bird
For birds, the suburbs may not be an ideal place to raise a family
There comes a time in life for every bird to spread its wings and leave the nest, but for gray catbirds, that might be the beginning of the end. Smithsonian scientists report fledgling catbirds in suburban habitats are at their most vulnerable stage…
New bird to science emphasizes the critical need to conserve the remaining dry forests of Madagascar
In a recent issue of the scientific journal Zootaxa, researchers from Madagascar and the United States described a new species of forest-dwelling rail. The new bird was named Mentocrex beankaensis, with the genus Mentocrex being endemic to Madagasca…
The success of male bustards is measured by their ‘beards’
Up until now it was unknown whether males of the great bustard (Otis tarda), an emblematic bird in Spain and endangered at a global level, transmit information on their weight, size, and age through their plumage. For the first time a study show…
Hormones dictate breeding success in birds
Some animals produce more offspring than others do. Hormones like prolactin and corticosterone can exercise a crucial influence on the behaviour of birds in the breeding season and therefore on their reproductive success. Scientists from the Max…
Thoreau’s study of birds at Waldon Pond aids BU biologists in climate change research
BOSTON — Boston University biology professor Richard Primack, graduate student Elizabeth Ellwood, and recent graduate Michelle Talmadge completed an analysis of the changing arrival dates of migratory birds to Concord, Massachusetts that includes …
Bird call database nests online
EAST LANSING, Mich. — A growing online library of bird sounds, photos and information offers a new resource for backyard birders and seasoned ornithologists alike.
The Avian Vocalizations Center at Michigan State University, or AVoCet,off…
Research provides new leads in the case against drug-resistant biofilms
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — When a foreign object such as a catheter enters the body, bacteria may not only invade it but also organize into a slick coating — a biofilm — that is highly resistant to antibiotics. Like sophisticated…
New research identifies the plight of farmland birds
Farmland birds that are poorer parents and less “brainy” are faring worse than other farmland bird species, a study at the University of Bristol has found.
The new research, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that farmla…
