The official state bird of all 50 states

The 50 states of the US (and Washington, D.C.) have been choosing official state birds since 1927.

Common "backyard" birds, like cardinals and robins, were chosen as state birds for more than one state.

Other birds, like Minnesota's common loon and New Mexico's infamous greater roadrunner, are more rare.

Birds can seem so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget just how many rare and beautiful species there are flying the skies of the US.

Certain types are more common than others, like the American robin and the northern cardinal, but others are entirely unique to a particular state or region, like New Mexico's roadrunner or South Dakota's ring-necked pheasant.

Here's every official state bird in the US, including our nation's capital.

Alabama: Yellowhammer (aka Northern Flicker)

The northern flicker, or "yellowhammer," bird was chosen as Alabama's official bird in 1927, though it has been associated with the state since the Civil War. The northern flicker is a type of woodpecker, making Alabama the only state in the country to have a woodpecker as a state bird.

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Engineers, zoologists reveal how gulls 'wing morph' for stable soaring

Wind-tunnel testing of gull wings could be used to design more efficient flying vehicles

Date:January 2, 2019

Source:University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

A unique collaboration between University of British Columbia (UBC) zoologists and U of T Engineering's aviation expert Professor Philippe Lavoie provides new insights into how gulls configure their wing shape -- known as wing morphing -- to stabilize their flight. The findings could be used to design more efficient flying vehicles, including soaring drones for farming or environmental monitoring.

Although a gliding bird's ability to stabilize its flight path is as critical as its ability to produce lift, relatively few quantitative studies on avian flight stability have been completed. This is what brought UBC researchers Christina Harvey, Vikram Baliga and Professor Doug Altshuler to Lavoie's wind tunnel lab at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).

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Climate change affects breeding birds

Seed-eaters particularly vulnerable to temperature shifts

Date:  December 19, 2018

Source:  Washington State University

The breeding seasons of wild house finches are shifting due to climate change, a Washington State University researcher has found.

The effect of climate change on the breeding season of birds has been documented before, but in a limited context. Heather Watts, an avian physiologist, reported her finding in Ibis, the International Journal of Avian Science.

"We know that many birds are breeding earlier as temperatures get warmer," Watts said. "Almost all of those studies are on birds that eat insects or other animals. What we don't know is if seed-eating birds are shifting the timing of breeding too."

Until now.

Studying seed-eaters is important because it can help clarify how temperature is affecting breeding habits. It is still uncertain if temperature is having a direct effect on the animals or if it causes indirect effects like shifts in the timing of plant growth. Previous studies suggest that plant-eating animals are likely to experience stronger effects due to climate change compared to those that eat other foods because of these indirect influences.

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Help to save the endangered albatross by donating used Christmas stamps to RSPB Frampton Marsh

GEMMA GADD Email Published: 16:30 Updated: 16:43 Tuesday 11 December 2018

People from Boston borough are being asked to help save one of the world’s largest birds, the albatross, from extinction - by donating used stamps from their Christmas cards. RSPB Frampton Marsh has issued the appeal, and is asking for the postage stamps to be dropped off at their visitor centre.

The sea birds are at threat of extinction, with 100,000 dying each year due to fishing methods which see the birds caught in the lines. Since albatrosses are very slow breeders, producing only one chick every two years, this is driving them to extinction. Chris Andrews, visitor experience manager for the reserve, said: “This is a chance for local people to do something simple yet practical to help a wonderful creature like the albatross and save them from extinction.”

Donated stamps will be sold on the international market to raise money. This will then be used to fit various devices to the fishing boats that vastly reduce the chances of albatrosses being caught. The campaign has already raised enough money to place trained people on fishing boats. They then advise the skippers on wildlife friendly fishing procedures. If you would like to help, bring your used stamps to the RSPB nature reserve of Frampton Marsh, just south of Boston. Stamp collections are also gratefully received. The reserve is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am to 4pm. There is a heated visitor centre with snacks, hot and cold drinks, and views over the reserve.

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Rare horned grebe spotted in Jodhpur wetland

Horned grebes are commonly seen in Europe and the US, with only two confirmed sightings in India — at Hrike Wetland, Punjab, in February 2001 and at Dighal, Haryana, in December 2017.

JAIPUR Updated: Dec 19, 2018 15:04 IST

Dinesh Bothra
Hindustan Times, Jaipur

A horned grebe - a rare winter bird - has been spotted at the Bhaniyana wetland in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur. Birdwatchers claim that the sighting is first in Rajasthan and only the third time in India.

The bird, also known as the Slavonian grebe, was spotted among the long-decked diving birds in the wetland, locally known as the Bhim Sarovar.

Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus) is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is a member of the grebe family, Podicipedidae and is found across Europe, America and Asia, including only few records from the Indian subcontinent. These birds are migratory in nature and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies to them, birdwatchers say.

Horned grebes are commonly seen in Europe and the US, with only two confirmed sightings in India — at Hrike Wetland, Punjab, in February 2001 and at Dighal, Haryana, in December 2017.

Harkirat Singh Sangha, senior birder and associated with the E-Bird Community, confirmed that the bird spotted was a horned grebe. “I had spotted three such birds in Haryana last year,” he said.

Dr Divesh Saini, a physician at government hospital in Pokaran, Jaisalmer, said the bird was spotted and photographed during a routine birding trip to Bhaniyana.

Presence of ponds in western Rajasthan villages assumes significance as several migratory birds use this route, part of the Central Asian Flyway (as designated by the Convention on Migratory Species).

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Rare koekoeā dies in Wellington, potentially 'harassed' by tūī

Amber-Leigh Woolf15:52, Dec 20 2018

The koekoeā is a migratory species which only comes to New Zealand to breed.

A rare koekoeā, a long-tailed cuckoo, has died in Wellington after hitting a house window in Strathmore.

The rare and large bird appeared to fly in to a window after being harassed by tūī, the population of which is booming in the city.  

Te Motu Kairangi-Miramar Ecological Restoration founder Joakim Liman said a resident alerted him, after seeing tūī "screaming around", potentially scaring the koekoeā and causing it to flee. 

"This is quite a sad story," he said. 

chasing this guy and had he decided to take the window as a reflection of another bush or tree." 

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Aussie bird species hit by bushfires thrives after major relocation drive

SYDNEY, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A small Australian bird species hit by bush fires in South Australia has surprised ecologists by quickly breeding after an unprecedented effort to relocate the birds, local media reported on Saturday.

The Mallee emu-wren is found in only two core locations in Victoria and South Australia states, but severe bush fires four years ago destroyed their southern habitat, reported the ABC news channel.

"We could never officially say they were extinct because there's so much habitat out there," local government ecologist Chris Hedger told the channel.

"But we were very confident that if there were any individuals left, it was functionally extinct and would not be able to survive in the long term."

Earlier this year, wildlife groups and authorities relocated about 80 of the birds from their Victoria habitats to a conservation park in South Australia to help boost their numbers.

A recent survey showed that the birds, known for their distinctive reddish-brown heads, sky blue chests and long tails, are thriving in their habitats with significant numbers breeding, reported the channel.

"Certainly the fact they are breeding is a good indicator of what we might expect," said Hedger.

"No one has ever moved this species, and if they have moved a similar species, it certainly wasn't in the numbers we're talking about."

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