Did you know that your very own backyard is a valuable scientific research environment? Well, from February 15-18^th , it can be if you take part in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count. A joint project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, the Great Backyard Bird Count, or GBBC for short, invites everyone to participate in this landmark citizen science event to create a real-time snapshot of birds all over the world.

All you need is your backyard (or any green space really), 15 minutes (or longer if you like!) and either a piece of paper or your phone or tablet PC to capture your avian sightings. At the conclusion of your observations, log onto the GBBC website to record your sightings with people from around the globe doing the exact same thing.

Since many of us participating in the GBBC probably live in residential areas, the ARKive team has put together a helpful checklist of some of the more common and widespread bird species you might spot this weekend along with the defining features to look for:

Northern cardinal

Unmistakable with its deep rouge coloring, the northern cardinal’s plump round shape is also a dead giveaway for the species. Add it’s distinctive circular, black face mask and you can check this one off the list.

Lesser black-backed gull

Gulls are a class of birds with a considerably large distribution around the world. True to its namesake, the lesser black-backed gull can be identified by its dark coloration on its back and wings. If you’re still not sure, use binoculars to try to spot its red-tipped beak, a sure sign you’re observing this species.

Common pigeon

A frequent sight in cities around the world, the common pigeon can be identified by its speckled coloration and shimmery jeweled shading on its neck. Then again, if all else fails, the signature head-bobbing walk of the pigeon is distinctive enough.

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Always a treat when spotted, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the most widespread of all hummingbird species. As its name suggests, keep an eye out for its brightly colored and iridescent red throat but be aware, only the males of the species possess this.

American robin

Arguably the most recognizable bird in the United States (and a welcomed harbinger of spring), the bright orange chest and long dark tail feathers identify the American robin from all others.

Canada goose

Although it is often times heard before seen, the water-loving Canada goose’s dark, black neck contrasted by white cheek patches distinguishes it among all other goose species.

Mallard

Another avian fond of the aquatic lifestyle, the mallard’s striking metallic green head and white collar along with its bright orange legs are all positive identifiers of the species.

Barn owl

Despite being so elusive, the barn owl is one of the most wide-ranging birds, occupying every continent except Antarctica. If you’re lucky enough to spot one head on, look for its characteristic heart-shaped face and general ghost-white coloration.

Mourning dove

If the gentle cooing of this species doesn’t give it away, the mourning dove’s plump, gray chest, allover taupe color and delicate-looking black bill will.

We’d love to hear how your observations go this weekend so be sure to stop back in and share your findings in the comments below or on ARKive’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. Snap any pics during your observations? You can enter them into the Great Backyard Bird Count’s photo contest and also upload them to ARKive’s Flickr page. Tagged correctly, you may see your own photos appear on ARKive in the “Users’ photos” section of the species pages.

Happy bird watching this weekend!

Liana Vitali, ARKive Education & Outreach Manager, Wildscreen USA

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A new species of owl, discovered in Indonesia as a result of its unique call, has been formally described by scientists in a paper published recently in the journal PLoS One.

Rinjani scops owl on a branch

Double discovery

The first endemic bird species to be recorded on the Indonesian island of Lombok, the newly described Rinjani scops owl (Otus jolandae) was interestingly discovered by two separate research groups just days apart during independent expeditions in September 2003.

“I was on Lombok to collect sound recordings of the local population of a species of nightjar. On the first night I arrived on Lombok, we heard the vocalisations of an owl that [I was] not familiar with,” said George Sangster, lead researcher from Stockholm University’s Department of Zoology.

These unique, whistling vocalisations also caught the attention of Ben King, a researcher from the Ornithology Department of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, just a matter of days later. Coincidentally, King was on a separate expedition on Lombok, an island off the east coast of Bali, to study the same nightjar species as Sangster.

“My experience was similar to George’s,” said King. “While I was tape-recording the nightjar, I heard a song that sounded like an owl, but unlike any I’d heard in years of field work in Indonesia.”

Rinjani scops owl habitat

Inquisitive owls

Initially, the researchers were uncertain as to whether or not the calls were being produced by a previously known species from Java and Bali, which perhaps had so far been overlooked on Lombok. However, this possibility was soon dismissed when the sound recordings of the mystery species were played back.

“When we first heard them, the owls were very vocal, and either involved in a duet (of male and female) or a duel (between two males). Because we were not sure which species this was, we made recordings and played it back. Owls are territorial, so when their sound is played back in their territory, the owl usually comes to investigate the ‘intruder’,” explained Sangster.

