Feature Channels: Birds

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Released: 12-Apr-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Scientists uncover the amazing way sandgrouse hold water in their feathers
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Many birds’ feathers are remarkably efficient at shedding water — so much so that “like water off a duck’s back” is a common expression.

Newswise: Most plastic eaten by city vultures comes straight from food outlets
Released: 12-Apr-2023 1:15 PM EDT
Most plastic eaten by city vultures comes straight from food outlets
Frontiers

Since the 1950s, humanity has produced an estimated 8.3bn tons of plastic, adding a further 380m tons to this amount each year. Only 9% of this gets recycled.

Newswise: Migratory Birds Can Partially Offset Climate Change
10-Apr-2023 10:00 AM EDT
Migratory Birds Can Partially Offset Climate Change
Cornell University

A new study demonstrates that birds can partially compensate for these changes by delaying the start of spring migration and completing the journey faster. But the strategy comes with a cost—a decline in overall survival.

Newswise: Researchers release first comprehensive map of migratory bird patterns in Eastern U.S.
Released: 28-Mar-2023 2:35 PM EDT
Researchers release first comprehensive map of migratory bird patterns in Eastern U.S.
University of Delaware

Avian research often focuses on forests as breeding habitats, but scientists are now working to understand the vital role that small forest patches play in migration. For the first time, a team of researchers from Princeton University and the University of Delaware has created a comprehensive map of migratory pathways and stopover locations in the Eastern United States.

Newswise: A final present from birds killed in window collisions: poop that reveals their microbiomes
Released: 28-Mar-2023 12:10 PM EDT
A final present from birds killed in window collisions: poop that reveals their microbiomes
Field Museum

Every year, millions of birds crash into windows in cities along their migratory path.

Released: 27-Mar-2023 4:50 PM EDT
Evan Adams – Champion of Songbirds
Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI)

As an ecological modeler and the director of BRI’s Quantitative Wildlife Ecology Research Lab, Evan spends much of his time considering innovative ways to analyze large datasets such as the 2023 Maine Bird Atlas, or working with offshore energy wind developers along the Atlantic coast.

Newswise: Coffee plantations limit birds’ diets
Released: 22-Mar-2023 11:50 PM EDT
Coffee plantations limit birds’ diets
University of Utah

A new study led by researchers at the University of Utah explores a record of birds’ diets preserved in their feathers and radio tracking of their movements to find that birds eat far fewer invertebrates in coffee plantations than in forests, suggesting that the disturbance of their ecosystem significantly impacts the birds’ dietary options.

Newswise: Unraveling nature's chorus: AI detects bird sounds in Taiwan's montane forests
Released: 21-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Unraveling nature's chorus: AI detects bird sounds in Taiwan's montane forests
Pensoft Publishers

Montane forests, known as biodiversity hotspots, are among the ecosystems facing threats from climate change.

Newswise: Great Backyard Bird Count Results: Wow!
Released: 21-Mar-2023 1:55 PM EDT
Great Backyard Bird Count Results: Wow!
Cornell University

The 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count exceeded all expectations. Organizers estimate that more than 500,000 participants from around the globe made the latest count the best ever.

Newswise: Large survey for exotic pet owners reveals concern for conservation
Released: 21-Mar-2023 1:55 PM EDT
Large survey for exotic pet owners reveals concern for conservation
University of Helsinki

When exotic species such as parrots, snakes, monkeys, or aquarium fishes are kept as pets, this may lead to unsustainable trade and impact negatively the conservation of these species globally.

Newswise: Watch Baby Birds for the Joy and the Science of It
Released: 20-Mar-2023 11:25 AM EDT
Watch Baby Birds for the Joy and the Science of It
Cornell University

Spring has arrived officially and brings with it another season of the NestWatch citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, building its ever more valuable database on nesting birds. NestWatch participants say watching birds raise their young is incredibly rewarding.

   
Newswise: Australia’s largest eagle discovered at last
Released: 16-Mar-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Australia’s largest eagle discovered at last
Flinders University

An eagle twice the size of the modern-day apex predator the wedge-tailed eagle, which soared over southern Australia more than 60,000 years ago, had a wingspan up to 3m wide and powerful talons wide enough to grab a small kangaroo or koala.

