Hubble Space Telescope Goes Galactic Birdwatching
This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7496, which lies over 24 million light-years away from Earth in…
Ornithology
For Female Yellowthroats, Beauty Isn’t Just Skin Deep
For female yellowthroats, there’s more than one way to spot a winning mate. For female common yellowthroats, beauty isn’t just skin – or features –…
Variations in Earth’s Magnetic Inclination Are “Stop Signs” for Migrating Songbird
Informing how birds know when and where to stop migrating, researchers using nearly a century’s worth of data report that the Eurasian reed warbler –…
Magnetic Navigation: A Stop Sign for Songbirds During Migration
A new study published on January 27, 2022) in Science Magazine has shed light on how birds navigate back to their breeding site after flying…
Migratory Birds Have Lighter-Colored Feathers – Here’s the Evolutionary Explanation
Migratory birds are specially adapted to find their way over extreme distances that represent remarkable tests of endurance. Now, researchers reported on December 6, 2021,…
The Early Bird Gets…the Truffle? Birds Hunt for Fungi, Too
Humans like truffles, as do many mammals. Now new evidence suggests that birds may also seek out and disperse these ecologically important fungi. A study…
Birds Learn To Avoid Plants That Host Dangerous Insects
Young birds that eat insects with conspicuous warning coloration to advertise their toxicity to would-be predators quickly learn to avoid other prey that carry the…
Late Pleistocene Humans May Have Hatched and Raised “World’s Most Dangerous Bird” 18,000 Years Ago
As early as 18,000 years ago, humans in New Guinea may have collected cassowary eggs near maturity and then raised the birds to adulthood, according…
Scientists Studied Bird Poop and Found That When Birds Migrate, Their Gut Bacteria Change
The trillions of bacteria living in our guts play a crucial role in our ability to digest food and fight off disease. All other animals…
A Very Rare Discovery: 25-Million-Year-Old Ancient Eagle Ruled the Roost in Australia
63 bone fossil finding in desert is one of the “best preserved” eagles ever and a very rare discovery. A 25-million-year-old eagle fossil found in…
Solved: Charles Darwin’s Mysterious Short-Beak Enigma
Mutation in the ROR2 gene is linked to beak length in domestic pigeons, has a surprising connection with a human congenital disorder. Charles Darwin was…
Female Hummingbirds Look As Flashy as Males To Avoid Harassment
Much like in human society, female hummingbirds have taken it into their own hands to avoid harassment. By watching white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds in Panama, researchers…
Dodging Bullies: Female Hummingbirds Disguise Themselves As Males To Evade Harassment
New study finds females that who look like males get more food. New research on the glittering white-necked jacobin hummingbird reveals nearly 20% of the…
Vast Seabird Colony Creates “Halo” of Depleted Fish Stocks
A vast seabird colony on Ascension Island creates a “halo” in which fewer fish live, new research shows. Ascension, a UK Overseas Territory, is home…
Deforestation Threatens One of the World’s Largest Eagles
Harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) — which are among the world’s largest eagle species — struggle to feed offspring in heavily deforested areas of the Amazon,…
Don’t Worry, Research Suggests Birds Won’t Become Dependent on You Feeding Them
Oregon State University researchers have some good news for the well-meaning masses who place bird feeders in their yards: The small songbirds who visit the…
Quantum Birds: Breakthrough Discovery on Mechanism of Magnetic Sensing in Birds
Humans perceive the world around them with five senses — vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Many other animals are also able to sense the…
Smaller Bodies, Longer Wings, Earlier Migrations: Untangling the Multiple Impacts of Climate Warming on Birds
When a University of Michigan-led research team reported last year that North American migratory birds have been getting smaller over the past four decades and…
