ScienceDaily

A trip to Jicarón Island during the Coiba Bioblitz led to a published bird checklist. View the full article

New insight on how four species of seabirds have developed the ability to cruise through both air and water has just been published. View the full article

The latest supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Checklist of North and Middle American Birds includes several major updates to the organization of the continent's bird species, including the addition of the Mexican Duck and the removal of the Northwestern Crow. The official authority on the names and classification of the region's birds, the checklist is consulted by birdwatchers and professional scientists alike and has been published since 1886. View the full article

Suspended, rotating devices known as ''flappers'' may be the key to fewer birds flying into power lines, a new study suggests. View the full article

A new study of albatrosses has found that wind plays a bigger role in their decision to take flight than previously thought, and due to their differences in body size, males and females differ in their response to wind. View the full article

While humans have three color cones in the retina sensitive to red, green and blue light, birds have a fourth color cone that can detect ultraviolet light. A research team trained wild hummingbirds to perform a series of experiments that revealed that the tiny birds also see combination colors like ultraviolet+green and ultraviolet+red. View the full article

A new study shows that female birds benefit more from extra food in the winter. If females receive additional food, they do not need to reduce their body temperature as much as they would have otherwise, and the chances of surviving cold nights increase. View the full article

Organisms carry long-term 'memories' of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site. View the full article

A new study has confirmed and quantified, for the first time, the presence of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic birds of prey in Florida, including hawks, ospreys and owls. The research is important because birds of prey are critical to a functioning ecosystem. The accumulation of microplastics in their digestive systems could lead to poisoning, starvation and death. View the full article

As the world looks to tighten up the illegal capture of wildlife, migratory birds are being threatened by widespread and unsustainable hunting across the Asia-Pacific region. New research has revealed that three quarters of migratory shorebird species in the region have been hunted since the 1970s. View the full article

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that penguins in Antarctica emit copious amounts of nitrous oxide via their feces. So much so, that the researchers went ''cuckoo'' from being surrounded by penguin poop. View the full article

Urban insect populations would need to increase by a factor of at least 2.5 for urban great tits to have same breeding success as those living in forests according to new research. View the full article

Bird wings adapted for long-distance flight are linked to their environment and behavior, according to new research on an extensive database of wing measurements. View the full article

Early life experiences of zebra finches have a big effect on the construction of their first homes, according to a new study. View the full article

The extreme cold, harsh environment and constant hunt for food means that Arctic animals have become specialists in saving energy. Now, researchers have discovered a previously unknown energy-saving method used by birds during the polar night. View the full article