birds

Stories 61 - 80 | << Prev   Next >>

Raven's Disappearance Raises an Old Legend in London

Merlina was queen of the roost at city's famed tower

(Newser) - It's not like Britain didn't have enough to worry about, given the surging pandemic and Brexit , but a missing raven has been added to the mix. The Tower of London announced the "really unhappy news" Wednesday that a beloved raven named Merlina hasn't been around for...

Australia to Kill US Pigeon That Made It Across the Pacific

It considers the racing pigeon a quarantine threat

(Newser) - A racing pigeon has survived an extraordinary 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. Kevin Celli-Bird said Thursday he discovered that the exhausted bird that arrived in his...

Dinosaur Had Features &#39;Like Nothing Seen in Nature&#39;
Dinosaur Had Features
'Like Nothing Seen in Nature'
NEW STUDY
Dec 17, 2020 10:20 AM CST

Dinosaur Had Features 'Like Nothing Seen in Nature'

Flashy birds like the peacock descended from dinosaurs like this one

(Newser) - How bizarre were the features of a dinosaur that roamed modern-day Brazil some 110 million years ago? They're "like nothing I have seen in nature before," David Martill, lead author of a study of the creature , tells the Guardian . "There are plenty of other strange dinosaurs,...

Weird Pandemic Result: &#39;Sexier&#39; Bird Songs
Songbirds Change
Their Tune
During
Lockdown
NEW STUDY
Sep 25, 2020 11:53 AM CDT

Songbirds Change Their Tune During Lockdown

Sparrows sing 'sexier' songs as road traffic decreases

(Newser) - With fewer cars on the road because of the pandemic, birds no longer have to shout to be heard. The result? Softer, sweeter songs, say researchers in a new study at Science . More to the point, "sexier" songs, lead researcher Elizabeth Derryberry of the University of Tennessee tells AFP...

&#39;Maybe Millions&#39; of Birds Dying of Unknown Causes
Masses of Migratory Birds
Are Dropping Dead
in case you missed it
Sep 19, 2020 11:00 AM CDT

Masses of Migratory Birds Are Dropping Dead

Necropsies are underway in New Mexico

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of birds are dropping dead in New Mexico, alarming biologists who suspect wildfires could be playing a role. A large number of migratory birds were found dead at the US Army White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument on Aug. 20, before more...

After 'Strict Instructions' to Stay Put, Rare Birds Disappear

NZ experts working to reintroduce shore plovers are just a bit frustrated

(Newser) - A colony of rare birds has disappeared in New Zealand to the chagrin of scientists who required government approval to carefully transport the birds to a predator-free island in the midst of the pandemic. The shore plover, the world's rarest plover, is native to New Zealand, but was almost...

Spotify&#39;s New Playlist Is for Your Dog
Spotify for Dogs
Is Now a Thing
Jan 15, 2020 6:29 PM CST

Spotify for Dogs Is Now a Thing

Music streaming service now offers podcasts, custom playlists for dogs, cats, and other pets

(Newser) - The real question is: Will the fish be able to hear it? If you've ever worried that your dog or cat might get lonely while you're at work, Spotify has come up with an official solution, per Reuters : pet-geared playlists and podcasts. After the company's research revealed...

Study Finds Surprising Trait of Parrots: Kindness
A Parrot Experiment
Surprises Researchers
NEW STUDY
Jan 10, 2020 10:13 AM CST

A Parrot Experiment Surprises Researchers

African greys selflessly help other birds

(Newser) - Parrots help their friends, even when there's no chance of personal benefit, according to a study suggesting altruism is more common than thought in the animal kingdom. Indeed, African grey parrots were found to voluntarily help a neighbor get a food reward even as they went without. The behavior...

100 People, 2 Helicopters Hunt for Very Special Dog

Flint, a rat-sniffer, got lost on an uninhabited island near New Zealand

(Newser) - If Flint ever wondered, he can't now: People love the heck out of him. The Jack Russell-fox terrier got lost Wednesday on an island between New Zealand and Antarctica and triggered two rescue missions—one lasting seven hours, the AP reports. The rat-sniffing canine, aged about 5, was on...

