Birds, belonging to the class Aves, are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates characterized by feathers, beaks, and a high metabolic rate. They are found worldwide, ranging from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and inhabit diverse environments, from forests and deserts to oceans and urban areas. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs and many species exhibit complex behaviors such as migration, social communication, and intricate mating rituals. With over 10,000 known species, birds vary significantly in size, color, and form, from the tiny hummingbird to the large ostrich. They play crucial ecological roles, including pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control, and have significant cultural and economic importance to humans.
Research on herring gull chicks in Cornwall indicates that even when raised on urban diets, they prefer fish, suggesting innate dietary preferences persist despite urban…
Mountain chickadees demonstrate remarkable spatial memory for surviving winters by recalling numerous food cache locations, with new research uncovering the genetic basis of this trait…
Researchers developed TetrapodTraits, a comprehensive database featuring over 33,000 tetrapod species, aimed at enhancing global biodiversity studies. This tool addresses knowledge gaps and data inconsistencies…
Researchers from Roskilde University in Denmark have developed a universal equation that can effectively predict the frequency of wingbeats and fin strokes made by birds,…
Research conducted by Spanish scientists reveals that the interactions between Bonelli’s eagles and their primary rivals, golden eagles, were transformed by the actions of European…
A new study has discovered that mergansers arrived in New Zealand from the Northern Hemisphere over seven million years ago, highlighting a more cosmopolitan origin…
A study has found that jays can remember incidental details, which is similar to episodic memory in humans. According to a study recently published in…
Researchers at the University of New Mexico have documented the extreme migration of giant hummingbirds, uncovering their journey over 13,000 feet to the high Andes…
NYC wild birds carry H5N1 avian influenza, as revealed by a study involving local students. The research highlights urban zoonotic risks and the role of…
Researchers at UNM identified a new species of giant hummingbird that migrates between Chile and Peru, revealing its migration routes and genetic distinctiveness through innovative…
A new genetic study suggests that the protein cryptochrome 4 in bird eyes is key to their magnetic navigation abilities, with evolutionary changes highlighting its…
These findings could be useful in the fields of transportation and energy. As you gaze into the sky in the early weeks of spring, you…
A global team of researchers has constructed the most comprehensive and extensive bird family tree to date, detailing the evolutionary connections among 363 bird species…
An enormous meteor spelled doom for most dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But not all. In the aftermath of the extinction event, birds — technically…
The most extensive genomic study to date has unveiled how the birds spread all over the world after mass extinction. Birds represent the sole surviving…
No birds alive today have teeth. But that wasn’t always the case– many early fossil birds had beaks full of sharp, tiny teeth. In a…
Retrotransposons can insert new genes into a “safe harbor” in the genome, complementing CRISPR gene editing. The recent greenlighting of a CRISPR-Cas9 treatment for sickle…
Birds can fly— at least, most of them can. Flightless birds, such as penguins and ostriches, have adapted to life without the need for flight….