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UrduMountain chickadees have among the best spatial memory in the animal kingdom. New research identifies the genes at play and offers insight into how a shifting climate may impact the evolution of this unique skill.
Tag: Birds
Save Spring Migrating Birds
Now is one of the most important times of year to keep birds safe by reducing non-essential lighting at night and treating window glass so birds can see it and avoid deadly collisions.
We’ve had bird evolution all wrong
A pair of research papers reveals that genomic anomalies misled scientists about the true evolutionary history of birds.
Early Spring, Earlier Nesting Birds
The NestWatch project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology documents when and where birds are nesting. The evidence from recent years shows that birds are nesting weeks earlier than they used to and this spring may be no exception.
Who knew that eating poo was so vital for birds’ survival?
New research led by the University of South Australia explains how eating faeces (known as coprophagy) shapes wild birds’ digestive tracts (gut biota), enabling them to absorb lost or deficient nutrients and adjust to seasonal variations in food sources.
Wildlife Conservation Society Delegation Heading to Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) CoP14
A Wildlife Conservation Society delegation is heading to the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals CoP14, Feb. 12-17, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
North America bird populations are declining; expert explains why
According to recent data, bird populations in North America have declined by approximately 2.9 billion birds, a loss of more than one in four birds since 1970. Experts say this bird loss will continue to grow unless changes are made in our daily lives.
Finding the genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains
Scientists discover genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains
Join the 37th Season of Project FeederWatch
The prime directive for Project FeederWatch has been and continues to be gathering data about how bird populations and distributions are changing across the United States and Canada—vital information for conservation.
Peregrine falcons set off false alarms to make prey easier to catch
Predators must eat to survive — and to survive, prey must avoid being eaten. One theory, the Wolf-Mangel model, suggests predators could use false attacks to tire prey out or force them to take bigger risks, but this has been hard to show in practice.
Captivating Courtship: Leaping for Love
It’s tough to catch the eye of a potential mate when you’re dressed all in black with no fancy feathers to jiggle around. But a tiny bird called the Blue-black Grassquit has found a way. Learn about this fascinating species during the 2023 Paul C. Mundinger Distinguished Lectureship presented by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Birders & AI Push Bird Conservation to the Next Level
For the first time, big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are being used to model hidden patterns in nature, not just for one bird species, but for entire ecological communities across continents. And the models follow each species’ full annual life cycle, from breeding to fall migration to nonbreeding grounds, and back north again during spring migration.
Dinosaur feathers reveal traces of ancient proteins
Palaeontologists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have discovered X-ray evidence of proteins in fossil feathers that sheds new light on feather evolution.
New audio technique used for census of California Spotted Owls in the Sierra Nevada
For the first time, researchers have estimated the Spotted Owl population across the entire Sierra Nevada ecosystem.
As City Heat Rises, Bird Diversity Declines
A study done on 336 cities in China concludes that heat-retaining buildings and paved surfaces are directly related to a loss in bird diversity. It is likely that the patterns documented in this study are occurring in other large cities across the globe that have abundant asphalt, steel, and concrete with little green vegetation
Explore the avian world. Read the latest research on Birds here.
The discovery that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic was made possible by recently discovered fossils of theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex and the smaller velociraptors. In a way, you could say that dinosaurs are still with us and seen tweeting from your own backyard! Below are the latest research headlines in the Birds channel on Newswise.
Novel machine-learning method produces detailed population trend maps for 550 bird species
Scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have developed a novel way to model whether the populations of more than 500 bird species are increasing or decreasing.
City-Dwelling Wildlife Demonstrate “Urban Trait Syndrome”
City life favors species that are adaptable and not too fussy about what they eat, among other characteristics. A worldwide consortium of scientists calls the resulting collection of traits an “Urban Trait Syndrome.”
Beak shape can predict nest material use in the world’s birds, study finds
The material a bird selects for its nest depends on the dimensions of its beak, according to researchers.
