birds

Stories 181 - 200 | << Prev   Next >>

Scientist: Just Kill Oil-Soaked Birds

Fowl in path of spill will die painful deaths anyway, expert says

(Newser) - As oil drenches untold numbers of birds in the Gulf of Mexico, one scientist has a message for those rushing to clean and release them: You'd do better to just kill them. "According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," a...

Capistrano Swallows Shun Church for Country Club

Famous California birds move upmarket

(Newser) - The famous swallows of Capistrano have flown straight past Capistrano this year to an upscale country club. The birds, who have migrated from Argentina to nest at the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano church in southern California for decades, have received a warm welcome at the 700-acre Vellano Country Club,...

Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job
Oil Spill: Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job
slick hits shore
Apr 30, 2010 7:51 AM CDT

Oil Spill: Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job

As oil reaches land, scientists worry about marshes

(Newser) - Migrating birds, nesting pelicans, and river otter and mink living along Louisiana's fragile coastline are in the path of the oil oozing ashore after the massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Louisiana's coastal islands and barrier marshes are home to hundreds of species. Protecting the ecosystem will be a...

Triple-Tool Crows Stun Scientists
 Triple-Tool-Wielding Crows 
 Stun Scientists 
in case you missed it
Apr 25, 2010 2:30 PM CDT

Triple-Tool-Wielding Crows Stun Scientists

Problem-solving ability rivals that of primates

(Newser) - The crows of New Caledonia are astounding masters at making and using tools and can solve problems that would flummox many primates, say researchers. Three wild crows, presented with a problem requiring them to use a short tool attached to string to retrieve a larger tool from a box and...

Artist Has Birds Rocking at London Gallery
 Artist Has 
 Birds Rocking 
 at London Gallery 
play 'free bird'!
Mar 2, 2010 12:10 PM CST

Artist Has Birds Rocking at London Gallery

Public split on whether sound is avant garde or out of tune

(Newser) - Rock music has gone to the birds at a London art gallery—literally. An installation by French artist Celeste Boursier-Mougenot pairs 40 zebra finches with Les Paul electric guitar resting places and cymbal feeders, and invites visitors to hear the result. “What you hear could be an experimental rock...

Hunting Dog Steps on Gun, Shoots Master

Calif. man sustains minor injury when shot hits him in the back

(Newser) - A man out hunting with his dog got a small taste of how ducks must feel when the dog accidentally shot him. The hunter left his shotgun with his Labrador retriever and went to collect some decoy ducks he’d left about 15 yards away. The dog stepped on the...

Pair of British Swans Gets Rare 'Divorce'

The birds usually mate for life, but not this time

(Newser) - A pair of British swans has done the unthinkable for the loyal species, which usually mate for life: It split up. Sarindi and Saruni had been together for two years, but both returned to an English bird sanctuary from their annual Arctic migration with brand new partners. It's only the...

How Birds, Crocs Escaped Prehistoric Extinction

One-way breathing pattern points to common ancestor

(Newser) - In the midst of the planet's worst-ever wave of extinction some 250 million years ago, the ancestors of birds and alligators managed to survive thanks to a shared breathing mechanism that enabled them to weather low oxygen levels. New research shows that when birds and alligators breathe, air flows in...

Birdfeeding Changes Evolution

Free lunch rocks birds' futures

(Newser) - Darwin never made allowances for birdfeeders, but modern-day scientists have discovered that giving feathered friends a helping hand can have profound evolutionary consequences. Filling up birdfeeders with seeds and suet can convince birds to hang around for the free lunch, rather than take off of their migratory routes, researchers have...

Team Counts on Birds to Sing Their Population

Recordings + math equations = accurate numbers

(Newser) - The intensity of birdsong can be used to accurately calculate bird populations, scientists have discovered. Researchers are using recordings from microphones placed in woods to count birds using mathematical equations. The method is expected to revolutionize the monitoring of other species. Counting animals is extremely time consuming, and many species,...

