News tagged with tail feathers

Some birds may use their feathers to touch

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of auklets suggests the birds use their ornamental feathers in much the same way as cats use their whiskers: to feel their surroundings.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 15, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

How hummingbirds produce fluttering sounds during courtship

Though famous for their mid-air hovering during hunting, tiny hummingbirds have another trait that is literally telltale: males of some hummingbird species generate loud sounds with their tail feathers while ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 08, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Dinosaur species attracted mates similar to a peacock

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study presented at the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology shows that the Oviraptor dinosaur had a tail structure that allowed it to shake its tail feathers, possibly to attract potential ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Nov 09, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

From caves to Stonehenge, ancient peoples painted with sound

Stone Age cave paintings evoke reverent silence in most people. But David Lubman, Miriam Kolar, and Steve Waller prefer to shout and clap instead.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Flag has ladies all of a flutter

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have revealed how the male common snipe 'flies the flag' to get the girl.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 28, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Jurassic salamanders with stomach contents found from Inner Mongolia

Paleontologists from Chinese Academy of Sciences reported two Jurassic salamanders with stomach contents from Daohugou, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China, as reported in Chinese Science Bulletin online ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Mystery hummingbird's species identified

A mystery that puzzled Chicago-area birders was solved when Field Museum scientists identified the unusual hummingbird living in an Oak Park, Ill., yard as a member of the rufous species rarely seen in the Midwest.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 26, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Long, sexy tails not a drag on male birds

The long tails sported by many male birds in the tropics look like they're a drag to carry around and a distinct disadvantage when fleeing predators, but experiments by University of California, Berkeley, ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 12, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0