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Migrations: The Triumphant Comeback of the Aleutian Cackling Goose
Aleutian Cackling Geese, which have a slighter build and shorter beak than Canada Geese, build their nests on a chain of islands off the western coast of Alaska. In the 1700s, fur traders introduced …
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Swifts Roost in Chimneys
What could bring crowds of people out after sunset on a September evening to stare at ... a chimney? Swifts, of course! Scores of swifts form a funnel-shaped cloud above the right kind of chimney, t…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
The Alula
Adjusting the flaps on an airplane’s wing allows a pilot to control lift and drag — and the design of these flaps was inspired by the wings of birds. All flying birds have what’s called an alula on e…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Birding with a Baby
Writer Jen Sizeland has found peace through watching birds throughout her life, so she wanted that for her child, too. When she was pregnant, she sought to introduce her unborn child to birdsong. As …
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Migrations: Indigo Bunting, Master Stargazer
The stars appear to rotate in the sky, raising the question of how birds can use stars to navigate during migration. Ornithologist Stephen Emlen brought Indigo Buntings to a planetarium, tracking the…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Birds Love Sunflowers
Found throughout North America, the common sunflower can grow up to ten feet high, towering over other herbs and grasses. And that’s only half the story: their roots can reach just as deep in the soi…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
The Harsh Beauty of Grackle Songs
Ranging from metallic hisses to electronic yodels, sounds of grackles may not be music to our ears—but they have their own rough beauty, a distinctive, primal harshness. Grackle songs evolved to carr…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Moon-Watching for Migrating Birds
Before the high-tech gadgets used to track bird migration today, there was moon-watching: a technique dreamed up in the 1940s by ornithologist George Lowery. Using telescopes pointed at the moon to s…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Watching Birds' Behavior
To distinguish one bird from a similar one, watch how the bird moves. Does it flick its wings? Bob up and down? Flip its tail? The White-breasted Nuthatch (right) works its way down the trunk of a tr…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Where Do Fledglings Go?
By late summer, most birds hatched in spring are on their own, without help from their parents. Where do they go? Young migratory birds will head south in late summer or fall, in the pattern of their…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago