Arctic nightlife: Seabird colony bursts with sound at night
Acoustic recordings of a colony of little auks reveal their nocturnal activities and offer valuable monitoring means for avian biology in the Arctic.
View ArticleWild bird gestures 'after you'
A small-bird species, the Japanese tit (Parus minor), uses wing movements as a gesture to convey the message 'after you,' according to new research. When a mating pair arrives at their nest box with...
View ArticleNorth American cities may see a major species turnover by the end of the century
Climate change may dramatically affect the animal species observed in North American cities, according to a new study.
View ArticleLyrebird synchronizes elements of its mating dance
To woo a mate, the Albert's Lyrebird of Australia becomes a real song-and-dance bird. Each male first chooses a stage of entangled vines, then in performance he shakes the vines as part of his...
View ArticleSmall birds spice up the already diverse diet of spotted hyenas in Namibia
Hyenas are generalist predators (and scavengers) with a broad range of prey species. They are known for hunting (or scavenging) larger mammals such as antelopes and occasionally feed on smaller mammals...
View ArticleMachine learning provides a new picture of the great gray owl
Researchers upend the notion that the iconic great gray owl -- known as the phantom of the North -- lives far from cities, towns and other markers of human density.
View ArticleComputational tools fuel reconstruction of new and improved bird family tree
Using cutting-edge computational methods and supercomputing infrastructure, researchers have built the largest and most detailed bird family tree to date -- an intricate chart delineating 93 million...
View ArticleWe've had bird evolution all wrong
Genomic anamolies dating back to the time of the dinosaurs misled scientists about the evolutionary history of birds.
View ArticleWhen did the chicken cross the road? New evidence from Central Asia
An international team of scholars present the earliest clear archaeological and biomolecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 archaeological sites...
View ArticleMore social birds are more adventurous feeders
A new study has found that birds that are more social are more likely to use novel sources of food.
View ArticleFour in five bird species cannot tolerate intense human pressures
In a recent study, researchers found that 78% of the world's bird species do not thrive in the most modified human-dominated environments. These species are also most likely to have declining populations.
View ArticleDinosaur study challenges Bergmann's rule
A new study calls into question Bergmann's rule, an 1800s-era scientific principle stating that animals in high-latitude, cooler climates tend to be larger than close relatives living in warmer climates.
View ArticleBirdfeeders are designed to keep unwanted guests away
The first birdfeeders were made in the 19th century, and their design rapidly evolved during the 20th century. Researchers at the consider the evolution of the birdfeeder to be an example of...
View ArticleNew computer vision tool wins prize for social impact
A team of computer scientists working on two different problems -- how to quickly detect damaged buildings in crisis zones and how to accurately estimate the size of bird flocks -- recently announced...
View ArticleAfrica's iconic flamingos threatened by rising lake levels
It is one of the world's most spectacular sights -- huge flocks or 'flamboyances' of flamingos around East Africa's lakes -- as seen in the film Out of Africa or David Attenborough's A Perfect Planet....
View ArticleTropical forests can't recover naturally without fruit-eating birds
Natural forest regeneration is hailed as a cost-effective way to restore biodiversity and sequester carbon. However, the fragmentation of tropical forests has restricted the movement of large birds...
View ArticleStorks fly with a little help from their friends
All storks choose to migrate with conspecifics, but young storks rely more on social influences than adults do.
View ArticleMountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why
Mountain chickadees have among the best spatial memory in the animal kingdom. New research identifies the genes at play and offers insight into how a shifting climate may impact the evolution of this...
View Article'Itinerant breeding' in East Coast shorebird species
A study has found direct evidence of a species -- the American woodcock, a migratory shorebird from eastern and central North America -- that overlaps periods of migration and reproduction, a rare...
View ArticleStudy compares salmonella rates in backyard, commercial poultry farm samples
Researchers find less Salmonella on backyard poultry farms. But concerns remain about the prevalance of multidrug-resistant bacteria on both large and small farms.
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