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Birds

This geoglyph, previously identified as a hummingbird, actually depicts a hermit, a subgroup of hummingbird known to live in the forested regions of northern and eastern Peru

Scientists Identify Exotic Birds Depicted in Peru’s Mysterious Nazca Lines

The researchers argue that the non-native birds’ presence must be closely related to the etchings’ overall purpose

Last year, archaeologists unearthed two unusual Bronze Age graves at Siberia's Ust-Tartas site

Cool Finds

Bronze Age ‘Birdman’ Had a Headdress Made of Dozens of Bird Beaks, Skulls

Researchers suspect that the unusual accessory served a protective ritual purpose

A mated pair of horned puffins nest near Bering Sea.

Why Have Thousands of Puffins and Other Seabirds Died En Masse in the Bering Sea?

The cause of the 2016 die-off, according to a new study, was likely climate change

Curious sculptures have popped up throughout the Smithsonian campus in its gardens and are meant to show the inner-workings and relationships of insect and plant habitats.

The Gardens Around the National Mall Are Growing Giant Nests and Fanciful Tunnels

The new exhibition “Habitat” is a whimsical, art-filled lesson on ecosystems and how they work

France outlawed ortolan hunting in 1999, but the ban was rarely enforced until 2007 and remains unevenly implemented

Ortolans, Songbirds Enjoyed as French Delicacy, Are Being Eaten Into Extinction

Hunters illegally catch some 30,000 of the 300,000 ortolans that pass through southwestern France every migration season

Tiger sharks appear to prey on migrating songbirds that fall into the ocean during autumnal storms

Baby Sharks Do (Do, Do, Do, Do, Do) Eat Songbirds

A survey of 105 tiger sharks’ stomach contents revealed the remains of 11 land-based bird species

All four chicks are growing quickly, quadrupling in size from around 8 centimeters tall at birth to more than 30 centimeters last week

Tower of London Welcomes Baby Ravens for the First Time in 30 Years

The four chicks eat at least once every two hours, feasting on a diet of quail, mice and rats

New Research

A Nanoscale Light Trick Is the Key to Peacock Spiders’ Super-Black Spots

A new study shows how patches of bumpy microlenses capture 99.5 of the light that hits them

Monk parrots are among the species that successfully breed in the wild.

Escaped Pet Parrots Are Doing Great in the Wild

A new study has found that 25 non-native parrots species are breeding in 23 American states

White-throated rail.

How Evolution Brought a Flightless Bird Back From Extinction

Fossil remains offer rare evidence of a phenomenon known as ‘iterative evolution’

One of Antarctica’s Largest Emperor Penguin Colonies Has Suffered Three Years of ‘Catastrophic’ Breeding Failures

The penguins have all but abandoned what was once a thriving breeding site at Halley Bay

Close-up of a wildebeest, also called gnus or wildebai, in the grasslands of the Masai Mara in Kenya, August 2018.

Twelve Epic Migratory Journeys Animals Take Every Spring

As temperatures rise and foliage blooms in the north, creatures from insects to whales set out for long treks across the planet

Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS) provides the public with an extensive selection of birds as part of its collection of items that are available for circulation.

This Library in Anchorage Lends Out Taxidermic Specimens

All you need to check out a snowy owl or a mounted rockfish is a library card

Trending Today

Watch Live as a Rare Bald Eagle ‘Throuple’ Raises Their New Trio of Chicks

Starr, Valor I and Valor II are taking care of three eaglets seven years after their dramatic story began

To help your feathered friends, start by turning off excess outdoor lighting as often as possible.

These Cities Are the Most Dangerous for Migrating Birds

A new study has identified Chicago, Dallas and Houston as the riskiest spots during both the spring and fall migrations

There's a lot more pink in the water during the annual flamingo migration to Mumbai this winter.

Trending Today

Why Did Flamingos Flock to Mumbai in Record Numbers This Winter?

More than three times the usual number of migrating pink birds came, possibly attracted by algae blooms caused by sewage

Roxie Laybourne's work changed the role of museums in public life by turning the Smithsonian’s collection of thousands of birds into an applied science tool.

Meet Roxie Laybourne, the Feather Detective Who Changed Aviation

A new Sidedoor episode tells the story of Roxy Laybourne, a Smithsonian scientist who pioneered the field of forensic ornithology

Trending Today

Why This Pretty Little Pigeon Is Worth $1.4 Million

Armando, the long distance pigeon racing champ, was recently bought by a Chinese buyer and put out to stud

An illustration of what Avimaia schweitzerae and its nest may have looked like.

Cool Finds

First-Ever Fossilized Mother Bird Found With Unlaid Egg

The rare 110-million-year-old bits of shell shine light on the reproduction during the age of dinosaurs

Cool Finds

Birds and Humans Are Depicted Together in This Rare Scene From 12,000 Years Ago

Researchers believe the discovery, detailed in a new study, represent an “exceptional milestone in European Paleolithic rock art”

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