14-Mar-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Bird Flu Associated with Hundreds of Seal Deaths in New England in 2022, Tufts Researchers Find
Tufts University

Researchers at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was associated with the deaths of more than 330 New England harbor and gray seals along the North Atlantic coast in June and July 2022, and the outbreak was connected to a wave of avian influenza in birds in the region.

Newswise: Hummingbirds use torpor in varying ways to survive cold temps
Released: 15-Mar-2023 6:05 AM EDT
Hummingbirds use torpor in varying ways to survive cold temps
Washington University in St. Louis

Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any animal. The tropical hummingbirds that live in the Andes Mountains in South America must expend considerable energy to maintain their high body temperatures in cold environments. One tool that they use to survive cold nights is called torpor, a hibernation-like state that allows them to ramp down energy consumption to well below what they normally use during the day.

Newswise: High winds can worsen pathogen spread at outdoor chicken farms
Released: 14-Mar-2023 6:35 PM EDT
High winds can worsen pathogen spread at outdoor chicken farms
Washington State University

A study of chicken farms in the West found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in the U.S.

Newswise: Climate Change Alters a Human-Raptor Relationship
Released: 14-Mar-2023 7:00 AM EDT
Climate Change Alters a Human-Raptor Relationship
Cornell University

Bald Eagles and dairy farmers exist in a mutually beneficial relationship in parts of northwestern Washington State. According to a new study, this "win-win" relationship has been a more recent development, driven by the impact of climate change on eagles' traditional winter diet of salmon carcasses, as well as by increased eagle abundance following decades of conservation efforts.

Newswise: Entire populations of Antarctic seabirds fail to breed due to extreme, climate-change-related snowstorms
Released: 13-Mar-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Entire populations of Antarctic seabirds fail to breed due to extreme, climate-change-related snowstorms
Cell Press

The arrival of the new year is a prime time for Antarctic birds like the south polar skua, Antarctic petrel, and snow petrel to build nests and lay their eggs.

Released: 10-Mar-2023 4:30 PM EST
Migratory birds take breaks to boost their immune system
Lund University

Exercising too much and not getting enough rest is bad for your health. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the same is true for migratory birds. They need to rest not only to renew their energy levels but also in order to boost their immune system.

Newswise: Grassroots Data Vital for Reducing Deadly Bird-Window Strikes
Released: 7-Mar-2023 3:40 PM EST
Grassroots Data Vital for Reducing Deadly Bird-Window Strikes
Cornell University

Much of the progress made in understanding the scope of bird deaths from building and window collisions has come as the result of citizen science, according to a newly published study. But the study also concludes that such grassroots efforts need more buy-in from government and industry, and better funding so they can keep a foot on the gas in their efforts to reduce bird-window collisions.

Newswise: How consciousness in animals could be researched
Released: 2-Mar-2023 12:55 PM EST
How consciousness in animals could be researched
Ruhr-Universität Bochum

There are reasons to assume that not only humans but also some non-human species of animal have conscious perception.

Released: 2-Mar-2023 8:00 AM EST
U.S. birds’ Eastern, Western behavior patterns are polar opposites
Ohio State University

Avian functional diversity patterns in the Western U.S., where species and functional richness are both highest during the breeding season, are the polar opposite of what is seen in the East, where functional diversity is lowest when species richness is high, according to new research.

Newswise: Woodcocks have the brightest white feathers ever measured
Released: 1-Mar-2023 6:30 PM EST
Woodcocks have the brightest white feathers ever measured
Imperial College London

The mainly brown woodcock uses its bright white tail feathers to communicate in semi-darkness, reflecting 30% more light than any other known bird.

Newswise: Tracking data reveals how seabird species adopt different strategies to cope with extreme storms
Released: 1-Mar-2023 12:25 PM EST
Tracking data reveals how seabird species adopt different strategies to cope with extreme storms
Swansea University

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany and Swansea University have revealed how different seabird species use distinct strategies to cope with cyclones, with some flying directly into the storm, and others using avoidance tactics.

Newswise: Study Finds Social Bird Species May Be Less Competitive
Released: 1-Mar-2023 11:05 AM EST
Study Finds Social Bird Species May Be Less Competitive
Cornell University

Scientists wanted to learn if birds that have evolved to be more social have also evolved to be less aggressive.

