Loose Feathers #309 ~ FIRECROW

Chaffinch / Photo credit: Michael Apel

Bird and birding news

Recent research has identified the Italian Sparrow (Passer italiae) as a distinct species. The Italian Sparrow is an unusual example of a species that evolved out of hybridization between two other species, in this case, House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis).
A study of captive Humboldt Penguins at the Brookfield Zoo suggest that penguins have a well-developed sense of smell that allows them to identify relatives and reduce inbreeding.
A disease called trichomonosis is spreading from Britain's finches to mainland Europe. The disease mainly affects Greenfinches and Chaffinches.
The owners and operators of the Cosco Busan oil tanker have agreed to pay $44.4-million to settle civil suits arising from the 2007 oil spill in San Francisco Bay, which killed thousands of birds and coated beaches and wildlife habitat with oil.
Satellite transmitters may have harmed some Red Kites, either by chafing and causing lesions or by hampering their breeding.
San Francisco is implementing a bird-safe building code.
NPR celebrates Bar-tailed Godwits for their toughness.
The Sonoran Desert Bald Eagle population was removed from the Endangered Species List.
Most primtive birds of the Cretaceous were probably killed by the same meteor that killed the dinosaurs.
The size of a songbird's brain affects how many songs it can learn.

Nature blogging

Environment and biodiversity

Tree rings reveal that bristlecone pines have grown more in the past half-century than at any other time in the past 3,700 years. Warmer temperatures are likely to be the cause of the change.
Scientists have discovered a new disease carried by the same ticks that carry Lyme disease.
Camera traps have turned up more Sierra Nevada red foxes than expected.
Mapping indicates that Yasuni National Park in eastern Ecuador is the most biodiverse spot in the Western Hemisphere, and possibly the world, but it is threatened by oil exploration.
Bowhead whales are using the newly melted Northwest Passage to move across the northern tier of Canada.
The US Postal Service has issued a new stamp to fund conservation.
The cost of removing four dams along the Klamath River is likely to be a third less than projected. Meanwhile, two dams are slated to be removed along the Elwha River to allow salmon to spawn upstream again.
Twelve new species of frogs have been found in India, along with three extinct ones. One of the newly-discovered frogs makes cat-like sounds.

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