Hybrid mosquitoes spread West Nile virus - Worst of Two Worlds
Science News - March 6, 2004, by B. Harder
Mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus in North America are a blend of two strains that remain essentially distinct in the Old World, researchers report. Interbreeding may explain why the insects often bite both birds and people in North America but generally only one or the other in Europe. We... (Read More)

First bird genome is decoded - Jungle Genes
Science News - March 6, 2004, by S. Milius
An international research team this week unveiled a draft of the first bird genome to be sequenced. It comes from a vintage chicken. The red junglefowl, native to Southeast Asia, belongs to the same species as the world's domesticated chicken flocks, explains Richard Wilson of Washington Univer... (Read More)

New foundland & Labrador: millions of birds. No zoom lens required - Special Advertising Section - Advertisement
Natural History - March 1, 2004
Gannets, murres, kittiwakes. Storm-petrels, ospreys, gulls. Razorbills, ravens and "foxy toms." More than 350 species of birds. Newfoundland and Labrador is the seabird capital of North America. Quite likely the best place in the world to view them up close in their natural habitat. Very close. M... (Read More)

The backyard photographer: you don't have to go to Europe, Africa or Asia for excellent photo opportunities. Just look in your own backyard!
PSA Journal - March 1, 2004, by Don Unwin
My home office door opens out onto the patio where, several years ago, I set up a bird feeder. It wasn't long before the birds appeared. A friend suggested I put out suet to attract Woodpeckers. I did. And, before long, my suet feeder was regularly visited by several Downy Woodpeckers. I found a ... (Read More)

Better living through chemistry: an entomologist recounts a lifetime of adventures exploring the secret defenses of bugs - Book Review
Natural History - March 1, 2004, by Robert L. Smith
For Love of Insects by Thomas Eisner Harvard University Press, 2003; $29.95 If you were starting out in science any time after the mid-twentieth century, the typical formula for career success was to identify a narrow research topic and then stick to it for your life's work. In biology your foc... (Read More)

What do turkey hunters really want? These customers want to spend money in your shop. Why aren't they?
Shooting Industry - March 1, 2004, by Karl Lee
It's turkey-hunting time! More than 2 1/2 million turkey hunters are about take to the woods. In some states they're already hunting. This is a significant market for the shooting industry and should be a major profit center for gun dealers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mos... (Read More)

Usda Begins Field Trial For Geese
Grounds Maintenance - March 1, 2004
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's National Wildlife Research Center announced that it will begin field trials of a new product designed to humanely reduce resident Canada goose populations in the northwest United States. The new technology, produc... (Read More)

Bird Flu in Asia: Control Campaigns Need to Continue; Around 100 million birds died or culled - International Emergency Meeting in Bangkok
PR Newswire - February 25, 2004
WASHINGTON, and ROME, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Outbreaks of avian influenza are still occurring in some Asian countries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, stressing the need for continued control campaigns. Countries affected by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus are Camb... (Read More)