Global Health Strategies
Chelsea - New York:
How do you teach a wild bird new tricks?
Letters: One for the birds | Screeching owls | Paying for peace | The joy of electric dreams | When men stiffen up
Keeping Birds as Pets: What You Need to Know
Birds such as parrots and canaries can make great pets but they take a lot of care. Dr. Laurie Hess explains how to make sure a pet bird is right for you.
See how birds change their tunes to fit their surroundings
Songbirds want their notes to be heard, so they shift the pitch and cadence of their melodies to fit into their natural environs. It's a plus for potential mates—and for any birders listening on.
How Do Hurricanes Affect Birds?
When severe weather hits, humans hunker down. But what about the feathered among us?
How Do Birds Drink on the Fly?
For swallows and swifts, it's a real athletic feat.
How to Keep Buildings From Killing Hundreds of Millions of Birds a Year
Using technology to stop birds from flying into buildings
How Do Feathers Keep Birds Warm?
It requires thousands and thousands of feathers and a whole lot of preening.
Why Bird Fathers Are Superior
They are attentive parents, building nests, feeding chicks and even showing their young how to sing.
Should You Put a Baby Bird Back in the Nest? Depends If It’s Cute
It’s a myth that mama bird will reject her baby if you touch it—but what does science say about meddling?
Why Fat Birds Are Better At Making Babies
A new study shows that some warblers tack on the pounds—or, rather, fractions of an ounce to stay in good reproductive shape.
Roofing Revolution: How (Gorgeous) Green Roofs Benefit Birds
It’s not wasted space if you do something with it. Four green roof projects are helping species around the world.
Scientists (finally) figure out why birds don't crash into each other.
It’s a simple question that you’ve probably never thought about: with all those birds flying around, how come you never see two birds crash mid-air? To answer this question, researchers put parakeets (aka budgerigars) into an air tunnel and had them fly towards each other. They found that birds have evolved a simple way to …
Why do some birds lay blue eggs?
While you might be most familiar with “robin’s egg blue”, many species of birds lay blue-colored eggs. Why might this have evolved? Although scientists can’t go back in time to observe the emergence of blue eggs, they can think carefully about which properties might be most different between blue and non-blue eggs… which is what …
Video: Why Does My Cat... Chatter at Birds?
Dr. Patty Khuly decodes why your indoor cat makes a curious chattering sound while staring at birds outside the window.
The girl who gets gifts from birds
Lots of people give food to the birds in their garden and get nothing in return - but when one girl feeds the crows outside her house, they show their affection with tiny presents.
You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks (if the Dog Is a Parrot)
Like Snapchat abstainers or reluctant Slack users, adult parrots have a hard time learning new tricks. Older birds stay set in their ways while young birds innovate and try new things. Researchers say that’s just as it should be—even if it means the grownups miss out on a treat now and then. Young animals might be …
What's that Bird at Your Suet Feeder?
Why Do Small Birds Have Sweeter Songs?
An anatomical difference in some birds produces sounds that are music to the human ear, experts say.
How to start birding in any US city
If you enjoy spending time outside, consider birdwatching. It’s a four-season activity that not only extends the amount of time you spend in parks or other green spaces, but will also make you feel a little bit like a treasure seeker as you try to spot birds you know should be around (and find others you may not expect).
How Bird Beaks Got Their Start As Dinosaur Snouts
Hoping to help trace the history of how velociraptors evolved into birds, researchers at Harvard and Yale may have tracked a key beak transformation to two genes.
