Articles about 'birds'

Surprising finding shows that thornbills simulate a ‘chorus of alarm’ to distract predators by convincing them something scarier is on its way.

Research published today looks at the evolutionary pathways to differences in bird plumage patterns between males and females – and concludes that birds are able to adapt their appearance with remarkable ease. 

Evolutionary trick allows cuckoos to mimic the plumage of birds of prey, and may be used to scare mothers from their nests so that cuckoos can lay their eggs. Mimicry in cuckoos may be more much more widespread than previously thought.

Scientists focusing on the ecology and evolution of avian flu.

When different species of birds flock together, their flight formations are determined by social dynamics both between and within species.

Research suggests that Eurasian Jays might be able to determine aspects of the ‘internal life’ of their mate.

As voyages of exploration opened up the world from the 15th century onwards, European culture delighted in encounters with exotic items. Dr José Ramón Marcaida, a visiting scholar at Cambridge University, shows how portrayals of the spectacular bird of paradise reflect the intersection between art and science.

New research indicates that a bird’s ability to detect changes in air pressure is the evolutionary remnant of an ancient sense organ found in sharks and sturgeons.

Certain types of birds may track army ant swarms using sophisticated memory and the ability to plan for the future.

Newly hatched chicks of African honeyguide birds bite to death their foster siblings to eliminate competition.