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Migrations: You're Going the Wrong Way!
During migration, some birds change orientation, often by a full 180 degrees, and travel almost the same distance — but in the opposite direction — as the rest of their species. The phenomenon is cal…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Rosa Malagon on Leading Hikes in Florida
Rosa Malagon grew up believing that birds hold spiritual significance, thanks to teachings from her Mexican heritage that her mother would share. Now working for the Hispanic Access Foundation, Rosa …
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Swallows on Wires
Once nesting season ends, swallows know it's time to party! Whether they nest as single pairs or in large colonies, both adults and juveniles now gather on electrical wires by the dozens, socializing…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Seabirds in the Desert
The White-vented Storm-Petrel is a small black and white seabird found off the coasts of Chile and Peru. Storm-petrels spend their entire lives at sea, except when nesting. Scientists had long been m…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Cowbird Mafia
Brown-headed Cowbirds have a sneaky approach to parenthood. They lay eggs in the nests of other songbirds, and the songbird hosts often raise the cowbird chick as their own. It’s called nest parasiti…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Playful Keas
Keas are large alpine parrots from New Zealand. Intelligent and social, they have olive-green plumage, a red rump, and a long, curved beak. Keas produce a distinct warbling call, a “play call,” that …
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
The Women Who Fought the Feather Fad
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the human fascination with bird feathers went a little too far. Women’s hats and dresses featured extravagant feathers from birds both near and far. The tra…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
The Surprising Secret of Hummingbird Tongues
Hummingbirds use their long tongues to sip nectar from flowers. They’re able to roll their tongues into a tube-like shape. Since the 1800s, scientists thought those tongues worked through capillary a…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Spark Bird: Walter and Patch
Sculptor and musician Walter Kitundu first became enraptured by birds in 2005 when a Red-tailed Hawk flew four feet above his head. He named the bird Patch, after the white patch on the back of her h…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Birds as Pollinators
Birds are part of the complex web of Nature, and each fits into this web in its own way. Some even pollinate flowers! While feeding at a flower, this Rainbow Lorikeet gets pollen on its forehead and …
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago