Mental Floss

BIRDS

An adorable black-capped chickadee posing in a white spruce.

These active backyard birds are more than just cute—they’re hardy survivors that have conquered the continent and are teaching scientists new things about avian evolution.

Rebecca Heisman


Delivery!

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.

Lorna Wallace






Free-range chickens.

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.

Nick Keppler
















Alfred Hitchcock warned you!

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

Kate Horowitz