This week in birds - #632

 A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:


The aptly named Western Kingbird is found throughout much of the western United States and southern Canada. It is a large member of the flycatcher family, somewhat bigger than its counterpart, the Eastern Kingbird. It winters in southern Mexico and Central America and has recently expanded its winter range into southern Florida. A resident of grasslands and scrublands, it can also be found in open urban and suburban areas and its population is increasing. It is the American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week.

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Donald Trump celebrated Earth Day as only he would by firing hundreds of workers at the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Does life on Earth owe its origins to an asteroid?

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The stupidity is truly astounding. The new administration in Washington is bent on expanding coal mining while at the same time imposing cuts to the agencies that are charged with ensuring miner health and safety.

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The Sonic Heritage project will preserve a collection of 270 sounds from 68 countries.

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We think of the seasons as numbering four but Japan recognizes 72 microseasons.

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Right leaning influencers now dominate digital media and an analysis found that eight of the ten most popular shows have spread false or misleading information about climate change.

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Spring migration is just hitting its peak in the South and is beginning to pick up farther north.

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Rising temperatures are causing Earth's glaciers to melt and that could trigger even greater climate mayhem for the planet.

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The U.S. is backsliding on air quality measures and nearly half of its residents now live in places that get failing grades on air pollution.

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Artificial intelligence may drive a surge in demand for fossil fuels, thus prolonging the fossil fuel era.

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Many of the world's coral reefs have been hit by the worst bleaching event on record.

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Our closest cousins in Nature, the bonobos, live in a matriarchal society.

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Purple honey? In the Sandhills region of North Carolina, that is a thing.

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In a coastal New England town, this innocent looking Pileated Woodpecker is creating quite a bit of havoc.

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The world is full of weird and wonderful creatures, but this "bone collector" caterpillar may be one of the weirdest.



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