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.
Every animal with a brain needs sleep—and even a few without a brain do, too. Humans sleep, birds sleep, whales sleep and even jellyfish sleep.
Plants & Animals
Dec 19, 2025
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Penguins in the coastal steppes of Argentina have a new enemy to worry about: the increasing numbers of pumas in Monte León National Park (MLNP). These powerful mountain cats were once on the brink of disappearing from this ...
A flutter of blue and yellow darts through a field in late May. Trees, shrubs and summer flowers fill the landscape. A blue-winged warbler is just within reach, with one swift motion it can be gently grasped, banded and studied ...
Ecology
Dec 17, 2025
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Have you ever wondered what keeps you warm in your winter jacket? Most jacket insulation is made from human-made synthetic fibers (polyester) or natural down from ducks or geese. Some winter jackets are insulated with something ...
Ecology
Dec 16, 2025
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About 20,000 years ago, a family of owls lived in a cave. Sometimes, they would cough up owl pellets containing the bones of their prey, which landed on the cave floor. And, researchers have just discovered, ancient bees ...
Ecology
Dec 16, 2025
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Just 20 days earlier, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig had exploded, killing 11 people and igniting one of the worst environmental disasters in modern history. A pelican and a Northern gannet were the first two birds plucked ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 15, 2025
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Loons are on the mend in Maine, filling more of the state's lakes and ponds with their haunting calls, although conservationists say the birds aren't out of the woods yet.
Ecology
Dec 13, 2025
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About 400 storks have been found dead along a river near Madrid, officials said Tuesday, raising concerns that a highly infectious strain of bird flu may be circulating.
Ecology
Dec 9, 2025
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Penguins living off the coast of South Africa have likely starved to death en masse during their molting season as a result of collapsing food supplies.
Plants & Animals
Dec 4, 2025
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There are many ways for an eagle to suffer a human-caused death. Electrocution, lead poisoning, vehicle collisions, or being shot, to name a few. Some of these deaths are "offset" through a provision within the Bald and Golden ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 4, 2025
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