Land Birds

Ravenmaster Chris Skaife holds Branwen, the newest bird to join the Tower of London's roost.

Tower of London Reveals Newest Raven's Mythical Name

The public voted to call the bird Branwen in honor of a Celtic goddess

Researchers found that the House Sparrow Passer domesticus had the biggest population out of the total bird species surveys at 1.6 billion individuals.

An Estimated 50 Billion Birds Populate Earth, but Four Species Reign Supreme

House sparrows, European starlings, barn swallows and ring-billed gulls all occupy the billion-bird club with gargantuan population numbers

The California condor was included on the first list of endangered species published by the federal government.

After Last Year's Deadly Fires, the California Condor Soars Once Again

A colossus of the sky, the bird of prey was nearly gone when biologists rescued it from extinction. Then came a terrible new challenge

Smithsonian ecologist Andy Boyce reported the rediscovery and photographed the elusive Bornean subspecies of the Rajah scops owl, Otus brookii brookii, in the mountainous forests of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

Rare Owl With Bright Orange Eyes Seen for the First Time in More Than 125 Years

The elusive Bornean Rajah scops owl is inspiring scientists and researchers after its brief rediscovery

A California condor photographed in Tehachapi, California where this past week a group of the endangered raptors descended on a woman's back porch.

Group of Critically Endangered California Condors Trash Woman's Deck

The group included 15 to 20 of the massive birds, which amounts to nearly 10 percent of the remaining wild population

A male masked crimson tanager displays his brilliant red and black plumage in Peru.

These Male Birds Deploy Deceptive Plumage to Win Mates

Male tanager feathers have microstructures that reflect light in ways that make their bearer look more attractive, even if he’s not the fittest bird around

After the researchers combed through more than 27,000 photos of birds from nine accounts across Instagram, they found that it is more than just beauty that attracts ‘likes’. Peculiar or distinctive characteristics that make the bird more unique is what people respond to the most and brings in the most 'likes';

The Eccentric Frogmouth Is the Most Camera-Ready Bird on Instagram

The frogmouth has muted plumage, but its grumpy expression and wide eyes make it enchanting on social media

Twenty-eight incidents where wildlife was harmed by PPE were recorded and the first documented case included an American Robin found wrapped up in a mask in Canada, in April 2020.

Discarded Covid-19 Masks and Plastic Gloves Are Killing Wildlife

Biologists are finding single-use items are entrapping and entangling animals all over the globe

A new study found rat poison in the bodies of more than 80 percent of 133 dead bald and golden eagles from across the U.S.

Study Finds Rat Poison in Dead Eagles From Across the U.S.

More than 82 percent of 133 eagles tested had so-called anticoagulant rodenticides in their bodies

The imported parrots and scarlet macaws were mummified between 1100 and 1450 A.D.

Mummified Parrots Found in Chile Suggest Vast Pre-Hispanic Trade Network

People in South America likely kept the birds as exotic pets whose feathers were prized for their use in headdresses and hats

Bald eagle populations have been steadily recovering since their all-time low in the 1960s when fewer than 500 nesting pairs were left.

Why Bald Eagle Populations Soared in the Last Decade

In 1963, only 417 breeding pairs remained, but 71,400 active couples were recorded as of 2019

Suffragist Rosalie Barrow Edge founded the world's first refuge for birds of prey.

How Mrs. Edge Saved the Birds

Meet a forgotten hero of our natural world whose brave campaign to protect birds charted a new course for the environmental movement

The lights of the Philadelphia skyline at night.

Philadelphia Skyscrapers Turn Lights Off to Save Migrating Birds

A new program aimed at reducing deadly collisions with buildings for migrating birds is set to begin on April 1

Pine siskins make up over 40 percent of the birds seen by the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County in recent weeks.

Songbirds Are Spreading a Deadly Disease at Birdfeeders

Pine siskins, a type of finch, can spread salmonella bacteria when they poop on the high-traffic platforms

Muhammad Suranto and Muhammad Rizky Fauzan captured a black-browed babbler in October 2020, took photos of it for identification, and released it safely.

Long-Lost Babbler Bird Documented in Borneo for the First Time in Over 170 Years

The animal was last recorded between 1843 and 1848, when a scientist collected the first and only museum specimen

A male superb lyrebird

This Bird Mimics an Entire Flock to Woo Females

When mating, male lyrebirds reproduce a cacophony of calls usually reserved for when predator is nearby

A new study analyzes the downy feathers of 249 Himalayan songbird species, including this brown-throated fulvetta, using specimens from the National Museum of Natural History's vast collections.

Himalayan Songbirds Adapted to the Cold by Sporting Thicker Down 'Jackets'

High-elevation birds might use their downy feathers to keep from wasting energy shivering to stay warm

During fall migration, nearly 40 percent of Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) migrate through California’s Central Valley

California's Central Valley and the Colorado River Delta Are Epicenters for North America's Migratory Birds

A database called eBird reveals as many as 65 million birds fly through these Western migration zones

Onlookers identified the snowy owl as a young female because of its thick black stripes.

Snowy Owl Stops in Central Park for the First Time Since 1890

The bird attracted a crowd of about 100 birdwatchers, a territorial hawk and several crows

Vampire finches will resort to drinking blood for survival when they can't find other food sources like seeds and insects.

Why Some of Darwin's Finches Evolved to Drink Blood

Scientists suggest the vampire finch evolved to drink blood to survive the volcanic archipelago's harsh environment and scarce resources

Page 6 of 14