Taxonomy

Rich Wagner on December 23rd, 2010

For the fourth straight year, a Short-tailed Hawk with atypical plumage has overwintered in Tucson (bit.ly/STHA-Tucson). In 2007, Helen and Noel Snyder, Narca Moore-Craig, Rose Ann Rowlett and I photographed and studied a Short-tailed Hawk nest (Buteo brachyurus) in the Chiricahua Mountains, a part of the Sky Islands region of the Southwest. The majority of Short-tailed […]

Continue reading about Short-tailed Hawk Plumage Variations

Rich Wagner on July 18th, 2009

Don’t serve this one on Thanksgiving! The Hoatzin (Ophisthocomus hoazin) is known as the ‘Stinky Turkey’ to Amazon natives because of the bad odors produced by the fermentation of leaves in the bird’s crop. Unlike most birds, Hoatzins eat the leaves of plants, and to a lesser degree the fruits and flowers. The Hoatzin’s digestive system is unique […]

Continue reading about Stinky Turkey!