Bird news

[Detective Osprey]

There doesn't appear to be a topic for this, so here goes.

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Cooperative breeding in Hawaiian Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni)
José Luis Copete June 15, 2021

Cooperative breeding is a common phenomenon in birds where nonbreeding individuals assist other birds with reproduction, potentially delaying or even foregoing their own breeding to engage in these behaviors (Koenig & Dickinson 2004). About 3 percent (approximately 300 species) of bird species worldwide are cooperative breeders.

There are two types of cooperative behaviors: those in which mature nonbreeders (“helpers-at-the-nest” or “auxiliaries”) help protect and rear the young, but are not parents of any of them, and those where there is some degree of shared parentage.

Cooperative helpers are often closely related to the breeding individuals; they may be previous offspring of one or both breeders (half or full siblings of the brood) or siblings of one of the breeders (uncle/aunt of the brood), therefore receiving indirect fitness benefits from this behavior. Cooperative breeders could also exhibit shared maternity, shared paternity, or both.

In North America, some well-known cooperative breeders include the Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and the Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus). In the order Charadriiformes, where waders are placed, biparental care is the typical breeding strategy, with cooperative breeding only a facultative behavior, whereby pairs and cooperative groups coexist and dispute territories.


Two male Hawaiian Stilts foraging near a nest site, while one female incubates a nest with three eggs in the Waiawa wetland unit of the Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge on O'ahu on 25 May 2019. Photograph taken from a nest camera

(a) Hawaiian Stilt nest found with five eggs on 25 April 2020 in wetlands in the Marine Corps Base Hawaii—Kaneohe Bay on O‘ahu. Photograph taken by JLI. (b) Two female Hawaiian Stilts standing over the nest with five eggs found in the Marine Corps Base Hawaii—Kaneohe Bay on O‘ahu. Photograph taken from a nest camera. (c ) One female Hawaiian Stilt incubating the nest with five eggs, while one female and one male forage near the nest site in the Marine Corps Base Hawaii—Kaneohe Bay on O‘ahu. Photograph taken from a nest camera

Link to the article | Alternate link (research paper)
(photos from the research paper)

[Kyng]

Nice thread . I might add some bird news to it myself later on, if you don't mind (although, if it's particularly important or interesting, I might still put it in its own thread )

The cooperative breeding is neat too . Sounds as though it requires a fair amount of intelligence!

[Detective Osprey]

Nice thread . I might add some bird news to it myself later on, if you don't mind (although, if it's particularly important or interesting, I might still put it in its own thread )

The cooperative breeding is neat too . Sounds as though it requires a fair amount of intelligence!

Sure, dude, that’d be great. Be my guest! 

The reason I started this topic was to try and keep them all together... mainly because most often I don’t have a lot to say about most news articles. 

As for comment about intelligence: birds are super freakin smart. I find that it’s not a good idea to compare them to us, because each species as their own intelligence and behaviour, whether it be camouflage, mating and raising babies, finding ways of searching for food, etc.

[Kyng]

Yeah, they have different needs and a different environment to us... so, direct comparisons to us are difficult at best .

Anyway, here's my first piece of bird-related news for this thread. In Stratford-upon-Avon, firefighters rescued a pet parrot called Charlie from a tree, with the help of a banana:

https://www.stratford-herald.com/news/fi...t-9203325/

Quite an unusual rescue, but I'm glad he's safe now !

[Kyng]

And now, firefighters have been called to rescue another bird. This time, it's a peregrine falcon that got stuck in a gully, after being knocked off its perch by another peregrine falcon:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-57566425

If anything, that's even weirder than the last rescue . But I'm glad it was successful - and I hope it isn't necessary again any time soon!

[Kyng]

And there's been a rare sighting of bee-eaters in the UK - which has attracted around 300 birdwatchers to see them in Great Yarmouth:


(Source: Rob Holmes / BBC News)

They do look rather pretty - and I can certainly see why so many people wanted to go and see them while they had the chance!

[Kyng]

Apparently, a puffin which is almost entirely white (due to leucism) has been spotted in Scotland:

Rather cute, I must say!

[Detective Osprey]

Little-known flycatcher rediscovered in Venezuela

By American Bird Conservancy

Published June 9, 2021

Urich’s Tyrannulet, photographed May 11, 2021. This was the first time the bird had been seen in nearly 16 years and only the fourth time it had been scientifically documented since it was first described in 1899. Photo by David Ascanio


An expedition team in Venezuela led by ornithologist David Ascanio and supported by American Bird Conservancy (ABC) rediscovered the Urich’s Tyrannulet last month. The team had sightings on May 11 and 12, making them only the fourth and fifth confirmed sightings of the small flycatcher since it was first described in 1899. The second sighting was in the 1940s and the third in 2005. The new sightings were in the state of Monagas, in northeastern Venezuela.

With so few records, the Urich’s Tyrannulet is one of the most poorly known birds in South America, and since its cloud forest habitat is being cleared for agriculture, scientists fear the endemic species could soon be at risk of going extinct. The expedition team was able to prove its continued existence, capturing the first clear photos of the tyrannulet and the first-ever recording of its call, shedding light on its behavior and ecology.
https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/c...venezuela/

[Kyng]

Awww, very cute bird !

Although, since there are so few confirmed sightings, I do worry for its future . But at least it hasn't yet gone extinct.

[Kyng]

Now another piece of good news.

The green broadbill hadn't been seen in Singapore since 1941, and was reported extinct there 70 years ago. However, about a week ago, it was seen there again:

Hopefully, this isn't just a one-off - and these strikingly beautiful birds will be able to re-establish themselves there!