant lizard king" has changed quite a bit from when he was first found.

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And a fossil of a winged dinosaur is giving indications that flight might have evolved multiple times among the species.

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A new archaeological discovery shows that ancient people east of the Mississippi River had feasted on chocolate for at least 1,000 years.

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Scientists are using artificial intelligence to decode the vocalizations of African elephants.

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Africa's Bearded Vulture has long teetered on the brink of extinction but it is being brought back by a specialized breeding program.

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Another species that has been on the brink of extinction is the rhinoceros and again efforts are being made by dedicated conservationists to ensure that it doesn't pass that brink. 

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Two small South American birds, the Bare-throated Bellbird and the Red-legged Seriema, are the loudest in nature, able to reach a deafening 122 decibels.