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  1. Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have developed an index to estimate how a bird uses its wings for flight or other locomotion by measuring the strength of the coracoid bone and the animal's body mass. It should improve our understanding of how extinct animals used their wings and the different patterns of wing-propelled locomotion that emerged as birds evolved. Their findings were published in the Journal of Anatomy.View the full article
  2. A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uses genetic data from more than 250 bird species to investigate patterns of trait diversity over the distant past and under a previous period of dramatic global climate warming.View the full article
  3. Peru said Tuesday that 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in recent weeks, the latest report on the disease's impacts.View the full article
  4. The storks float and swoop in formation, circling over a landfill in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of Madrid. Then a garbage truck pulls up and disgorges its contents. One by one, they dive to the ground: breakfast is here.View the full article
  5. Penguins constitute a fascinating family of flightless birds, that although somewhat clumsy on land, are extremely talented swimmers. Their incredible maneuverability in water has captivated biologists for decades, with the first hydrodynamic studies on their swimming dating back to the 1970s.View the full article
  6. Carolina chickadees are small, boisterous year-round residents of the southeastern United States. They are regularly found with much larger tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches and various woodpecker species.View the full article
  7. Can a pigeon match wits with artificial intelligence? At a very basic level, yes. In a new study, psychologists at the University of Iowa examined the workings of the pigeon brain and how the "brute force" of the bird's learning shares similarities with artificial intelligence.View the full article
  8. A new paper in Ornithological Applications reviews multiple ways in which the field of ornithology systemically excludes researchers and research from Latin America and the Caribbean, despite this region harboring the most bird species on Earth. The paper, signed by 124 ornithologists (including professional scientists, naturalists, park rangers, and technicians) from 19 countries, also explains what the field might do to start addressing the problems identified.View the full article
  9. Plants and animals do not respect legal boundaries, oblivious to the policies that govern different jurisdictions. A new Stanford-led study highlights how policies in forestry, agriculture, and other sectors can fit together to govern biodiversity in a more coordinated and effective way. Published Feb. 6 in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the first of its kind analysis focuses on Colombia, one of the world's most biodiverse countries, finding that biodiversity is governed by almost 200 distinct policies that cover a variety of ecosystems, conservation approaches, scales, actors, and threats.View the full article
  10. The record-breaking price of eggs has encouraged some people to consider raising chickens in the backyard, but it's important to do some research before buying those cute little chicks.View the full article
  11. Experts have warned that the recent detection of bird flu in mammals including foxes, otters, minks, seals and even grizzly bears is concerning but emphasized that the virus would have to significantly mutate to spread between humans.View the full article
  12. A new study published in PeerJ has provided crucial insights into the factors that affect the fertility of the critically endangered kākāpō, a flightless parrot species native to New Zealand.View the full article
  13. Hatching failure rates in birds are almost twice as high as experts previously estimated, according to the largest ever study of its kind by researchers from the University of Sheffield, Institute of Zoology, and University College London (UCL).View the full article
  14. Since antiquity, humans have been fascinated by birds' intercontinental migratory journeys. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that two areas in their genome decide whether a willow warbler flies across the Iberian Peninsula to western Africa, or across the Balkans to eastern and southern Africa.View the full article
  15. New research from William & Mary published in PeerJ reveals that decals intended to reduce incidents of bird window strikes—one of the largest human-made causes of bird mortality—are only effective if decals are placed on the outside of the window. Researchers found that the patterns on the films and decals placed on the internal surface of windows do not reduce collision because they may not be sufficiently visible to birds.View the full article
  16. Quails could be the unknown reservoir of the Toscana virus (TOSV) and the Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), mosquito-borne pathogens that can infect domestic animals and also cause disease in humans. This conclusion is drawn from a study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, and led by Jordi Serra-Cobo, professor at the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona, and Remi Charrel, from the Aix-Marseille University (France).View the full article
  17. Phoebastria immutabilis, commonly known as the Laysan albatross, is a large seabird native to the North Pacific Ocean. Owing to the decrease in their population size, this species has been listed as "Near Threatened" in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Laysan albatrosses, like other birds, have a symbiotic relationship with feather mites, a species of highly host-specific parasites that inhabit the feathers of the birds.View the full article
  18. Computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with biologists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recently announced in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution a new, predictive model that is capable of accurately forecasting where a migratory bird will go next—one of the most difficult tasks in biology. The model is called BirdFlow, and while it is still being perfected, it should be available to scientists within the year and will eventually make its way to the general public.View the full article
  19. As some species of animals follow their instinct to migrate, some become disoriented by the glow from urban areas and wander off route, where far too many meet their fates. A recent study found evidence of the effects of light pollution on migrating animals, as well as areas where we're still in the dark in our understanding.View the full article
  20. Molecular analysis of the eggshell structure of large flightless birds such as ostriches and emus provides new insights into how they evolved.View the full article
  21. Non-native forest tree species can reduce native species diversity if they are planted in uniform stands. In contrast, the effects of introduced species on soil properties are small. This was found by an international review study with the participation of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.View the full article
  22. In the cloud forests of South America, amid the constant cacophony of bird and insect noise, a deafening blare pierces through the background from time to time. Belonging to the loudest known bird, the white bellbird, Procnias albus, this sound would be painful to humans listening nearby and capable of causing immediate hearing damage from about a yard away.View the full article
  23. The list of extinct species that genetic engineering company Colossal wants to bring back to life is growing. The latest addition: the dodo.View the full article
  24. Fleeing isn't the only way by which songbirds can protect themselves against predators. Many songbird species are known to engage in mobbing, where they gather aggressively around a bird of prey, flying rapidly while making stereotypic movements and loud vocalizations. Mobbing is risky for both parties: birds of prey have been observed to attack their mobbers, while cases are known of mobbing songbirds injuring birds of prey.View the full article
  25. The African continent is bursting with biodiversity. In a 2016 report, the United Nations Environment Program wrote: "Africa's biomes extend from mangroves to deserts, from Mediterranean to tropical forests, from temperate to sub-tropical and montane grasslands and savannas, and even to ice-capped mountains."View the full article
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