Due to their inquisitive and territorial nature, the owls responded strongly to the recordings and approached the researchers, giving the scientists a clear view of the birds. Initially, the Rinjani scops owl, named for its volcano home Gunung (Mountain) Rinjani, was thought to be the Moluccan scops owl, as it had a very similar appearance in terms of plumage. However, the whistles it produced were markedly different from the raven-like croak of the Moluccan scops owl.

Confirming the discovery

To verify their new discovery, the researchers conducted detailed examinations of the whistling calls, as well as thorough checks of taxonomic literature. The plumage, body measurements and DNA of the Lombok birds were carefully compared against those of a variety of museum specimens, eventually confirming the Rinjani scops owl as a distinct species.

“It was quite a coincidence that two of us identified this new bird species on different parts of the same island, within a few days of being on the island, especially considering that no-one had noticed anything special about these owls in the previous 100 years,” mused Sangster.

Rinjani scops owl

Implications and future discoveries

The scientists are keen for future studies to be carried out to determine the exact distribution, elevational range and population density of this new owl species. While surprised at how common the Rinjani scops owl is, with the species being found at several locations and at seemingly high densities, the researchers are particularly interested in finding out whether it occurs throughout the lowland forests where much habitat destruction has occurred.

This latest discovery has highlighted the possibility that there could be further undiscovered bird species in Indonesia yet to be found and described.

“In the past, ornithologists and birdwatchers have largely ignored the island because, unlike Java, Bali, Flores and other islands in the region, no bird species were unique to it,” said Sangster. “Our study underscores that, even after 150 years of scientific study, we still do not know all birds in the Indo-Malayan region. In fact, Indonesia is a treasure trove for taxonomists.”

Read more on this story at BBC Nature – A new owl species from Indonesia is formally described and Mongabay.com – Unique song reveals new owl species in Indonesia.

View photos and videos of owls on ARKive.

Explore species found in Indonesia on ARKive.

Find out more about newly discovered species on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Text Author

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The world’s oldest known wild bird, a Laysan albatross known as ‘Wisdom’, has surprised scientists by producing a chick at 62 years old.

Laysan albatross pair with chick

Scientists had thought that female albatrosses, like other birds, became infertile and stopped producing chicks in later life. However, Wisdom hatched a healthy chick on 3rd February, and may have produced as many as 35 chicks in her long lifetime. Most Laysan albatrosses only live to around half her age.

“It blows us away that this is a 62-year-old bird and she keeps laying eggs and raising chicks,” said Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the Bird Banding Laboratory at the U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. “We know that birds will eventually stop reproducing when they’re too old. The assumption about albatrosses is it will happen to them, too. But we don’t know where that line is. That, in and of itself, is pretty amazing.”

Like other albatrosses, the Laysan albatross mates for life

It is possible that some of the other albatrosses on the Midway Atoll are 60 years old or more, as their tracking bands have sometimes fallen off and left researchers unable to identify them. Albatrosses mate for life, and it is likely that Wisdom has had to find a new, younger mate at some point in her life.

To the moon and back

Wisdom nests on Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, and incredibly is likely to have flown up to 4.8 million kilometres since she was first given a leg tag by scientists monitoring the birds in 1956.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which is performing the monitoring, said that this astonishing distance equates to “four to six trips from the Earth to the moon and back again with plenty of miles to spare”.

Laysan albatrosses in flight

Albatrosses under threat

Wisdom is one of the lucky ones – albatrosses face a variety of threats and many are threatened with extinction. Laysan albatrosses were heavily exploited for their feathers in the first half of the 20th century, but one of the main threats to albatross species today is being caught and drowned in long-line fisheries.

Many species are also under threat from introduced predators such as cats and rats, which prey on the adult birds as well as their eggs and chicks.

Plastic debris is an additional threat to these large marine birds, and is often accidentally swallowed. Shockingly, an estimated 4,500 kg of plastic is thought to be mistakenly fed to albatross chicks by their parents each year. The plastic debris does not kill the chick immediately, but instead stops it from eating.

Watch ARKive’s Human Impacts video to find out more about the impacts of plastic waste on the Laysan albatross.

Dead Laysan albatross with plastics in its stomach

Read more on this story at The Guardian – Albatross astonishes scientists by producing chick at age of 62.

Find out more about albatross conservation at Save the Albatross and WWF – Albatross.

View photos and videos of albatrosses on ARKive.

