birds

A chick embryo, sealed inside its egg, must find a way to get oxygen without its mom — and long before it has working lungs.

Science

How Birds-To-Be Get Oxygen Inside Eggs

5:45am April 17, 2018

Unlike humans, bird embryos don't have an oxygen pipeline from their mothers. They develop inside eggs in a nest. Skunk Bear's latest video explains why these pre-hatchlings don't suffocate.

Gulls compete for the airborne material at Toronto's Cherry Beach.

World News

Canadian Hotel Forgives Guest 17 Years After Flock Of Seagulls Trashed His Room

3:38pm April 04, 2018

by Scott Neuman

When Nick Burchill stayed at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada, in 2001, he left the window open and a suitcase full of pepperoni in his room. The birds saw an opportunity.

Ocellated turkeys stand out for their bright blue heads and iridescent feathers. They're still around the Yucatan today.

Science

Ancient Turkey Bones In Mexico Reveal A Strange Relationship With Humans

2:08pm January 31, 2018

by Menaka Wilhelm

New tests reveal humans have long raised the birds, and not just for food. Ancient Mesoamericans were buried with turkeys, perhaps as snacks, companions or status symbols. There was even a turkey god.

Thousands of starlings in flight over Ireland.

World News

WATCH: Starlings Perform Acrobatic Life-Or-Death Dance With A Hungry Falcon

3:21pm January 22, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

In a video posted by Birdwatch Ireland, a murmuration of starlings dips and dodges a predator with grace. The scene was just one of many such spectacles filling the skies of southern Ireland lately.

A peregrine falcon in Germany. A new study finds the birds are able to dive at high speeds and catch moving prey using a mathematical principle that also guides missiles.

Science

Peregrine Falcons Attack Like Missiles To Grab Prey Midair, Scientists Find

3:57pm December 04, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The same guidance principle that governs how missiles intercept moving targets also describes how the falcons, which are known to dive at 200 mph or more, plummet to catch their prey.

National

Baby Animal Profile: Whetu, The Kiwi Chick

5:54pm November 20, 2017

by Rebecca Feldhaus Adams

Whetu, an almost 4-month-old brown kiwi at the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute, is the first female born to her parents. She enjoys staying up all night, eating worms and burrowing.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Carmelo Anthony shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves' Jimmy Butler during a game Friday in Minneapolis. The Thunder had a rocky flight to Chicago after the game.

National

Oklahoma City Thunder Plane Lands With Surprise Damage, Shaken Athletes

6:30pm October 28, 2017

by Amy Held

A Delta spokeswoman said a bird is the likely culprit for the caved-in nose of the plane, although crews are still investigating.

Scientists have now shown that this position requires almost no muscle activity from the flamingo.

Scientists Pinpoint How A Flamingo Balances On One Leg

5:03pm May 25, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

What appears to be a feat actually requires almost no muscle effort from the bird. The researchers found even a dead flamingo's body will fall into a stable one-leg balance if positioned vertically.

Two cockatoos have very different reactions while listening to music.

Music & Culture

Which Cockatoo Are You?

11:17am April 17, 2017

by Robin Hilton

You need this video of two very different birds listening to an Elvis Presley song in your life.

How To Make Broadcast Towers More Bird-Friendly: Turn Off Some Lights

4:01pm January 24, 2017

by Ben Thorp

Millions of migratory birds die every year after slamming into broadcast and cell towers. Scientists found that turning off steady-beam lights on towers reduced bird fatalities by 70 percent.

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