A blog run by Wild Birds Unlimited of Colorado Springs
One of the things I love most about birds is how specialized each species is. Even closely related birds like Darwin’s finches (who only split off from each other an estimated 2-3 million years BP), have specialized beaks for their preferred food sources that range from island to island. This week we are going to... Continue Reading →
Back when I did our blog series on why we love birds, I wrote a post about bird beauty. I want to circle back to that and expand on it, because there was a lot that I was unable to cover, just in the interest of keeping the post to a respectable length. Some bird... Continue Reading →
What are the benefits of staying in a group of your fellows, when you could just as well go live a peaceful, solitary life? There’s no food to share, no resources to fight over. Then again…isn’t it nice to know you’ve got family and friends watching your back to alert you to predators, to let... Continue Reading →
Spring is not too far off, and the birds know it! Now is the time to put on your very best courtship display, so that the females of your species know that you’ve got the strength, looks, and means to help her raise this year’s broods. So let’s take a look at some of the... Continue Reading →
It is a massive loss for Planet Earth when a species goes extinct. And after many beautiful species lost the battle, we have started to take note that our actions have been causing irreparable damage. Humankind is starting to make amends for past actions – and we now see how precious, how delicate, and yet... Continue Reading →
Last week we took a close look at 5 species of birds who have gone extinct in the last few hundred years. This week we will look at 5 more, before switching to feel-good stories about birds who almost went extinct but were brought back to large, sustained breeding populations thanks to the efforts of... Continue Reading →
The world is full of thousands of amazing bird species. But human activity has driven many to extinction. An article published in the academic journal PLoS Biology estimates that 129 species of birds have gone extinct since 1500 due to human activity. For much of human history, the concept of extinction was not well understood... Continue Reading →
If you feel happy and rejuvenated after being around birds, you’re not alone. The positive effect that birds can have on human mental health is well documented. This week I wanted to hear from you, and how birds have positively affected your life, whether it’s just a small bit of joy during the day, or... Continue Reading →
It is an unfortunate reality that human activity has caused the accidental or intentional relocation of thousands of species across the planet. Rarely, those species end up finding their own niche in the local ecosystem, but more often they wreak havoc on the environment. Some notable examples are the Brown Tree Snake in Guam, and... Continue Reading →
Have you ever thought about all the different kinds of beaks in the bird world? It's not usually something one might dwell on, but if you think about it, there are a ton of different beak designs out there! Each one serves a unique purpose based on the birds' preferred food source. One of the... Continue Reading →
The Wild Bird Warble 