Shorebirds gather by the thousands at important feeding and resting areas, but how individual birds move among sites remains a mystery.
Julian Garcia-Walther
Geese honk loudly and point their bills toward the sky when they’re ready to start the migration. Here’s how they know it’s time, how they navigate and how they conserve energy on the grueling trip.
Millions of Americans feed wild birds, especially in winter and spring. Studies show that this can influence birds’ health and behavior in surprising ways.
Making sense of bird behavior was a lifelong passion for Margaret Morse Nice.
AP Photo
This 20th century ornithologist earned the respect of her contemporaries for her animal behavior research that went against the grain of traditional science.
Birds spend a lot of time and energy singing, but they don’t do it the same way in every season of the year. And some can’t sing at all. What’s the purpose of birdsong?
European bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
Kiran Dhanjal-Adams
Even in the breeding grounds, we found that European bee-eaters preferred the company of some birds over others. These tended to be the individuals they migrated with.
A pair of Seychelles Warblers tend to their chick.
Janske Van De Crommenacker
Why some individuals age faster than others is a mystery, but new research suggests help with childcare is significant.
Yolks are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins packaged up by the female animal for an embryo.
Emily Nunell/The Conversation CC-NY-BD
A yolk allows a developing animal to stay in an egg longer, boosting its chance of survival. The downside is the mother has to work hard finding extra food so her body can create a nutritious yolk.
Osprey on a nesting platform in Massachusetts.
Craig Gibson
Chemical pollution and hunting pushed Ospreys to the edge of extinction in the mid-20th century. Today, they have rebounded and can be spotted worldwide, often nesting on manmade structures.
Rivers are natural boundaries for evolving populations. But scientists don’t agree whether they create new species or just help maintain them. Research using birds’ molecular clocks provides some answers.