This Is the Loudest Bird. Just Ask His Girlfriend


Meet the
World's
Loudest
Bird
new study
Oct 22, 2019 10:50 AM CDT

Meet the World's Loudest Bird

The white bellbird hits 125.4 decibels

(Newser) - The male white bellbird has just earned the distinction of being the loudest bird on the planet. Just ask the female white bellbirds—the guys essentially scream in their faces at courting time. In fact, that's one of the surprises from the study. As the researchers delicately put it...

Bird Population Has Plunged in North America
Bird Population Has Plunged
in North America
new study
Sep 19, 2019 4:16 PM CDT

Bird Population Has Plunged in North America

Researchers find 29% decline since 1970

(Newser) - Scientists knew that the numbers of some species of birds were declining. But they also knew some were increasing in number, and thus they weren't sure there had been a net loss. So they collected numbers from surveys of 529 bird species over the years, along with radar information,...

'Magpie Swooping Season' Claims a Life

Australian man dies after being startled off his bicycle

(Newser) - Australia is in the midst of what's known as "magpie swooping season," per 7News , and it's no joke. Authorities in Wollongong, south of Sydney, say a 76-year-old bicyclist died after a bird dove at him and caused him to crash into a fence post, reports the...

Giant Parrot 'Squawkzilla' Is a First-of-Its-Kind Find

Extinct bird was more than half the height of an average human

(Newser) - Researchers believe they've found the largest known parrot to ever inhabit our planet, and it just happens to be about twice the size of the parrot it now dethrones. While the critically endangered kakapo of New Zealand can weigh close to 8 pounds, Heracles inexpectatus weighed an estimated 15....

Protected Birds Are Eating Cows Alive
Protected Birds Are
Eating Cows Alive
Jun 27, 2019 10:05 AM CDT

Protected Birds Are Eating Cows Alive

Black vultures can peck a calf to death in minutes, starting at the eyes

(Newser) - Black vultures are eating livestock alive, and there's little farmers can do about it unless they secure a federal permit to kill the protected birds, whose numbers have ballooned over the last two decades. Kentucky herdsman Derek Lawson says he came upon six black vultures pecking a calf to...

He Should've Gotten a Ticket. The 'Holy Spirit' Saved Him

Dove flies in front of German driver's face right as camera take a picture

(Newser) - A man in Germany just got out of a $120 ticket, and he has a little bird to thank—not for telling him anything, but for flying in front of his windshield at the most opportune moment. Sky News reports on a photo being shared by cops in Viersen, which...

'World's Most Dangerous Bird' Kills Its Breeder

Marvin Hajos, 75, was killed by a cassowary

(Newser) - A Florida bird-breeder was killed Friday when he fell down near the world's most dangerous bird, the Gainesville Sun reports. Police say Marvin Hajos, 75, was attacked by a cassowary, a 6-foot-tall flightless bird endowed with razor-sharp claws. Hajos was able to call 911 and another person on the...

Meet Armando, the $1.4M Pigeon
Meet Armando,
the $1.4M Pigeon
Mar 20, 2019 7:25 AM CDT

Meet Armando, the $1.4M Pigeon

Racing bird likely to spend his next years making babies

(Newser) - Someone just paid $1.4 million for a pigeon—but not just any pigeon. Armando is the "best Belgian long-distance pigeon of all time," according to auction house Pipa , which oversaw a bidding war between two buyers from China, where pigeon racing is popular among the wealthy . The...

World's Oldest Known Wild Bird Will Make All Other Moms Genuflect

Baby No. 37 is on its way for Wisdom the albatross, 68

(Newser) - Dear tired moms of the world: Meet Wisdom, whose dozens of young ones are about to gain another sibling. The Guardian notes that while it may indeed seem "preposterous" for a 68-year-old human to still be having kids, it's apparently different for some birds, including this Laysan albatross...

Drunken Birds Prompt Calls to Minn. Police Department

They should "sober up in a short period of time"

(Newser) - Apparently, the birds of Gilbert, Minn., can't handle their liquor. Case in point: The police department there has received several reports of birds that "appear to be 'under the influence' flying into windows, cars, and acting confused," according to a police department statement released this week....

8 Bird Species Fall Victim to 'Growing Wave of Extinctions'

Habitat loss via deforestation among issues: study

(Newser) - Eight bird species, including the Brazilian blue parrot featured in 2011 animated flick Rio, make up the first confirmed avian extinctions this decade. The Spix's macaw (the species of the Rio characters Blu and Jewel ) hasn't been seen in the wild since 2000, as a 2016 sighting...

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