Vegetarian birds more sociable than insect eaters
Weaver birds that eat seeds flock together and nest in colonies more commonly than those species that eat insects, suggests new research by an international team of scientists led by the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath. For the.....»»
Study finds ability to solve food puzzles is the only predictor of innovation, brain size in wild birds
When certain species of wild birds and primates discover new ways of finding food in the wild, it can serve to measure their flexibility and intelligence......»»
Ecologist cautions researchers to look more closely at apparent mismatches between birds and their prey
Climate change may speed up the emergence of insects in northern countries at the end of winter. This may cause breeding birds migrating from the south to come too late to benefit from the insect peak if they do not adjust their travel schedules to t.....»»
Unlocking the potential of protease inhibitors for enhanced pest resistance in tea plants
Protease inhibitors are a promising strategy for enhancing herbivore resistance in plants, which is crucial for addressing the significant yield losses in crops such as tea plants due to insect herbivores. Serine protease inhibitors (SERPIN) are one.....»»
Protecting the peppers: Unlocking the potential of the sterile insect technique
For the first time, researchers in Canada have investigated the use of the sterile insect technique for controlling populations of the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii, an economically significant crop pest in North America......»»
Protected lands provide a last stand for critically endangered vultures in West Africa
Among the fastest-declining birds in the world, African vultures battle many of the problems commonly plaguing wildlife today, such as habitat loss, hunting, and poisoning, but they also face a more unique set of obstacles......»»
New Zealand opens first "kiwi hospital" for injured birds
New Zealand on Friday opened its first hospital exclusively treating kiwi birds, and vets have already nursed the first patient back to health—a chick nicknamed "Splash" that tumbled into a swimming pool......»»
New study shows similarities and differences in human and insect vision formation
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered profound similarities and surprising differences between humans and insects in the production of the critical light-absorbing molecule of the retina, 11-cis-retinal, also known as th.....»»
Birds know no borders. Nor do scientists
Over centuries, wetlands all over the world have had to give way to "more useful" types of land—seen from man's perspective......»»
Norway salmon farms turn to veggie menu
Norway's fish farms are feeding their salmon an increasingly vegetarian diet in order to make their businesses more sustainable, but for these carnivorous pink-fleshed fish, all is not rosy......»»
Junk DNA in birds may hold key to safe, efficient gene therapy
The recent approval of a CRISPR-Cas9 therapy for sickle cell disease demonstrates that gene editing tools can do a superb job of knocking out genes to cure hereditary disease. But it's still not possible to insert whole genes into the human genome to.....»»
Birds have been adapting to human activity for millennia, research suggests
Roughly 14,500 to 10,500 years ago, in the transition from the last glacial period, Epipaleolithic and Neolithic peoples harvesting vegetation from the wetlands of eastern Jordan created a habitat for birds that would otherwise have migrated, a new s.....»»
Australia"s most at-risk bird species share some common traits
Australian birds that live on islands are among the species most at risk of extinction, a first-of-its-kind study from The Australian National University (ANU) has shown. The study is published in the journal Emu—Austral Ornithology......»»
Researchers identify human activities as drivers of biodiversity decline in central Mexico"s reserves
New research shows the diversity of plant and animal life in 14 tropical reserves in Mesoamerica has plummeted since 1990 as roads and cattle ranches have expanded into protected areas. Large mammals, birds, and reptiles are disappearing, while disea.....»»
Changing the color of commonly used agricultural nets lessens insect damage to Kujo leek fields
Red nets are better at keeping away a common agricultural insect pest than typical black or white nets, according to a new study. Researchers have experimented with the effect of red, white, black and combination-colored nets on deterring onion thrip.....»»
Secrets of night parrot unlocked after first genome sequenced
Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have sequenced the first genome of the night parrot, one of the world's rarest and most elusive birds. The development will answer questions about population genetics and biology that could b.....»»
New study suggests birds began diversifying long before dinosaurs went extinct
A multi-institutional, international team of evolutionary biologists, genetics specialists and phylogenomicists has found evidence that bird species began diversifying long before the dinosaurs went extinct......»»
Scientists study the behaviors of chiral skyrmions in chiral flower-like obstacles
In nature, the collective motion of some birds and fish, such as flocks of starlings and shoals of sardines, respectively, can generate impressive dynamic phenomena. Their study constitutes active matter science, which has been a topic of great inter.....»»
The hidden rule for flight feathers and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly
Birds can fly—at least, most of them can. Flightless birds like penguins and ostriches have evolved lifestyles that don't require flight. However, there's a lot that scientists don't know about how the wings and feathers of flightless birds differ.....»»
Sense the solar eclipse with NASA"s eclipse soundscapes project
When darkness sweeps across the landscape during a total solar eclipse, unusual things start happening. Fooled by the false dusk, birds stop singing, crickets start chirping, and bees return to their hives......»»
The good news: 25 Australian birds are now at less risk of extinction. The bad news: 29 are gone and 4 more might be
What does it mean to save threatened species? How often do we achieve it? And how often do we fail? Our new research answers these questions for Australian birds......»»