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Birds That Say Their Own Names
Some birds, such as the Northern Bobwhite, get their name from their songs or vocalizations: "Bobwhite! Bobwhite!" The Killdeer is another bird named…
1 year, 2 months ago
Quirky Words for Brown Birds
What do Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Bay-breasted Warblers, Ferruginous Hawks, and Rufous Hummingbirds have in common? They are all birds whose names ref…
1 year, 2 months ago
How Birds Stay Cool
On a hot summer’s day, watch a bird such as a crow — or this Bald Eagle — very carefully. You’ll never see them sweat, because birds don’t have sweat…
1 year, 2 months ago
The Royal Ravens
The Tower of London has a long and notorious history of murderous political intrigue, dungeons, and famous beheadings. And for more than 300 years, t…
1 year, 2 months ago
How Brown Pelicans Dive
Brown Pelicans fly just above the surface of the water. They circle high, then diving headfirst, plunge under water to catch fish. But doesn't that h…
1 year, 2 months ago
Quail and Their Fancy Feathers
Gambel’s Quail and California Quail are both well known for the comma-shaped tuft of inky black feathers poised atop the crown of their heads. For bo…
1 year, 2 months ago
Male Mallards Disappear
By late summer, the male Mallard’s need for fancy feathers to attract the females has passed. These birds have molted, and their bright feathers are …
1 year, 2 months ago
Parakeets Underground
Burrowing Parakeets excavate deep nest tunnels in sandstone and limestone cliffs in Argentina and Chile. The colony’s many tunnels zigzag and interco…
1 year, 2 months ago
Ultraviolet Vision
Most birds possess the ability to see color. But birds can also see in the ultraviolet spectrum! Hummingbirds — like this Violet-crowned Hummingbird …
1 year, 2 months ago
The Birdsong Chameleon
Found in Australian forests, male Superb Lyrebirds can mimic calls well enough to convince the bird they’re imitating that the lyrebird is one of the…
1 year, 2 months ago