How Do Birds Know When to Migrate?
Lengthening days set off a cascade of events in migratory birds that culminates in the birth of a clutch of chicks.....»»
Mockingbird song decoded
The North American mockingbird is famous for its ability to imitate the song of other birds. But it doesn't just mimic its kindred species, it actually composes its own songs based on other birds' melodies. An interdisciplinary research team has now.....»»
Polar vortex, winter heat may change bird populations
For birds and other wildlife, winter is a time of resource scarcity. Extreme winter weather events such as a polar vortex can push some species to the edge of survival. Yet winter tends to get short shrift in climate change research, according to UW-.....»»
New study suggests falcons have natural "eye makeup" to improve hunting ability
Dark 'eyeliner' feathers of peregrine falcons act as sun shields to improve the birds' hunting ability, a new scientific study suggests......»»
Trust among corvids
Siberian jays are group living birds within the corvid family that employ a wide repertoire of calls to warn each other of predators. Sporadically, however, birds use one of these calls to trick their neighboring conspecifics and gain access to their.....»»
Watch me move it, move it: Gliding structure in Mycoplasma revealed
Much of human invention and innovation has been the result of our discovery and replication of natural phenomena, from birds in flight to whales that dive deep into the ocean. For the first time, researchers have captured at the nanometer level the g.....»»
Cell mechanics research is making chemotherapy friendlier
Malignant tumor cells undergo mechanical deformation more easily than normal cells, allowing them to migrate throughout the body. The mechanical properties of prostate cancer cells treated with the most commonly used anti-cancer drugs have been inves.....»»
Australian alpine plants face bleak future from rapid climate change
Native Australian alpine plants may not be able to adapt or migrate quickly enough to survive rapid changes in climate change, a UNSW study has found......»»
For penguins, leading or following might be more about relationships
Many people know that penguins are social birds that live and raise their chicks together in big colonies......»»
From Apes To Birds, There Are 65 Animal Species That "Laugh"
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Among humans, laughter can signify a lot of different things, from intimacy to discomfort. Among animals, however, laughter usually communicates something along the lines of "this is playtime --.....»»
Different levels of conservation protection favor distinct communities
Habitats under different levels of protection host marked / contrasted different communities of plants, birds and fish, despite having similar numbers of species, according to a study publishing 19th May, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology......»»
Birds dealing with change: Mapping migration routes can lead to conservation areas
Tracking migratory birds that carry tiny satellite transmitters in featherlight 'backpacks," can teach us a lot about change in the environment. It may also point at possibilities to avoid loss of biodiversity. That is an important message in the Ph......»»
From Avocet to Zebra Finch: big data study finds more than 50 billion birds in the world
There are roughly 50 billion individual birds in the world, a new big data study by UNSW Sydney suggests—about six birds for every human on the planet......»»
From apes to birds, there are 65 animal species that “laugh”
Laughter is spread widely across mammals and occurs in birds, too. Enlarge / The stuff we call "laughter" from hyenas? It's not. (credit: Getty Images) Among humans, laughter can signify a lot of different things, from intimacy to discomfort......»»
Previously Unknown Letter Reveals Einstein"s Thinking On Bees, Birds and Physics
The 1949 letter by the physicist and Nobel laureate discusses bees, birds and whether new physics principles could come from studying animal senses. Phys.Org reports: The previously unpublished letter was shared with researchers by Judith Davys -- Ei.....»»
Urban traffic noise causes song learning deficits in birds
Traffic noise leads to inaccuracies and delays in the development of song learning in young birds. They also suffer from a suppressed immune system, which is an indicator of chronic stress. A new study by researchers of the Max Planck Institute for O.....»»
Previously unknown letter reveals Einstein"s thinking on bees, birds and physics
The 1949 letter by the physicist and Nobel laureate discusses bees, birds and whether new physics principles could come from studying animal senses......»»
Sharks Use Earth"s Magnetic Field To Navigate the Seas
A new study suggests some sharks can read Earth's field like a map and use it to navigate the open seas. ScienceMag: The result adds sharks to the long list of animals -- including birds, sea turtles, and lobsters -- that navigate with a mysterious m.....»»
The longer the yawn, the bigger the brain
Yawning doesn't need be a sign of boredom. Rather, it appears to be a measure of brain size. Vertebrates with larger brains yawn longer, according to a study of more than one hundred species of mammals and birds. The findings of the study, which was.....»»
Sharks Use the Earth’s Magnetic Field Like a Compass
Biologists have long believed that these animals rely on magnetic sensing to migrate across oceans. Someone finally figured out how to prove it......»»
Shuvuuia: A dinosaur that hunted in the dark
Today's 10,000 species of birds live in virtually every habitat on Earth, but only a handful have adaptations enabling them to hunt active prey in the dark of night. Scientists have long wondered whether theropod dinosaurs—the group that gave rise.....»»