News tagged with ornithology
Computer scientists develop an interactive field guide app for birders
A team of researchers led by computer scientist Serge Belongie at the University of California, San Diego, has good news for birders: they have developed an iPad app that will identify most North American birds, with a little ...
May 08, 2012 |
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Wild birds respond differently to the first long days of a year
The lengthening of days in late winter is an important signal that stimulates the reproductive activity of many animals. Animals living in the milder climatic conditions of southern Europe usually begin breeding ...
Apr 24, 2012 |
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New app signals that endangered whales are nearby
A whale of an app is about to make a splash on iPhones and iPads, providing a hand-held tool for those who need to know if right whales are swimming through their shipping lanes and what to do in such an event.
Apr 05, 2012 |
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Bird ranges shift north, but not as fast as climate
(PhysOrg.com) -- As warmer winter temperatures become more common, one way for some animals to adjust is to shift their ranges northward. But a new study of 59 North American bird species indicates that doing ...
Mar 28, 2012 |
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Climate change plays major role in decline of blackbird species
(PhysOrg.com) -- Populations of the rusty blackbird, a once-abundant North American species, have declined drastically in recent years, and Auburn University researchers say climate change is to blame.
Feb 20, 2012 |
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Only few seabird species contract avian malaria
Seabirds often live in large colonies in very confined spaces. Parasites, such as fleas and ticks, take advantage of this ideal habitat with its rich supply of nutrition. As a result, they can transmit blood ...
Dec 12, 2011 |
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'Look at that!' -- ravens use gestures, too
Pointing and holding up objects in order to attract attention has so far only been observed in humans and our closest living relatives, the great apes. Simone Pika from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Thomas ...
Nov 29, 2011 |
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Colourful boundary trespassers: burrowing parrots crossed the Andes 120,000 years ago
The Andes of southern South America form a hostile mountain range with glaciers, salty deserts and meagre high elevation steppes. Birds from more moderate climate zones cross this mountain range only rarely. ...
Jul 13, 2011 |
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How safe is mist netting? First large-scale study into bird capture technique evaluates the risks
Capturing birds using mist nets to study behaviour, movement or the demographics of a species is one of the most common research techniques in ornithology, yet until now there have been no large scale studies ...
Jun 30, 2011 |
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Snake predator may benefit endangered bird, study finds
An endangered Florida bird may have some unexpected help in its struggle for survival, according to a new University of Florida study.
Jun 24, 2011 |
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Birdsong independent of brain size
(PhysOrg.com) -- The brains of all vertebrates display gender-related differences. In songbirds, for example, the size of the brain areas that control their singing behaviour could be linked to the size of ...
Jun 13, 2011 |
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Bats keep separate households
(PhysOrg.com) -- The use of different resources by males and females exacerbates the estimation of population sizes. However, the monitoring of population sizes, particularly for rare and threatened species, ...
Mar 24, 2011 |
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Fairy wrens: Accountants of the animal kingdom
A puzzling example of altruism in nature has been debunked with researchers showing that purple-crowned fairy wrens are in reality cunningly planning for their own future when they assist in raising other ...
Mar 18, 2011 |
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Do hormones dictate breeding success in birds?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some animals produce more offspring than others do. Hormones like prolactin and corticosterone can exercise a crucial influence on the behaviour of birds in the breeding season and therefore ...
Jan 25, 2011 |
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Brain regions sleep more deeply when used more -- also in birds
(PhysOrg.com) -- When we are asleep, those regions of our brain that were particularly active during wakefulness sleep more deeply. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen, Germany ...
Jan 12, 2011 |
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Ornithology
Ornithology (from Greek: ὄρνις, ὄρνιθος, ornis, ornithos, "bird"; and λόγος, logos, "rationale" or "explanation") is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds. Most marked among these is the extent of studies undertaken by amateurs working within the parameters of strict scientific methodology.
The science of ornithology has a long history and studies on birds have helped develop several key concepts in evolution, behaviour and ecology such as the definition of species, the process of speciation, instinct, learning, ecological niches, guilds, island biogeography, phylogeography and conservation. While early ornithology was principally concerned with descriptions and distributions of species, ornithologists today seek answers to very specific questions, often using birds as models to test hypotheses or predictions based on theories. Most modern biological theories apply across taxonomic groups and the number of professional scientists who identify themselves as "ornithologists" has therefore declined. A wide range of tools and techniques are used in ornithology and innovations are constantly made.
For more information about Ornithology, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
