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Winter Birds of Southern Florida
It’s winter in North America — a good time to head for the subtropical realms of South Florida and listen to the region’s birds, such as the secretive Mangrove Cuckoo pictured here. Rarely seen, it s…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
For White-throated Swifts, Love Is in the Air
For some birds, love is in the air. When a pair of White-throated Swifts wants to get to know each other, they meet up — on the wing — high above the ground. The birds grasp one another and, clinging…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Why the Black Skimmer Skims
That’s not a distant dog barking. It’s a Black Skimmer in flight, at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. This striking, black-and-white bird with a red bill and red feet has a most…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Starlings Evolving in New Habitats
Invasive European Starlings are one of the most common birds in North American cities. Recent genetic research into European Starlings shows that populations in North America may have become better a…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Woodpeckers Love Ants
Woodpeckers, as a group, eat far more ants than most other birds do. Many other vertebrates tend to avoid ants because of their stings or because of the noxious chemicals they contain, like formic ac…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Eastern Bluebirds Brighten Our Days
From their cheerful melodies to their vibrant color and skillful acrobatics, there’s a lot to love about Eastern Bluebirds. Look for them along country roads, city parks, and other open woodlands wit…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Ptarmigan Toes
With its rubbery-sounding rattles and clownish red eyebrows, the ptarmigan is quite the stand-out northern bird. As winter approaches, the ptarmigan’s feet grow feathers, and its claws grow longer. A…
Published on 10 months, 1 week ago
Swan Song
The idea of the "swan song" recurs from Aesop to Ovid to Plato to Tennyson. Ovid described it, "There, she poured out her words of grief, tearfully, in faint tones, in harmony with sadness, just as t…
Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Cuba’s Giant Eagles
Thousands of years ago, giant raptors lived on what is now Cuba. Gigantohierax is an extinct genus of eagles whose fossils have been found in local cave deposits and tar seeps. With an estimated weig…
Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Bohemian Waxwings Wander South
In winter, when snow blankets the northern states, nearly all of the songbirds that graced the days of summer are gone. But there’s one special winter visitor that fills the absence: the Bohemian Wax…
Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago