Pacific Parrotlet Breeds & Antpittas
Songbird ReMix Parrotlets of the World was my first release of 2026. Some SBRM were disappointed I didn't do any of the pet shop breeds of Parrotlets so I create an add-on set with 8 of the most popular Pacific Parrotlet breeds. Those include the American Yellow, Green, American Yellow Fallow, Blue, American White, American Turquoise, Dark Factor and Pied in male and female forms.
The other new set I'll have at the end of February are Antpiitas. Antpittas are found in the family, Grallariidae, which is a family of smallish suboscine passerine birds of subtropical and tropical Central and South America. These are forest birds that tend to feed at or near the ground. Many are specialist ant followers. Their long, powerful legs (which lend the birds a distinctive upright posture) and an essentially vestigial tail aid this behavior.
I've included 13 different Antpitta species which include many of the most common and spectacular antpittas. From the flashy Black-crowned Antpitta to the common Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, this set perfect for jungle and subtropical renders, or simply to help in ant clean-up. As with all Songbird ReMix sets, it includes a large arsenal of morphs and poses to achieve life-like bird behavior. The set comes in both Poser and DAZ Studio versions and supports Firefly, Superfly and Iray render engines.
Real Birds: Mass Firings at Fish and Wildlife Service Hurting Endangered Species Across U.S.
by Center for Biological Diversity (biologicaldiversity.org)
The Center for Biological Diversity filed Freedom of Information requests late Tuesday with every region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The filings aim to get a fuller picture of how mass firings, a hiring freeze and contract cancellations are damaging work to manage national wildlife refuges and save endangered species like the spotted owl.
“Musk is squandering America’s natural heritage by dismantling the Fish and Wildlife Service’s ability to save endangered animals like spotted owls and Florida manatees,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. “We’re filing these requests to document every single endangered species and national wildlife refuge that’s put at risk by the Musk team’s cruel and destructive actions.”
The dangerous effects on endangered species of mass firings by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are coming into focus. The Center learned last week from a scientist that surveys for northern spotted owls will not occur this year because of the hiring freeze. These surveys are critical to ensuring these cherished owls don’t go extinct.
News reports have also started to reveal the harms caused by firing national wildlife refuges employees critical to beloved endangered species. These include the loss of two staff members at the Crystal National Wildlife Refuge, which is hampering efforts to help the beloved Florida manatee, and the loss of five staff members at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge on HawaiĘ»i, which has jeopardized critical work to cultivate endangered native plants and remove invasive species for the benefit of some of the Big Island’s critically endangered honeycreepers.
“Scientists warn that we’re in an extinction crisis, and we ignore that at our own peril,” said Greenwald. “As America’s wildlife dwindles, Elon Musk is swinging his wrecking ball at the skilled and dedicated people fighting to save our plants and animals from extinction. It’s beyond idiotic.”
Contact: Noah Greenwald, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org
