Charles Darwin's egg is rediscovered in a museum Apr 10, 2009
Dr Mike Brooke, the museum's curator of ornithology, traced the specimen's origin in the notebook of Professor Alfred Newton, a friend of Darwin's and a professor of zoology in the late 19th century. Newton had written: "One egg, received through Frank Darwin, having been sent to me by his father who said he got it at Maldonado (Uruguay) and that it belonged to the Common Tinamou of those parts. "The great man put it into too small a box and hence its unhappy state. (BBC News -- Europe)
Studies Of Hyena Skull Development Put Teeth Into New Female Dominance Theory Apr 9, 2009
Associate zoology professor Barbara Lundrigan, curator of mammalology and ornithology at the MSU Museum, lent her expertise on skull development and helped develop and test the group s new hypothesis using many of the museum's 70-plus known-age hyena skulls. A report describing the researchers' theory is published in the March 18 issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.. (Science Daily)
Bird Can 'Read' Human Gaze Apr 4, 2009
8, 2002) Thousands of volunteers have a new assignment from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology -- documenting the impact of West Nile virus while counting birds for the 2002-03 season of Project FeederWatch. This. (Science Daily)
Bits & pieces Apr 4, 2009
You can help nesting birds and collect data to be used by scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to learn how climate change is affecting our feathered friends. Go to HYPERLINK "http://www.nestwatch.org" to learn to create and set up nest boxes and monitor them. (W. Yellowstone News, MT)
Counting birds Apr 3, 2009
To Kenneth Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, this shows that birds can survive if we permit them. For all the doom and gloom about birds in many ecosystems, he says his work on the State of the Birds left him feeling optimistic because the resilience that is built-in is so great. (Why Files)
'Stock-take' of garden creatures Apr 3, 2009
Called Reptiles and Amphibians in your Garden, the project is being undertaken by The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT). Conservationists say they hope the survey will bring together an army of amateur wildlife watchers including birdwatchers, gardeners, hands-on conservation volunteers and the general public. (BBC News -- Science)
Outing introduces students to valley birds Apr 3, 2009
His interest in bird-watching grew when he worked at the ornithology lab at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.. I just kind of got sucked into the bird world, Mellinger said, admitting he is fascinated by them. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
USC receives first edition of 'Natural History' Mar 30, 2009
At the university, it joins later Catesby editions, as well as some of the nation's finest holdings in natural history, including the complete original double-elephant folio set of John James Audubon's "Birds of America" and a first edition "American Ornithology" by Alexander Wilson. The volumes will be exhibited at the Thomas Cooper Library this summer. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
90 years of birdwatchers' notes going online Mar 28, 2009
"You don't have to have a background in ornithology, you just have to have an interest.". Bird enthusiast and star volunteer Stella Walsh, a 62-year-old retiree, pecks away at her keyboard for about four hours each day. (CNN -- Tech)
Many birds endangered in America, report says Mar 21, 2009
The report draws on data collected by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, organizations like the American Bird Conservancy and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and volunteer participants in the Christmas Bird Count of the National Audubon Society. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell laboratory, which also oversees citizen bird-counting, said that a wealth of data gathered in such volunteer efforts had helped scientists make major strides in assessing the health of... (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
The state of birds in the U.S. Mar 21, 2009
"Conservation can really work," said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who released "The State of the Birds" at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., attended by representatives of the American Bird Conservatory, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and other groups. "There are places where many bird species are doing better today than we were 10 to 15 years ago," Salazar said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Ecological disaster' warning for Hawaii birds Mar 21, 2009
"That is the epicenter of extinctions and near-extinctions," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which helped produce the study. "Hawaii is (a) borderline ecological disaster.". (MSNBC -- Environment)
US birds in 'widespread decline' Mar 21, 2009
"These results emphasise that investment in wetlands conservation has paid huge dividends," observed Kenneth Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "Now we need to invest similarly in other neglected habitats where birds are undergoing the steepest declines.". (BBC News -- Science)
Some bird populations plummet Mar 20, 2009
"When we try, we can do it," said John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "There are now populations and habitats across the country begging for us to do it.". (Boston Globe)
Many bird populations in trouble, report says Mar 20, 2009
"Every U.S. habitat harbors birds in need of conservation," said the report, issued by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology in conjunction with federal agencies and other organizations ... "These results emphasize that investment in wetlands contribution has paid huge dividends," said Kenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab or Ornithology. (CNN -- Tech)
Little twitterviews can say a lot Mar 18, 2009
A little something for the ornithology crowd, perhaps. No, this is an official interview between Sen. (Insight on the News)
Monitoring of rare whales near NY harbor ends Mar 17, 2009
"We just brought them in last week," said Chris Clark, director of the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "We ran out of money. We had to stop the process for right now.". (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Walruses are world's most unusual snoozers Mar 11, 2009
"All other animals studied engage in at least some sleep every day," added Rattenborg, leader of the Sleep and Flight Group at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany. "If confirmed with recordings of brain activity, this finding will force sleep researchers to reevaluate many of their views about the regulation and function of sleep in general," he continued, mentioning that walruses occupy an "unusual ecological niche," part land and part sea, which could help to explain their... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Climate change affecting Europe's birds now, say researchers Mar 4, 2009
The paper and the indicator were produced by a team of scientists from the RSPB, Durham University, Cambridge University, the European Bird Census Council, the Musum National d'Histoire Naturelle, the Czech Society for Ornithology, and Statistics Netherlands. European population data for birds was compiled by The Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS), a partnership involving the European Bird Census Council (EBCC), the RSPB, BirdLife International, and Statistics Netherlands... (EurekAlert!)
