Birds
-
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...
-
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 ...
-
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...
-
The social lives of flamingos
It’s a complex world of groups and besties.
You could probably base a reality TV series on the lives of flamingos, such is the complexity of their social lives. ...
-
For birds, innovation is survival
Study shows novel behaviours lower extinction risk.
If you’ve ever ventured beyond admiring the assorted dazzling plumages of birds or simply enjoying their symphony of ...
-
Some birds with small brains aren’t that silly
They simply breed more to survive chaotic cities.
It’s not just big brains that can give birds a survival advantage in harsh urban environments. Some small-brained bir...
-
‘Wonderchicken’ fossil from dinosaur age
Find sheds light on the origin of modern birds.
Palaeontologists have found the oldest fossil of a modern bird, originating from before the last mass extinction that...
-
How do colourful birds protect themselves?
Researchers unravel the mystery with Australasian lorikeets.
The dazzling array of colours that birds display – some that humans can’t even see – are more than awe-inspiring eye ...
-
Parrots do probability
Study finds evidence of statistical inference beyond great apes.
A New Zealand-based PhD student has teamed up with a parrot called Blofeld and, together, they have raised the “spect...
-
I’ll have what she’s having
Seagulls specifically want your food, study suggests.
Seagulls favour food that has been handled by humans, new research shows. When herring gulls in British seaside town...
-
Birds migrated through the last ice age
Surprise finding could help predict future adaptations.
Birds have been migrating much longer than previously thought; in fact, research published in the journal Nature Comm...
-
Smart birds remember new tricks
And this impressive skill could boost their survival.
Not only can you teach a wild bird new tricks, but they can remember it nearly two years later, according to research...