Garibaldi (at the National University of Rio Negro in Argentina) involving me and 48 other scientists, indicates that reliance on a single domesticated species is not only risky, but also inefficient. Based on a synthesis of 600 fields at 41 crop systems, we found that wild bees and insects were more effective at pollinating than managed honey bees , even doubling the proportion of flowers that develop into mature fruits or seeds. MORE

It is found mature humid forest in Amazonia, the humid foothill of the Andes, dry and deciduous forests, second growth, coffee plantations, and just about any type of standing forest from Mexico to Argentina. The Squirrel Cuckoo is the most common and widespread of all New World cuckoos. Wherever this cuckoo occurs, it never fails to be center of attention, even for those who don’t pay much attention to nature and birds. Photo: Christoph Diewald (Flickr). MORE

Brown-crested Flycatcher ( Myiarchus tyrannulus ) is a widespread bird species of scrub and wooded habitats with a range extending from southern Texas and the southwestern United States, through Central America, and down south all the way to northern Argentina. They seem to be mostly tied to the presence of mature tropical hardwood hammock, although the actual extent of this habitat does not seem to be important (such as the wintering 2012-13 bird in tiny ‘Lucky Hammock’). MORE

As it streaks across the Andean skies of Bolivia and Argentina with its flashy tail, its not hard to see how this bird got the name “comet&#. Found in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, this bird is called the “tufted flower kisser” in some of the areas that it is found. Found in the Andes from southwest Colombia to Argentina and Chile, the Giant Hummingbird comes in at no.8. You are wandering through a tropical rainforest. MORE

Different varieties will mature into blue, red, brown, purple, or black. Nowadays the Barnea is grown in Argentina and Australia too. But they’ll taste better after a week in the refrigerator, and will keep for up to a month there, the flavors improving as they mature. Your supermarket or farmer’s market usually offers a good variety of olives. Juicy green, black, brown or purple olives glistening in their own oil. MORE

The mature Zone-tailed Hawk is also just a few inches smaller than the Turkey Vulture over all, and I find that the Turkey Vultures naked reddish head tends to protrude a bit more. There is a small population in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Last week I wrote about the interesting hunting habits of our local Harris’s Hawks. Today I will cover another one of Mexico’s Baja Peninsulas characters, the Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo Albonotatus. MORE

In fact, in terms of percentage of possible species identified, we were only surpassed by Argentina (felicidades para los observadores de aves de Argentina!). It occurs from Honduras to western Panama and can be fairly common in areas with extensive mature rainforest but usually, it’s a rare find, especially so when you only have two hours to look for it. For birders around the globe, last Saturday was important. MORE

From India to Argentina, they also want show how well their local birding communities can do. With that in mind, we chose our dawn chorus at a spot near Jaco in the Pacific lowlands where mature rainforest borders second growth and open fields. Next stop was the road to Poas Volcano, a site with mature high elevation forests that host a healthy variety of species not possible at other spots on the route. MORE

After a very productive day higher on the mountain, Adilei capped out the day by locating a family of the birds which consisted of a mature pair with a grown offspring (probably). Red-legged Seriema, Cariama cristata , can be seen in Brazil and Uruguay and overlap with the Black-legged Seriema in Northern Argentina and Paraguay. The first time I saw a Red-legged Seriema , I had no idea what it was. What family is it from? Where does it come from? MORE

More Great Boulevards: Avenida de Mayo Buenos Aires, Argentina Kungsportsavenyn Göteborg, Sweden Passeig De Gracia Barcelona, Spain Avinguda de Gaudi Barcelona, Spain Las Vegas Boulevard/The Strip Las Vegas, NV, USA Click here for more Boulevard listings. PPS announces its new Great Cities Initiative, which applies the principles of Placemaking to entire cities. MORE

Shorebirds, like the imperiled red knot , stop by Delaware Bay on their way from Argentina to the Arctic. They must also be older (8-10 years) than males (5-7 years) to reach sexual maturity. Horseshoe crabs spawning in Mispillion Harbor, Delaware. Photo by Gregory Breese/USFWS. What is the Horseshoe Crab Survey? Looking for a citizen science project that takes you on a beach vacation? Want to help a creature that was around long before the dinosaurs and still lives with us today? MORE