What’s the difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded? The animal kingdom can be split based on how body temperature is controlled (thermoregulation): ‘cold-blooded’ ectotherms use external sources of heat, such as solar energy, whereas ‘warm-blooded’ endotherms generate internal heat via metabolism. But while this difference helps define features and behaviour, some species show that the distinction […]
Tag: birds
It’s one of the world’s most intelligent birds – whose curiosity – & taste for meat – led the New Zealand government to encourage their mass killing
As some of the world’s most intelligent birds, kea are extremely inquisitive, appear to enjoy problem-solving and engage in playful activities, seemingly for fun – qualities that endear them to us yet bring them into conflict. Endemic to New Zealand’s South Island, kea have evolved over millennia to survive harsh alpine conditions. They became omnivores, […]
“Its venom disrupts the blood-clotting system, causing haemorrhage and kidney failure. Without prompt treatment bites can be fatal…”
This little desert hunter may not look especially imposing, but its bite can be deadly, and in India it is one of the “Big Four” snakes thought to be jointly responsible for around 58,000 mortalities per year. Those that encounter the saw-scaled viper would do well to heed the rasping warning sound it emits before […]
Say no to pesticides, mix up your lawn – and six more ways to help bees to thrive
We know about honeybees and bumblebees, but most of the UK’s bees are neither: they’re solitary bees, loners who come in a dizzying range of sizes, colours and varieties – more than 240 species. Have you heard, for instance, of the hairy-footed flower bee? “They’re one of the first bees to emerge each year,” says Laura […]
Forget gender wars! These bizarre birds have had equality sorted for some 44 million years – watch them in action
The strange-looking Picathartes have lived in the Congo for 44 million years. Bald-headed birds that mate for life and breed in the rainy season, they build their nests out of mud on the underside of overhanging rocks on a cliff or cave roof to stay dry. This has also earned them the alternative name of rockfowls. The ground-loving birds have intriguing ways of […]
Birds Feast on Sunflower Seeds in Perfect Autumnal Scene Captured From Kitchen Window
Stunning pictures from England show hungry birds feasting on sunflower seeds in a gorgeous autumn scene. Photographer Andrew Fusek Peters captured the magical moment from his kitchen in Shropshire, as the birds dove into the seeds to release them from fading sunflowers. “It’s basic botanical biology happening before our eyes,” he mused in an interview […]
Giant Bats Eat Birds Mid-Air, and the Process Is Pretty Gruesome
Biologists knew that some bats ate birds because they found feathers and bones in bat poop. But no one had actually seen how bats did it. They just assumed that it would’ve been a sight to behold since you’d be watching bats take down bigger, faster, meaner prey. Ars Technica reports that Elena Tena, a […]
Feds investigating after 50 birds are run over in Florida – and only one survived: ‘Disturbing and deliberate act’
Officials in Florida are investigating an incident involving a driver who allegedly plowed into a group of nearly 50 birds, leaving only one alive. The Wild Florida Rescue was alerted to the situation in Cape Canaveral on Friday and dispatched a volunteer to assist at the scene, according to FOX 35 Orlando. Workers were met […]