Newswise: Australia’s rarest bird of prey disappearing at alarming rate
Released: 28-Feb-2023 1:35 PM EST
Australia’s rarest bird of prey disappearing at alarming rate
University of Queensland

Australia’s rarest bird of prey - the red goshawk - is facing extinction, with Cape York Peninsula now the only place in Queensland known to support breeding populations.

Newswise:Video Embedded london-falcons-ate-fewer-pigeons-during-lockdown
VIDEO
Released: 27-Feb-2023 1:20 PM EST
London falcons ate fewer pigeons during lockdown
British Ecological Society

Changes in peregrine falcon diets during COVID-19 lockdowns highlight the impact of human behaviour on urban predators.

Newswise: Voluntary UK initiatives to phase out toxic lead shot for pheasant hunting have had little impact
Released: 27-Feb-2023 1:05 PM EST
Voluntary UK initiatives to phase out toxic lead shot for pheasant hunting have had little impact
University of Cambridge

Three years into a five-year pledge to completely phase out lead shot in UK game hunting, a Cambridge study finds that 94% of pheasants on sale for human consumption were killed using lead.

   
Newswise: How birds got their wings
Released: 24-Feb-2023 11:35 AM EST
How birds got their wings
University of Tokyo

Modern birds capable of flight all have a specialized wing structure called the propatagium without which they could not fly.

Newswise: Science can prevent extinctions for species on the brink of death
23-Feb-2023 12:20 PM EST
Science can prevent extinctions for species on the brink of death
University of Sydney

New research examining the perilous state of dying species calls for urgent international conservation efforts to develop unified management plans that could help plants and animals return from the brink of extinction.

Newswise: Climate change, urbanization drive major declines in L.A.’s birds
Released: 22-Feb-2023 6:10 PM EST
Climate change, urbanization drive major declines in L.A.’s birds
University of California, Berkeley

Climate change isn’t the only threat facing California’s birds. Over the course of the 20th century, urban sprawl and agricultural development have dramatically changed the landscape of the state, forcing many native species to adapt to new and unfamiliar habitats.

Newswise: Passerine bird takes advantage of human settlements
Released: 22-Feb-2023 10:15 AM EST
Passerine bird takes advantage of human settlements
Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)

Daurian redstarts move their nesting sites closer to or even inside human settlements when cuckoos are around.

Newswise: Feathered ‘fingerprints’ reveal potential motivation for
migratory patterns of endangered seabirds
Released: 15-Feb-2023 8:05 PM EST
Feathered ‘fingerprints’ reveal potential motivation for migratory patterns of endangered seabirds
University of South Australia

World first research from CSIRO and the University of South Australia shows that the feathers of seabirds such as the Wandering Albatross can provide clues about their long-distance foraging, which could help protect these species from further decline.

Newswise: Cockatoos know to bring along multiple tools when they fish for cashews
Released: 10-Feb-2023 8:05 PM EST
Cockatoos know to bring along multiple tools when they fish for cashews
Cell Press

Goffin’s cockatoos have been added to the short list of non-human animals that use and transport toolsets.

Released: 3-Feb-2023 3:10 PM EST
Rates of hatching failure in birds almost twice as high as previously estimated
University of Sheffield

Hatching failure rates in birds are almost twice as high as experts previously estimated, according to the largest ever study of its kind.

Released: 2-Feb-2023 1:35 PM EST
New research turns what we know about bird window strikes inside-out
PeerJ

New research from William & Mary published in PeerJ Life & Environment reveals that decals intended to reduce incidents of bird window strikes—one of the largest human-made causes of bird mortality— are only effective if decals are placed on the outside of the window.

Newswise: To Know Where the Birds Are Going, Researchers Turn to Citizen Science and Machine Learning
Released: 1-Feb-2023 9:35 AM EST
To Know Where the Birds Are Going, Researchers Turn to Citizen Science and Machine Learning
Cornell University

Computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with biologists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recently announced in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution a new, predictive model that is capable of accurately forecasting where a migratory bird will go next—one of the most difficult tasks in biology. The model is called BirdFlow, and while it is still being perfected, it should be available to scientists within the year and will eventually make its way to the general public.

