bird

Birders argue over plan to change dozens of bird names

6:59am October 03, 2024

On Thursday, a major birding society will discuss how how to go about changing potentially offensive bird names. There's resistance to the original plan to rename all birds named after people.

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Bar-tailed godwits stand on the beach at Marion Bay in Australia's Tasmania state on Feb. 17, 2018.

World News

A non-stop flight from Alaska to Tasmania may be for the birds — and a possible record

5:58am October 28, 2022

by The Associated Press

A young bar-tailed godwit appears to have set a non-stop distance record for migratory birds by flying at least 8,435 miles from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania, a bird expert said Friday.

The red-cockaded woodpecker has been listed as endangered for more than half a century.

National

How The Military Helped Bring Back The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

9:50am March 02, 2021

by Jay Price

The U.S. military and conservation groups forged an unusual alliance to help save the red-cockaded woodpecker, but a Trump-era move to take it off the endangered list could threaten the bird.

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Feeling Cooped Up? Let Your Mind Fly Free With 'What It's Like To Be A Bird'

12:00pm April 13, 2020

by Craig LeMoult

People sheltering-in-place due to the coronavirus pandemic may want to know more about the lives of the birds they see outside their window. Illustrator David Allen Sibley's new book might help.

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Transportation

Electric Scooters Hit The Pavement In Greensboro

6:40am August 27, 2018

by Bethany Chafin

A new transportation trend is taking hold in Greensboro; shared electric scooters have arrived in the Gate City.

A raven flies in the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming.

Science

Ravens Surprise Scientists By Showing They Can Plan

5:54pm July 13, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

As recently as 10 years ago, humans were thought to be the only species with the ability to plan. Turns out ravens can too, on a par with great apes.

An international team of scientists believes it has solved the mystery of how eggs got their shapes.

How Do Eggs Get Their Shapes? Scientists Think They've Cracked It

4:31pm June 22, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

Eggs evolved over 300 million years ago and now come in all kinds of shapes, from Tic Tacs to teardrops to pingpong balls. After studying some 50,000 eggs, a team of researchers thinks it knows why.

A kea parrot picks at the antenne of a vehicle in New Zealand.

This Parrot Has An 'Infectious Laugh,' Scientists Say

5:20pm March 22, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The researchers say that when the highly intelligent kea parrots hear a call associated with play, they start playful tussling, aerial acrobatics, or throwing objects into the air.

Susan Gallagher, chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, examines the eagle who died from lead poisoning.

Lead Ammunition Poisons Wildlife But Too Expensive To Change, Hunters Say

1:10pm February 20, 2017

by Eleanor Klibanoff

Just before leaving office, the Obama administration banned the use of lead ammunition on federal land. Some hunters want President Trump to reverse the ban.

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A gray jay sits on the tips of skis in 2006 in Avon, Colo.

World News

Canada Is Agonizing About Choosing A National Bird

3:56pm November 17, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The humble, hardy gray jay is poised to become a national symbol, but that's definitely controversial among fans of the Canada goose and the common loon. Also the snowy owl and black-capped chickadee.