There’s shocking new evidence of rodenticide poisoning in Australia’s nocturnal predatory birds. High concentrations of the active ingredients were found in 92% of the 60 dead birds they tested.
Owls are masterpieces of adaption, having honed their expertise as night predators over millions of years. Two new books delve into the world of these birds and the battle to protect certain species.
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.
Many of humanity’s innovations have taken inspiration from the natural world.
Alessandro De Maddalena/Shutterstock
Researchers strapped tracking devices to 20 powerful owls in Melbourne and learned these apex predators are increasingly choosing to sleep in urban areas, from backyard trees to golf courses.
Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly sideways and backwards, thanks to an evolutionary feature of their musculoskeletal structure.
(Shutterstock)
Powerful owls need old, hollowed-out trees to nest in, but humans keep chopping them down. Now, designers have partnered up with ecologists to build them high tech artificial nests.