PhysOrg

For the first time, a team of international scientists have proven that cockatoos, an iconic Australian bird species, learn from each other a unique skill—lifting garbage bin lids to gather food. The world-first research published today in Science, confirms that cockatoos spread this novel behavior through social learning. Led by Barbara Klump and Lucy Aplin (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior), along with John Martin (Taronga Conservation Society) and Richard Major (Australian Museum), the team have shown that this behavior by cockatoos is actually learned, rather than a result of geneti

Over the last forty years, the agricultural intensification, as well as the urban and farming development in the Lleida Plain, have reduced the expansion and quality of the available habitat for the steppe birds of this area, which covers a great part of species of such kind in Spain. The report on the State of Nature in Catalonia shows that this is one of the most threatened bird groups in the territory, with a decline of 27% in the populations in the 2000–2019 period. View the full article

A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. The U.S. Geological Survey, which oversees responses to some natural hazards and risks, has recommended that people temporarily take down bird feeders and clean out bird baths to reduce places that birds could closely congregate and potentially spread disease. View the full article

A 17-year study in Oregon, Washington and California found that removal of invasive barred owls arrested the population decline of the northern spotted owl, a native species threatened by invading barred owls and the loss of old-forest habitats. View the full article

The nation's largest wildfire torched more dry forest in Oregon and forced the evacuation of a wildlife research station Monday as firefighters had to retreat from the flames for the ninth consecutive day due to erratic and dangerous fire behavior. View the full article

It's been a tough year for elegant terns in Southern California. View the full article

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are monitoring the state's bird population after a "mysterious disease" has killed many in the mid-Atlantic region. View the full article

As climate change brings record droughts and floods, extended fire seasons continue to make headlines, and the role of humans in this terrible situation is now undisputed, institutional change has been slow and unsteady. In particular, conservationists have been wary of pointing to climate change as the biggest threat to biodiversity, given the many other threats that exist. View the full article

Lorikeets in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are becoming paralyzed, often resulting in death. Scientists are beginning to discover why—but need your help. View the full article

When we opened a box supplied by museum curators, our research team audibly gasped. Inside was a huge Australian magpie nest from 2018. View the full article

New data on macaw movements gathered by the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences' (CVMBS) The Macaw Society has the potential to greatly improve conservation strategies for the scarlet macaw, as well as similar species of large parrots. View the full article

A year after pandemic precautions all but halted work to raise the world's most endangered cranes for release into the wild, the efforts are back in gear. View the full article

A team of researchers from the U.K., Australia and France has used genetic barcoding to determine the tree favored by groups of New Caledonian crows to make their tools. They published their results in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. View the full article

Since humans began cultivating the land, we've prioritized one type of crop above all others: grain. With high amounts of minerals, protein, and vitamins, cereal grains form the foundation of diets worldwide. View the full article

Ed Steponaitis jumps off the boat and trudges through the murky, lukewarm Gulf of Mexico. His shorts soak in the waist-deep saltwater. View the full article