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A previously unknown bird-like dinosaur that used brute strength to overcome its prey has been found by paleontologists combing through fossils found on the Isle of Wight. It dates back to the Early Cretaceous, over 100 million years ago.View the full article -
Complex risks to human health and wellbeing have been neglected by governments and NGOs because of a failure appreciate the complex nature of environmental risks, a new report warns.View the full article
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An outbreak of bird flu has been detected in a duck farm in France's Landes region, the heart of foie gras production, local officials said Sunday.View the full article
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The California Coastal Commission has approved a plan to poison invasive mice threatening rare seabirds on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.View the full article
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The working memory is the brain's ability to process information for a short period of time in a retrievable state. It is essential for performing complex cognitive tasks, such as thinking, planning, following instructions or solving problems. A team of researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) has now succeeded in investigating this special area of memory in birds in more detail and in comparing it to data storage in the mammalian brain. The scientists found that birds and monkeys—despite their different brain architecture—share the same central mechanisms and limits of working memory.View the full article
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Flinders University ecologists are calling on summer holiday-goers to not interfere with wildlife and damage habitats, notably for shy animals such as little penguins.View the full article
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Three companies face federal charges for their roles in the October oil spill off the coast of Orange County, authorities said Wednesday.View the full article
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The 2020 wildfires in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil, caused the immediate death of potentially 16.9 million vertebrates, including lizards, birds and primates, reports a study published in Scientific Reports.View the full article
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The vast majority of Pennsylvanians responding to a recent survey conducted by Penn State researchers said they strongly support bird conservation and indicated they believe future efforts will be needed to protect avian species.View the full article
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A new fossil skeleton of an extinct species of bird from northeastern China that lived alongside dinosaurs 120 million years ago unexpectedly preserves a bony tongue that is nearly as long as its head.View the full article
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Our oceans are under pressure like never before, with over 60% struggling from the increasing impact of fishing, coastal activities and climate change. The harsh truth is that as we move towards 2022 only 3% of oceans are totally free from the pressure of human activity. The greatest impact appears to be on large-bodied animals such as marine mammals and birds, which cannot reproduce as quickly as smaller species.View the full article
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While much is known about extreme weather events on land, there has been little research into those that occur in the ocean. A study led by ETH Zurich uses models to show for the first time that marine heatwaves, and extremes with high acidity or low oxygen can also occur conjointly—with difficult to foresee consequences for marine life.View the full article
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Cacao farms not only provide us with the pleasure of chocolate, but also offer potential advantages for biodiversity-friendly agriculture. The benefits to biodiversity have been widely studied in tropical rainforests, but were so far unknown in tropical dry forests. An international team of researchers led by the University of Göttingen has now reported for the first time how seasonal effects drive the presence of birds and bats—the most important consumers of insect pests—in cacao agroforests in Peru. The results were published in Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment.View the full article
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In South and Central America, an especially high number of biodiverse areas are in jeopardy. Tropical rainforests are being cleared so that the land can be used for livestock grazing and planting soybeans. To compensate for these losses, other areas need to be placed under protection. The United Nations plans to protect 30 percent of global landmass by 2030; currently, the 17-percent benchmark still applies.View the full article
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Until around 45,000 years ago, Australia was home to Genyornis newtoni, a fearsomely huge bird weighing roughly 230kg—almost six times as much as an emu—and standing 2 meters tall.View the full article
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WWF-Russia today released a publicly accessible, easy-to-use interactive map that shows habitats of animals listed in the Red Data Books of Russia's endangered species. The map covers the full territory of the Russian Federation, including the boundaries of forestry units and leased areas of logging companies. It will serve as an important tool to identify and determine whether habitats of rare bird species are to be found in planned logging areas. Most of the information covers habitats of rare bird species, although data on some other animal species is also available.View the full article
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Spending time with offspring is beneficial to development, but it's proving lifesaving to Galápagos Islands Darwin's finches studied by Flinders University experts.View the full article
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The United States should immediately move to create a collection of strategic forest reserves in the Western U.S. to fight climate change and safeguard biodiversity, according to a scientific collaboration led by an Oregon State University ecologist.View the full article
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There's less light pollution along Southern California beaches than in densely populated inland areas. But even lower levels of artificial light along the coast disrupt the normal biological behaviors of fish and birds native to the region.View the full article
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Data collected from a long-term study by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists shows declining populations of an already relatively rare Antarctic seabird, the South Georgia shag. Published in the journal Polar Biology, a 40-year census from Signy Island in the remote South Orkney Islands and a 30-year census from Bird Island, close to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, have shown significant population declines at both locations.View the full article
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The evolutionary origin of endothermy (the ability to maintain a warm body and higher energy levels than reptiles), currently believed to have originated separately in birds and mammals, could have occurred nearly 300 million years ago.View the full article
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Navigating her boat toward a wooden platform floating in an idyllic New Hampshire lake where "On Golden Pond" was filmed, biologist Tiffany Grade spotted what she had feared.View the full article
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A pair of researchers with Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, has found that an invasive species of snake has killed off nearly all of the reptiles native to Gran Canaria. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Julien Piquet and Marta López-Darias describe their comparison of habitats impacted by the importation of an invasive snake species and those that have not.View the full article
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Balancing the exploration of unfamiliar stimuli with a fear of the unknown—neophobia—can help animals maximize the benefits of novel opportunities while minimizing the risks of novel threats from toxic foods, potential predators and the like. Understanding neophobia, then, can yield insights into how species adapt to new or changing environments.View the full article
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Exactly 100 years ago tomorrow, a bird that had been relegated to extinction made a comeback. The exquisitely beautiful paradise parrot was rediscovered by Cyril Jerrard, a grazier from Gayndah in Queensland's Burnett district, on December 11, 1921.View the full article
