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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a bunch of bird cams for the ornithology enthusiast to check out. Also, there are babies. So, it’s really for everyone.
There are more than three dozen species in the family Paradisaeidae, more commonly known as the birds of paradise. Most are distinguished by striking colors and bright plumage of yellow, blue, scarlet, and green. These colors distinguish them as some of the world’s most dramatic and attractive birds. Males often sport vibrant feathered ruffs or amazingly elongated feathers, which are known as wires or streamers. Some species have enormous head plumes or other distinctive ornaments, such as breast shields or head fans.
Males put their bright colors and unusual ornaments to good use when they display for females. Their elaborate dances, poses, and other rituals accentuate their appearance and put on a phenomenal show for both female birds and any humans lucky enough to be in the vicinity. Such displays can last for hours, and in many species they consume a significant part of the male’s time.
From Pierre Belon’s L’Histoire de la nature des oyseaux (The History of the Nature of Birds) first published in 1555.
A comparison of the skeletons of birds and humans.
A Brief Introduction
Ornithology is a branch of biological science dedicated to the study of birds.
While early ornithology was principally concerned with descriptions and distributions of species, ornithologists today seek answers to very specific questions, often using birds as models to test hypotheses or predictions based on theories. Most modern biological theories apply across taxonomic groups and the number of professional scientists who identify themselves as “ornithologists” has therefore declined. A wide range of tools and techniques are used in ornithology, both inside the laboratory and out in the field, and innovations are constantly made.
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An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Indicator species can signal a change in the biological condition of a particular ecosystem, and thus may be used as a proxy to diagnose the health of an ecosystem. For example, plants or lichens sensitive to heavy metals or acids in precipitation may be indicators of air pollution. Indicator species can also reflect a unique set of environmental qualities or characteristics found in a specific place, such as a unique microclimate.
Above: Burrowing Mayfly, a clean water indicator species. Since they are very sensitive to pollution, their presence is indicative of clean water.
Since their introduction to the Atlantic Ocean in the 1980s, Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans) have gobbled up native Caribbean and western Atlantic reef fishes, reducing their abundance by up to 90%. Researchers think one of the secrets to the lionfish’s success is a predation strategy unheard of in other fish predators—blowing jets of water while approaching prey to disorient them. The squirting water (seen in the video) overwhelms the target’s lateral line, part of a fish’s nervous system that detects vibrations and warns of approaching objects, the team reports this week in Marine Ecology Progress Series. Prey often end up facing the hungry lionfish, increasing the chances of head-first strikes and lowering the risk of the lionfish getting stuck by backwards-facing spines.
You can watch a video of the phenomena by clicking the source (wouldn’t let me embed).
Bachelors in biology, minored in chemistry. Overall science enthusiast.
