Birds have one unchanging scientific name, but often many common names that are subject to change. Choosing a new name for a bird isn’t necessarily a simple decision.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Ornithology
Displaying 1 - 20 of 49 articles
North American ornithologists are seeking to replace all bird species named after people - but what should they be called instead?
H.B. Tristram was a Victorian clergyman and ornithologist who categorised a list of birds he’d found in Palestine.
What’s in a name? A lot, if you’re an Audubon’s Oriole or a Townsend’s Solitaire.
Researchers used ‘citizen science’ birdwatching data to rank Australian species. Among the most elusive birds were ‘hide and seek’ champions and a few possibly headed for extinction.
Machine learning may not seem to have much connection with wildlife, but it’s starting to play a central role in bird conservation.
A wonky skull. Enlarged ear chambers. Asymetrical ears. It looks like the elusive night parrot has traded off vision for excellent hearing
Satellite telemetry, tiny geolocation tags and passive acoustic recording are providing new insights into bird migration and vital data for conservation.
Monitoring bird population trends in Nigeria is a valuable activity – but it requires trained people and commitment over the long term.
Want to understand your local environment better? Look to the birds.
Birds are master navigators, negotiating journeys of thousands miles each year.
We compared 4,500 species of songbird to finally confirm what Darwin suspected.
Birds will shriek and dive at each other over food, territory or mates, but only a small number of species sport actual weapons. The reason: Flying matters more for their survival than fighting.
There are no more ivory-billed woodpeckers or Bachman’s Warblers on Earth, but they’ve left an echo behind.
These wetland birds were eradicated in the 17th century, but breeding pairs returned in 1979.
After 150 years of selective breeding in captivity, the domestic budgie would now be almost unrecognisable to its wild cousin. So who would win in the unlikely event of a fight?
Corvids and parrots might be the superstars of the bird world - but other species like gulls, geese and even chicken have shown some impressive skills too.
Swifts, house martins and greenfinches are the newest arrivals to the UK red list.
We discovered that the ability to be flexible and change behaviour in certain circumstances is just as important for birds as people.
Research suggests our names for birds reflect our changing relationship with the natural world: here’s why that matters
Top contributors
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Professor of Biology, Clarkson University
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Professor of Ethno-ornithology, University of Oxford
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Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield
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Professor, Biodiversity Informatics, University of Cape Town
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Adjunct Lecturer/ Ecologist, University of New England
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Lecturer in Ornithology, Ecology, Conservation and Parasitology, Charles Sturt University
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Researcher, Flinders University
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Reader in Animal Biology and Physiology, Royal Holloway University of London
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Professor, Flinders University
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Postdoc, University of Konstanz
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Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology, Manchester Metropolitan University
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Research Associate in the College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University
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Professor of Applied Ecology, University of East Anglia
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Senior Researcher in Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia
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Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
