Science

Why Birders Are Putting Stickers on Monarch Butterflies
March 21, 2019 — A community-science project helps conservationists understand—and protect—the imperiled migratory species.
How the Biggest Birds on Earth Could Help Fend Off Epidemics
March 21, 2019 — Veterinarian Yasuhiro Tuskamoto has a flock of 500 Ostriches—and, in their huge eggs, a way to fight infectious diseases.
How a Hunting Raptor Could Teach Us to Tune Out Distractions
March 21, 2019 — To treat human disorders like ADHD, neuroscientist Shreesh Mysore has unlocked the key to the Barn Owl’s extraordinary focus.
How a Common Street Bird Could Coach Doctors Against a Bad Diagnosis
March 21, 2019 — Psychologist Edward Wasserman’s work with pigeon perception may lead to new strategies for detecting cancer and heart disease.
How Birds Are Helping Scientists Reimagine a Feathered T. Rex
March 12, 2019 — New insights about the predator's brains, speed, and appearance are being discovered by comparing fossilized dinosaurs to their living relatives.
For All Their Splendor, We Still Know Little About Painted Bunting Migration
March 08, 2019 — A research project using geolocators aims to help scientists better understand where the birds overwinter and recent population declines.
Better Know a Bird: How Harris’s Hawks Hunt Like Wolves to Bring Down Prey
March 05, 2019 — Teaming up helps these agile raptors take on animals twice their size. But we’re still not sure why they stand on each other.
Dark-eyed Juncos, Backyard Gems, Come in a Dazzling Array of Colors
March 01, 2019 — The six flavors of junco were long considered separate species. Recent science shows that they instead boldly exhibit evolution in real time.
Migrating Birds May Be Spreading an Invasive Pest That Decimates Forests
February 20, 2019 — The hemlock woolly adelgid is moving north, and feathers could be providing the perfect ride, experiments show.
Hummingbirds Shake Their Tail Feathers to Generate High-Pitched Sounds
February 15, 2019 — Some male hummingbirds have special feathers that audibly vibrate as they zoom around to impress females. Listen here.