In 1970, there were approximately 10 billion birds in North America. Now, there are around 7 billion, representing a loss of over a quarter of the continent’s birds. Of the 3 billion birds lost, 90% come from just 12 families, all various types of songbirds: a broad suborder of perching birds including everything from painted […]
Tag: songbirds
Grow These Beautiful Plants In Your Yard And Watch The Songbird Magic Happen
Your landscape can bring all the birdies to the yard if you have the right plants. By providing songbirds with sustenance, you can attract them to your space for some backyard birding — a pastime we love because it doesn’t require travel, special equipment, or extra time. You get to enjoy the magic of these […]
Cryptic New Bird Species Identified in Panama
In new research, ornithologists from Drexel University, the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture conducted a taxonomic revision of the Catharus fuscater complex, a group of songbirds with a broad montane distribution in Central and South America. They split Catharus fuscater into seven different species — including […]
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 […]
Songbird study shows one-hit wonder must change his tune to attract a mate
Male birds that are able to precisely repeat song notes stand the best chance of attracting a female mate, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. However, the males need to ensure they have a selection of different songs in their repertoire if they are to hold a female’s attention and prevent her […]
Bright, unique colors can put tropical songbirds at greater risk
Azure, cyan and chartreuse green — these feather colors dazzle birdwatchers and motivate conservationists to protect songbirds. But those hues also make other people want to own them. Extinction and the international pet trade are more likely to threaten songbirds if they’re uniquely colored, according to a recent study published in Current Biology. “We knew […]
Study: Woodpecker Drumming is Neurologically Similar to Songbird Vocalization
A team of scientists from the United States and Denmark has found specialized pecking-related regions in the woodpecker forebrain that show characteristics that until now have only been associated with vocal learning in animals and language in humans; instead of being related to vocalization, activity in these brain regions is related to the characteristic tree […]
Winter feeding gamebirds can boost nesting numbers of songbirds the following spring
The scientific data does not support Mark Glover’s assertion that the release of gamebirds results in “environmental devastation” (Slaughter of UK-imported gamebirds carries a hefty price, 22 July). In support of his argument that the release of pheasants is causing an increase in the fox population, he cites Stephen Harris’ paper for the Labour Animal […]