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Few could forget the devastating megafires that raged across southeast and western Australia during 2019–20. As well as killing people and destroying homes and towns, the fires killed wildlife and burnt up to 96,000km² of animal habitat—an area bigger than Hungary.View the full article -
Social connection drives learning in bird brain
PhysOrg posted a topic in Bird Research in the Media
Juvenile zebra finches learn songs directly from a tutor—usually their father—through a social interaction that keeps them motivated and on-task. Young birds who simply hear the songs through a speaker, without the tutor's one-on-one instruction, don't learn them nearly as well.View the full article -
A deep dive into bird survey data has found that some of Australia's favourite backyard visitors considered 'common' are actually on the decline as cities and suburbs opt for less greenery.View the full article
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Ecoacoustics is an interdisciplinary science investigating soundscapes and their association with the environment over various temporal and spatial scales. Despite the data processing challenges (e.g., automated species identification), soundscape monitoring is now being recognized as a cost-effective way to measure biodiversity and assess ecosystem status under environmental change. However, how biophony (biologically produced sounds) varies with vegetation characteristics and topography remains largely unknown.View the full article
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The federal government has been asked to consider at least two videos made in recent years as evidence that ivory-billed woodpeckers may still exist.View the full article
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At least 150 critically-endangered vultures were poisoned to death in separate incidents in Botswana and South Africa, conservationists said Friday, warning the killings pushed the birds closer to extinction.View the full article
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Bob Karp waited nearly three hours through a hot August Sunday for a glimpse of the painted bunting—sometimes called the most gorgeous bird in North America, with its feathers flashing red, green and blue.View the full article
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Scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, together with colleagues from the U.S. and Australia, have succeeded in demonstrating the complexity of species evolution and evolutionary processes by studying the genomic variability of two putative swallow species in Australia. Contrary to expectations, the team of scientists was able to demonstrate that the genetic information of the two bird species hardly differs, despite significantly different coloration and pattern of the plumage. Their study is published in Molecular Ecology.View the full article
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Previously shrouded in mystery, the evolutionary history of kōkako, huia, and tīeke saddlebacks have been revealed by a University of Otago study.View the full article
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While no longer as prevalent as they once were, the billions of face masks and gloves that were produced during the pandemic are making plastic pollution an ever-greater issue.View the full article
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For humans, the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were a stressful time, marked by fear, isolation, canceled plans and uncertainty. But for birds that inhabit developed areas of the Pacific Northwest, the reduction in noise and commotion from pandemic lockdowns may have allowed them to use a wider range of habitats in cities.View the full article
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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. The study's findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.View the full article
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There's nothing like the fresh eggs from your own hens, the more than 400,000 Australians who keep backyard chooks will tell you. Unfortunately, it's often not just freshness and flavor that set their eggs apart from those in the shops.View the full article
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If you ask people why they like their favorite animal, they will tell you about the incredible things the creature can do, its relatable characteristics or its interesting looks. Few would be likely to cite the pigeon as theirs. Many people think of them as vermin rather than wildlife.View the full article
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Monty and Rose, who achieved local fame in 2019 as the first federally endangered piping plovers to raise a family in Chicago in almost 60 years, are gone from the North Side beach where they spent three summers.View the full article
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All baby birds have a moment prior to hatching when their hip bone is a tiny replica of a dinosaur's pelvis.View the full article
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More than half of species whose endangered status cannot be assessed due to a lack of data are predicted to face the risk of extinction, according to a machine-learning analysis published Thursday.View the full article
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Bioscientists from Durham University, UK and Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Germany have predicted in their latest research that bird communities will change worldwide in 2080 due to climate change, largely as result of shifting their ranges.View the full article
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Agri-environment schemes can significantly increase local bird and butterfly populations without damaging food production, a long-term research project has found.View the full article
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We've all known a friend who came back from holiday with a French lilt in their accent. Or noticed an American twang creeping into our voice during dinner with a friend visiting from Texas.View the full article
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It was a risk that likely was not perceived back in 1886, when Forest and Stream magazine editor George Bird Grinnell, distraught over the mass slaughter of birds, decided to name his new organization after one of the most noted artists and naturalists of his time, John James Audubon.View the full article
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Concealed behind trees near Lake Michigan, two scientists remotely manipulated a robotic owl on the forest floor. As the intruder flapped its wings and hooted, a merlin guarding its nest in a nearby pine darted overhead, sounding high-pitched, rapid-fire distress calls.View the full article
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University College Cork (UCC) researchers have found that that cloudier waters, caused in part by climate change, is making it harder for seabirds to catch fish.View the full article
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As the moon rises on a warm evening in early summer, thousands of baby turtles emerge and begin their precarious journey towards the ocean, while millions of moths and fireflies take to the air to begin the complex process of finding a mate.View the full article
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Researchers from Leipzig published a gigantic digital map displaying the full diversity of life through thousands of photos. The so-called LifeGate encompasses all 2.6 million known species of this planet and shows their relationship to one another. The interactive map can now be accessed free of charge at lifegate.idiv.de.View the full article
