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Articles on Ornithology

Displaying 21 - 40 of 49 articles

Geese fly day or night, depending on when conditions are best. sharply_done/E+ via Getty Images

How do geese know how to fly south for the winter?

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.
A male Olive-backed Euphonia (Euphonia gouldi), photographed in Costa Rica. Andy Morffew

Why do birds sing?

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?
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

Curious Kids: why do eggs have a yolk?

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.
Birds don’t fly across wide Amazonian rivers like the Rio Negro. Marcos Amend www.marcosamend.com (for use with this article only)

Bird DNA helps explain Amazonian rivers’ role in evolution

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.

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