"Extinct" Bird Seen, Eaten by Christine Dell'Amore - National Geographic

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A rare quail from the Philippines was photographed for the first time before being sold as food at a poultry market, experts say.

Found only on the island of Luzon, Worcester's buttonquail was known solely through drawings based on dated museum specimens collected several decades ago.

Scientists had suspected the species—listed as "data deficient" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's 2008 Red List—was extinct.

(See related bird photo: "Rare 'Smiling' Bird Photographed in Colombia.")

A TV crew documented the live bird in the market (above) before it was sold in January, according to the Agence France-Press news agency.

Michael Lu, president of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, told AFP the bird's demise should inspire a "local consciousness" about the region's threatened wildlife.

"What if this was the last of its species?" Lu said.

However, the buttonquail is from a "notoriously cryptic and unobtrusive family of birds," according to the nonprofit Birdlife International, so the species may survive undetected in other regions.

—Christine Dell'Amore

Photograph courtesy Arnel B. Telesforo


More From FoxNews...
Bird Suspected to Be Extinct Photographed for First Time ... Then Eaten

A bird suspected to be extinct was reportedly photographed for the first time in the Philippines, and then sold to a poultry market as food.

Worcester's buttonquail was known only through illustrations based on decades-old museum specimens until a television crew documented the live bird in the market before it was sold in January, NationalGeographic.com reported.

Scientists had suspected the bird, found only on the island of Luzon, to be extinct, according to NationalGeographic.com.

Wild Bird Club of the Philippines President Michael Lu, told the Agence France-Press news agency that it’s unfortunate that the locals aren't more conscious of the threatened wildlife around them.

"What if this was the last of its species?" he said.

Big Day 2008 is May 10! — What is the World Series of Birding? - Press Release Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Contact:
Pat Leonard
pel27@cornell.edu

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
(607) 254-2137
For immediate release: May 5, 2008

A Quarter-Century of Birding for Conservation
Cornell Lab of Ornithology team will compete for its 25^th year

Ithaca, NY­-The World Series of Birding, sponsored by New Jersey Audubon, returns this Saturday, May 10, marking the silver anniversary of the event. A team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has been in the thick of the action every one of those years.

The goal of this so-called “Big Day” is to gather pledges for each species of bird teams can identify by sight or sound during the midnight-to-midnight dash across the state. Team Sapsucker is the returning champ, having won the World Series the past two years in a row. Last year the team tallied 230 species (a team record, one short of the event record), and brought in about $185,000 in pledges. The team has raised more than $2.1 million for bird conservation since 1985. The Lab will again field a Cornell student team, the Redheads (named for the Cornell “Big Red”). Last year’s first-ever student team placed second in the “limited geographic area” division with 174 species, a great first outing. The Sapsuckers bird the entire state of New Jersey while the Redheads compete in Cape May County.

Lab director, John Fitzpatrick, and information science director, Steve Kelling, have retired from Team Sapsucker after 12 and 14 years, respectively. Other top-notch birders are stepping into the fray. Captain Ken Rosenberg, head of Conservation Science at the Lab, is the veteran, returning for his 24^th Big Day.

“We’re psyched, as always,” says Rosenberg, “There are some unknowns this time around, since we’ll have some new team members and we’ll be in everyone’s cross-hairs after winning the event for the past two years. But we have the best birders in North America and we’re determined to hold onto the championship!”

Donors pledge any amount of money for each species identified by the teams on the Big Day. Funds will be used in a variety of conservation programs at the Lab, including studies of night flight migration calls, Neotropical bird conservation, and the expansion of the eBird online checklist program into Latin America­the winter home for so many of our North American species. Ten percent of funds raised is set aside for students, interns, and aspiring professional scientists. Every cent goes to these causes because expenses for both teams are underwritten by long-time sponsor, Swarovski Optik.

To find out more about the Big Day or to make a pledge, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/wsb or call (800) 843-BIRD. You can also enter your guess as to how many species will be identified by each team and what time the last species will be identified. Then you’ll be entered for a chance to win a pair of Swarovski binoculars. Check back on May 10 for updates on how the teams are doing!#

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. www.birds.cornell.edu

Cornell Team Strategizing...

