birds

There comes a point in every child’s life when they ask where babies come from, and some parents—not wanting to explain the details of reproduction just yet—turn to the story of storks. We explore the origins of a myth that has been around for centuries.

The Scottish government won’t be rounding up people’s pets any time soon.

A scene from the La Brea Tar Pits with models of Ice Age animals.

There’s a gooey time capsule in the heart of Los Angeles, left over from an era when saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, camels, and giant sloths prowled southern California.

Was the animal a bird, or a witch?

What are eggs, really? It's complicated.

Bird flu is one of the reasons egg prices have skyrocketed. Here’s what else you should know about the current outbreak of the H5N1 virus among U.S. poultry and dairy cows.

Emperor penguin released at sea 20 days after waddling onto Australian beach

A penguin named Gus captured people’s hearts when he appeared on an Australian beach not long ago. Now he’s ready to go back home.

An eagle pair in Alaska tend to their gigantic nest.

The 20-year-old nest that starred in the state agency’s first livecam was destroyed by a snowstorm. Now, viewers can tune into watch another eagle pair raise their family at a new spot.

Your Thanksgiving turkey is harmless, but the live bird stalking your backyard might not be.

Bald eagles are powerful symbols of America—but there's much more to know about these quirky birds.

Where there is one hungry raccoon, there are likely dozens, as one unfortunate woman found out.

A black-throated green warbler perches on a funerary statue at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Three historic cemeteries, designed as refuges of the dead, are bringing their landscapes back to life for native plants and animals.

“Once upon a midnight dreary” begins “The Raven,” setting the mood for one of the most recognizable poems written in English.

Black cats, bats, and spiders commonly appear in people’s Halloween decorations. Here’s why.

Dodos were more agile than most people think.

What you think you know about the dodo bird is probably wrong.

The aggressive gulls are brazen in swooping in for a bite of grilled cheese.

Fortunately, it’s illegal to eat saw-whet owls.

In past centuries, dinner tables were crowded with sparrows, robins, and even owls. Here are a few birds that are now protected from American appetites.

'You've got three days to get me those walnuts, Marty. I know you know what that means.'

Crows can not only understand numerical totals, they can express them vocally.

Nothing says “springtime” like the maddening, irregular percussion of a bird’s beak rapping repeatedly against your window.

The bison and bald eagle have been chosen to represent the U.S. Here's why.

Rin Tin Tin and trainer Lee Duncan prepare to go before cameras in 1935.

Rin Tin Tin was found on a World War I battlefield in France before making his way to Hollywood, while poor Arnold the Pig was rumored to have been eaten after ‘Green Acres’ was canceled.