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Birds

The suspect cockatoo is on the left, perched just above the Virgin's head.

Cool Finds

Why Is There a Cockatoo in This Italian Renaissance Painting?

The bird’s presence in the painting lends insight into trade between Europe and Australia in the 15th century

500,000 Cranes Are Headed for Nebraska in One of Earth’s Greatest Migrations

At the end of March, 80 percent of the world’s cranes will converge upon one 80-mile stretch of land

Beautiful and Eerie Photographs of Starlings in Flight

Photographer Richard Barnes captures the mesmerizing geometric patterns created by flocks of European starlings

A kiwi emerges.

Cool Finds

Watch a Kiwi Chick Hatching

A kiwi’s egg weighs about 15 percent of the female’s body weight

New Research

Attach a Tail to a Chicken and Watch a Mini Dinosaur Strutting Around

Sticking a fake dinosaur tail onto a living chicken helps researchers approximate how those animals once walked and moved

Typical entombment poses of some of the Jehol Biota’s animals (a Psittacosaurus (a) and primitive crow-like birds (b and c))—the same poses displayed by other victims of erupting volcanoes throughout history.

New Research

The “Pompeii of Animals” Shows Dinosaurs, Mammals and Early Birds in Their Death Throes

A lethal volcanic explosion is identified as the culprit behind a mysterious mass death of creatures that took place around 125 million years ago

An osprey, commonly called a sea hawk.

Super Bowl

14 Fun Facts About Sea Hawks

Number one: There’s no such thing as a “seahawk”

Pigeon paté most likely resembles the common chicken-based version

Cool Finds

Amsterdam Is Feasting on Pigeon Paté

Street birds, not farm-raised squab, are rumored to be the meat of this tasty spread

The Deadly and Devious Golden Eagle

Rare photos of a golden eagle attack illustrate the predator’s legendary hunting techniques

Northern bald ibises in a classic flying "V" formation.

Scientists Solve Mystery of Birds’ Flying V

Migrating birds flap in and out of rhythm depending on where they are in formation

A new species of tapir, a herbivorous mammal, was discovered in the Amazon earlier this month.

A Recap of Our Five Favorite New Species of 2013

An owl, a cat, a dolphin, and of course the olinguito, are among this year’s biggest new species finds

How Many Birds Do Wind Turbines Really Kill?

The giant spinning turbines are basically bird death traps - and often they cut through prime flying space making the carnage even worse

New York Decides Shooting Snowy Owls Is Not the Best Choice, After All

Snowy owls may congregate at airports because snowy tarmacs resemble the animals’ natural habitat, the Arctic tundra

Fishing net at Alaska’s Gore Point

Art Meets Science

Artists Join Scientists on an Expedition to Collect Marine Debris

Now, they are creating beautiful works from the trash they gathered on the 450-nautical-mile journey in the Gulf of Alaska

Horseshoe crab

Animal Specimens, From Fish to Birds to Mammals, Get Inked

Inspired by Japanese fish rubbings, two University of Texas biologists make spectacular prints of a variety of species at different stages of decay

New sensing technology reveals that the alpine swift, a small migratory bird, can remain aloft for more than 200 days without touching down.

This Bird Can Stay in Flight for Six Months Straight

A lightweight sensor attached to alpine swifts reveals that the small migratory birds can remain aloft for more than 200 days without touching down

A calcified flamingo, preserved by the highly basic waters of Tanzania’s Lake Natron and photographed by Nick Brandt

This Alkaline African Lake Turns Animals into Stone

Photographer Nick Brandt captures haunting images of calcified animals, preserved by the extreme waters of Tanzania’s Lake Natron

Spot the impostor: A cuckoo finch chick (left) and a tawny-flanked prinia chick (right) open their beaks for a meal.

Parasitic Cuckoo Finches Use an Egg Overload to Evade Host Defenses

The more eggs a parasitic cuckoo finch lays in its host’s nest, the more likely a discerning foster parent will accept the finch’s young as its own

Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Diana Beltran Herrera’s Flock of Paper Birds

We are not talking origami here. The Colombian artist has created paper sculptures of more than 100 species, and they are startlingly realistic

The wise long-eared owl keeps his cool under pressure.

Bigger-Brained Birds Keep Their Cool Under Pressure

Birds with high ratios of brain size to body size maintain lower levels of stress hormones in their blood compared to their less intellectual counterparts

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