Birds
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Snapshot
Lyrical lyrebird also an ecosystem engineer
Its soil displacement tops the global rankings.
The superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) is known for its impressive mimicry of other birds’ songs and even camer...
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A bird’s life in the changing tropics
Studies examine climate change impact and response.
Two new studies in the journal Nature Climate Change highlight the delicate balance birds face in trying to survive g...
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Why penguins are where they are
Genomic analysis traces their origin and travels.
Penguins first appeared about 22 million years ago, not in Antarctica, as many scientists have thought, but in the co...
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Birds don’t sleep well in the city
Study measures neurological responses to light pollution.
We continue to learn more about the damaging impact of light pollution. Most recently, an Australian study – the f...
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Birds adapting to climate change
Study finds that timing breeds resilience.
Changing weather patterns are playing havoc with nature’s ecosystems. We’re seeing such things as plants flowering in...
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Citizen Science
Peckish pollys and townie turkeys
Help keep an eye on birds in the bush and the suburbs.
Each week Cosmos takes a look at the latest projects and news about Citizen Science in Australia. This week Ian Conne...
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Migrating birds adapt to changing seasons
Population declines likely due to human land use.
Birds that fly long distances across continents in spring are more flexible in adapting their migrations to a changin...
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Birds change their tunes after wildfires
Dialects reflect ecosystem processes, study shows.
Wildfires can change the tunes of birds in nearby forests, according to a new study published in The Auk: Ornithologi...
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For the evolution of smarts, parents matter
Songbird research shows cognitive and survival benefits.
Humans are not the only species that enjoy prolonged childhoods: elephants, whales, dolphins and some bats and birds ...
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Cassowaries shine in an interesting way
Study suggests its due to feather shape.
The cassowary achieves its luxuriously glossy plumage through modifications to feather shape similar to the hair stru...
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Feathers, digits and the Sonic hedgehog
Biologists suggest they are all linked.
Bird feathers and human digits share a remarkably similar developmental history, according to a new study. Grafts ...
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How birds evolved big brains
They once compared well with dinosaurs.
Birds and non-avian dinosaurs had similar relative brain sizes prior to the mass extinction at the end of the Cretace...