Birds as a research topic encompass the study of Aves across diverse biological and ecological disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, behavior, evolution, and systematics. Research focuses on adaptations for flight (e.g., lightweight skeletal structure, high metabolic rates, specialized respiratory systems), sensory and cognitive capacities, communication via vocalizations, and complex social and mating systems. Ornithological studies also investigate avian roles in ecosystems as pollinators, seed dispersers, predators, and prey, as well as their biogeography and migration strategies. Birds serve as key model systems in evolutionary biology, speciation, bioacoustics, neurobiology, and conservation science, particularly in the context of habitat alteration and climate change.
People typically think about evolution as a linear process where, within a species, the classic adage of "survival of the fittest" is constantly at play. New DNA mutations arise and get passed from parents to offspring. If ...
Evolution
Dec 12, 2025
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Red-backed shrikes fly thousands of kilometers to reach Africa—and they do so with astonishing precision. Aided by new technology, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have been able to track the birds' journeys in detail. ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2025
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A yearslong surge in displaced roosters is overwhelming animal sanctuaries in Maryland and across the country, fueled by a pandemic-born boom in backyard chicken coops and the noisy realities of owning a male bird.
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2025
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Perched on a plastic chair overlooking a colony of Nazca boobies in the Galápagos Islands, researcher David Anderson carefully studied the seabirds.
Plants & Animals
Dec 9, 2025
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Many bird species have moved toward colder areas in the mountains of Europe as the climate has warmed over the past two decades. Sunny southern slopes attract birds to live at higher elevations than do shadier northern slopes.
Plants & Animals
Dec 5, 2025
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A fossil only tells part of the story. When an animal's body is preserved as a fossil, there are often pieces missing, and even a perfectly preserved body doesn't tell the whole story of how that animal behaved, how it lived, ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 5, 2025
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On a jagged coastline in Central California, brown pelicans gather on rock promontories, packed in like edgy commuters as they take flight to feed on a vast school of fish just offshore. The water churns in whitecaps as the ...
Ecology
Dec 5, 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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Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have been protected in North America since 1962 and their populations in the West are considered stable. However, a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research found that the Nevada ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 3, 2025
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After years studying wild birds in the bush, Flinders University experts have described a new call type frequently used by one of Australia's favorite birds, the superb fairy-wren.
Plants & Animals
Nov 28, 2025
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