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Americans ranked last in a worldwide survey of environmental practices: 

Americans were least likely to choose the greener option in three out of four categories — housing, transportation and consumer goods_ according to the assessment. In the fourth category, food, Americans ranked ahead of Japanese consumers, who eat more meat and seafood.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may ban the importation or sale of large exotic snakes such as pythons and boas. It has authority to do this under the Lacey Act.

"A completely oiled bird would likely sink immediately. We've recovered the ones that we could," said Steve Gaudet, a Syncrude staff member managing the recovery effort.

The company has said it normally has bird deterrents deployed on the three-kilometre-wide lake of waste from early spring until late fall. But the noisemakers and scarecrows were not in place because of the harsh winter weather last week, officials said.

The ducks involved were not identified to species in the article. A picture accompanying the article appears to be of an Anas sp. If anyone knows more about their identity, please leave a comment.

Maryland's Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign to persuade the state's homeowners to change how they use chemicals around their homes. Fertilizers contain nitrogen and phosphorus. When these wash into the watershed during rainstorms, they contribute to the Chesapeake Bay's summer dead zones.

When we think of animals with a good sense of smell, we typically think of the Class Mammalia. Dogs, for example, are well-known for their ability to pick up and follow scents over long distances. With the exception of some vultures, birds generally are not known for this ability. The conventional understanding is that birds have only a weak sense of smell.

1. If you own property, convert as much as you can to wildlife habitat, following the suggestions of Audubon at Home and the National Wildlife Federation. At the very least, do not use artificial fertilizers and pesticides or overwater your lawn. Runoff from these chemicals harms our bays and estuaries and has been a major cause of the Chesapeake Bay's decline.
   
2. Drink shade coffee instead mass-market coffee to preserve winter habitat for migratory birds. (See the informative Coffee and Conservation blog for more about this.)
3. Become politically active. Birder's World suggests contacting legislators about some current issues, including the destructive border wall. Get involved in local environmental issues as well.
   
4. Reduce electric power consumption. Much of our electricity comes from burning coal, the extraction of which destroys habitat.
5. Bird locally and use public transportation where possible.
6. Carry your purchases in reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

If you are looking for other options, see this sustainability primer or the newly revised 50 Simple Things.

About a month ago, NickL (the Birdist) interviewed me on the subject of extralimital birds. We speculated about the number of extralimital species that arrive in North America and how they arrive off-course. Last week an article shed more light on why birds get lost. Scientists in Europe studied the physical dimensions and migratory patterns of 38 species of songbirds. Their goal was to test two competing potential causes for vagrancy. Do extralimital birds have faulty navigational instincts or are they blown off-course by the weather?