Forgive me for a momentary lapse from relatively straightforward bird-blogging.  My St. Louis Cardinals, the storied National League franchise, have won their 18th National League pennant in convincing fashion.  It wasn’t easy for the Redbirds to get to this spot though – the Cardinals season has had more ups and downs than an American Goldfinch [...]

Since New Zealand is currently consumed by rugby fever and we haven’t the time to indulge in anything so tedious as birdwatching, I thought I’d dive back under the sea to introduce one of New Zealand’s most iconic aquatic organisms, the Australasian Snapper (Pagrus auratus). The species is fairly widespread in the Western Pacific, ranging from New [...]

The intersection of avians and professional athletics in America can be fascinating, especially when looked at through the right lens. Nick Lund, who blogged first at birdDC and then the interview-driven Birdist, has always offered an engaging, if not slightly askew view of teams and their bird logos. This is Nick’s second 10,000 Birds guest [...]

The hours are ticking down to Super Bowl XLIII, a hotly anticipated contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. As an avid American football fan, I observe Super Bowl Sunday as religiously as anyone. Plus, every once in a while, my attentiveness to avian athletic mascots comes in handy.  That’s why, without actually evaluating [...]

We’ve never been this close to having an official National Football League Bird Bowl, meaning a Super Bowl played between two teams named for birds. With three of the four teams battling it out in the playoffs this weekend, we’ll never have a more auspicious opportunity for the following post by Nick Lund. I’ve been [...]

In all of North America, only one avian species serves as both the beloved mascot of seven states as well as the totem to two professional sports teams (and an infinity of amateur ones!) Ironically, this feathered figurehead is neither a bird of prey nor particular distinguished athletically. Rather, this icon is extremely adaptable and [...]

Friday night my parents, Daisy and I enjoyed a baseball game at Shea Stadium, just up the road from my apartment.  The St. Louis Cardinals, the team with the best fans in baseball (and the fact that my father and I are die-hard Cardinals fans does not prejudice me at all), were in town for [...]

Folks unfamiliar with Detroit’s NHL team can be forgiven for thinking that the organization is named for the Red-winged Blackbird. After all, Agelaius phoeniceus is ubiquitous throughout most of North America, absolutely beautiful with males plumed in pitch black set off by epaulets of striking scarlet, and last but not least, belligerent, as anyone who’s [...]

So my beloved Mets aren’t going to take it all this year after all. As they say, there’s always next year. This time, they were undone by a team named for a bright red bird. The St. Louis Cardinals are a potent team to be sure. However, when it comes to the World Series, statistics [...]

How about those Seahawks? Though I’m a serious New York Giants fan, Seattle’s NFC Championship makes me pretty happy. Why, you ask? Besides the fact that Big Blue just wasn’t ready this year so it didn’t matter who took the conference, I’m very pleased that a football team with an obscure avian appellation is competing [...]

Every year, hope springs eternal that Seattle’s NFL football team might finally make it deep into the playoffs, perchance even win a Super Bowl. I’ll share my incredibly accurate prediction regarding the team’s likelihood of clinching the championship below, but first let’s get down to the question that probably brought you here: “What kind of [...]

The 2004 World Series has come to an unexpectedly quick, definitive end. The most successful bird-named team in major league baseball history was beaten soundly by an organization named for scarlet footwear. How embarrassing! Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox and their legion of fans, long-suffering no longer. Those of you rooting for bird-themed professional [...]

…are very much on our minds these days now that the NFL and our fantasy football season are in full swing. Some of you may remember that our team, the Bling Bling, prevailed over all pretenders last season to claim the championship of the Big A League, where “A” stands for attitude.  We’re back and [...]

The intersection of ornithology and North American professional sports is nowhere more prominent than in the National Football League, where no fewer than five teams sport bird names. If you like Ravens, Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals, and, of course, Seahawks, the NFL is the place for you. The sport that comes closest to that level of [...]