Climate 'hitting Europe's birds' Mar 4, 2009
The study was the work of researchers from Durham University, Cambridge University, the RSPB, the European Bird Census Council, the Czech Society for Ornithology, the French National Museum of Natural History and Statistics Netherlands. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Science)
Shopping bag: ‘Birdscapes' pop-up book with sound Mar 3, 2009
"Birdscapes: A Pop-Up Celebration of Bird Songs in Stereo Sound," by Miyoko Chu with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; paper engineering by Gene Vosough, Renee Jablow and Andy Baron; and illustrated by Julia Hargreaves (Chronicle Books, $60). BEST FOR: All ages, but adult supervision is suggested for little ones, who will be tempted to rip out the pop-up pages. (Fresno Bee -- Lifestyle)
Coastal Bend shines in Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 28, 2009
According to count organizers (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, National Audubon Society) as the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year s numbers compare with those from previous years. (Rockport Pilot, TX)
New Royal Mail stamps celebrate Charles Darwin Feb 19, 2009
The Royal Mail's new stamps commemorate Darwin and the areas of study which inspired his ideas on : zoology, botany, geology, ornithology and anthropology. The six "jigsaw" shape stamps symbolise how his studies of different disciplines came together to form new ideas on evolution. (guardian.co.uk)
Sentinel Morning Update: Westfall murder suspect may face death penalty Feb 18, 2009
According to Cornell Universitys Lab of Ornithology, the bird -- a large black-and-white grebe -- is a Western Grebe, which breeds in lakes and ponds across the American West and winters primarily off the Pacific Coast ... The 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
Counting is for the birds Feb 17, 2009
That information will soon become part of the data pool that scientists at the Audobon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will use to track bird populations across the country. Watching those birds makes Roth feel connected to the nature that most people barely notice around them. (Albany Times Union)
How many birds flock to Idaho? Feb 16, 2009
The event is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. During the event, bird-watchers observe birds in their backyard for 15 to 20 minutes each day during the event and record their findings online. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
Backyard Count helps researchers keep tabs on feathery creatures Feb 15, 2009
The project is a joint venture between the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Staff and visitors at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center have been keeping tabs on the birds, which visit several feeders scattered around the organization's main building. (Sioux City Journal)
New sensor yields songbird migration surprises Feb 14, 2009
Still, the work "is an important step," said David Winkler, an ornithologist at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, where he said researchers were developing similar techniques. "This represents a whole new level of accuracy.". (International Herald Tribune)
Oregon Recreation Report Feb 14, 2009
Feb. 13-16 is the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Citizen scientists last year set an all-time record identifying an unprecedented 634 species and sending in thousands of bird photos from around the continent. (Lebanon Express, OR)
Tracking bird migrations, with tiny backpacks Feb 13, 2009
Still, the work "is an important step," said David Winkler, an ornithologist at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, where he said researchers were developing similar techniques. "This represents a whole new level of accuracy," Winkler said. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Society to hold bird count Feb 12, 2009
The annual bird count is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. For more information, visit. (The Augusta Chronicle)
The Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 12, 2009
Newspaper online, Chronicle Newspapers, The Chronicle, The Fairfax Chronicle, The South County Chronicle, The North County Chronicle, Virginia, Lorton, Mason Neck, Fairfax Station, South Springfield, Clifton, Newington. An Independent Newspaper. (Chronicle Newspapers, VA)
An ode to sparrows, the humble little birds Feb 10, 2009
As a young boy passionate about ornithology, I took them for granted - there were so many more exotic species to hunt. Of course, we had a house full of sparrows. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- City)
Northern exposure Feb 10, 2009
AP photo - This undated photo provided courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology shows snow geese landing near Roseville, Calif. An Audubon Society study to be released today shows that the Snow goose is spending the winter more that 200 miles farther north than it used to in 1966. (Helena Independent Record)
Global warming changing birds' habits Feb 10, 2009
Donald Metzner / Cornell Lab of Ornithology via A. Video: Environment. (MSNBC -- Environment)
All of science owes debt to Darwin Feb 8, 2009
" Descent from common ancestors with modification are watchwords for scientists of all stripes today. And Darwin saw more clearly than anyone that the pressure for modification came primarily through natural selection: Beasts or plants or microbes come from common ancestors. They are modified to adapt best to an environment, and produce descendents; those who aren't adapted die by the wayside - just as the Neanderthal people may have died away competing in vain with the first Homo sapiens, our... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Weird News)
Cornell e-contest seeks bird art, poems, writings Feb 8, 2009
