Mercenary Ornithology y Las Aves de México

Basileuterus culicivorus   The Golden-Crowned Warbler is a common ground-dwelling warbler with a substantial distribution ranging from Northern Mexico to Argentina. They occupy a broad swath of mid-to-low elevation humid and semi-humid forested areas, and due to this large but not entirely contiguous range there is a substantial amount of geographic variation within the species. [...]

Geothlypis poliocephala   The Gray-crowned Yellowthroat is relatively common throughout lowland Mexico and Central America. More of a generalist than other members of its genus, the Gray-crowned Yellowthroat inhabits a wide-range of open and semi-open habitats including grassland, scrub, and cultivated areas. It is one of the few warbler species commonly sighted in cane fields. [...]

Most people who know me are aware of my fascination with parasites, and I know I’m not the only one. When I worked as an interpreter at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minnesota, I found the best way to win the attention of a group of unruly kids was to show them something [...]

Geothlypis speciosa   Endemic to central Mexico, the Black-polled Yellowthroat is only known within four population centers located in the states of Guanajuato, México, and Michocán. Like many other species of yellowthroat, it typically found within riparian and palustrine areas, particularly within reedbeds. It can be visually distinguished from other species of yellowthroat by a [...]

Basileuterus belli   The Golden-browed Warbler is a resident of cloud forests that ranges from Tamaulipas, where it occupies the high-elevation areas of the El Cielo biosphere reserve, to Honduras and El Salvador. Although this species typically remains on the same territory year-round, during the winter it has been observed joining mixed species foraging flocks [...]

I wrote a short personal piece about my experiences as an intern for IBP working with Great Gray Owls back in 2006 for their 2012 annual report. It’s located here: http://www.birdpop.org/DownloadDocuments/2012_IBP_Annual_Report.pdf.

Hylomanes momtula   The Tody Motmot is a reclusive resident of mid-to-low elevation moist tropical forests of southern Mexico, Central America, and northern Colombia. Although they are probably common within their range, they are rarely seen due to their secretive nature and their tendency to remain very still throughout the day as they wait for [...]

Notes from the Field   This is a piece I wrote for Daily Kos near the end of a two month stay spent working in Honduras   Since the last time I wrote, I’ve left the fires of California for far greener pastures to the south. Once again, my mission was ornithological, although I wasn’t [...]