When poison takes flight: these birds might kill you – if you eat them Snakes, mushrooms, frogs and some plants – but not birds, right? Well actually yes: here is what we know about the poisonous chirpers.
What’s the best place to hang a birdhouse? If you go to all the trouble to hang a birdhouse, you definitely want to put it in the right place. But which is better: Sun or shade?
Northern European peatland birds down more than one third since 1981 But urgent conservation actions could reverse this trend.
Clever ravens can plan one step ahead The birds are as good at planning as a four-year-old child or a chimpanzee.
Birdsong is genetically coded Nature or nurture? Until now, ornithologists assumed that birds passed on their unique songs predominantly via social learning. But a new Swedish study shows that genetics may be a bigger factor.
Ravens can be as clever as chimps A Swedish study shows that corvids – birds of or resembling the crow family – can be just as smart at certain tasks as chimpanzees, even though their brains are very much smaller.
Deadly virus discovered in Scandinavian geese A virus that plagues wild geese in North America has now been detected in Scandinavia.
Climate and intensive farming push European birds into decline Bird populations in Europe both benefit and suffer from warmer temperatures, while many populations are in decline due to threats posed by intensive agriculture.
Birds on the Galápagos Islands have developed new eating habits New study on the eating habits of birds on the Galápagos Islands have surprised scientists.
Birds on the Galápagos Islands have developed new eating habits New study on the eating habits of birds on the Galápagos Islands have surprised scientists.
Two birds have cheated scientist for decades Scandinavian scientists have turned the family trees of two birds upside down using genetic analysis.
Groundbreaking genome sequencings reveal how birds became birds Scientists have sequenced the genomes of 48 different species of birds. Their findings reveal how birds developed, how all bird species are related, and what made them develop special characteristics.
Why does poor mimicry work? Hoverflies mimic the appearance of wasps to avoid being eaten. But even to our untrained eyes they seem to be doing a shoddy job. So why does it work anyway?
Humans alone killed off the giant moa bird New research reveals that the moa population were fit and healthy before humans started hunting the bird. In spite of this, it took less than 200 years before the gigantic bird had died out.
Map outlines global hotpots of bycatch intensity Fishery bycatch poses a great threat to various endangered species, and to ecosystems in general. Scientists have now mapped out the problem.
Parrots use sounds like people use names Parrots use their ability to mimic sounds to address specific individuals in a dynamic communication network.
Tree-jumping taught dinosaurs to fly The earliest dino-birds had wings that could only be used for passive flight between treetops, new fossil analysis reveals.
Mystery: captivity damages flamingo feet It has long been a mystery why flamingos in captivity suffer foot lesions. A Danish study now claims to have solved a part of this mystery.
Colour secrets revealed in fossilised fish-eye A Swedish palaeontologist and Danish researchers have now proved that prehistoric fossils still have traces of colouring from the animal’s skin, hair or feathers.
Sex made birds spread their wings The discovery of a dinosaur with a glossy metallic plumage suggests it was sex, and not aerodynamics, that drove the evolution of dinosaur feathers and which later enabled birds to fly.
Urban design makes birds hit the high C Birds raise their pitch to drown out traffic noise and to make themselves understood in the urban landscape.
The mother of all birds had black wings A study has discovered new evidence about the colour of the wings of Archaeopteryx – the primordial bird.