Previously Overlooked Algae Toxin Widespread in Southern Indian River Lagoon
Pseudo-nitzschia spp., an algae that produces the neurotoxin domoic acid, can bioaccumulate within food webs causing harm to humans and animals. A molecular study of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon shows this algae was present in 87 percent of the water samples collected. All isolates showed toxicity, and domoic acid was found in 47 percent of surface water samples. As a nursery for many organisms that supports a high amount of biodiversity, the presence of domoic acid could negatively impact the lagoon system.
Migratory Birds Can Partially Offset Climate Change
A new study demonstrates that birds can partially compensate for these changes by delaying the start of spring migration and completing the journey faster. But the strategy comes with a cost—a decline in overall survival.
Coffee plantations limit birds’ diets
A new study led by researchers at the University of Utah explores a record of birds’ diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds’ dietary options.
Great Backyard Bird Count Results: Wow!
The 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count exceeded all expectations. Organizers estimate that more than 500,000 participants from around the globe made the latest count the best ever.
Watch Baby Birds for the Joy and the Science of It
Spring has arrived officially and brings with it another season of the NestWatch citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, building its ever more valuable database on nesting birds. NestWatch participants say watching birds raise their young is incredibly rewarding.
Hummingbirds use torpor in varying ways to survive cold temps
Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any animal. The tropical hummingbirds that live in the Andes Mountains in South America must expend considerable energy to maintain their high body temperatures in cold environments. One tool that they use to survive cold nights is called torpor, a hibernation-like state that allows them to ramp down energy consumption to well below what they normally use during the day.
Grassroots Data Vital for Reducing Deadly Bird-Window Strikes
Much of the progress made in understanding the scope of bird deaths from building and window collisions has come as the result of citizen science, according to a newly published study. But the study also concludes that such grassroots efforts need more buy-in from government and industry, and better funding so they can keep a foot on the gas in their efforts to reduce bird-window collisions.
Study Finds Social Bird Species May Be Less Competitive
Scientists wanted to learn if birds that have evolved to be more social have also evolved to be less aggressive.
What does Polly say? Community science data reveal species differences in vocal learning by parrots
While most animals don’t learn their vocalizations, everyone knows that parrots do – they are excellent mimics of human speech. Researchers aim to add to what we know about animal vocal learning by providing the largest comparative analysis to date of parrot vocal repertoires.
Study: More Than One Way to Build a Black Bird
Scientists have so far found at least two genetic pathways leading to the same physical outcome: all-black feathers. This change was no random accident. It was a result of nature specifically selecting for this trait. The new study is published in the journal PLOS Genetics.
Study: Migrating Birds Attracted by Light Pollution Face Higher Toxic Chemical Exposure
The journeys of night-migrating birds are already fraught with danger. Light pollution adds yet another hazard beyond the increased risk of collisions with buildings or communication towers.
FeederWatchers Are More Important than Ever
Project FeederWatch is back—with more ways to participate, more time to participate, and more ways to keep track of who is seeing what, where.
The expanded 36th season of FeederWatch
begins November 1 and ends April 30, 2023.
Artificial intelligence answers the call for quail information
When states want to gauge quail populations, the process can be grueling, time-consuming and expensive. It means spending hours in the field listening for calls. Or leaving a recording device in the field to catch what sounds are made—only to spend hours later listening to that audio. Then, repeating this process until there’s enough information to start making population estimates.
But a new model developed by researchers at the University of Georgia aims to streamline this process. By using artificial intelligence to analyze terabytes of recordings for quail calls, the process gives wildlife managers the ability to gather the data they need in a matter of minutes.
The bolder bird gets (and keeps) the girl
. In a paper published today in Royal Society Biology Letters, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) demonstrate a clear connection between personality in wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and the likelihood of divorce. Though the link between personality and relationship outcomes in humans is well-established, this is the first study to do so with animals.
Ecological tipping point: 5+ El Niño events per century controls coastal biotic communities
Along with implications for the future, the findings illuminate important moments in our past, including human migration into the Americas, the variable human use of coastal and interior habitats and the extinction of the flightless duck Chendytes.
