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How Toucans Stay Cool
The Toco Toucan of South America has evolved to stay cool in the sweltering heat of the tropics. Relative to its body size, the Toco Toucan has the largest bill of any bird in the world, accounting f…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Eavesdropping on Babies
Around this time of year, many baby birds are begging their parents for food. A Hairy Woodpecker chick calls from its nest carved deep within a dying tree. A Great Horned Owl juvenile reminds his par…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Milkweed: A Whole Ecosystem on a Plant
Milkweed plants are important to Monarch butterflies, which depend on milkweed to raise their caterpillars. But Monarchs aren’t the only ones who benefit from milkweed. Scientists once documented hun…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Why Do Owls Bob Their Heads?
If you were to stand face to face with an owl, including this Great Gray Owl, it would eventually move its head, bobbing rhythmically from side to side, then forward, then back. Or almost completely …
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Bill McKibben on Leaving Behind a Better World
Writer and environmentalist Bill McKibben has been pushing for climate solutions for decades. Now in his 60s, Bill’s working to organize people aged 60 and older with his new group called Third Act,…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Grounded Geese
In spring and summer, the paths around local ponds might have some fluffy obstacles: young goslings along with their caring and defensive parents. Adult Canada Geese lose their flight feathers for se…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Seabirds Thriving on Volcanic Slopes
In August 2008, Kasatochi Island erupted in the middle of auklet breeding season, burying tens of thousands of chicks in hot ash. At first, the auklets’ future on the island appeared bleak. But in ju…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Just Whose Ducklings Are Those?
It’s spring, and a female duck swims across a pond with ducklings in tow. Some of the youngsters might not be her own. Wood Ducks and others may lay some of their eggs in other ducks’ nests — or in t…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
How Birds Produce Sound
Nearly all birds produce sound through an organ unique to birds, the syrinx. In many songbirds, the syrinx is not much bigger than a raindrop. Extremely efficient, it uses nearly all the air that pas…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago
Music of a City Lake
A city lake is one of the most prized places in a fast, growing environment. It’s also often difficult to distinguish all of the bird calls from each other. With a splash of a beak, a glide of a wing…
Published on 2 years, 5 months ago