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Sibling rivalry, grackles and Catharus thrushes
Great blue heron chicksCommon grackles looking grumpyLeft to right: Hermit thrush, Grey-cheeked thrush, Swainson's thrush
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Convergence and common names
Confusingly, "ovenbird" can refer to two unrelated bird lineages because they both construct rounded nests that resemble wood-fired ovens. It all comes of trusting common names and convergent...
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Beloved canids
Possibly as a result of imprinting on my first dog, Lisa, I have a particularly soft spot for foxes.Lisa wasn't quite as athletic as a fox, so I have no Muybridge-inspired photos of her hunting. Here...
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Dimorphisms
Most people will be familiar with sexual dimorphism, famously explained by Darwin as a consequence of sexual selection. Many birds provide striking examples of sexually dimorphic plumage.Wood duck pair...
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Warblers Galore
The spring migration has just reached its peak over the past week, inspiring me to paint some of the wood warblers (Family: Parulidae) that manage to attract throngs of eager birders to places like...
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Almost Cain and Abel
Some quick sketches from watching this enchanting webcam: Cornell HeronsHarassed parent scratching chinIs this a crack I see before me?Eggs about to hatchGreat Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) nest in...
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Troglodytidae
Wrens are one of the only bird families I can think of that are more spectacular and widespread in the New World, while also being present in the Old World. In addition to their unusual biogeography,...
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How to become an endangered species
I recently made a pilgrimage to see a very special bird, the Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), one of the rarest and most endangered wood warblers. Male Kirtland's warbler in all his breeding...
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A very clever namesake
Cauchy, below, has the same name as an eminent French mathematician, and several concepts and theorems, particularly in infinitesimal calculus and complex analysis.Cauchy and Bevo the bullThis...
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Birding in "the polar bear capital of the world"
Churchill, Canada is a tiny town perched on the wind-blown edge of Hudson Bay, and most famously known for its polar bears, that attract flocks of tourists every autumn. Less well known are the birds...
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Chinese Donkey
A foray into Chinese brush paintingAnd earlier, on printer paper: Auctioned in Japan as part of an earthquake relief effort
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In memoriam: Farish A. Jenkins Jr.
Farish Jenkins Jr. was one of those people who radiated such energy and excellence that even as a baby, he sits ramrod straight, staring directly at the camera with the same intelligent, engaging...
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Turkey season
The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is essentially a very heavy New World chicken. Benjamin Franklin rather sweetly favoured the turkey as a national symbol, and a much more fitting representative of...
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Animal Acknowledgements
To all who helped, directly and indirectly in producing Dr. Tong, THANK YOU!A subset of people are depicted below, sans surnames:
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Evolutionary tricks
The superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) is a diminutive Australian songbird with some evolutionary tricks that are even more spectacular that the male's plumage.Male superb fairy-wren (Malurus...
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Inspired by Beatrix Potter
The Morgan Library in New York is currently showing some fabulous letters and art by one of my greatest heros, Beatrix Potter. Potter was especially fond of rabbits, and two of her pets, Peter and...
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A taxonomic puzzle
This sunny bird, the yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), is traditionally classified in the family Parulidae, the New World warblers. However, it is a good deal larger than most of its closest...
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A secretive present from the storm
This delicately striped little sparrow is a member of the American genus Ammodramus, which is Latin for "sand runner". Like most members of the genus, the Le Conte's sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii) does...
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Zambian birds
The miombo rock thrush is a particularly engaging little bird, with its tastefully muted plumage. It is named for the increasingly threatened miombo woodland that covers much of south-central Africa,...
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