The week in bird news, December 20

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Hawaii has published rules allowing state and federal agencies to euthanize non-native Barn Owls and Cattle Egrets. [Hawaii News Now]

• A Great Blue Heron tangled in fishing line is rescued from the Los Angeles River and transported for care at International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles center. [KCET]

• Police officers in San Francisco find two decapitated Chukar Partridges likely killed in a ritual sacrifice. Animal sacrifice is illegal and can carry a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. [KTVU]

• A look at perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and their DDT-like effect on egg hatching. [Care2]

• Sonoma Birding, pioneer of the Christmas Bird Count for Kids, has all the info on NorCal CBC events for budding birders in the coming weeks. [Sonoma Birding]

• Also in CBC news: Some preliminary counts have shown a disappointing number of birds this season. [SF Gate]

• Amazon.com’s futuristic dream of drones delivering your goods may face a major hurdle: raptors. Hawks, eagles and other birds all have a track record of attacking offending small drones that breach their hunting ground airspace. [Slate]

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