Tag: american bird conservancy

The dainty, all-white Snowy Egret is smaller than the Great Egret, with a short crest, dagger-like black bill, and slender black legs with bright yellow feet that some birders refer to as “golden slippers.” This attractive wading bird is a common sight in wetlands throughout the Americas, where it is also known as the Snowy Heron, Little White Heron, Little White Egret, or American Egret.

Like the Great Egret, the Snowy almost went the way of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Passenger Pigeon. What caused this near-extinction, and how was this

In a race to protect rare Hawaiian honeycreepers from extinction, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and members of the multi-agency Birds, Not Mosquitoes (BNM) partnership have started using drones to combat deadly avian malaria, spread by non-native mosquitoes. The drones are expected to expedite an innovative solution to this urgent threat: They deliver non-biting, lab-reared male mosquitoes carrying a common bacteria that results in sterile eggs when the males mate with wild females. Over time, the invasive mosquito population will be reduced, and native bird populations will have the chance to

The spritely, colorful Tropical Parula is closely related to the Northern Parula, and was considered a form of that warbler until updated genetic data provided enough evidence to split the two into separate species.

The Tropical Parula was initially called the “Olive-backed Parula” before receiving its current name, which gives a nod to its distribution in the New World. It has an especially evocative species name, pitiayumi, which is derived from a Guarani (Paraguayan) name meaning “little yellow chest.”

Nine subspecies of Tropical Parula are currently recognized, although ongoing study