birds

U.S. law prohibits domestic birds from being used as actors.

Oddly enough, frostbite may be the least of your concerns.

Wolfgang Wander via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Woodpecker couples decide together whether or not they need to defend their territory by gauging the strength of potential threats.

Some birds communicate different meanings based on the order of the notes they sing.

Birds nest near alligators for protection, and the alligators get fat off fallen chicks, a new study finds.

Shenrich91 via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Bugs, however, can’t see the warning signs.

Sometimes, they follow their noses.

A study of what dodos' brains probably looked like suggests they were about as intelligent as pigeons—which are pretty smart.

Researchers say 'Gastornis' was six feet tall, flightless, and vegan.

Wisdom has been breaking records—and she's already raised as many as 40 chicks.

screenshot from infrared video by Animal Energetics / Powers Lab

Getting rid of excess heat is complicated when your body is covered in insulating feathers. Here's how hummingbirds do it.

Illustration by Henrik Grönvold via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Scanning a long-dead museum specimen revealed a pigment rarely found in ducks.

Keith Ramos, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

A 15-year experiment in using ultralight planes to teach young, endangered birds to migrate has come to an end.

Out of 300-plus parrot species, only a handful have been known to use tools. Now, a new study suggests that the greater vasa parrot (Coracopsis vasa) can be added to that short list.

An ornate—but very necessary—item for a sport enmeshed in Britain's social hierarchy.

Flickr user Rocky via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-2.0

Golden eagles had previously been caught on film attacking baby reindeer, but now a naturalist has seen them going for the grown-ups.

Even in the coldest place on earth, this heat-conserving method can work a little too well.

RoderickT via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA 2.0

The birds eat our garbage, then return to shore to do their business.

It’s an avian dance party, and everyone’s invited.

Grendelkhan, Wikimedia Commons // SD-BY-CC 3.0

Scientists say pigeons can be trained to spot breast cancer on slides and mammogram results.

Emperor Penguins Huddle for Warmth | Nature on PBS

Ever wonder how penguins are able to survive in those bitterly cold Antarctic winters? As this time-lapse video demonstrates, it all comes down to their huddle patterns.

Birds' nests are as diverse as the creatures who build them. The variety of locations, shapes, and sizes they’re built in and the materials they’re made from can be staggering.

The kakapo’s favorite berries are rich in calcium and vitamin D—but, like the kakapo, those berries are growing scarce.

In 2006, the birds of Middle Island found a protector in an unlikely canine friend.

Why You’ll Never See an American Bird Species in a Movie

7 Things That Could Ruin Your Day in Antarctica

Woodpeckers Assess Competitors by Their Drumming Skills

Bird Chirps Have a Syntax

Everglades Alligators Keep Birds Safe (and Eat Their Chicks)

Black Widows’ Hourglass Markings Deter Potential Predators

How Do Birds Know How to Migrate?

Dodos Were Probably Pretty Smart, Study Finds

Enormous Prehistoric Birds May Have Roamed the Canadian Arctic

World’s Oldest Known Wild Bird, Wisdom the Albatross, Is a Mother Again

Infrared Video Shows How Hummingbirds Shed Heat Through Their Eyes and Feet

Science Explains This Duck’s Rare Pink Feathers

Migrating Whooping Cranes Will No Longer Get a Plane Escort from the Government

These Parrots Are the First Animals to Use Grinding Tools

Show & Tell: 17th-Century Falcon's Hood

Norwegian Eagles Are Taking Out Full-Grown Reindeer

It Takes One Penguin to Break Up a Huddle

Seabird Poop Carries Ocean Pollution Ashore

11 of the Hottest Bird Dance Moves

Pigeons as Good as Radiologists at Spotting Breast Cancer, Scientists Say

Watch This Time-Lapse Video That Reveals Patterns in Penguin Huddles

How Some Birds Evolved to Build Protected Nests

To Survive, Endangered Parrots May Need to Take Their Vitamins

How a Chicken Farmer and His Dog Helped Save an Island's Penguins