After eight years of work in Tolima, the International project to save the critically endangered Yellow-eared parrot (The Ognorhynchus Project) has achieved two unprecedented records: the finding of 52 Yellow-eared Parrot active nests in April, and of 132 chicks between May and June. This is a major milestone for a bird that was down to […]
Category: nieuws
Extinct sea bird, the New Zealand Storm-petrel, once again caught off New Zealand
The New Zealand storm petrel, which was thought to have been extinct for 150 years until rediscovered in 2003, has again been sighted and recently captured in the Hauraki Gulf off the North Island of New Zealand, but its breeding site remains a mystery. A team, including Department of Conservation staff and scientists, caught three […]
Gene Implicated In Human Language Affects Song Learning In Songbirds
Genetic aberrations of the human FoxP2 gene impair speech production and comprehension, yet the relative contributions of FoxP2 to brain development and function are unknown. Songbirds are a useful model to address this because, like human youngsters, they learn to vocalize by imitating the sounds of their elders read more at sciencedaily
The future of forest conservation
Indonesia’s forests have shrunk dramatically in the past few decades. They have been cut with increasing speed for their timber, and to clear land for agriculture and development. Lowland forest areas have disappeared with particular speed because they are most accessible. They are also among the most commercially attractive forests: Indonesia’s lowland forests contain a […]
Kakapo breeding season 2007-8 to use artifical insemination
The Department of Conservation is preparing to trial artificial insemination this kakapo breeding season in a bid to help boost numbers and increase genetic diversity within the small population. In December the sound of booming male kakapo will herald the start of the breeding season on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, an island sanctuary located […]
Rospuda Wetland road in difficulty as Polish court cancels environmental consent
BirdLife International and the CEE Bankwatch Network welcome the decision of the Regional Administrative Court in Warsaw to cancel the environmental consent for the entire Augustow Bypass in north-east Poland. The decision places the development of the road in serious doubt, as it should not be implemented without the due environmental clearance. read more at […]
Can Birds Sleep While in Flight?
The longest migration made by any bird is that effectuated by the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), which nests on the Arctic zone, in the tundra region, and winters in the Antarctica (when there is the Austral summer). This 19,000 km (12,000 mi) journey ensures that this bird sees two summers per year and more daylight […]
Autumn 2007: the worst for illegal bird trapping in Cyprus in four years
Field data gathered under a continuing BirdLife surveillance programme showed that autumn 2007 was the worst autumn for illegal bird trapping in Cyprus for four years. An additional cause for concern is the overwhelming evidence of widespread availability of trapped birds (ambelopoulia) in local restaurants, selling for up to 3 (?5) per bird. read more […]
Two men charged with Cyprus falcon massacre
Two men have been charged in connection with the October 5 massacre of 52 Red-footed Falcons Falco vespertinus in the Phasouri area of Cypus, within the Akrotiri British Sovereign Base Area (SBA). The accused, from the Limassol area, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a penalty of up to three years imprisonment or […]
Lost World revisited
Return trip to the Foja Mountains of western New Guinea (Irian Jaya), Indonesia has yielded two new species of mammal as well as more glimpses and photos of some of the region’s stunning bird species. During the most recent trip, in June 2007, a group of scientists led by Conservation International were accompanied by a […]