Death by Window

According to a new study, one of the biggest threats to birds in the United States is flying directly into the windows of buildings. Between 365 million to 988 million birds may die this way; that is about 2-10 per 100 birds.

Why do birds to fly into windows? It can be they just don’t see it or they mistake the reflection for the real sky. Surprisingly, skyscrapers are not the cuprit. The study found skyscrapers are responsible for less than 1 percent of bird deaths resulting from window collisions. Homes or other buildings from 4-11 stories are responsible for 44% of bird deaths.

Birds that are migrating from Central or South America are more vulnerable to window collisions. It is suspected that these birds travel at night and may be confused by artificial lighting.

Researchers suggest, that if your windows are experiencing bird collisions, a simple solution may be to attach a piece of reflective tape. This signals the bird to steer clear.

You may read more on this study from the link below.

References:

Ornes, S., 2014. Birds versus windows: Skyscraper windows kill fewer birds every year than the windows on low-rise buildings. Society for Science and the public. Online. Available at: https://student.societyforscience.org/article/birds-versus-windows

 

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Passerina_ciris-20090208.jpg

It's back....H7N9

The second outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) H7N9 in China is now being called an epidemic by the World Health Organization.

The latest outbreak of the bird flu in China seems to show signs of decreasing, which points to seasonal patterns; however WHO’s representative in China said this is not the time to relax. 2014 shows that there have been 72 deaths and 226 people infected with the H7N9 virus. We can compare this to last year’s event that had 144 infections and 46 deaths in 2013.

WHO and Chinese authorities maintain there is no evidence of sustained human transmission; however cases of close family members infecting each other have risen. Biospectrum (March, 2014) reported “The Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre last month said it had developed a genetically engineered vaccine for H7N9. Hangzhou,  the current epicenter of the outbreak has announced radical plans to ban - forever - all live poultry trading in urban areas, according to state media, and replace it with factory-slaughtered and frozen meat.

The Chinese National Poultry Association estimated over $3 billion in losses so far. Controlling the disease is difficult because the birds (chickens and ducks) present no clinical signs of disease.

To find out more about H7N9 you can look at the CDC website here or go to the World Health Organization’s website here.

Reference:

Biospectrum, 2014. Online. Available at: http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/news/210971/-china-s-h7n9-outbreak-epidemic#.UysyfM5Wq1g  [Accessed on 3/20/2014].

Center for disease control (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/h7n9-virus.htm

World Health Organization (WHO): http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/influenza_h7n9/en/

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Female_pair.jpg

Take a quiz about endangered species

Critically Endangered Species Quiz

1.A species is considered critically endangered if:

a.Its population has not changed at all in three generations

b.It can only be found in one location

c.Its population has decreased by at least 80% within three generations

d.It is a really big species

2.What organization is responsible for listing species as critically endangered?

a.The United States government

b.The International Union for Conservation of Nature

c.The United Nations Environmental Program

d.The National Zoo Association

3. True or False: African Penguins are the only penguin species found in Africa.

4.Where is the Hirola Antelope found in the wild?

a.Colombia

b.The Democratic Republic of Congo

c.Around the border between Kenya and Somalia

d.In the Andes Mountains

5.True or False:Raptors are considered to be gentle birds that only eat plants and grasses.

6.What percentage of its life will the Cantor’s Giant Soft-shell Turtle spend buried motionless in the sand?

a.12%

b.59%

c.95%

d.82%

7.True or False: The Antiguan Racer is a non-venomous snake

8. In what region can the Duiker, Ploughshare Tortoise, and Red Colobus Monkey be found?

a.North America

b.Europe

c.Africa

d.Southeast Asia

9.True or False: The Ethiopian Wolf is one of three wolf species that can be found in Africa.

10.What separates Grevy’s Zebra from other zebra species?

a.It is smaller than other species

b.It has a plain white underbelly

c.It has no stripes

d.All of the above

11.In what Southeast Asian country can you find the Siamese Crocodile?

a.Vietnam

b.Cambodia

c.South Korea

d.Indonesia

12.Which species is considered to believe to turn into gold once it dies?

a.Cauca Poison Frog

b.Golden-lion Tamarin

c.Pygmy Three-toed Sloth

d.Panamanian Golden Frog

13.True or False: The Blue-eyed Black Lemur is only one of two non-human species that have blue eyes.

14.What makes the Markhor’s horns unique?

a.It has no horns.

b.Its horns are long and spiraled.

c.The horns are connected

d.The horns are covered with long fur

15.True or False: Critically endangered species come in all shapes and sizes and can be found across the globe.

ANSWER KEY

1.C

2.B

3.T

4.C

5.F

6.C

7.T

8.C

9.F

10.B

11.B

12.C

13.T

14.B

15.T

reference:  https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/education-final-quiz-critically-endangered-species.pdf