Search Results for: Birds

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7,416 results
  1. A photo of a small gray tufted titmouse bird sitting on a person's hand.

    Birds with more complex vocal skills are better problem-solvers

    Evidence for a relationship between bird vocal learning and cognitive prowess has been mixed. Now, a massive new study confirms they are linked.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  2. A swarm of driver ants on a forest floor
    Animals

    Some African birds follow nomadic ants to their next meal

    Specialized interactions between birds and driver ants in Africa could help explain why the birds are especially sensitive to forest disturbances.

    By Yao-Hua Law
  3. A photo of a bird nest made partly out of antibird spikes high up in a tree.
    Animals

    In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests

    The spikes were meant to keep birds away. But five corvid nests in Europe use the bird-deterrents as structural support and to ward off predators.

    By Luis Melecio-Zambrano
  4. A photo of a black male palm cockatoo sitting on a branch.
    Animals

    Wild male palm cockatoos rock out with custom drumsticks

    Along with flashy dances and distinctive drumbeats, these birds craft their own signature drumsticks to win over mates.

    By Elise Cutts
  5. dinobird illustration
    Paleontology

    This newfound birdlike dinosaur had surprisingly long legs

    Early birdlike dinosaurs are mostly short-limbed and thought to have lived in trees, but Fujianvenator prodigiosus may have run or waded in swamps.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  6. Illustration of a Cratonavis bird from 120 million years ago as it catches prey. We see into the bird's wings as if it were an x-ray.
    Paleontology

    A bird with a T. rex head may help reveal how dinosaurs became birds

    The 120-million-year-old Cratonavis zhui, newly discovered in China, had a head like a theropod and body like a modern bird.

    By Aaron Tremper
  7. photo of an African penguin standing on a rock and bowing its head
    Life

    Birds that dive may be at greater risk of extinction

    For birds, a diving lifestyle seems irreversible, evolutionarily speaking. The inflexibility possibly increases diving birds’ chances of going extinct.

    By Jake Buehler
  8. A photo of a dead pelican laying on a beach in Lima, Peru while a flock of other birds fly in the background.
    Health & Medicine

    Bird flu can jump to mammals. Should we worry?

    Reports of bears and sea lions infected with H5N1 have sparked fears about the pandemic potential of bird flu. Experts are keeping a close eye on its spread.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  9. A photo of an Andean condor flying.
    Animals

    A 2,200-year-old poop time capsule reveals secrets of the Andean condor

    Guano that has accumulated in a cliffside Andean condor nest for 2,200 years reveals how the now-vulnerable birds responded to a changing environment.

    By Jake Buehler

  10. Readers ask about bird droppings, Ice Age cave art and more

    By Science News Staff
  11. Seven ancient bone flutes, each shown from three different angles, against a black backdrop
    Anthropology

    These ancient flutes may have been used to lure falcons

    Seven bird-bone flutes unearthed from a site in northern Israel are about 12,000 years old and may have been used as bird calls.

    By Sid Perkins
  12. A beige snake has an egg inside its throat.
    Animals

    A little snake’s big gulp may put all other snakes to shame

    The humble Gans’ egg-eater can wrap its mouth around bigger prey than any other snake of its size.

    By Maria Temming