The BBC has a video by Sir David Attenborough and BBC filmmakers about Cuckoo Ducks who their eggs in the nests of Brown-hooded Gulls. The baby ducks never see their real parents and amazingly leave the nest after one day and survive on their own. See the video at BBC – Earth – Ducks raised by seagulls.
EPA Analysis: 97 Percent of Endangered Species Threatened by Two Common Pesticides
WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency today released its first rigorous nationwide analysis of the effects of pesticides on endangered species, finding that 97 percent of the more than 1,800 animals and plants protected under the Endangered Species Act are likely to be harmed by malathion and chlorpyrifos, two commonly used pesticides. Another 78 percent are likely to be hurt by the pesticide diazinon. The results released today are the final biological evaluations the EPA completed as part of its examination of the impacts of these pesticides on endangered species.
“We’re now getting a much more complete picture of the risks that pesticides pose to wildlife at the brink of extinction, including birds, frogs, fish and plants,” said Nathan Donley, senior scientist at the Center. “The next step will hopefully be some commonsense measures to help protect them along with our water supplies and public health.”
Natural History Wanderings 