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Birds in Art Through the Ages
Birds were one of the earliest subjects for human artists. A cave painting in France over 30,000 years old shows the unmistakable outline of an owl. Paintings on Ancient Egyptian palaces and tombs fe…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Having Your Tail Scared Off
When a hawk is about to capture a songbird, the songbird has one last trick: a fright molt. It’s when a bird loses feathers due to sudden stress. This usually involves feathers near the tail or rump,…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Little Bird with a Big Story
The slim, 4½-inch Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is found over much of the East and Midwest and in parts of the West, too. It actively searches trees and bushes for small bugs to eat, often hovering briefly a…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
To Mob or Not to Mob
When a bird of prey flies over, a flock of crows may dive-bomb the predator and give it a noisy escort out of town. An Eastern Kingbird, like this one, will clamp its feet onto the back of a hawk to …
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Which Bird Has the Most Feathers
In general, the bigger the bird, the higher the number of feathers. Someone counted the feathers on a Tundra Swan and came up with 25,216. At least 80% were on the swan’s neck. Penguins, on the other…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Bridging Hawaiian Culture and Conservation
Sam ‘Ohu Gon is the Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor for the Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i. He's something of a rare combination: academically trained in conservation biology as well as traditio…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Black-necked Stilt – The Bird with Outrageous Legs
Visit a shallow wetland in summer, and you might see this slender, black-and-white shorebird with outrageous red legs. The Black-necked Stilt uses its long legs for wading as it feeds on tiny insects…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Taking the Bus for Birds
By carrying more people in a single vehicle, mass transit can use less energy than cars. Taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can help the hundreds of bird species put at risk by climate c…
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Herons feed primarily on fish, but they will consume everything from earthworms to clams to eggs of nesting birds and refuse at landfills! Because they are high on the food chain,…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago
Shorebirds Aren't Always on the Shore
Shorebirds' lives take them to many places other than the shore. Most of the shorebirds we see along our coasts migrate to the Arctic in summer. Here, many nest on the tundra, some along rushing stre…
Published on 1 year, 5 months ago