The title of this study says “grebes” [plural], but the story involves a single grebe [singular]. That single grebe does, as the title implies, have a single [one] leg: “Ecological Constraints and Phenotypic Accommodation in One-legged Eared Grebes,” Joseph R. Jehl Jr., The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 125(4), 2013, pp. 829-832. (Thanks to investigator Adrian […]
Tag: bird
Crane Dances as Play Behavior
Question: Which of the three individuals in this photo is officially listed as an author of the study “Crane Dances as Play Behavior,” [Ibis, vol. 155, 2013, pp. 424-425]? ANSWER: Vladimir Dinets, the one in the middle. BONUS: His new understanding of crocodiles and alligators.
Implementing a Bird Imitator
Preamble: Improbable has attempted to make contact with the Ukrainian Podgorny Institute in order to obtain a photo of their rubbery ‘Bird Imitator’, but, sadly, our efforts failed – so in lieu we have used a relatively non-representative picture of a latex chicken. Bird Strikes are a considerable hazard for aircraft – see, for example, […]
Osbaldiston’s Balance Studies of British Bird Droppings
Osbaldiston was a master at analyzing British bird droppings, as is evident in this study: “Water and electrolyte balance studies of birds showing ‘wet droppings’“, G.W. Osbaldiston, British Veterinary Journal, vol. 125, no. 12, December 1969, pp. 653-63.