The Trump administration moved on Friday to weaken protections for migratory birds threatened by industrial activities, including oil and gas operations. Acting Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Gregory Zerzan restored an opinion from the first Trump administration that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) “does not apply to the accidental or […]
Tag: Hummingbirds
Hummingbird Chicks Observed for the First Time Pretending to be Caterpillars to Avoid Being Eaten
When Jay Falk and Scott Taylor first saw the white-necked Jacobin hummingbird chick in Panama’s dense rainforest, the bird biologists didn’t know what they were looking at. The day-old bird, smaller than a pinky finger, had brown fuzz all over its body. When Falk and Taylor walked closer to the nest, the chick began twitching […]
Hummingbirds Live an Extreme Lifestyle Thriving on All-Sugar Diet That Would Put Us in a Coma
Everyone loves to watch hummingbirds—tiny, brightly colored blurs that dart about, hovering at flowers and pugnaciously defending their ownership of a feeder. But to the scientists who study them, hummingbirds offer much more than an entertaining spectacle. Their small size and blazing metabolism mean they live life on a knife-edge, sometimes needing to shut down […]
These ‘Lost’ Bird Species Haven’t Been Seen in at Least a Decade – and Scientists Want Help Finding Them
Nearly 12,000 species of birds exist in the wild, and every day, humans document their sightings of the animals. But a handful of avian species haven’t been spotted in years—or, in some cases, in more than a century. Now, scientists have compiled an up-to-date list of “lost” birds—and they’re asking members of the public to […]
Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Home with Sustainable Energy Choices
Creating a wildlife-friendly home with sustainable energy fosters biodiversity and reduces environmental impact. By integrating native plants, adopting eco-friendly practices, and using renewable energy, homeowners can help preserve local ecosystems while enhancing their living spaces. Why Build a Wildlife-Friendly Home? Building a wildlife-friendly home offers numerous benefits that span ecological, economic, and social aspects. Support […]
Acute sense of touch helps hummingbirds hover near a flower without bumping into it, study shows
Hummingbirds seem like a marvel of nature and engineering: a living creature that can hover near a flower with surgical precision. How do they do this? Though hummingbirds‘ flight mechanics have been well studied, far less is known about how their sense of touch helps these tiny, energetic birds sip nectar from a flower without […]
Read This Adorable Story of Hummingbird Rescue
After becoming stuck in a police station overnight, a tiny hummingbird was so weak that they could no longer fly. Since hummingbirds have extremely high metabolisms, they need to eat frequently to maintain their strength. Unable to fly, the weak hummingbird perched themself on a desk. When the workers arrived the next morning, they discovered […]
Jamaican Hummingbirds
Jamaican Hummingbirds are quite dazzling. A year ago today, while visiting Jamaica, I was blessed to have a visit from a stunning maleRed-billed Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus.) Early mornings, I stoodon my balcony waiting for them to come sip from the bright hibiscus blossoms covering a large bush just below my railing. During my walks to […]