This week's featured t-shirt is this new I Can Has Roadkill? design with our Birdorable Turkey Vulture. It's not a lolcat but a lolvulture! It's a funny spoof of I Can Has Cheezburger, which is one of our favorite websites. For more funny Birdorables see our other Funny Designs.
Here are two new Birdorable coloring pages of the Birdorable Ibis and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. You can color the first one as a Scarlet Ibis, Glossy Ibis or White Ibis. Check the Meet the Birds page to check the colors. You can download these from the new Coloring Pages page, which collects all available downloads. Please note that from now on some coloring pages will be available for a limited time only.
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The Cattle Egret has undergone one of the fastest natural expansions of any bird species. Native to Africa and Asia, it began spreading across the globe in the 19th century, reaching the Americas by 1877 and Australia in the 1940s. Its ability to thrive in diverse climates is a key factor in its successful expansion. [source]
After first being recorded in the U.S. in 1941, the Cattle Egret has since been found from Alaska to Newfoundland and has bred in almost all fifty states, making it one of the most widespread bird species in North America. [source]
Known for their resourceful feeding habits, Cattle Egrets often follow large animals like cattle or tractors to catch insects disturbed by their movement. This strategy is energy-efficient, allowing them to gather significantly more food with less effort when feeding with livestock.
Cattle Egrets are known to take advantage of natural disturbances. They have been observed flying in from afar to catch insects fleeing from wildfires, showcasing their sharp instinct for finding food even in extreme conditions. [source]
In rare cases, Cattle Egrets will add small birds to their diet. At Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, Florida, they’ve been seen catching warblers when insect prey is scarce, demonstrating their dietary flexibility. [source]
These birds have even been spotted at airports, where they wait for airplanes to taxi by, dislodging insects from the grass. This behavior further highlights their opportunism and adaptability. [source]
In Arabic, Cattle Egrets are known as Abu Gerdan (طائر أبو قردان), meaning "father of ticks," referencing the high number of parasites often found in their breeding colonies. This name reflects the bird's association with parasitic insects. [source]
In Australia, studies show that Cattle Egrets significantly reduce the number of flies that irritate cattle by pecking them off the animals skin, offering a natural pest management solution for farmers. [source]
In 1959, the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture released 25 Cattle Egrets on Kaua'i to help control insects and flies that troubled cattle. Their introduction has proven successful in reducing pest populations. [source]
With an estimated range of 10 million square kilometers and a global population of up to 6.7 million individuals, the Cattle Egret is one of the most widespread and populous bird species in the world. [source]
Yes, vultures can be cute - our Birdorable vultures prove just that! Although vultures may be known for eating dead things, using projectile vomit as a defense measure and even cooling themselves by urinating on their own legs, these carrion-eating baldies aren't all about the ick-factor. For example:
That last trivia point is not actually one of our favorites, but it is an unfortunate fact. Today is International Vulture Awareness Day 2009, which promotes vulture conservation. This post is part of the Blog for Vultures carnival coinciding with IVAD09. Learn more about vultures, vulture conservation and awareness by visiting the other participants in today's virtual event. Click on the nifty badge below to learn more!
The Great Egret is one of the latest birds we've added to Birdorable. It is widely distributed across the tropical and temperate regions in the world and can be found on all continents. We see these beautiful white birds regularly here in Illinois, where they are quite common. This was however not always the case. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the birds were hunted to near extinction by plume hunters, as they were a popular addition to lady's hats. North American populations of Great Egrets were reduced by more than 95 percent! Fortunately, Great Egrets have recovered as a result of conservation measures. In 1953, the Great Egret was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers.
This is a our cute Birdorable version of the Great Egret. For more birds like this see Egret & Other Waders in our Meet the Birds area.
In honor of International Vulture Awareness Day coming up later this week, we're featuring our I Love Vultures design for this week's T-Shirt Tuesday. This design features three of our Birdorable vultures: the California Condor; the Turkey Vulture; and the Black Vulture. The design is shown here on a baby fine jersey t-shirt, but is also available on dozens of other apparel styles and colors.
Reminder: International Vulture Awareness Day is coming up very soon! The purpose of IVAD is to highlight and promote vulture conservation and awareness. As part of this special day there will be a blog carnival which welcomes anyone and everyone to participate. We are very proud to have our Birdorable Black Vulture featured on the blog carnival's badge!
