Birds (class Aves) are a clade of endothermic, egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, a lightweight but strong skeleton with pneumatic bones, and forelimbs modified as wings. They possess a highly efficient respiratory system with air sacs and unidirectional airflow, a four-chambered heart, and high metabolic rates supporting sustained activity and, in most species, powered flight. Reproduction is oviparous with hard-shelled, calcium-rich eggs and extensive parental care. Birds exhibit diverse morphologies and ecological strategies, yet share key synapomorphies such as feathers and a furcula, reflecting their origin within theropod dinosaurs.
A new study by Bournemouth University (BU) has found that faster recovery of osprey populations relies on a small number of ospreys that, unlike most, prefer to nest away from others of the same species. These birds have ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 13, 2026
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Newly published research offers some of the clearest evidence yet of why the invasive barred owl has become one of the greatest threats to the northern spotted owl and delivers encouraging evidence that managing barred owl ...
Ecology
Aug 13, 2026
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Scorching heat waves, severe cold snaps and other extreme weather events are limiting where species can exist—and affecting biodiversity estimates—for more than 500 North American bird species, according to a new, Yale–led ...
Ecology
Aug 12, 2026
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In a rare study of snakes as nest predators, scientists found nesting birds were loath to strike rattlesnakes even though they likely had no previous experience with vipers.
Plants & Animals
Aug 12, 2026
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Nearly 30 years ago, a simple question sent University of Washington researchers into the Puget Sound lowlands to look for birds. With Seattle's population swelling and housing developments pushing into once-forested suburbs, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 11, 2026
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Jackie, the bald eagle who became an internet sensation and a symbol of the species' recovery in California, died Monday after being treated for an illness at a veterinary facility, her caretakers announced.
Ecology
Aug 11, 2026
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A new study out of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that West Nile virus (WNV) has had impacts on one in five Pennsylvania bird species, demonstrating how decades of community science ...
Ecology
Aug 10, 2026
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The Mauritian dodo—a global symbol of human-caused extinction and one of the world's largest pigeons—may not have deserved its reputation as a silly simpleton and may have been the only member of its group to live in the ...
Ecology
Aug 8, 2026
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The dodo has been extinct for more than 300 years, wiped out within decades of humans arriving on its home island of Mauritius, but it lives on in the public imagination.
Paleontology & Fossils
Aug 8, 2026
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You need to tread carefully among the leaf litter of the Indonesian scrubland and its tropical rainforests. The dead leaves might seem caught in a gentle breeze, but there's more here than meets the eye. Try plucking one ...
Evolution
Aug 7, 2026
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