Category: Articles

forestry.gov.uk Thankful county foresters were glad to forego firing up their new ‘green’ flue for fear of frying their feathered friends. The Forestry Commission team were about to ignite their new environmentally friendly heating system when an eagle-eyed ornithologist called a dramatic halt. RSBP volunteer Juliette Buttler was on duty at the foresters’ Fineshade base, […]

jb.oxfordjournals.org Yoshihiro UCHIDA, Yoji TSUKADA and Tsunetake SUGIMORI Kyoto Research Laboratories, Marukin Shoyu Co., Ltd. Uji, Kyoto 611 Neuraminidase [sialidase, EC 3.2.1.18 [EC] ] was found to be widely distributed in bacteria belonging to Arthrobacter. Among these bacteria, Arthrobacter ureafaciens, A. oxydans, and A. aurescens produced relatively potent neuraminidase activities. For the production of this […]

Florida Today BY MARIA SONNENBERG Nature volunteer makes homes for purple martins Human parents can learn a tip or two from purple martins. The little insect eaters are good providers, zealously guarding their brood on nests high above the ground. When the fledglings reach maturity, however, the martins enforce a tough-love approach, relentlessly pushing their […]

Malay Mail  The main ingredient in bird’s nest of the popular Chinese dish is the saliva of the male sea swiftlet. It is widely believed that the bird’s nest helps in beauty care and improve skin complexion. The delicacy is said to enhance the body’s immune system through cell division caused by the water-soluble glyco-protein […]

sabah.gov.my Laurentius N. Ambu Deputy Director Sabah Wildlife Department Kota Kinabalu ABSTRACT The two most economically-important swiflets are the so-called edible nest swiflets: the white-nest swiflets (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the Black-nest swiflet (Aerodramus maximus). Both species occur in Sabah. With the dwindling edible-nest swiflets population due to effects of increased harvesting pressure and effects of […]

wildlifemanagement.info/publications Six species of swallows occur in Alberta. Most have similar life histories and requirements for food and water. Only cliff and barn swallows regularly build mud nests on buildings and other structures. This habit occasionally causes problems. Cliff swallows can be a nuisance because they nest in large colonies of up to several hundred […]

extension.osu.edu Writer: Kurt Knebusch knebusch.1@osu.edu 330-263-3776 Dear Twig: Why do they call it birds’ nest soup? Is it really made out of birds’ nests? In short: Yes. Birds’ nest soup is a Chinese dish that is made from the nest of a bird called the swiftlet. Swiftlets are small, fast birds of southeast Asia. They […]

Swallows of the family Hirundinidae are small, adept aerialists with long, pointed wings and deeply forked tails. Although their bills are short, their mouths are wide for capturing flying insects. Overall, swallows resemble swifts but have stronger, more fluid flight. Highly gregarious, they form large flocks and may be seen perched in long rows along […]

bioone.org Han van Dijk, Neree Awana Onguene, Thomas W. Kuyper Indigenous knowledge of edible fungi and their utilization by local populations were investigated in southern Cameroon from 1996 to 1999. Some 100 participants from the major ethnic groups, comprising Bantu farmers and Bagyeli (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers, were interviewed. Mushroom usage by 30 families, (319 persons), was […]

An updated version of these notes can be accessed from a new “Avian Biology’ page (http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/avian_biology.html).   Birds use nests to protect eggs and nestlings from predators and adverse weather. To minimize predation, birds may use or build nests that are inaccessible, hidden, or camouflaged. Nests may also help keep eggs and nestlings warm. Orientation […]