Liz Shaw, ARKive Text Author

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Most unique appearance

There are some very unusual looking animals in Australia, making this a tough category. Strong contenders included the Javanese cownose ray and the narrow-breasted snake-necked turtle. However the award went to the platypus; a creature so unusual looking that the first specimens brought back to England were though to be the work of a fraudulent taxidermist! With its duck-like bill, webbed feet and broad flattened tail, the platypus certainly has a very distinctive and unusual appearance.

The platypus has a very unique appearance with its duck-like bill, webbed feet and broad flattened tail

Best camouflage

The winner of this award, the pygmy seahorse, is so well camouflaged in its coral reef habitat it was not discovered until the coral in which it lives in was being examined in a lab! The pygmy seahorse is found in the coral reefs around Australia, and it is not only the same colour as the coral in which it lives, it is also covered in small swellings which resemble the polyps of the coral. This results in the seahorse being very well camouflaged. Can you see the pygmy seahorse in the picture below?

Can you spot the pygmy seahorse?

Most dangerous

Australia is renowned for having some of the world’s most dangerous animals! There are poisonous snakes, spiders, jellyfish, sharks, crocodiles even the platypus has a venomous spur on the back of its rear ankles! However this award goes to one of Australia’s less well known venomous animals – the southern blue ringed octopus. This octopus may be small in size, but it has enough venom in its saliva to kill 26 adults! Its venom, which contains tetrodotoxin, causes neurological problems such as breathing troubles and paralysis. Normally brown in appearance, when threatened it develops blue ringed shape markings. There is currently no antivenom available for the blue ringed octopus.

Southern blue ringed octopus displaying its blue ringed shape markings

Best dressed

Colouration in animals has a wide range of functions. Whether for defence or for attracting a mate, Australia has some beautifully coloured animals including the sunset frog with its bright orange belly, and the multicoloured superb parrot. However the winner of this award is the Gouldian finch. This multicoloured finch, endemic to northern Australia, has a green body, a blue rump, a purple breast, a yellow belly and a red, black or yellow head. The very colourful adults are however upstaged by the chicks with their elaborate and colourful blue, yellow, black and white gape.

Gouldian finch chick gape

Life time contribution award

This category was very difficult with Australia having so many iconic animals. In the end, the winner was the koala. Koalas, endemic to Australia, are one of Australia’s best known animals. Though bear like in appearance the koala is actually a marsupial. The koala is mainly nocturnal, spending most of its time up in the trees where it can feed and rest, whilst gaining some protection. Koalas have fairly sedentary lifestyles with their diet mainly consisting of eucalyptus leaves. Koalas vary depending on where about in Australia they are found, and those found in south Australia are larger and have thicker fur than those in the north.

This koala is relaxing after its big win!

The Auzzie award

Like the Oscars have the Razzies, we have our own Auzzie award to give out.

Most unusual faeces

This result was unanimous - it had to go the wombat for having cubic poo!

This northern hairy-nosed wombat does not seem to want to collect its award!

Happy Australia day!

Let us know of any other awards you would like to give out to other Australian species.

Jemma Pealing, ARKive Media Researcher

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My garden has never been more popular. It’s a hotbed of activity at the moment… well, the little part garden with the bird feeder is. Though perhaps hotbed is the wrong word, since it’s absolutely freezing!

When the temperature dropped a week or so ago the birds started visiting my garden in huge numbers, in a fever of feeding. The snow has made natural sources of food more difficult to find and they expend so much energy just trying to keep warm in these freezing conditions that they need to feed often.

Robin in snow

Fatty food is best in the cold, so putting out things like fat balls, good quality nuts and seed, or even grated cheese is a real help. I use sunflower hearts in a seed feeder and they love it. In the last week I’ve had great tits, blue tits, goldfinches and robins, the occasional blackbird pecking around on the floor and even a nuthatch.

Here at the RSPB we’ve had stacks of calls from people telling us about the fieldfares in their gardens too. Not usually known for visiting gardens, fieldfares are being driven into them in their desperate search for food in these harsh conditions.

Redwings and fieldfare feeding on berries

So, all of this garden activity could mean an exciting year for the RSPB’s 34th annual Big Garden Birdwatch, taking place in the UK on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 January. It’s the world’s biggest wildlife survey and everyone can join in by spending just one hour at any time over the weekend noting the highest number of each bird species seen in their garden or local park at any one time, then submitting the results to the RSPB. Schoolchildren and teachers will be doing the same in their school grounds as part of Big Schools’ Birdwatch between now and Friday 1 February.

Given the extra birds using my garden due to the cold at the moment I’m expecting to have plenty to report.

Blue tits on bird feeder

You can find out more about taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, enter your results online and help with identifying the garden birds you see at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

Wendy Johnson, RSPB

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