Related topics: birds

Blackbirds found to rest earlier at dusk when sick

A trio of biologists at Lund University in Sweden has found that blackbirds that feel ill tend to rest earlier at dusk than control birds. In their study, reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Rosie Lennon, ...

When warblers warn of cowbirds, blackbirds get the message

This is the story of three bird species and how they interact. The brown-headed cowbird plays the role of outlaw: It lays its eggs in other birds' nests and lets them raise its young—often at the expense of the host's nestlings. ...

City-dwelling blackbirds have poorer measures of health

Blackbirds live longer in cities than in forests. But their telomeres, repetitive stretches of DNA at the ends of the chromosomes, show that these city birds have a much poorer health status than their rural cousins. These ...

Migration pays off for songbirds

It is estimated that there are over one-and-a-half billion songbirds living in Europe alone. Around half of them embark on their journey southwards in autumn over a period of less than twelve nights. It is warmer there and ...

Survey says 'California's blackbird in sharp decline

(Phys.org) —The population of California's iconic tricolored blackbird has suffered a dramatic decline in the past six years, according to a new survey coordinated by the University of California, Davis.

Artificial lighting and noise alter biorhythms of birds

(Phys.org) —Noise from traffic and artificial night lighting cause birds in the city centre to become active up to five hours earlier in the morning than birds in more natural areas. These were the findings from an investigation ...

City-life changes blackbird personalities, study shows

The origins of a young animal might have a significant impact on its behavior later on in life. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany, have been able to demonstrate in hand-reared ...

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