This week in birds - #68

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

Photo by Greg Lavaty courtesy of American Bird Conservancy.

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the pretty little Sage Sparrow. A bird of the western United States, it can be found breeding wherever its preferred habitat of tall, patchy sagebrush scrub and chaparral with bunchgrasses and some bare ground can be found. It typically winters in Arizona, southern New Mexico and south into Mexico.

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Did you hear about the new butterfly species that was discovered in Texas? It is called the Vicroy's Ministreak (Ministrymon janevicroy) and is very similar to the Gray Ministreak except that it has very striking green eyes. The butterfly is thought to be quite rare but can be found in dry forests and scrub from Texas to Costa Rica.

This is a Gray Hairstreak in my garden. You can't really see its eyes, but they are dark. Imagine a butterfly like this but with bright green eyes. That's the Vicroy's Ministreak.

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Scientists believe that the rat poison which some growers of illegal marijuana plantations in the Northwest are using to control vermin may be causing the deaths of endangered Northern Spotted Owls. The rats eat the poison and the owls eat the rats. Maybe they should cut out use of the poison and just let the owls control the rats.

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A new study has found that there are more birds at risk in the Brazilian forest than previously thought. Scientists identified 58 species that had severely fragmented habitat making their continued survival problematic.

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Have you ever misidentified a bird? In public? To other birders? Well, you are not alone. The blogger at The Drinking Bird feels your pain and freely admits that he has done it, too.

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Researchers in South Korea have found that the humble bumblebee can sometimes oust birds from their nests and take over those nests for their own. Apparently, it's the buzz that does it.

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The Archaeopteryx, dubbed "the first true bird" when its fossil was first identified in the 19th Century, has more recently been shifted out of the direct line of evolution of birds. But a recent discovery in China seems to have moved it squarely back into that line.

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Photo by National Parks and Wildlife Service of Australia.

These giant fluorescent pink slugs have been found living on a mountaintop in New South Wales in Australia. They live in an alpine forest habitat populated by organisms that are found nowhere else on the planet.

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Arctic Terns that breed in the northern part of The Netherlands have been found to follow a previously unknown route to their wintering grounds in the Antarctic. Their migration takes them through Australia. This was discovered by researchers when they fitted some of the birds with geolocators and tracked their flight.

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It has been known for some time that many amphibian species are in trouble, but new research makes clear that the problem is even worse than previously thought. Threats like habitat loss, disease, and climate change are pushing many frogs, toads, and salamanders to the brink of extinction. 

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Horseshoe crabs are used by some fishermen along the East Coast as bait for catching eels and whelk. But horseshoe crab eggs are essential to the survival of the endangered Red Knot, and over-harvesting of the crabs by humans has further imperiled the birds. Now researchers at the University of Delaware think they have found an artificial bait that will be a successful substitute for the crabs.

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Perhaps proving once again that it is an ill wind indeed that blows no good, it seems that global climate warming may have a beneficial effect on frogs suffering from a lethal skin disease caused by a fungus. The higher temperatures combat the growth of the fungus. 

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Around the backyard: 

This fledgling Downy Woodpecker has been following his father around the yard, learning where to find food. He's beginning to explore possible food sources on his own. I don't think he's going to find much in this post though! He'll learn.

Another youngster impatiently demanding Papa to bring his food is this fledgling Northern Cardinal waiting in a shrub. There are lots of young cardinals around the yard these days.

This Mama Red-bellied Woodpecker is grabbing some suet to take to her baby who is waiting in a shrub nearby. My suet cakes are disappearing at a rapid rate these days as they are favored by parent birds feeding their babies and by fledglings just learning to feed themselves.