Scientists have identified a condition they call plasticosis, caused by ingesting plastic waste, in flesh-footed shearwaters.
Patrick Kavanagh/Wikipedia
Many marine animals, birds and fish are ingesting plastic. New research identifies the first named health effect from it.
Dejan Stojanovic
New research shows that if captive breeding stopped tomorrow, orange-bellied parrots would soon become extinct. So we’re locked into breeding programs until we can solve the underlying problems.
Pigeons are a key source of food for the peregrine falcon.
Sriram Bird Photographer/Shutterstock
Lockdown wasn’t good news for London’s peregrine falcons.
Jenna Diehl
Despite their small size, fairy-wrens have surprisingly complex social ties. They’ll risk life and limb to help others – but only if they know them.
Brendt A Petersen/Shutterstock
It’s endearing to think of these glamorous pink birds finding the friendship group they fit into. But navigating flamingo social lives can help with conservation too.
Research suggests that only about 1,000 to 1,500 Príncipe scops owls exist in the wild.
Martim Melo
A local legend of a mysterious bird with big eyes grew into the discovery of the Príncipe scops owl. A biologist on the team tells the story of finding and cataloging this new species.
Patrick Webster
The first comprehensive population assessment of the raptor affectionately known as The Red reveals a species in trouble. Australia’s rarest bird of prey needs our help.
Vultures doesn’t deserve their bad reputation.
Eatmann/Shutterstock
Vultures help protect us from disease and in many cultures they are a symbol of strength and wisdom.
Thomas Suchanek
The only other species known to do this are humans and chimpanzees.
The Bahama warbler (Setophaga flavescens) is endemic to the Bahamas.
Blickwinkel/Alamy Stock Photo
The Bahama warbler favours large pine trees and palms, fieldwork shows.
A hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus).
Tristan Barrington/Shutterstock
In birds, big brains aren’t associated with living in large social groups – instead, they’re linked to long stints of parental feeding.
More watchful eyes can mean more safety for all.
Georgette Douwma/Stone via Getty Images
Scientists are learning that diversity has many perks – whether in multispecies groups of animals or human society.
It wasn’t flying that gave birds the advantage.
Corey Ford/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
Birds and dinosaurs lived together for millions of years, but only toothless birds survived the asteroid impact that upended life on Earth.
The coquí frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui , is loud enough to wake people at night.
Éktor/flickr
From insects to birds to bats to frogs, these little loudmouths have found ingenious ways to deliver their messages at high volume.
Niassa Special Reserve in Northern Mozambique’s is just one of the continent’s under-mapped biodiversity areas.
Harith Omar Morgadinho Farooq
Huge swathes of Africa remain unstudied and their species undocumented.
The giant bird Genyornis went extinct in Australia around 50,000 years ago.
Peter Trusler
A puzzle over the identity of an extinct bird that laid eggs across Australia has been solved.
Conor O'Reagan/Unsplash
Why are Australian black swans so quick to die from bird flu? A new genome study comparing them to their bird brethren helps to unravel the mystery.
Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs.
Warpaint/Shutterstock
Prehistoric reptiles like pterodactyls took flight long before bats and birds, but we don’t know how it happened.
Exposed lakebed at the Salton Sea on Dec. 29, 2022.
RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Fifty years ago, the Salton Sea was a draw for boaters and fishermen; today it’s an ecological time bomb. Two water experts who served on a state review panel describe its proposed rescue plan.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation
For one, they’ll work as a team to dive bomb potential enemies, even vomiting or defecating on them.