Newswise: Songbird species work together to mob predator owls, but only strike when the time is right
Released: 31-Jan-2023 1:15 PM EST
Songbird species work together to mob predator owls, but only strike when the time is right
Frontiers

Fleeing isn’t the only way by which songbirds can protect themselves against predators.

Released: 20-Jan-2023 4:50 PM EST
Science is the best (local, regional, national, global) policy
Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI)

Careful siting of renewable energy development seems to play a key role in minimizing impacts to wildlife, but this requires detailed knowledge of where animals breed, winter, and migrate. To address this need, BRI established a wildlife and renewable energy program in 2009, which has evolved over the past 12 years into BRI’s Center for Research on Offshore Wind and the Environment (CROWE).

Released: 20-Jan-2023 4:45 PM EST
Heroes in the wild
Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI)

Julia Gulka tackles emerging environmental issues in an office surrounded by photographs, illustrations, and personal watercolor paintings of the birds she studies and the places she has traveled.

Newswise: 
DNA from domesticated chickens is tainting genomes of wild red junglefowl
12-Jan-2023 11:20 AM EST
DNA from domesticated chickens is tainting genomes of wild red junglefowl
PLOS

The red junglefowl – the wild ancestor of the chicken – is losing its genetic diversity by interbreeding with domesticated birds, according to a new study led by Frank Rheindt of the National University of Singapore published January 19 in the journal PLOS Genetics.

Released: 16-Jan-2023 12:40 PM EST
Increasing propulsive and aerodynamic efficiency of drones
Lund University

Birds fly more efficiently by folding their wings during the upstroke, according to a recent study led by Lund University in Sweden. The results could mean that wing-folding is the next step in increasing the propulsive and aerodynamic efficiency of flapping drones.

Newswise: Noise from Urban Environments Affects the Color of Songbirds’ Beaks
Released: 12-Jan-2023 8:30 AM EST
Noise from Urban Environments Affects the Color of Songbirds’ Beaks
Florida Atlantic University

A study examined the effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, beak color, and growth in the zebra finch. Researchers first tested adult zebra finches on a battery of cognition assays while they were exposed to playbacks of urban noise versus birds tested without noise. Urban noises caused the birds to take longer to learn a novel foraging task and to learn an association-learning task. Urban noise exposure also resulted in treated males to develop less bright beak coloration, and females developed beaks with brighter orange coloration, respectively, than untreated birds. Findings suggest that urban noise exposure may affect morphological traits, such as beak color, which influence social interactions and mate choice.

Newswise: Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Released: 5-Jan-2023 3:35 PM EST
Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Hokkaido University

Researchers at Hokkaido University have revealed the effects of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection on an Ezo red fox and a Japanese raccoon dog, linking their infection to a recorded die-off of crows.

Newswise: Surf, Sand and Seaweed: The latest breakthroughs in Marine Science
Released: 4-Jan-2023 1:40 PM EST
Surf, Sand and Seaweed: The latest breakthroughs in Marine Science
Newswise

Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Marine Science channel on Newswise, a free source for media.

Newswise: Bizarre cretaceous bird from China shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body
Released: 3-Jan-2023 1:15 PM EST
Bizarre cretaceous bird from China shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body
Chinese Academy of Sciences

It is now widely accepted that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

Newswise: Birds are Jerks Sometimes: how a Mother’s Quest to Defend her Eggs Against Invaders Influences Offspring Development
Released: 30-Dec-2022 6:30 PM EST
Birds are Jerks Sometimes: how a Mother’s Quest to Defend her Eggs Against Invaders Influences Offspring Development
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)

Animals must defend resources critical to their and their offspring’s survival. With few resources, tree swallows become more territorial, which likely increases testosterone allocation in their eggs. This may promote offspring aggression, a trait critical for survival in competitive environments.

Released: 20-Dec-2022 7:10 PM EST
New study finds animals play key role in restoring forests
Yale University

As nations meet this week in Montreal on efforts to address an unprecedented loss of biodiversity — more than a million species are threatened with extinction — a new study published in The Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B points to the unique and vital role animals play in reforestation.

Released: 20-Dec-2022 3:55 PM EST
Research reveals which animals perceive time the fastest
British Ecological Society

New research reveals that the animals that perceive time the fastest are those that are small, can fly, or are marine predators.



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