The university is home to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, one of the world's foremost research facilities on birds, and the contest is part of its Celebrate Urban Birds program. The contest is not limited just to birds of cities and urban areas, however, with birds from any habitat - literally anywhere in the word - eligible to be the subject matter. (Hudson Register Star, NY)
Once-seedy Tangier gets a new shine Feb 8, 2009
There s a wonderful term in ornithology that is perfect for the kind of people that end up here, said Elena Prentice, an American painter and philanthropist who lives in Tangier. They are called accidentals, birds that end up in an area they don t really belong. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Bird-watchers, its time to do backyard tally Feb 7, 2009
Wildlife biologist Todd Schneider of Georgia s Wildlife Resources Division said that scientists glean valuable data about bird conservation from the count, which is sponsored by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. But perhaps the greatest benefit, he said, is the educational value - raising public awareness of birds. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Backyard Bird Count reaches record numbers Mar 28, 2008
Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the bird count gave participants and researchers the opportunity to create a listing of the various species of birds throughout the country ... Each year the awareness (of the bird count) seems to spread, Janis Dickinson, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Citizen Science Director said. (Stuttgart Daily Leader, AR)
Cardboard coyotes? Faux predators frighten migratory geese Mar 28, 2008
According to by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y., the Canada goose is brown and white, with black neck and head. The lab's Web site, , shows a map of the bird's general areas of migration. (Leavenworth Lamp, KS)
Warming trend Mar 28, 2008
Associate professor Kim Sullivan has taken undergraduate students in her ornithology classes out from behind their desks and put them into the field to observe dark-eyed juncos, a common small sparrow and frequent winter visitor to bird feeders throughout Cache Valley ... Sullivan worked with Bakian and Roger Stringham, a student in her ornithology class who had helped conduct the research, to assemble the paper and ready it for publishing ... Eight months later, their work was complete and has... (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
Ornithologist Brent Horton searches live oaks for orange warblers. Mar 27, 2008
" Brent Horton, a 1995 Rabun County High School graduate, called it his passion.His family has another definition of what Horton studies."We affectionately call him the bird nerd," said his brother, Scott.Brent Horton currently studies ornithology in pursuit of a post doctorate fellowship at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. He has been pursuing that goal since his undergraduate days. As a young child in Gwinnett County, Horton began coming to Rabun County on family camping trips."One time... (Clayton Tribune, GA)
Short-tailed Albatross Chicks Moved Out Of The Shadow Of The Volcano Mar 26, 2008
"Establishing viable breeding colonies in other safer locations is paramount to ensuring the survival and recovery of the Short-tailed Albatross", said Judy Jacobs of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which has worked on the translocation of the albatross chicks with staff from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, and other Japanese and US organisations which together form the Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team (START) ... This is a tremendous international conservation effort, with money... (Science Daily)
Logy and Graph Suffixes Mar 24, 2008
Oology: branch of ornithology concerned with the study of birds eggs ... Ornithology: study of birds. (Suite101.com)
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: New Bird Found in Indonesia Mar 19, 2008
Rasmussen and colleagues confirmed it is a new species in the March edition of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. (See. (National Geographic)
New Bird Species Discovered Mar 18, 2008
Ornithologists, including one from Michigan State University, describe for science a new species of bird from the Togian Islands of Indonesia Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye, in the March edition of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Its eye isn t ringed in a band of white feathers like its cousins who flock in other remote tropical islands of Indonesia. (Science Daily)
* World News Quick Take Mar 16, 2008
Pamela Rasmussen, a taxonomist at Michigan State University, completed the identification, reported in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Togian white-eyes are small, greenish-colored and have conspicuous white eye-rings. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
New bird species found in Indonesia Mar 16, 2008
The species is being introduced for the first time this month in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 12 years after Indrawan and Sunarto first spotted the bird, reported English daily The JakartaPost. The two scientists collaborated with well-known taxonomist Pamela Rasmussen of Michigan State University, who specializes in Asian birds, to conduct final research into the new species. (People's Daily Online)
Science:Bird discovered in Indonesia Mar 15, 2008
Dr. Pamela Rasmussen, a taxonomist at Michigan State University, completed the identification, reported in the March edition of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. The researchers had to get one of the birds for examination and formal classification. (MSNBC -- Environment)
'Power Napping' In Pigeons Mar 7, 2008
