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.
An egg-citing plot twist has emerged in what's already been an eventful nesting season for Big Bear's celebrity bald eagle couple. Jackie laid an egg on Tuesday afternoon, offering new hope for babies this year after a previous ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 26, 2026
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Powerful, fierce and the king of the Cretaceous world, Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate apex predator. But it was also surprisingly dainty on its feet, according to new research. Findings published in the journal Royal ...
As you read this, the screen is probably flashing over 240 times per second, yet, as a human, you won't notice this flickering light. However, to a fruit fly hovering above your head, the screen would represent a strobe light ...
Evolution
Feb 24, 2026
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Simon Fraser University researchers have uncovered fiberglass contamination in a key estuary on Vancouver Island, raising concerns about how an as-yet-overlooked contaminant could affect aquatic birds, marine life and coastal ...
Ecology
Feb 24, 2026
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At least 1,100 dead or sick birds, mostly Canada geese, have been reported across New Jersey in an outbreak that started on Valentine's Day, according to state officials.
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2026
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Every year, billions of birds undertake extraordinary migrations, crossing vast deserts and open seas with no place to stop, feed, or rest. A new international study published in iScience by a consortium of researchers from ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2026
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Vast stretches of a once-verdant acacia forest south of Sudan's capital Khartoum have been reduced to little more than fields of stumps as nearly three years of conflict have fueled deforestation.
Ecology
Feb 19, 2026
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Up to 30% of bird diversity hotspots, places where large numbers of different bird species occur, in the western United States face threats from high-severity wildfires in the future that could eliminate critical forest habitats, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 18, 2026
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Scientists are sounding the alarm over the spread of bird flu across Antarctica, with a leading Chilean researcher telling AFP Tuesday of an observed strain "capable of killing 100% of infected fauna."
Ecology
Feb 18, 2026
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18
The value of wetlands on the landscape cannot be overstated—they store and filter water, provide wildlife habitat, cool the atmosphere and sequester carbon. Yet, in the farmland area of Canada's Prairies, wetlands are being ...
Ecology
Feb 17, 2026
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