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Articles on Birds

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A passenger pigeon flock being hunted in Louisiana. From the ‘Illustrated Shooting and Dramatic News’, 1875. (Wikimedia/Smith Bennett)

Why passenger pigeons went extinct a century ago

For decades, the extinction of passenger pigeons has been explained by two theories of human impact. New research shows one of these theories is now more compelling than the other.
These birds were killed by flying into a set of surveyed buildings in Washington DC in 2013. USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab/Flickr

Buildings kill millions of birds. Here’s how to reduce the toll

The tall buildings of our cities kill horrifying numbers of birds. But some cities are adopting mandatory design measures to cut the toll.
Places where lots of animals come into contact can help pathogens move from species to species. Baloncici/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Re-creating live-animal markets in the lab lets researchers see how pathogens like coronavirus jump species

In the real world, new diseases emerge from complex environments. To learn more about how, scientists set up whole artificial ecosystems in the lab, instead of focusing on just one factor at a time.
Male pileated woodpecker. FotoRequest/Shutterstock.com

How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?

Pecking holes in a solid wood tree trunk would give you a headache, if not serious brain damage. What special assets allow a woodpecker to do it?
Leaving water out for wildlife is important during droughts and bushfires but if it’s not changed regularly it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Roger Smith/Flickr

You can leave water out for wildlife without attracting mosquitoes, if you take a few precautions

Temperatures are soaring and bushfires are decimating Australia’s wildlife. So how can we avoid creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes when putting water out for thirsty birds and animals?
Swift Parrots are among the many threatened bird species facing decline. AAP Image/ Supplied by Australian National University

Australia’s threatened birds declined by 59% over the past 30 years

Australia’s threatened birds have declined by 59%, on average, between 1985 and 2016 based on 400,000 surveys at more than 17,000 locations according to Australia’s world-first Threatened Bird Index.

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