Birds

Researchers found that painting one blade black was enough to encourage the birds to alter their flight path.

Painting Wind Turbine Blades Black Help Birds Avoid Deadly Collisions

A recent study found the simple intervention reduced bird mortality by 72 percent

Researchers collecting tears from Broad-snouted caiman.

Microscopically, Crocodile Tears Look Sort of Like Our Own

Humans are the only species known to cry in response to emotional turmoil, but a new study finds reptile and avian tears aren't so different

A pink adult flamingo stands, surrounded by gray babies, in southern France. Flamingos are born gray and slowly turn pink as they age, due to their diet.

Record-Breaking 60,000 Flamingos Flock to Southern France

More than 50,000 adults and 12,000 babies were counted in aerial photos, suggesting a record-breaking year for the pink birds

Guano stains the cliffs of a gannet breeding colony in Shetland

Seabird Poop Is Worth More Than $1 Billion Annually

Scientists put a price tag on guano's global benefits, which range from agricultural fertilizer to coral reef enricher

Emperor penguins standing on sea ice at the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica.

Satellites Spy Poop-Stained Ice, Revealing New Emperor Penguin Colonies

Researchers found eight new colonies, but all were small and located in parts of Antarctica predicted to be ravaged by climate change

“Black and part Black Birds in America: (Crow, Goldfinch),” 2020

Kerry James Marshall's New Paintings Consider Blackness and Audubon’s Legacy

New series explores black erasure in art and John James Audubon’s own racial identity

Newly discovered fossils indicate the Asio ecuadoriensis owl hunted and ate various smaller species of owl.

This Giant Prehistoric Owl Was an Actual Cannibal

Fossils found in the Ecuadorian Andes suggest the creature was a formidable predator

Two sociable weaver birds being recognized by a new artificial intelligence-powered software.

This A.I. Can Recognize Individual Birds of the Same Species

Humans can’t reliably tell birds of the same species apart, limiting our ability to study their behavior, but the new A.I. is 90 percent accurate

This "grain mummy" honors the Egyptian god Osiris.

CT Scans Reveal Miniature Mummies' Surprising Contents

One appears to hold the skeleton of a bird, while the other contains a tightly packed lump of grain and mud

Like statues, animals named after controversial historic figures are sparking a conversation about "relics of systemic oppression" in science.

A Bird Named for a Confederate General Sparks Calls for Change

McCown’s longspur has launched a renewed reckoning over the troubling histories reflected in taxonomy

At 33 pounds, Andean condors are the heaviest soaring birds on Earth, but a new study finds they can stay airborne for up to five hours at a time without flapping at all.

The Andean Condor Can Soar 100 Miles Without Flapping

The impressively efficient flight was recorded during a new study of the giant scavenger’s aerial prowess

A double-crested cormorant dives into blue-green water.

See Birds Dive, Splash and Play in These Prize-Winning Photos

Stunning images by amateurs and professionals took center stage in the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards

A Rufous Hummingbird sips on the nectar from an Orange Justicia plant in California

Hummingbirds Learn to Count to Find Their Favorite Flowers

Researchers found that wild rufous hummingbirds could remember which flower in a sequence held nectar

Canada's white-throated sparrows have remixed their classic song by trading a series of triplets for doublets at the end.

Canada’s White-Throated Sparrows Are Changing Their Tune

The new song is catching on and spreading across the country at an unprecedented speed

Ducks might be responsible for ferrying fish eggs to new bodies of water, according to new research.

Fish Eggs Can Survive a Journey Through Both Ends of a Duck

A new study finds some eggs remain viable even after being eaten and pooped out by waterfowl

A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird photographed at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, where researchers conducted field experiments on avian color vision.

Compared With Hummingbirds, People Are Rather Colorblind

Experiments reveal the tiny birds can see "non-spectral" colors that blend ultraviolet light with colors humans can see to create distinct hues we can't

Monitor local animal populations, identify plants, transcribe women astronomers' notes, bird-watch and more.

Seventy-Five Scientific Research Projects You Can Contribute to Online

From astrophysicists to entomologists, many researchers need the help of citizen scientists to sift through immense data collections

A 15-foot-tall sculpture of a laughing kookaburra in Brisbane, Australia

A Sculptor Made This 15-Foot-Tall Laughing Kookaburra in Lockdown

Farvardin Daliri in Brisbane, Australia crafted the giant sculpture, which opens its beak and cackles with laughter

The ICARUS antenna (right) on the exterior of the International Space Station.

The International Space Station Just Became a Powerful Tool for Tracking Animal Migration

The so-called 'internet of animals,' powered by an antenna aboard the ISS, will track thousands of creatures across the entire planet

A young New Caledonian crow (right) wielding a stick that skilled adults use as tools to probe for food. The adult (left) tolerates the youngsters antics.

A Long Childhood May Be How Crows and Jays Evolved Their Smarts

Like humans, some of the smartest birds enjoy extended periods of parental care

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