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.....»»
They come from above: Here"s why magpies, magpie-larks and lapwings swoop in spring
If you live in Australia or New Zealand, the coming of spring is a mixed blessing. The days get warmer. Flowers bloom. Birds nest......»»
Avian flu has infected dairy cows in more than a dozen states—a microbiologist explains how the virus is spreading
The current strain of avian flu, H5N1, is responsible for the culling of millions of domestic birds and has sickened more than a dozen farmworkers in 2024, most recently in Colorado......»»
Killings of invasive owls to ramp up on US West Coast in a bid to save native birds
U.S. wildlife officials beginning next year will drastically scale up efforts to kill invasive barred owls that are crowding out imperiled native owls from West Coast forests, under a plan finalized Wednesday that faces challenges from barred owls re.....»»
A price on their heads? Implications of international trade for African hornbills in Cameroon
Tropical birds known for their massive bills, hornbills include 32 Asian and 27 African species in the avian family Bucerotidae. Many hornbills have a casque on their upper mandible, which in some species is spectacularly colorful. Many species also.....»»
Are Earth"s missing millions of undescribed insect species extinction-prone?
In new research, Griffith ecologists have highlighted the millions of insects that remain undiscovered and unnamed by scientists were likely to be more vulnerable to extinction than named species......»»
This bird species was extinct in Europe. Now it"s back, and humans must help it migrate for winter
How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly? The distinctive Northern Bald Ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds—known for their distinc.....»»
Bird species are disappearing at an alarming rate in Kenya, study finds
Sub-Saharan Africa has a vast amount of uncultivated, arable land—about 2 million km2, accounting for about 50% of the global total. This land is a critical habitat for many animal species, including birds......»»
Birds have accents, too: Researchers find cultural change in the dialects of parrots over 22-year period
While distinct languages and dialects are common to human societies, most people are unaware that other species may similarly have culturally significant dialects. New research conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh at J.....»»
Paleontologists discover new predatory dinosaur with a distinctive "eyebrow"
Theropod dinosaurs are one of the most important large groups of dinosaurs, including well-known predators, such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, as well as modern birds. A variety of theropods are known from the Mesozoic Era, the age of the dinosaur.....»»
Trees stripped by invasive caterpillars muster defenses that can harm native insects, research shows
An invasive insect with an insatiable appetite can cause serious problems for a favorite native moth that likes the same food source—even though the two are never in direct competition for a meal, according to new research, published in the journal.....»»
"Masters of shape-shifting": How darkling beetles conquered the world
Large-scale genomic analysis of darkling beetles, a hyper-diverse insect group of more than 30,000 species worldwide, rolls back the curtain on a 150-million-year evolutionary tale of one of Earth's most ecologically important yet inconspicuous creat.....»»
Urban Birds Are Harboring Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Exposure to bacteria in landfill sites and polluted rivers may explain prevalence among city-dwelling birds......»»
City birds found to be carriers of antimicrobial resistant bacteria
Research led by scientists at the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research at Oxford University has found that wild birds such as ducks and crows living close to humans, for example in cities, are likely to carry bacteria with antimicrobial.....»»
Would you trust an ant to amputate your limb? Science is showing they are skilled surgeons
An insect bites off another insect's leg. Is this predatory behavior, aggression, defense, competition or something else? In the case of carpenter ants, it's for the good of the amputee and to the benefit of the colony......»»
Research shows that glossy black-cockatoos prefer to feed from trees growing in acidic soils
Glossy black-cockatoos are seed-eating birds that feed almost exclusively on the cones of drooping sheoak trees. However, counter-intuitively, they select trees that grow on the poorest soils found on ancient sedimentary rocks......»»
How feeding birds may be polluting local environments
New research led by an NAU alumnus shows that backyard bird feeders, although put out with the best of intentions, is changing the chemistry of local ecosystems, including introducing a potentially harmful amount of phosphorus into the environment......»»
Researchers calculate up to a billion birds may die in the US each year due to collisions with windows
A team of ornithologists from the Fordham University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the NYC Bird Alliance, Inc, and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology has found evidence that far more birds are killed by window collisions than previo.....»»
Plants offer fruit to insects to disperse dust-like seeds, botanist discovers
Fruit exist to invite animals to disperse the swallowed seeds. A Kobe University research team found that plants targeting insects rather than birds or mammals for this service are more common than previously thought. These plants produce dust-like s.....»»
Ancient poppy seeds and willow wood offer clues to the Greenland ice sheet"s last meltdown
As we focused our microscope on the soil sample for the first time, bits of organic material came into view: a tiny poppy seed, the compound eye of an insect, broken willow twigs and spikemoss spores. Dark-colored spheres produced by soil fungi domin.....»»
Improving cat food flavors with the help of feline taste-testers
Cats are notoriously picky eaters. But what if we could design their foods around flavors that they're scientifically proven to enjoy? Researchers publishing in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry used a panel of feline taste-testers to i.....»»