Perched or Flight?

Small Perching Bird Photography Tips

Bird photography in itself is quite a challenging genre of photography. You need to be very patient with your subjects. Even locating those tiny little fellows demands quite a bit of attention and presence of mind. And even after you do so, getting them in the frame to snap a photo is a challenge. Professional [...]

How birds perch could lead to nimbler flying robots

Engineers hope that watching how a bird can stick a landing on a non-stick surface will help them design better flying robots.

We Finally Know How Birds Sleep During Flight Without Dying

Owing to some horrendously long flight times, scientists have speculated that certain birds are capable of sleep during flight. A remarkable new experiment by an international team of researchers has now proven this to be true, showing that birds can catch a snooze while hitching a ride on rising air currents.

Meet Lori, a tiny dinosaur that may help explain how birds evolved flight

The chicken-size carnivore from the late Jurassic is already ruffling feathers among paleontologists.

Why Doesn’t My Bird Know What Size Perch To Stand On?

In the wild, birds will land on most any tree regardless of perch size Or Why we don’t know Jack about proper perch sizes for caged birds All these bloody geniuses on the Internet. &nb…

Why birds don’t crash

A new study shows that birds use two highly stereotyped postures to avoid obstacles in flight. The study could open the door to new ways to program drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles to avoid similar obstacles.

How Do Barn Owls Fly So Silently?

The secret to an owl’s stealthy flight lies in the shape of its feathers.

Free Webinar: How High-Energy Hummingbirds Survive

Hummingbirds delight us with their brilliant colors and dizzying flight. But all that nonstop activity comes at a high energy cost, so how do hummers meet their calorie needs? Join researchers Anusha...

10 Techniques for Photographing Birds in Flight

Birds, in general, are quite a challenging subject to photograph. While they’re relatively “easy” to photograph when perched, it’s a daunting task to photograph birds when they’re flying around. You need to take care of things like shutter speed, backlighting, and focus tracking amongst others. In this video, photographer Steve Perry covers everything that you [...]

Quick Tips for Identifying Ducks in Flight

Identifying ducks in flight can be one of the biggest challenges for waterfowlers — especially neophytes. After a couple of seasons afield or a few sessions with a duck-identification guide, most hunters can identify ducks within 60 or so yards in good light. However, identifying distant birds or ducks in...

22 Babies Who Have Discovered The Magic Of Flight

What This PigeonBot Tells Us About the Future of Flight

Bat Flight May Teach Us How To Build Better Drones

Sweden’s Lund University is studying bats to figure out, among other things, how they fly so well with those big ears in the way. Turns out their unique “design” might be a good blueprint for helping drones make low-speed maneuvers.

Epic Flight Fail? Pterosaur Models Are Wrong, Says Study

Researchers make bold claim that up to 95 percent of positions modeled for pterosaurs and winged dinosaurs in flight are anatomically impossible.

Out of Their Eggs, Into the Sky: How Baby Pterosaurs May Have Taken Flight

Researchers say the flying reptiles didn’t need much parental guidance.

Silent flights: How owls could help make wind turbines and planes quieter

A newly-designed material, which mimics the wing structure of owls, could help make wind turbines, computer fans and even planes much quieter. Early wind tunnel tests of the coating have shown a substantial reduction in noise without any noticeable effect on aerodynamics.

Waiting with bated breath to learn how idioms took flight

At the end of your tether because you are treated as a dogsbody? Falconry and the sea are two rich sources of English expressions