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BITS ‘N’ BYTES ABOUT BIRDS
Updated November 30, 2006 |
| *SCIENTIST RATES BIRD IQs
Louis Lefebvre knows a bird brain when he sees one. In fact
this animal behaviorist from Montreal has even come up with
an IQ test for birds that has allowed him to create a pecking
order in mental abilities among our fine feathered friends.
For the record, the smartest bird in the world is--just the
common crow. There are many celebrated cases of innovativeness
among crows, which are known to manufacture tools to accomplish
varied tasks. Perhaps the most famous is the Japanese carrion
crow who routinely perches at traffic intersections near a
university in Japan and waits for a red light. When the traffic
comes to a halt, the crow flies down and places walnuts in
front of the tires. The light changes, the cars move out,
crushing the nuts. The crow then dines, happy to parcel out
that part of the task to someone else.
Lefebvre has combed through info from a unique resource, birders
from around the world reporting unusual bird behavior. For
example, bald eagles in Arizona, eager to get at minnows trapped
in ice-covered lakes during the lean days of winter, have
learned how to crack the ice with their beaks. Then they jump
up and down on the ice to force the minnows up through the
cracks. The gila woodpecker in Mexico makes a wooden scoop
out of tree bark to carry honey home to its young. The British
blue tit has learned how to peel off the tinfoil on milk bottles
left on doorsteps and pig out on the cream. New Zealand house
sparrows dine on cafeteria food by triggering a motion sensor
that opens the door.
Lefebvre says he has found a correlation between brain size
and intelligence among birds. Birds with large brains, relative
to the size of their bodies, generally scored higher on his
IQ test than others. “But it’s not absolute; there’s
lots more to IQ than just brain size.” -ABC News
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*GUAM’S BIRD LIFE
Guam’s bird life, already decimated by the accidental
introduction of the brown tree-snake, is facing a further threat,
this time from the US military, who plan to expand a base there,
destroying vital forest habitat. The US Fish and Wildlife Service
proposed designating 10,000 hectares of Guam forest as “Critical
Habitat” for threatened species, but were only able to
propose 150 hectares following a recent change in US law that
exempts US bases from Critical Habitat. –BirdLife
Magazine *BIRDLIFE ASSESSMENT
In early May, BirdLife International announced its annual
evaluation of the status of the world’s birds. The evaluation
shows that the total number of species currently “threatened”
with extinction is now at 1,210. When combined with the number
of “near threatened” species, the total is 2,005
species that are in trouble. This is more than a fifth of
the Earth’s estimated 10,000 bird species. Of the birds
most at risk, 181 are now categorized as “critically
endangered,” the highest level of threat. –Ornithological
Newsletter
WHOOPING CRANE RECOVERY
The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership is celebrating
a milestone in its efforts to reintroduce a wild whooping
crane flock in eastern North America. On June 22 this year,
2 whooping crane chicks hatched at the Necedah National Wildlife
Refuge, Wisconsin. This historic event marks the first time
in over 100 years that a whooping crane has hatched in the
wild in the Midwest. The two chicks are offspring of a whooping
crane pair from the ultralight-led crane Class of 2002. These
chicks have a long and dangerous road ahead of them, but with
luck we’ll see them wing south with their parents this
fall. They will join the crane Class of 2006, which will learn
the migration route between Necedah NWR and Chassahowitzka
NWR in Florida by following Operation Migration’s ultralight
aircraft. WCEP asks anyone who encounters whooping cranes
in the wild to please give them the respect and distance they
need to remain wild. Do not approach birds on foot within
600 feet and try to remain in your vehicle.
In the first 4 years of the project, returning whooping cranes
have used wetlands in 35 of72 Wisconsin counties, primarily
within the lower two-thirds of the state.
Whooping cranes were on the verge of extinction in the 1940’s.
Today, only about 300 birds exist in the wild. Aside from
the 63 Wisconsin-Florida birds, the only other migrating population
of whooping cranes nests at the Wood Buffalo National Park
in the NW Territories of Canada and winters at the Aransas
NWR on the Texas Gulf Coast. A non-migrating flock of about
60 birds lives year-round in the central Florida Kissimmee
region. –U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
*BOWERBIRDS
Can you believe that a bird can build a house? Bowerbirds
in New Guinea build houses that have roofs, some having rooms.
