The southern emu-wren, one of Australia’s smallest birds, weighs just seven grams, about as much as two teaspoons of water. More tail than bird, its six upright tail feathers make up more than half its length and the males have a distinctive sky-blue patch of feathers on their upper chest and throat. But conservationists say […]
Tag: birds
Why Birds Really Sing So Loudly in the Morning
Anyone who’s ever been jolted awake by a chorus of chirping knows birds are busiest at dawn. But why they choose that early hour to be so noisy has puzzled scientists for decades. A popular theory claimed that birds sing more at dawn because their songs travel better in the still, humid morning air. Turns […]
Man smuggling exotic protected birds in cardboard box is detained in CA, feds say
A California man arrived to the U.S. from Mexico with a commercial amount of alcohol, candy, snacks and soda in his car — as well as seven exotic, protected birds inside a cardboard SKYY vodka box, according to court documents. Juandaniel Medina, 24, of Lindsay, planned on breeding or reselling the live Amazon parrots he […]
Petition: New York Must Save Birds From Deadly Glass Buildings – Act Now
Every year, millions of migratory birds are killed in cities across North America, with New York City being one of the deadliest due to its glass skyscrapers, which cause countless bird collisions, particularly during migration seasons. However, there is hope: after thousands of bird deaths, Chicago’s McCormick Place finally implemented bird-friendly glass treatments – reducing […]
Designers Unveil Bird Feeders Designed to Help Prevent Disease
UK design studio Foster + Partners Industrial Design has introduced a sleek new bird feeder that could make backyard birdwatching safer for birds everywhere. Unveiled at Milan Design Week, the Ori bird feeder was created to reduce disease transmission, which can happen when birds share contaminated feeders. According to a Dezeen article by Tom Ravenscroft, […]
State of Birds Report Shows Shorebird Numbers Are Still Declining
Migratory shorebirds travel thousands of miles between wintering and breeding grounds. For years, scientists, ornithologists, and ordinary birders have been concerned about habitat loss along established flyways. Analysis of shorebird migration data reveals negative population trends for the vast majority of the species studied, with many species having lost significant portions of their populations. The […]
Cavity-Nesting Birds Use Shed Snake Skin in Nest Construction to Deter Predators
Many species of birds use shed snake skin in nest construction, but this behavior is poorly understood. In new research, ornithologists at Cornell University used comparative and experimental approaches to suggest that the evolution of this behavior is mediated by nest morphology and predator communities. They used a series of experiments and comparisons to test […]
New study reveals why some birds are all about that bass
Birds produce an impressive variety of songs and calls, but the biological and ecological factors that influence the pitch, or frequencies, that birds create hasn’t been well understood — until now. Previous studies haven’t come to a consensus likely because they were small in scope, focusing on an individual species or a specific range. But […]