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.
Feeding stations providing food and water for wild birds are contributing to the spread of disease-causing parasites among farmland birds, researchers have said, with birds three times more likely to catch a parasite from ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 4, 2026
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Ever found a bare-nosed wombat napping under your house or heard a possum thumping around in your attic?
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) featured prominently in the news during 2020 as it took the lives of millions of birds across the globe. While the worst seems to be behind us, population-level effects are just now ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2026
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10
On a high Norwegian plateau in late May, patches of bare ground begin to appear through the snow, and with them arrive some of Europe's most approachable birds. Eurasian dotterels breed on exposed mountain ridges and Arctic ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 2, 2026
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9
What makes birdsong beautiful? Answering this question could help us understand how soundscapes make the natural world relaxing for humans, opening the door to improving parks, upgrading the design of stressful places like ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 2, 2026
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40
In 1899, scientists began tracking avian migration by placing a small ring with an identifier around birds' ankles. Researchers then had to recapture the birds elsewhere, leaving the journey between those points a mystery. ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 29, 2026
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The confirmation of Australia's first mainland death of a mammal from bird flu last week highlights New Zealand's challenge in managing the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.
Veterinary medicine
Aug 28, 2026
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6
Eagles are symbols of hunting prowess. Known as top predators wherever they live, they are often assumed to kill as their primary mode of obtaining food. However, a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research reports ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2026
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Every spring, many monarch butterflies drift back into Florida on orange-and-black wings that have captivated scientists for generations. They arrive quietly, fluttering through fields and roadsides, stopping at nectar plants ...
Ecology
Aug 27, 2026
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5
Can DNA traces in just two liters (0.5 gallons) of water reveal how a river's biodiversity changes over the course of a year? A study by the University of Duisburg-Essen using the River Lippe as an example shows how biodiversity ...
Ecology
Aug 26, 2026
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