In their actual study, researchers from the Max-Planck Institute of Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany showed for the first time that birds compensate for sleep loss in a manner similar to humans ... Dolores Martinez-Gonzalez and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen found now, that birds - in this case pigeons - also do not simply shrug of sleep loss ... (Credit: MPI for Ornithology). (Science Daily)
A force of nature Mar 1, 2008
She still has a box of half-finished projects at the Queensland Museum where she is a regular at the workbench of the ornithology department, though she has recently fostered a fascination for poisonous spiders. She is happy in the company of scientists. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
'The Life of the Skies' Feb 29, 2008
For Rosen, drawing the links that bind Frost to da Vinci (an encounter with a great eagle) and da Vinci to Freud (the erotic nature of said encounter) is as real a science to him as is ornithology. He exhibits these links, these anecdotes and quotations, with the same care a taxidermist might use to display his specimens of pileated woodpeckers or snowy owls. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Road Kill Silenced Feb 25, 2008
In the "Ornithology" show at UConn, no dead birds are displayed, but they appear in photographs. The show focuses on how people treat and interact with birds, said Barry A. Rosenberg, curator and director of the Contemporary Art Galleries. (FOX61, CT)
Researchers sneak up on sleeping whales Feb 21, 2008
This finding raises the possibility that in the wild, cetaceans have flexibility in the type and depth of sleep that they enter, which is intriguing because this is behaviour that we have seen in birds too, says Niels Rattenborg, a specialist in avian sleep at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiessen, Germany. The limitation of the study is that it is observational. (Nature News Service)
Ask the Bird Folks: When you list, get it straight Feb 20, 2008
One such book, Birder s Life List & Diary, is put out by Cornell s Lab of Ornithology. It lists the birds in taxonomic order, which means that all the woodpeckers, warblers, ducks, etc. (Yarmouth Register, MA)
Backyard Bird Count under way Feb 17, 2008
The 11th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count is scheduled to be held from Friday, Feb. 15 through Monday, Feb. 18, according to organizers, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Citizens across North America will help out in their backyards, parks, nature centers, on balconies and everywhere birds are found, says a spokesman for the event. (Canton Daily Ledger, IL)
Project seeks amateur bird watchers Feb 17, 2008
The program, hosted by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, will also accept digital photos for an online gallery. Jim Parrott, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, a specialty shop in Peoria that sells bird feeders and bird seed, is well aware of this weekend's Great Backyard Bird Count. (Pekin Times, IL)
'Birders' flock together to get a count of species Feb 17, 2008
The annual bird count is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Wild Birds Unlimited Inc."The Great Backyard Bird Count is an incredible opportunity for everyday people to become involved in important research," said John Schaust, chief naturalist for Carmel-based Wild Birds Unlimited. "No research scientists could do something of this scope on their own." Call Star reporter Cordell Eddings at (317) 444-6308. (Indianapolis Star)
Friday Finishers Feb. 15, 2007 Feb 15, 2008
Today begins the 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The count, which runs today through Monday, tallied more than 11 million birds nationwide last year, You can shoot bird videos, take pictures or just file a report as you keep track of different species of birds. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Outdoors Briefs Feb 15, 2008
The field trip reflects integration with the nationwide program Great Backyard Bird Count that occurs Feb. 16-19 and is co-managed by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Birders can spend as little as 15 minutes during the four-day period; all that is needed is to tally the highest number of birds of each species. (Missoulian, MT)
Bird Count This Weekend Feb 15, 2008
The 11th annual count is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society and asks people to submit checklists of the birds they see in their community between Feb. 15 and Feb. 18. Participants can spend as much time as they would like spotting the birds and listing the species and quantity for a chance to win prizes. (FOX23 News, NY)
THE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT invites all birders to... Feb 15, 2008
The 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, hosted by the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology gets underway this weekend, Feb. 15 through 18. During this bird count, attendees are invited to spend time in the backyard counting the number and different species of birds seen. (Sonoma Index-Tribune, CA)
Great Backyard Bird count this weekend Feb 15, 2008
The Great Backyard Bird Count is organized by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Friday-Monday, Feb. 15-18, anyone can count birds from wherever they are and enter their tallies online at www. (Buffalo Reflex, MO)
Backyard count helps track bird population trends Feb 14, 2008
The count is conducted in cooperation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and state and federal agencies. In 1998, the first year of the Great Backyard Bird Count, people in Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota turned in 63 checklists with a total of 4,023 birds. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