One kind of bowerbird makes a garden of moss around a tree,
then builds a house of twigs which can be as tall as 6 feet.
He puts leaves, moss, and ferns all around. He makes little
piles of berries, stones, shells, and flowers. When the flowers
die, he throws them out and brings fresh ones, sometimes coming
from another bird’s bower. Everything the blue satin
bowerbird puts in his house is blue, including the paint inside
it which he makes from charcoal and berry juice and paints
it on with a piece of bark that he holds in his beak. Isn’t
he amazing?
*LETTER FROM YOUR CHAIRPERSON
Dear members,
I hope this newsletter finds you well and anxious to get on
the trail or watch your feeder to find those Fall birds! In
filling our Fall calendar with walks and interesting meetings
for your pleasure, our core group decided to decrease the
number of meetings we will have this year. We’ve noticed
lower attendance at our outdoor meetings and indoor winter
meetings. You members have always stressed that you really
“just want to bird.” With that in mind, please
note that our club will be only meeting on October, November,
December, and March, April, May. This change will not affect
our walks. We have also added a clip-out mini-calendar you
can keep at hand so you can remind yourself of our events,
as suggested by Tom.
Please express your informal ‘thanks’ to those
who work diligently to make your calendar possible, several
who have been doing this for as long as we’ve existed—18
years. We welcome Al Gulvas back, recovering from his heart
surgery. Also serving are Tom Hissong, Chuck Gardner, Dave
Dister, Vince Joyce, James Tarkany, Jane Henry, and myself.
We had help this year from Dayton Audubon’s Jennifer
Monahan, who sends us that group’s walks to augment
our list. We are in need of someone’s help to email
press releases of our events to the news media so more folks
can enjoy birding. If you can help, please let me know.
We all appreciate any feedback you may give us to help us
make this club better serve you.
*QUIZ TIME
Time to test your bird-brain!! Can you name the bird
species that fits these definitions? Answers will be provided
at any of the Fall GCB meetings. Which bird is…
1. A type of sweater?
2. Useful in lifting?
3. A furbearer of the weasel family?
4. A corner?
5. A sad letter?
6. A church official?
7. A conversation?
8. A good time?
9. Fast?
10. Crazy?
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SANDHILL CRANES, BIRDS AND MUSEUMS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO
November 9, 6 am, to November 11, 9 pm
Aullwood is planning this exciting 3-day trip by van to northern Indiana and Chicago to witness the passage of sandhill cranes on their annual journey south and to visit the world famous Field Museum in Chicago for a behind-the-scenes tour of their ornithology collections and research facility. We’ll meet a museum ornithologist and learn about the Field Museum’s work with birds, and visit a natural history art gallery to learn more about John James Audubon’s bird art. Cost: $475 for Aullwood members, $520 for non-members. Full payment must be made by Oct. 12. For more details, contact Tom at 890-7360.
OHIO’S HAWKS AND OWLS WORKSHOP
February 7, 7-9:30 pm, at Aullwood; February 9, field trip, 7 am-9pm
This workshop will explore the field ID and natural history of Ohio’s hawks and owls. A slide lecture, display of specimen, and a chance to meet Aullwood’s beautiful red-tailed hawk, will help participants gain a greater appreciation for these beautiful birds of prey. Hands-on activities will include dissecting an owl pellet. A field trip will be taken to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area near Kenton, Ohio, to observe them. Cost: $50 for Aullwood members, $100 for non-members. For more information, contact Tom at 890-7360.
BIRD TRIP TO THE EVERGLADES AND SOUTH FLORIDA
Escape the cold, gray, wintry landscape of Ohio with Tom Hissong and Charity Krueger as these Aullwood naturalists explore the natural history of warm South Florida. This is an excellent time to study the bird life of Sanibel Island, Lake Okeechobee, Big Cypress Preserve, among others! We hope to see Pelicans, Anhinga, Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Reddish Egrets, Great Egrets, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, Limpkins, Purple Gallinules, Bald Eagles, Snail Kites, Osprey, Crested Caracara, Smooth-billed anis, Loggerhead Shrikes, Painted Buntings, and many others. Call Tom at 890-7360 for information or to register.
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