The DRC has experienced unprecedented forest loss in 2024. Agriculture, mining, and charcoal production are driving this rapid decline. In a country with limited access to electricity and ongoing conflict, this process appears to be accelerating.

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/drc-...

In the Portrait Christoph Baumgartner, the artist Christoph Amberger has painted an interesting bird in the coat of arms on the left. Above the fleur-de-lis, we can undoubtedly see a parakeet, which seems to be of the genus Psittacula. An interesting choice for a European coat of arms from 1543

In this print from the Caprichos series, Goya depicts a parrot speaking before the clergy. It is noteworthy that the species selected by the author is a gray parrot, one of the most fluent speakers among all parrots, which is precisely what has led to this species to being threatened by trade

An interesting mix of species can be seen in this 1682 painting by
Melchior d'Hondecoeter, Bird Concert. Species found in Europe, where the artist came from, are depicted alongside others from Africa, South America, and even Papua New Guinea.

In this still life by an anonymous Italian painter from the XVII century, Still-Life with Birds, we can see around 40 different species of birds. Particularly striking are the owl with jesses and the basket of plucked birds!

Parrots and Fruit with Other Birds and a Squirrel from Tobias Stranover, painted between 1710-1724. We can see a Scarlet macaw and a Yellow-naped amazon among european passerines and a Red squirrel. Parrots were already traded across the Atlantic at that time.
#parrot #art

In the painting A Boy with a Flying Squirrel, from Henry Pelham in 1765, we can see a child who has what appears to be a Humboldt flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis) as a pet, even with a little chain to prevent it from escaping. An interesting example of wild-caught pets from the 18th century.

#EBDxPalestina #CSICxPalestina #FreePalestine

Bushmeat is still a common practice in many equatorial Africa countries, which may represent a conservation threat for several species. Leopard skin and a fresh monkey exposed on the road for sale in the surroundings of Monte Alen National Park, Guinea Ecuatorial.

Starting fieldwork in Guinea Ecuatorial 🇬🇶