Breadcrumb Latest Speed Bump for Collider

 Breadcrumb Latest 
 Speed Bump 
 for Collider 
GONE TO THE BIRDS
Nov 6, 2009 6:29 AM CST

Breadcrumb Latest Speed Bump for Collider

$8B science project sidetracked by 'bit of baguette'

(Newser) - The enormous science project buried beneath the France-Switzerland border has seen all kinds of detours in its search for the so-called “God particle”—busted vacuum tubes, al-Qaeda moles—so the latest might not be a huge surprise: A piece of bread dropped by a bird onto an outdoor...

Sore Throat May Have Axed T Rex

Trichomonosis still affects modern birds and makes eating almost impossible

(Newser) - Tyrannosaurus rex could have been laid low not by a planetwide dinosaur holocaust or vicious infighting, but by a parasite that still affects modern birds. Researchers have taken a close look at lesions on T. rex fossils once presumed to be battle scars and concluded that they are the work...

Oldest Feathered Dino Found in China

Dinosaur is earliest known feathered species, may have flown on four wings

(Newser) - A fossilized creature found in northern China puts an end to any controversy over whether birds descended from dinosaurs, say Chinese scientists. The dinosaur, who lived some 10 million years before Archaeopteryx, is the oldest feather species ever discovered. The feathers cover its arms, tail, and also its feet, leading...

Exxon Admits Killing Birds, Will Pay $600K

Company fined $600K over deaths of protected birds

(Newser) - Exxon has pleaded guilty in federal court and agreed to pay $600,000 in fines over the deaths of dozens of birds at its drilling and production facilities, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 85 birds, including owls, waterfowl, and hawks, died after being exposed to hydrocarbons at Exxon's natural...

19 Men Busted in Canary Fight Ring
19 Men Busted in
Canary Fight Ring
Jul 27, 2009 3:00 AM CDT

19 Men Busted in Canary Fight Ring

(Newser) - Police busted 19 men suspected of operating a canary fight ring in Connecticut, reports WFSB TV. Some 150 canaries and saffron finches were confiscated in Shelton. “There were 100 canaries fighting, and they were betting on them 'til they were dead. It’s absolutely shocking,” said a neighbor....

Toucan's Beak Really Outsized Thermostat

Toucans control blood flow to outsized bill to raise or lower body temperature

(Newser) - New research reveals an unexpected use for the toucan’s outsized bill, Wired reports. Thermal imaging shows that the bird can regulate its body temperature by increasing or restricting blood flow to its beak. “Bird bills are not ‘dead tissues’ incapable of playing a role in heat balance,...

As Guerrillas Flee, Bird Watchers Flock to Colombia

(Newser) - Colombia’s guerrilla forces have suffered major setbacks in recent years, and bird lovers are singing a happy tune, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last month saw the return of Steven Hilty, the man who literally wrote the book on Colombian bird watching, after a more than 20-year absence. Another...

Lovey-Dovey Hummers Faster Than Jet Fighters

Courtship dive involves G-forces that would make stunt pilots swoon

(Newser) - The courtship dive of an American species of hummingbird involves speeds that—relative to its size—outpace even fighter jets at full throttle, the Independent reports. Researchers discovered that the male Anna's hummingbird moves 383 times its body length each second as it swoops, creating G-forces strong enough to make...

Mockingbirds Know Who You Are, Will Get You Back

(Newser) - Mockingbirds recognize humans who have threatened their nests and single them out to dive bomb even days later, scientists have discovered. When a population of urban birds monitored by researchers spotted a previously threatening human, they screeched and set off to harass the person with swooping dives, at times grazing...

Smuggler Busted With Birds Bound to Legs

Droppings tip off feds to Vietnamese bird-smuggling racket

(Newser) - Two men have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle songbirds from Vietnam after one of them was found with the cheepers strapped to his legs, TMZ reports. Inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport stopped a man with his shoes covered in bird droppings and discovered he had 14 live birds...

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