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.....»»
Picky female sparrows may be more unfaithful
Picky female sparrows may be more unfaithful, new Imperial research suggests. Cheating on social partners is common in birds, and there are clear benefits to males who can raise more offspring without investing in their care. For females, however, th.....»»
Researchers find a red knot"s character is formed in first year of life
In any group of red knots, respective individuals exhibit a remarkable array of distinct character types. Birds with an exploratory character are motivated to investigate their environment and readily explore unfamiliar areas. Meanwhile, birds with i.....»»
Logging and climate change threaten montane birds
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have studied the effects of forest logging and climate change on bird communities in tropical mountains, by examining over 10 years of data......»»
Feathers from deceased birds help scientists understand new threat to avian populations
As concerns over the world's declining bird population mount, animal ecologists have developed an analytical approach to better understand one of the latest threats to feathered creatures: the rise of wind and solar energy facilities......»»
Fossil birds: Surfaces of cervical vertebrae show conspicuous tubercles that may have served as "internal bony armor"
An international research team has examined unusual skeletal structures of various European bird fossils from the Eocene. The bone surfaces of the approximately 40- to 50-million-year-old cervical vertebrae show conspicuous tubercles, whose origin as.....»»
Study warns of widespread population collapse of African raptors
An international team of researchers has found that Africa's birds of prey are facing an extinction crisis. The study, co-led by researchers from the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews and The Peregrine Fund, warns of declines among ne.....»»
New evidence that insect wings may have evolved from gills
How did insect wings originate? This is a question that represents an unsolved mystery of insect evolution. Despite many years of research, it is still not entirely clear from which body structure insect wings actually evolved and what their original.....»»
Laser scarecrows could offer a sustainable solution for protecting crops from birds
Damage to crops caused by birds costs millions of dollars each year. Now, researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Rhode Island in the US are investigating the effectiveness of laser scarecrows—a high-tech solution using lig.....»»
Male southern elephant seals are picky eaters, study suggests
As one of the top predators roaming Antarctica, the sizeable southern elephant seal has its fair selection of the menu. But it turns out they don't just want to eat anything and everything......»»
New high-speed video system uses sensors, infrared illumination to track insects in large wild areas
Our ability to learn more about insect behavior—which affects ecology, health, and economy on a global scale—depends largely on suitable recording technology. But until now, these tools have been considerably limited......»»
Buy Samsung Foldable at $300 Off, Get $50 Gift Card for Free
Who here is looking to feed two birds with one scone? If that’s you, Best Buy has a solid deal for you. Currently, the retailer is providing up to $300 off on Samsung foldables and $350 off on Google’s foldable, while also tossing in a fr.....»»
"What"s on today"s menu?": Why it"s important to study the trophic behavior of local predators
Trophic ecology is the study of the food chain. On Tenerife in the Canary Islands, feral cats feast chiefly on rabbits, mice, rats, and native birds and reptiles. But new research shows that since 1986, the island's wild cats have experienced a signi.....»»
Corvids seem to handle temporary memories the way we do
Birds show evidence that they lump temporary memories into categories. Enlarge / A jackdaw tries to remember what color it was thinking of. (credit: Frans Buiter / 500px) Humans tend to think that we are the most intelli.....»»
Stinky, bitter, and painful: A novel insect repellent attacks multiple sensory pathways
Crop damage in agriculture and the transmission of vector-borne diseases by insect pests have become worldwide threats nowadays. Chemical treatments such as insecticides and repellents have been a significant strategy against insect pests for centuri.....»»
How a Victorian trip to Palestine spurred modern ornithology—and left it with imperial baggage
Palestine's natural splendor offered a landscape ripe for scientific "discovery," description and expropriation by European imperial powers in the 19th century. And in the 1860s, an English vicar named Henry Baker Tristram claimed its birds......»»
Amber analyses show that insects already had a variety of defense strategies in the Cretaceous
Analyses of amber show that insect larvae were already using a wide variety of tactics to protect themselves from predators 100 million years ago......»»
Wildflowers increasingly doing without insect pollinators
Scientists at the CNRS and the University of Montpellier have discovered that flowering plants growing in farmland are increasingly doing without insect pollinators. As reproduction becomes more difficult for them in an environment depleted of pollin.....»»
Grouse shooting in Scotland has an alarming death toll—and not just for game birds
The Scottish moors are considered areas of outstanding beauty, and often assumed to be "wild" and "untamed." However, these landscapes are the result of management techniques that are now under scrutiny by the Scottish government......»»
Several groups of birds and mammals avoid wind turbines, finds review
While wind power is an important part of the green transition, its downsides include the disturbances caused by wind turbines in animal habitats. According to the international review of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), many bird and m.....»»
Meal sharing for a longer life? Insects may hold the secret
Insect species which are closely related and eat a similar balance of nutrients in their diet live longer than those that don't, according to new research from the University of Aberdeen......»»