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.
Many young adults are familiar with common species such as dandelions or sparrows. In contrast, plants and birds typical of fields, meadows and other agricultural habitats are significantly less well known. This is shown ...
Ecology
Jun 19, 2026
0
351
An international team of researchers have published a new review in Animal Behavior revealing how communication enables cooperation between different animal species. The review, titled "The ecology and evolution of cues and ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 19, 2026
0
264
Australian Antarctic Program scientists are contributing to global understanding of the spread of H5 avian influenza (bird flu) with the release of findings from recent voyages to the remote sub-Antarctic Heard Island and ...
Ecology
Jun 18, 2026
0
16
There is a Chinese saying that east or west, Guilin scenery is the best. Guilin and Chongqing, located in western China, are famous for their many mountains and rivers. They also harbor unique flora and fauna, such as the ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 18, 2026
0
14
There is evidence that nonhuman animals perceive the world, and how it unfolds in time, differently from humans and from each other. For example, certain beetles can see flickering in lights up to around 500 Hz, while in ...
When pigeons are flying through the air, they lock their eyes in a near-fixed position instead of moving them around. Researchers from Harvard University discovered this after attaching a lightweight rig of cameras and mirrors ...
Birdwatching is one of the most common and popular ways people experience nature. But it's not often that even the most enthusiastic birdwatcher returns to the same place more than 800 times to witness the changes over four ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 17, 2026
0
6
The Ramsar Convention is the world's longest-standing international treaty for wetland and waterbird protection. Signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl ...
Just 10 viral particles of the H5N1 bird flu that caused hundreds of influenza outbreaks in U.S. dairy cattle can cause infection in cows, a new study shows. The research also hints at why the outbreaks have confounded scientists, ...
Ecology
Jun 15, 2026
0
13
"Love makes fools of all of us," wrote 19th-century novelist William Makepeace Thackeray. A moment spent watching the pigeons at your local park suggests he was right: males with puffed-up, shimmering necks hop, pirouette, ...
Evolution
Jun 15, 2026
0
15
