Rare Egyptian vultures sighted in Odisha

Rare Egyptian vultures have been spotted near Laxmipur in Chikiti forest range of Odisha's Ganjam district and the forest department intends to carry out a survey of the birds. 

"A survey should be conducted and their nesting site located," said honorary wildlife warden of Khurda Pityush P Mohapatra. 

A bird-watcher recently sighted 13 such birds and reported it to the divisional forest officer, Berhampur. 

Backing Mohapatra's view, DFO (Berhampur) S S Mishra said "The sight of vultures indicates a healthy and rich biodiversity of the area. We will soon launch a survey." 

The Berhampur forest division plans to submit a proposal to the wildlife wing of the forest department to take up a project to conserve the endangered species. 

The action plan will be prepared after a detailed survey, said Mishra. 

Locals have sighted these vultures at different places in the rainy season and say that they fed on fish and small animals. 

The number of vultures in south Asia, mainly in India and Nepal, has declined drastically over the last few years. 

Residues of poisonous veterinary drug in the animal carcasses are a major reason behind the trend, said Swaparna Rani Das, a zoologist. 

The government has already banned the drug, she added.

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Bird hunters 'emptying Afghan skies'

Untold numbers of migratory birds are being caught and killed every year in Afghanistan, helping drive species like the Siberian Crane to the verge of extinction. Hunters say other bird populations are also declining rapidly, raising fears among environmentalists.

Noar Agha loads small stones into the leather pouch attached to his homemade sling shot. "This is like a big transit airport for birds," he says, pointing to a lush valley ringed by snowy Hindu Kush peaks in Parwan province, about 160km (100 miles) from Kabul.

Syed Khel district's wheat fields and orchards offer a perfect resting point for migratory birds.

"Thousands of White-naped Cranes, flamingos, ducks, falcons and sparrows migrate from India and Pakistan when summer temperatures begin to rise there. They make a stopover here before taking off for Russia. That's when we make a move," Mr Agha says.

About a dozen of his grandchildren nod in appreciation. Then a boy perched on a tree top waves a piece of cloth and Mr Agha orders everyone to scatter. Soon a huge flock of sparrows descends on the valley.

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RARE BIRD OF PREY NESTS IN COUNTY FOR FIRST TIME

THE sight of wrens, voles and lizards impaled on a barbed wire fence has delighted South Tyne naturalists.

For the gory spectacle indicated that one of Europe’s most unusual birds of prey was nesting in the area for the first time.

The barbed wire gibbet was the work of the red-backed shrike, known as the butcher bird through its habit of hanging its dead prey on thorns or other spiky protuberances.

A male bird – slightly smaller than a blackbird – was seen displaying in the Coanwood area in mid-June.

It found a mate, and the pair produced four offspring which left the nest earlier this month.

Parents and fledglings can still be seen hunting in the area.

Although red backed shrikes have been known to breed in Southern England for some time, it is believed to be the first time they have nested in Northumberland.

It follows the successful nesting of a great grey shrike on Alston Moor four years ago.

Local naturalist Colin Simms said: “Red backed shrikes used to breed in Carlisle and Kendal many years ago, but I firmly believe this is the first time they have bred in Northumberland in modern times.

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Three-dimensional scans of skulls of early bird brains show they happened before birds

PARIS (AFP).- New evidence has emerged that puts a dent into the reputation of the famous "first bird" -- Archaeopteryx, a feathered descendant of the dinosaurs, which lived around 150 million years ago. 

Three-dimensional scans of skulls of early birds and dinosaurs suggests that at least a few species of dinos that were contemporaries of Archaeopteryx had brains with the likely neurological wiring for flight, according to a paper published on Wednesday. 

"Archaeopteryx has always been set up as a uniquely transitional species between feathered dinosaurs and modern birds, a halfway point," said Amy Balanoff of the American Museum of Natural History. "But by studying the cranial volume of closely-related dinosaurs, we learned that Archaeopteryx might not have been so special." 

Writing in the journal Nature, Balanoff's team used computed tomographic (CT) scans to get a high-resolution image of brain size and regions in a dozen existing and extinct species. Compared to reptiles, birds have large brains in relation to their body size -- a phenomenon called "hyperinflation" which provides them with the superior vision and coordination needed to flight. But the comparison turned up some bad news for Archaeopteryx. 

Several other non-avian dinos that were sampled, including the feathery oviraptosaur and bird-like troodontid, had in fact larger brains relative to body size than Archaeopteryx did. 

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Look out for baby puffins under your car in North Berwick

Scottish Seabird Centre asks drivers to check for young puffins hiding under cars

July 2013. The Scottish Seabird Centre has appealed to local drivers around North Berwick to be alert for young puffins - or pufflings - under their cars.

Over the next few weeks, puffins will leave their burrows around Scotland's coasts and return to sea until they return to breed next spring. However, after leaving their burrows some pufflings become disorientated by the lights from neighbouring towns. Their first ever flight may see them flying into town and then seeking out somewhere dark and out the way to hide - they often settle underneath cars.

Staff at the Seabird Centre have, in previous years, been alerted to numerous lost pufflings - one was found wandering along a corridor in the Marine Hotel in North Berwick, and one (christened Buddy by Seabird Centre staff) under a vehicle in the local supermarket car park.

Call if you find a puffling

The Scottish Seabird Centre's Chief Executive, Tom Brock OBE, has appealed for drivers to be vigilant and to call the Scottish Seabird Centre on 01620 890202 or the SSPCA on 03000 999 999.

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Early female bonds boost male birds' mating success

Male zebra finches that fail to socialise with females during adolescence are less successful at courtship later in life, a study says.

This effect mimics the "loser effect" where, after a defeat, an animal is more likely to lose a subsequent fight.

Social friendships at a young age were also found to be more important than physical and social attractiveness.

The findings are reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The loser effect has been well demonstrated in many species, from spiders and fish to birds. After a fight hormonal levels change which negatively affects performance in further fights.

“He may just court less attractive females. He's not a loser for life,” said Dr Mylene MarietteUniversity de Saint-Etienne, France

Now scientists have found a similar effect for mating. Adolescent males who failed to pair with a juvenile female were later unsuccessful with females they encountered in adulthood.

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Bets and roars at Afghan bird fight resurgence

KABUL: The sun has barely risen. Already, dozens of Afghan men are swapping fistfuls of bank notes, frantically betting in one of the country’s goriest pastimes: bird fighting.

In a shady patch, under a cluster of trees in a Kabul park, two partridges face off at opposite ends of a small square of dirt. The spectators press closer, roaring the birds on as they clutch their cash.

A man sprinkles water into the air to keep the stifling heat at bay for the birds. “These two birds are very good. The fight could last 10 minutes to two hours,” said Hafizullah, a large man in his 50s, wearing a red and white turban.

Under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, such a scene would have been unthinkable. The Islamists banned all forms of gambling and animal fighting. But under the Western-backed government of today, fights between anything from quails to bulls have been restored as a violent aspect of daily life in Afghanistan.

In the second round, one partridge grabs the other by the neck before being thrown off. 

As the fight goes on, bets rise. “At the beginning, bets were like $200, but now it’s $800 and it’s going to be higher. This fight will continue until one of them runs away,” says Hafizullah. Gradually the birds become caked in mud, they shed feathers and become more and more aggressive, fired up by the violence and shouts from the crowd.

After more than a hour, one partridge refused to continue, losing the fight and prompting the spectators to overrun the fighting ground as money changes hands.

Continued