The hyacinth is the largest of all macaws. • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the status of 12 parrot species, of which many or all may be considered endangered because of rapid declines in population resulting from the pet trade. Under review, according to The (Portland) Oregonian: the blue-headed, great green, hyacinth, military and scarlet macaw; the greycheeked parakeet; the white, Philippine and yellowcrested cockatoo; and the crimson shining, redcrowned and yellow-billed parrot.

• Six dogs died running the 2009 Iditarod, more than double the average for the 1,150-mile race. According to Scientific American, there is criticism of the popular event, with some questioning if the risk to man and dog is worth it, while others express concern over the possibility of performance-enhancing drugs being used on the canine athletes. In response to the criticism, race officials require mushers to carry sick or injured dogs to the next checkpoint, and all racers must finish with at least six healthy canines. A plane follows the teams and randomly tests canine urine for drugs, while volunteer veterinarians supervise the race.

• Dogs are being trained to sniff out minute levels of problem foods for their allergic owners, a skill that can potentially save lives. According to Reader’s Digest, the dogs even sniff the hands of others to determine if they have problem foods on them and need a hand-washing before interactions are safe for highly allergic people.

• The city of Santa Monica, Calif., will spend $100,000 to flush out pigeons and their droppings from the water system. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city hired Bird Busters to install netting under the Santa Monica Pier to reduce the number of pigeons and the bacterial pollution caused by their droppings. Whatever the efforts, there are doubts that anything will keep pigeons away, as the pier’s structure will remain very inviting to the birds that many think of as “winged rats.” — Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon