EurekAlert – Knowledge may help fine-tune conservation messages – “Cross-referencing a decade of Google searches and citizen science observations, researchers have determined which of 621 North American bird species are currently the most popular and which characteristics of species drive human interest. Study findings have just been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Google Trends data describe how often people search for birds and provide a snapshot of public interest in different species,” says researcher Justin Schuetz, Cornell alum and lead author of the study. “In general, large birds, such as hawks and grouse drew more attention than small birds. People also expressed more interest in birds that visit feeders, are endangered, or have been chosen as sports team mascots. In addition, we found that owls–more than any other group of birds–were the subject of public curiosity.”… [h/t Pete Weiss]