The Dino-Birds Just Keep on Coming...

Not quite Fernando from Little Birdies!, but we're getting there:

"Brightly-coloured feathers adorned a 'striking' dinosaur that resembled an exotic chicken, scientists have determined.

Anchiornis huxleyi, extinct for 150 million years, had a grey body with bold black and white feathers, a reddish-brown head crest and freckles. It is the first time scientists have uncovered the colours of a complete dinosaur. ...

Professor Richard Prum, from Yale University in Connecticut, said: 'This was no crow or sparrow, but a creature with a very notable plumage. This would be a very striking animal if it was alive today.

Professor Prum believes the creature's colours may have been used for communication or to attract mates.

The research lends support to the theory that dinosaurs first evolved feathers for purposes other than flight."

Read the entire article here: 'Striking' feathered dinosaur resembled 'exotic chicken', scientists reveal following fossil discovery. 
More here: Dinosaur shows its true colors at Yale

Celebrity Parrot Snags SpokesBird Gig...

Kakapos are not known for their speaking ability, but Sirocco the Kakapo has just landed a sweet gig as the official Spokesbird for Conservation in New Zealand.

 

More information can be found at: Spokesbird.com. And be sure to follow Sirocco on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Spokesbird

We all wish Sirocco the very best of luck in his new job.

Price Reduction...

Due to recent increased pricing flexibility allowed me by the publisher, I was able to reduce the cover price of Middle America from $17.99 to $15.99, and that of Little Birdies! from $17.99 to $14.99. Not exactly a bank bailout, I know, but at least it's a few bucks heading in your direction instead of fluttering away from you. I can't do much, but I do what I can...

Yellowstone Bison are ready to rumble...

It's that time of year again. The bulls are lookin' for love, and are making their intentions clear. Give the big guy with the horns a little room...

Two great new Kakapo videos....

It's so great when we get to see these birds clearly, in the daytime. The first is a discussion of the conservation efforts done on behalf of the Kakapo, the second documents a release of a pair of birds. Very cool...

Bronx Zoo avian exhibits....

Here's a quick look inside a few of the Bronx Zoo's indoor avian exhibits. As readers of Little Birdies! know,  Dan Grant's alcove and main aviary were modeled after the zoo's exhibits. If memory serves, the first three videos are taken inside of the Aquatic Birds Building, and the Hornbills below are taken in the larger World of Birds:

Chick uses Wing-Claws to rescue itself from drowning...

As I've pointed out before on this blog, the Hoatzin, a pheasant-sized bird living in the Amazon rain forests, has tiny claws at the tips of it's wings. This is a characteristic shared with many fossilized dino-birds. Apparently, they still come in handy, as witnessed below:

As I've speculated and attempted to illustrate in Little Birdies!, if a bird has wing-

claws, there're likely there for a reason, and it will use them to its advantage. They 

can also scare the crap out of people...