From an evolutionary standpoint, the drive to reproduce is fundamentally guided by an instinct to pass genes along to the next generation. But in practice, reproduction is often much more nuanced and varied. In species after ...
Evolution
Aug 23, 2023
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27
Barn swallows live almost everywhere on the planet, recognizable by their forked tail and agility in the air. Yet while they share these characteristics, these little birds often look slightly different in each place they ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2020
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386
The evolution of barn swallows, a bird ubiquitous to bridges and sheds around the world, might be even more closely tied to humans than previously thought, according to new study from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Evolution
Nov 1, 2018
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247
Most of our understanding about evolutionary changes and the formation of new animal species is based on the historical record. But a relatively new population of barn swallows in Argentina may help scientists see those changes ...
Evolution
Mar 17, 2017
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13
If you are a male barn swallow in the United States or the Mediterranean with dark red breast feathers, you're apt to wow potential mates. But if you have long outer tail feathers in the United States, or short ones in the ...
Evolution
Aug 15, 2016
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17
It was 30 years ago that a meltdown at the V. I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station in the former Soviet Union released radioactive contaminants into the surroundings in northern Ukraine. Airborne contamination from what is now ...
Environment
Apr 26, 2016
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10
Two complementary methods work together in a study forthcoming in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, producing more refined estimates of where individual Barn Swallows spend the winter. Using the methods separately comes with ...
Ecology
Dec 30, 2015
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53
This is the time of year when birds come out and really spread their wings, but since a disastrous day just before spring's arrival four years ago, Japan's Fukushima province has not been friendly to the feathered. And as ...
Environment
Apr 15, 2015
10
174
A new study conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder and involving Cornell University shows the outward appearance of female barn swallows, specifically the hue of their chestnut-colored breast feathers, has an influence ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 21, 2013
1
0
Some species of birds reproduce not by rearing their own young, but by handing that task on to adults of other species. Known as brood parasitism, this habit has been most thoroughly researched in the cuckoo. Previous research ...
Ecology
Apr 8, 2013
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