Discoveries about birds, behaviors, migration, and more. Plus, Eldon Greij’s popular column, “Amazing Birds.”
A flock of Whooping Cranes at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Kansas. Photo by William T. Smith/Shutterstock
This is the story of three bird species and how they interact. The Brown-headed Cowbird plays the role of outlaw: It lays its eggs in … Read More “Yellow Warblers’ special cowbird alarm alerts blackbirds”
Scientists have found the world’s oldest modern bird, a kind of ‘mash-up’ of a chicken and a duck. Read More “Newly discovered fossil, the ‘Wonderchicken,’ reveals the dawn of modern birds”
Birds use a wide array of tools, including hooks, bait, drop zones, and fire. Read More “Various ways that birds around the world use tools”
The findings mark a quantum leap in bird discoveries. Read More “Researchers discover 10 new bird taxa in little-explored Asian islands”
A study in northern Minnesota found that bluebirds that were fed mealworms had higher overall survival and less blood loss to parasites than birds that were not fed. Read More “Feeding bluebirds helps their chicks fend off parasites”
A study published today in the journal Evolution explains why hummingbird feathers are so iridescent; that is, why they shimmer in the light and shift … Read More “New research: Why hummingbirds’ feathers shimmer”
83 percent of the more than 15,000 debris items found were made of plastic. Read More “Bottle caps and balloons pile up on remote beaches”
Spring migrants were likely to pass certain stops earlier now than they would have 20 years ago, researchers found. Read More “Study: Climate change affects bird migration across North America”
Forty years of data show that migratory birds have been getting smaller. Read More “Study: Birds are shrinking as the climate warms”
