Studying birds that nest in grasslands on the firing ranges and runways of active military installations is not for the faint of heart, but it proved to be a successful strategy for solving some vexing migration mysteries. ...
Ecology
Feb 5, 2019
0
571
They may peck greedily at feeding tables—and have it easier than country birds do in the warmer urban winters—but city birds, it turns out, are in turmoil on the inside.
Ecology
Jan 29, 2019
0
142
The size of a male house sparrow's bib has long been associated with the bird's fighting abilities and status within the flock. But an international team of researchers has shown there is little evidence to support it.
Evolution
Nov 13, 2018
0
21
Like toddlers learning to speak, young birds learn to sing by listening to the voices of adults. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 4 have shown for the first time that they could teach young sparrows ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 4, 2018
0
49
House sparrows are closely associated with humans and are found in most parts of the world. By investigating the DNA of several species of sparrows, researchers have shown that the house sparrow diverged from a sparrow in ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 2, 2018
0
3
A new study of house sparrows' genes has found the first evidence of animals adapting to lead contamination in heavily polluted areas of Australia.
Plants & Animals
Sep 21, 2018
0
70
As efforts are being undertaken to protect salt marshes – and the threatened salt marsh sparrow – from the rising seas, scientists may be ignoring an unexpectedly important player in this environmental drama: grasshoppers.
Ecology
Sep 12, 2018
0
3
Why does the egg size of house sparrows vary so much? Isn't it always an advantage to be big?
Ecology
Aug 9, 2018
0
7
Scientists studying winter flocks of golden-crowned sparrows at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum have discovered surprisingly complex social behavior in these small migratory birds. A new study reveals that the sparrows have different ...
Ecology
Jul 25, 2018
0
71
What makes human cultural traditions unique? One common answer is that we are better copycats than other species, which allows us to pass our habits and ways of life down through the generations without losing or forgetting ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 20, 2018
0
165
