Word: avian
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...urge to understand the natural world is often thwarted by his passion "that all things be mysterious and unexplorable." Former Audubon Magazine Editor John K. Terres offers a refreshing alternative: a 7½-lb., kaleidoscopic catalogue of the appearance, habitats, songs, ranges and nests of 847 avian species found in North America. Terres finds no need to overstate the complex marvels of the feathered world outside the window...
Blyth is a witty, often hilarious writer, and few have written more tellingly about the avian world of women's magazines. But For Better and for Worse is only half comic. The other half is a sharp, unblinking look at the ways of men and women, shorn of doctrinaire feminism...
Audubon Society President Elvis J. Stahr. With the figures the volunteers provide, ornithologists are able not only to check the health and vigor of different avian species but also to detect changes in their habitats, set up wildlife sanctuaries and even help airlines reroute their planes to avoid dangerous collisions with migrating birds. The bird count also acts as an environmental early-warning system. Recalling the canaries that miners took with them into coal mines to detect noxious fumes, Stahr explains that birds are usually quicker than man to react to changes about them. One example: the decline of many...
Indeed, to sociobiologists deceit is a crucial factor in evolution. Some birds, like the nighthawk, can feign a broken wing to lure predators away from a nest. In some avian species, a female that has been inseminated by a departed male may try to hide the fact, thus tricking a new male into investing his time and resources in offspring?and genes?that are not his. In the long run, however, natural selection sharpens up both the ability to cheat and the ability to detect cheating. Trivers and Dawkins suggest that the need for deceit?and for its detection?...
...Bird has ruffled feathers. The avian star is vying for attention with a newcomer on Sesame Street-Dakota Starblanket. Dakota will join the cast in April and May to teach children the meaning of sibling rivalry. "Big Bird represents the child viewer," explains Dakota's mother, Buffy Sainte-Marie, 36, a regular Sesame Street guest. "He and I were friends. I even took him to New Mexico's Taos Indian pueblo to tape a show. Now suddenly here's my baby and my husband, Sheldon Wolfchild. Big Bird feels in the way." The singer originally went...