Birds On Island Time
A new study examines how the geographic characteristics of the world’s islands influence seasonal variation in the number of bird species. The study determines how seasonal species richness of birds is affected by the size of the island, how isolated it is from the mainland and other islands, and the latitude in which it lies.
New Course Helps Awaken Curiosity About Nature
Adults who want to connect kids with nature now have some expert guidance, thanks to a new online course from Bird Academy, the e-learning arm of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Let’s Go Outside: How to Connect Kids with Birds and Nature,” contains six lessons with dozens of field-tested activities to reduce screen time for kids and boost their curiosity about the natural world.
Birds warned of food shortages by neighbor birds change physiology and behavior to prepare
Songbirds learning from nearby birds that food supplies might be growing short respond by changing their physiology as well as their behavior, research by the Oregon State University College of Science shows.
The hawk has landed: Braking mid-air to prioritize safety over energy or speed
New research from the Oxford Flight Group using computer simulations and Hollywood-style motion capture shows how birds optimise their landing manoeuvres for an accurate descent.
Designed to identify wildlife by sound, the BirdNET app opens new avenues for citizen science
The BirdNET app, a free machine-learning powered tool that can identify more than 3,000 birds by sound alone, generates reliable scientific data and makes it easier for people to contribute citizen-science data on birds by simply recording sounds. Results of tests to measure the app’s accuracy are published in the open access journal PLOS Biology.
Has a Beautiful Songbird Become an Invasive Species in Britain?
New research published in Ibis has identified the Red-billed Leiothrix, a small brightly colored bird native to subtropical Asia, as an emerging example of an invasive non-native species (INNS) in Britain.
Global Bird Populations Steadily Declining
Staggering declines in bird populations are taking place around the world. So concludes a study from scientists at multiple institutions, published today in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources. Loss and degradation of natural habitats and direct overexploitation of many species are cited as the key threats to avian biodiversity. Climate change is identified as an emerging driver of bird population declines.
Now for the First Time, See How Many Migratory Birds Are Passing Over Your County
The BirdCast program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is exploring these unseen movements of bird migration with its new Migration Dashboard. The Dashboard reveals bird migration in localized detail previously unavailable to the general public.
Nationwide maps of bird species can help protect biodiversity
New, highly detailed and rigorous maps of bird biodiversity could help protect rare or threatened species. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed the maps at a fine-enough resolution to help conservation managers focus their efforts where they are most likely to help birds — in individual counties or forests, rather than across whole states or regions.
Birds are laying their eggs earlier, and climate change is to blame
Spring is in the air. Birds are singing and beginning to build their nests.
Introduced birds are not replacing roles of human-caused extinct species
Human-caused bird extinctions are driving losses of functional diversity on islands worldwide, and the gaps they leave behind are not being filled by introduced (alien) species, finds a new study led by UCL and University of Gothenburg researchers.
Can’t Find Your Keys? You Need a Chickadee Brain
For the first time, researchers have shown that there is a genetic component underlying the amazing spatial memories of Mountain Chickadees. Although the genetic basis for spatial memory has been shown for humans and other mammals, direct evidence of that connection has never before been identified in birds.
Help Birds From the Comfort of Home With FeederWatch
Many people have turned to Project FeederWatch as an antidote to troubling times and long winter months. FeederWatch data are used to detect shifts in the numbers and distributions of winter birds in the United States and Canada. The 35th season of FeederWatch begins Saturday, November 13.
African grey parrots may have better self-control than macaws
African grey parrots may be better able than macaws to delay gratification – rejecting an immediate reward in favour of a better one in the future – according to a study published in the journal Animal Cognition.
New research links tree health to how birds respond to climate change
New Research from Oxford University has revealed that shifts in the timing of egg laying by great tits in response to climate change vary markedly between breeding sites within the same woodland and that this variation is linked to the health of nearby oak trees.
How land birds cross the open ocean
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and University of Konstanz in Germany have identified how large land birds fly nonstop for hundreds of kilometers over the open ocean—without taking a break for food or rest.