What is the World Series of Birding?

WHAT: The World Series of Birding is a 24-hour birding competition that benefits conservation. Birders traverse the state of New Jersey, identifying as many species as possible by sight and sound. Supporters pledge money to their favorite teams for each species found. The event raises more than $500,000 for bird conservation annually. Birders can paricipate as individuals or on a team, and prizes are awarded for different categories, such as for best competing team, youth team, and photography team.

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Bird Watchers Urgently Needed to Track Rusty Blackbirds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Watchers Urgently Needed to Track Rusty Blackbirds

Click on image to enlarge - Hi-Res photo 300dpi image - Photo credit: Martjan Lammertink/Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Contact: Pat Leonard - (607) 254-2137
Cornell Lab of Ornithology



For immediate release: pel27@cornell.edu

March 27, 2008

Bird Watchers Urgently Needed to Track Rusty Blackbirds - Citizen Scientists Use eBird to Monitor Alarming Drop in Numbers


Populations of Rusty Blackbirds are crashing. Their numbers have plummeted as much as 88-98% over the last few decades, according to data gathered from 1966 to 2006 by the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count. Bird watchers across North America are being asked to help scientists track migrating Rusty Blackbirds, April 1-7. They can enter their tallies online at eBird, a bird checklist project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon: www.eBird.org.

A century ago, the Rusty Blackbird was an incredibly abundant bird. Accounts from the period detail spectacular spring migrations between the species’ wintering grounds in the bottomland forests of the southeastern United States and its breeding grounds in the forested wetlands of North America’s vast boreal forest. Ornithological reports from New England and southern Canada describe waves of tens to hundreds of thousands of Rusty Blackbirds blackening the earth and clouding the sky in the spring. In many communities, the migration of Rusty Blackbirds was likened to the year’s first chorus of tree frogs­a sign that spring had finally arrived.

These reports stand in stark contrast to the situation today. Rusty Blackbird populations have suffered one of most staggering population declines of any bird in North America. A better understanding of the Rusty Blackbird’s habitat requirements is key to conserving its remaining populations. Spring migration is an especially critical time. Rusty Blackbirds congregate in large flocks which may be particularly vulnerable to habitat losses, blackbird control programs, or other disturbances. Unfortunately, very little is known about the natural history requirements of the Rusty Blackbird during its northward migration.

Scientists at Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are appealing to bird watchers to help fill this information gap by looking for Rusty Blackbirds migrating north April 1-7. The data collected and reported through eBird will help identify important migration stopover locations and habitats for conservation. It will help researchers examine whether
long-term changes to key migration habitats are responsible for the species’ decline. If you are interested in participating, please collect the following information, then visit www.ebird.org (see link below) to send your observations, taking note of:

Date, time, and location of the observations

Rusty Blackbird flock size, including an estimate of number of males vs. females.

General behavior: flying, feeding, loafing (day), roosting (dawn, dusk, night).

Habitat: agricultural field, scrub-shrub wetland, forested wetland,shores of rivers or creeks, shores of lakes or ponds.

Comments: Please include “Rusty Blackbird Survey” in the comments section so scientists can determine whether you were specifically looking for Rusty Blackbirds during your birding expedition.

Rusty Blackbirds are uncommon blackbirds typically found in wooded swamps and damp forests. At this time of year, their feathers are mostly blackish with females having some rusty edges to the wings and body. Both sexes have “staring” pale eyes. They can sometimes be confused with other species such as the Common Grackle and the Brewer’s Blackbird. However the grackle is larger and both these look-alikes have longer tails and thicker bills than the Rusty Blackbird. The Brewer’s is also found primarily in open fields rather than wooded areas. The female Red-winged Blackbird bears some resemblance to the Rusty Blackbird but has streaking on its underparts. Read more on identifying Rusty Blackbirds at:

EBird - Rusty Blackbird Survey

The eBird project was launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. It currently receives up to 50,000 bird checklists per month, providing raw data for maps and charts that reveal trends in bird populations and distribution across North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean­one of the largest databases
of bird observations in the world.

#

Media Note: If you need a high-resolution image of the Rusty Blackbird, please email Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu

More information about Rusty Blackbirds:

Audubon Watch List: Link

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center: Link