How the Worm Turns
Birds have all the luck. New or rare species get discovered and written up in scientific journals and celebrated for their curved bills or their salmon-colored feathers or their unusual techniques for extracting seeds from pine cones.
When the ivory-billed woodpecker was reported to have been spotted in Arkansas after 50 years in hiding, the bird became an overnight celebrity. Just this spring, scientists announced a new species of crossbill finch in southern Idaho, and last year a team of scientists declared that they’d encountered a treasure trove of new and rare species in a remote area of New Guinea.
Among them was a never before photographed type of bowerbird, a creature known for building elaborate structures for its mate, complete with decorations made from berries, shells and shiny coins.… Seguir leyendo »