Birds with brightly-coloured feathers under their wings may have developed them to avoid mid-air collisions, experts believe. Researchers compared the underwing colours of 1,780 species and found that larger birds, as well as those that flocked together in big colonies, were most likely to have colourful, contrasting feathers. The researchers think this is because larger […]
Tag: birds
Florida team hauls in 18-foot, 215-pound Burmese python
A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. The female python weighed in at 215 pounds (98 kilograms), was nearly 18 feet long (5 meters) and had 122 developing eggs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a news release. The team used radio transmitters transplanted […]
Expect aggressive wildlife behavior this time of year from mothers defending their young
RBC | Many birds and mammals give birth this time of the year. Now through the end of June, newborn wildlife will be found across the landscape and it is important that when they are observed, that people do so from a distance and never try to interact with them. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials […]
Sren Solkaer was ten years old when he saw his first starling murmuration with over 100,000 birds
On the west coast of Denmark, Sren Solkaer was ten years old when he saw his first starling murmuration: over 100,000 birds producing movies in the sky as they were being corralled by a falcon. It would be over 40 years before the photographer, who is best known for personal, often whimsical pictures of artists […]
Rapid Global Warming is Driving Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbills to Local Extinction
Global heating is exacerbating the harsh conditions associated with arid environments by elevating average air temperatures and increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and drought. Possible consequences for animals inhabiting arid regions include increased frequency of mass mortality events and disastrous reproductive failures. However, heatwaves, especially in association with droughts, may also have insidious […]
Planting Trees and Shrubs Will Help Bring Woodland Birds Back to Farms, Study Finds
Oftentimes, where there are trees, there are birds, whether the landscape is woodland, forest, an urban park or rural farmland. In Australia, farmland is being revegetated to attract woodland bird species, a team of researchers wrote in The Conversation. Trees bordering paddocks are being planted, and stands of trees and shrubs that run beside creeks […]
‘Canaries in the coalmine’: loss of birds signals changing planet
The world’s birds, described as the planet’s “canaries in the coalmine”, are disappearing in large numbers as the colossal impact of humanity on the Earth grows, a global review has found. There are about 11,000 species of bird spanning the globe, but the populations of half of them are falling, while just 6% are increasing. […]
Birds, bats, bees and butterflies are essential for pollination in your garden
Pollinators include birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and a variety of other insects. Interestingly, honey bees are particularly recognized for their pollination skills. We’d be in a lot of trouble if they didn’t exist. Pollinators are involved in one out of every three bites of food humans consume, and they are critical to the ecosystem’s balance. […]