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Birds

The Indian Peafowl may need help adapting to climate change.

Can Birds Survive Climate Change?

Predicted increases in torrential rain and severe drought will force birds in Asia to relocate in search of food and viable habitat, a new study finds

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Solving the Mystery of Owls’ Head-Turning Abilities

New research shows how owls can swivel their heads around without cutting off blood supply to their brains

A feral cat, just trying to get by.

Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year

A new study shows that cats—especially feral ones—kill far more birds and small mammals than scientists previously thought

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The Gory Details of Artist Katrina van Grouw’s Unfeathered Birds

A British artist, with experience in ornithology, explains how she created anatomical drawings of 200 different species of birds for a new book

Each year, around 5,300 Golden Warblers – a threatened species – die from collisions with communication towers.

Communication Towers Are Death Traps for Threatened Bird Species

Nearly 7 million North American birds - including 13 threatened species - lose their lives through tower collisions each year

Turkey feather

Beautiful Artwork Cut Out of Feathers

A clever artist uses a scalpel and tweezers to cut beautiful bird silhouettes out of feathers

Double-banded Argus, by Ralph Steadman

Bringing Extinct Birds Back to Life, One Cartoon at a Time

In his new book, Extinct Boids, artist Ralph Steadman introduces readers to a flock of birds that no longer live in the wild

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The Ten Best Ocean Stories of 2012

From deep-sea squid habits to vanishing coral reefs, here are the ocean stories we couldn’t stop talking about this year.

Archaeopteryx had a wing that was different from that of modern birds, and, as seen here, might have been a glider more than a powered flyer.

Feathers Fuel Dinosaur Flight Debate

Was the early bird Archaeopteryx more of a glider than a flier?

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What Kind of Dinosaur is Coming to Dinner?

Everyone knows that birds are dinosaurs, but what kind of dinosaur is your holiday turkey?

A male Eastern wild turkey

14 Fun Facts About Turkeys

#8: A turkey’s gender can be determined from its droppings

A rufous hummingbird preparing to feed at a torch lily.

Hummingbirds Are Popping Up in the Strangest Places

Two master bird banders are at the forefront of finding out why the rufous hummingbird’s migration has changed

Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps)

Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls

A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist’s personal collection—the largest in the world

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Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes

The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap

Not only was Ornithomimus feathered, but the dinosaur’s fluffy coat changed as it aged.

Feathery Ostrich Mimics Enfluffle the Dinosaur Family Tree

A trio of feathered dinosaurs tests a longstanding hypothesis and hint that there may be more feathered dinosaur fossils than anyone ever expected

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The Bat-Winged Dinosaur That Never Was

Just when naturalists began to suspect that birds might be dinosaurs, one researcher put forward a truly strange idea of what early bird ancestors would have looked like

Plastic debris and particles are now turning up in the ocean waters surrounding Antarctica.

High Levels of Plastic and Debris Found in Waters off of Antarctica

In the world’s most remote ocean waters, researchers discovered unexpectedly high levels of plastic pollution

Black swifts, with their preference for nesting on steep, wet, cold rock faces, are among the most enigmatic birds in North America.

What is North America’s Most Mysterious Bird?

Nesting behind waterfalls and in caves, the rarely seen black swift is only beginning to shed its secrets

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Science Images that Border on Art

This year’s Wellcome Image Award winners pull at your “art” strings. The curious seek out the science behind them

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The World’s 5 Most Mysterious Bird Species

Stunning plumage, strange eating habits and extreme rareness characterize these enigmatic birds

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