A Cedar Waxwing at my window becomes a personal reckoning with invisible glass, unintended design, and how modest, practical changes at home can spare countless birds unnecessary deaths.
A Cedar Waxwing Died at My Window
Do Cardinals Know They Are Red? A Closer Look at a Christmas Icon
This article explores how cardinals perceive their environment, and how they explore their place in it, especially with respect to color.
The Club-Winged Manakin: A Bird That Plays Its Wings
The club-winged manakin, a small South American bird, produces unique wing-generated sounds for courtship, trading flight efficiency for the ability to attract females with precise stridulation.
Keep Young and Beautiful: A Natural History of Courtship, Vanity, and the Art of Looking Good
Annie Lennox's song "Keep Young and Beautiful" reflects the irony of beauty as a persuasion strategy rooted in evolutionary biology. Various species, from cleaner wrasses to dung beetles, demonstrate deliberate manipulation of appearance and behavior to enhance mating success, revealing shared evolutionary patterns in beauty and attraction across species.
Cognitive Showdown: Crows vs. Toddlers in the Science of Intelligence
Corvids, particularly crows and magpies, exhibit cognitive abilities comparable to human toddlers, including tool use, self-recognition, and social inference. Their intelligence prompts reconsideration of evolutionary assumptions about cognition. Recognizing these advanced mental processes highlights the need for conservation efforts to protect these remarkable birds amidst human threats to their habitats.
The White Bellbird: Nature’s Loudest Performer
The male White Bellbird Procnias albus. Nature's answer to KISS. Photo: Hector Bottai, 2019. Imagine strolling under the lush, deep green canopy of the Amazon Rainforest. You are surrounded by a vibrant mix of bird calls - macaws, hoatzins, the musician wren. Then, one voice cuts through the symphony with the power of a rock... Continue Reading →
The Octopus: Inside an Alien Mind
Years ago, I kept an octopus in a tank for a while. I was able to see, up close, its complex behaviors, problem-solving abilities. Its behavior suggested that it could distinguish me ("The-Guy-Who-Brings-Me-Dinner") from other people("Other-Folks"). Ever since that time, I've been captivated by octopi, and I'm definitely not alone. From their prodigious ability to... Continue Reading →
Inside the Animal Mind: A Conversation with Richard Louv
Bestselling author, Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling Photo: Richard Louv 2016 I recently had the chance fulfill a long-time ambition, to have a chat with the Richard Louv best-selling author of many books, including “Last Child in the Woods” and “The Nature Principle.” Richard is a leader in thinking about nature deficit and... Continue Reading →
The Chicken that Plays Puccini: A Question of Animal Awareness
The other day, while looking for something to watch on YouTube, I was offered up in the side-bar a series of videos of a chicken playing the piano. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and was treated to two minutes and one second of a chicken at an electric piano playing "O mio babbino caro"... Continue Reading →
ERIC DORFMAN 