http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/

While it might seem a bit unrealistic to be able to depict the entire kingdom of animals in one website, the BBC does a great job of keeping it manageable. Each of the major sections -- Birds, Mammals, UK Wildlife, Sea Life, Wildfacts, Conservation, More Articles, Pets, and Children's Zone -- offer all sorts of information on the animals of the world. Included are quizzes, articles, video clips, and more. Also of note is a comprehensive look at David Attenborough's series on the Life of Mammals. Included here is a video introduction by Attenborough himself. While packed full of information, this site would serve teachers and students of upper level zoology and biology well as a source for detailed information about the animals of the world. [JPM]

http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/getting_started/getstart_index.html

We're oftentimes overwhelmed with the idea that the natural environment is in a state of seemingly unstoppable decline. One of the greatest causes is destruction of natural habitat. And, loss of nesting spaces for birds is a prime example of a major consequence. This site leads the visitor to a very simple solution that allows one to act locally while thinking globally. The Birdhouse Network website from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers all sorts of good information on bird houses, including construction plans to where to put the house(s) once finished. A great resource on the site for those of us who are backyard birders is the Bird Bios section. This area gives short snippets on common backyard birds like the Black-capped Chickadee to the House Sparrow. If you build it, they will come! [JPM]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/flightschool/

Flight School is a PBS NATURE companion website for a video production about the amazing recovery of the Whooping Crane. The site includes an interview with Operation Migration's Joseph Duff, information about bird flyways, imprinting, and more. The website links to a downloadable Teacher's Guide, a list of relevant links and books, and desktop images. A short video clip of the whooping cranes in flight is provided as well. [NL]

http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/animals.html

This fascinating and quirky website was developed by Georgetown University Linguistics Professor Catherine N. Ball, to present the ways that animal sounds are expressed in different languages. The study includes an extensive group of animals such as bees, donkeys, geckos, hyenas, wolves, and many more. Animal sounds are provided for numerous languages including Albanian, Japanese, Italian, and Hindi, just to name a few. The site invites contributions from around the world, and provides a list of related links as well. [NL]

http://athome.harvard.edu/dh/wilson.html

Hosted by Harvard@Home, and part of Harvard University's Science Center Research Lecture Series, this website presents an hour-long lecture by the prominent entomologist, Professor E.O. Wilson. In his intriguing lecture titled, On the Relation of Science and the Humanities, Professor Wilson discusses the link between genetic evolution and cultural evolution. In addition to the lecture, the site provides a glossary, background information, and a brief biography of Dr. Wilson. Note: Although the video footage is a bit choppy, the audio transmission is clear and relays the lecture content nicely. [NL]

http://www.explore.cornell.edu/scene.cfm?scene=home%20gardening

A leader in agricultural research, Cornell University offers this artful website on home gardening to provide site visitors with information on a variety of issues regarding community and home horticulture. The three main categories in the site are Flowers, Vegetables, and Lawn Care. The Flower section includes growing guides, and information on designing a flower garden. The Vegetable section includes a virtual visit to the family garden of a Cornell University horticulturalist, and access to the Cornell vegetable database for guidance on planting and growing vegetables. The Lawn section includes informational slideshows and videos, and a Lawn Care Calendar. The site provides links to numerous fact sheets for all three sections, as well as a list of related sites. [NL]

http://www.cnps.org/index.htm

This website presents the California Native Plant Society, a national leader in biological diversity conservation science and advocacy. Established in 1965, the CNPS "is a statewide non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals with a common interest in California's native plants." The site provides a variety of information and resources useful to botanists and native plant enthusiasts alike. One notable feature is the site's Photo Gallery which contains many beautiful annotated photos from different parts of California. The site links to the Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants presenting "the most recent Inventory data from CNPS, plus thumbnail illustrations, maps, a variety of search tools, and links to additional information." The site also links to information about the Native Plant Conservation Campaign, the Manual of California Vegetation (reported on in the Scout Report for Science & Engineering on December 9, 1998), and to online discussion opportunities. [NL]