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The Really Stunning Courtship Behavior of the Great Egret Part II
The courtship and mating behavior of the great egret is full of intricate movements designed to attract a mate while also halting the advances of the competition. Aside from the stunning displays, the Great Egret’s mating ritual is an annual extravaganza that includes the development of special feathers and color changes.
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Roseate Spoonbill: The Flaming Bird
Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity? – E. O. Wilson Public Excitement In Florida, very few birds produce a public commotion when spotted. And the Roseate Spoonbill is one of them. This…
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The return of the wood stork to South Florida
The wood stork is an endangered species in Florida. Although it is nowhere near the historical population that foraged and nested in the Everglades and surrounding areas, it is making a slow comeback mirroring the efforts to restore the iconic River of Grass, as Marjory Stoneman Douglas used to call what is now Everglades National…
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Are we doing enough to protect the magnificent hornbills?
Although the snake does not fly, it has caught the hornbill, whose home is in the sky Apparently not enough, especially in some African countries like Ghana and Cameroon where uncontrolled hunting and habitat degradation is decimating the hornbill population. If you don’t know what hornbills are, I encourage you to read my previous two…
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Can we stop the relentless spread of Bd, the infamous frog-killing-fungus?
It is odd that we have so little relationship with nature, with the insects and the leaping frog and the owl that hoots among the hills calling for its mate. We never seem to have a feeling for all living things on the earth. Jiddu Krishnamurti Early this month an article in National Geographic prompted…
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I’m not medicine: The race to save the five extant species of Rhinoceros
“Only when the last of the animals, horns, tusks, skin and bones are sold, will mankind realize that money can never buy back our wildlife.” -WILD AT HEART It was the passing of Sudan on March 20, 2018, the last male Northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), in the world, that prompted this post, it…
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Part II: Nuts About Hornbills: What’s So Special About Them?
“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” -William Blake There are many fascinating things about these amazingly weird looking birds; a couple of them are pretty obvious their colorful and in some species huge casques and large bills. The other one, which is not so obvious, but very interesting, is…