Humans may be responsible for the extinction of nearly 1,500 species of birds, the majority of which have been wiped out since the end of the last ice age. Nearly all these extinctions are thought to have occurred due to a number of human-driven factors, ranging from hunting and eating the birds to habitat destruction […]
Tag: birds
Light Pollution is Drawing Migrating Birds to Cities, Placing Them in a Possible ‘Ecological Trap’
According to the Audubon Society, at least 4,000 bird species migrate every year. They typically do so to get to food in winter months and then to get back to their nesting habitat in the spring. The journey can be substantial, with the most extreme case involving the Arctic tern, which travels from pole-to-pole every […]
How a group in Ecuador protects 10% of the world’s bird species
In 1997, ornithologist Robert S. Ridgely discovered a previously undocumented bird species, the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi), in the tropical montane forests on the Amazonian slope of the Andes in southeastern Ecuador. This ground-dwelling bird was immediately recognized as critically endangered due to its very small range and the threats to its habitat, which led […]
Baby birds hatch with ability to mimic mom
Singing a gentle lullaby can help put a human baby to sleep but its usefulness in the low grassland swaying nests of Australian songbirds takes maternal ‘singing’ to even greater heights. Bird ecologists from around the world, including the University of Vienna and Flinders University, have shown an native wren mother’s signature call to her […]
France accused of flouting EU rules on trapping of wild birds
Bird protection campaigners have accused the French government of flouting European regulations after it rescinded a ban on traditional hunting. They accuse ministers of giving in to lobbying by powerful hunting groups to allow the trapping of thousands of birds as part of an “experimental study”. Most traditional trapping methods were banned in France in […]
At least 1,000 birds died from colliding with one Chicago building in one day
At least 1,000 birds died from colliding into a single building in Chicago on Thursday, 5 October, as they migrated south to their wintering grounds. Volunteers are still recovering bird carcasses within 1.5 miles of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, which is largely covered with glass. “It’s the tip of an […]
AI analyzes bird sightings to help conserve species
For the first time, big data and artificial intelligence are being used to model hidden patterns in nature—not just for one bird species, but for entire ecological communities across continents. The models follow the full annual life cycle of each species, from breeding to fall migration to nonbreeding grounds, and back north again during spring […]
Superior Vocal Learning in Birds Linked to Better Problem Solving and Bigger Brain Size
Originally introduced to North America in the 1800s, the European starling is a magnificent bird, tawny brown with white spots in winter, shining with iridescent purple and green feathers in summer. Not only are they dazzling, since starlings are also some of the most skilled vocal learners, with the ability to mimic the calls of […]