Bird Science

A collage of two taxidermied bird specimens, a cloacascope, a book, and two documents on a black background.
‘Feather Detective’ Roxie Laybourne’s Career in Six Objects
July 22, 2025 — From a gynandromorphic grosbeak to feathers collected at a murder investigation in Florida, biographer Chris Sweeney shares six unusual artifacts he found while researching his new book about the world’s first forensic ornithologist.
Books
A gull walking on pavement holding a piece of green baked good in its beak.
This Researcher Wants Your Photos of ‘Gulls Eating Stuff’
July 21, 2025 — A community science project examines how gull diets are shifting amid population declines.
A female mallard is harnessed with a tracking device.
To Solve the Mallard's Mysterious Decline, Researchers Turn to Hi-Tech Trackers
June 20, 2025 — Biologists are using the devices to better understand the bird's behavior and, ultimately, what might be driving our most common duck's population drop.
A male Anna's Hummingbird perches on a red hummingbird feeder.
This Hummingbird Rapidly Evolved a Longer Beak to Slurp More Nectar from Feeders, New Study Finds
May 29, 2025 — The 20th century expansion of nectar feeders drove Anna’s Hummingbirds to spread across California—and transformed the birds along the way.
Clear liquid trickles out of a hummingbird hovering in midair.
Do Birds Pee? Hummingbirds Do—a Lot
April 23, 2025 — Unlike most other avians, hummers urinate in a stream much like mammals, releasing liquid waste often and out of necessity.
Bird Questions and Facts
Three bird-of-paradise specimens appearing to glow green under UV light on a black background.
Birds-of-Paradise Feathers Are More Than Flashy—They Glow
March 07, 2025 — Researchers recently discovered that dozens of species in the flamboyant family are biofluorescent, emitting a gleaming light that could enhance their mating displays.
Milagra, Condor 1221, perches on a rocky cliffside overlooking a valley during sunset.
Witness the Inspiring Release of Milagra, the Condor Rescued as an Egg After Bird Flu Killed Her Mother
October 09, 2024 — Hatched and raised in captivity, the young bird has defied the odds, returning more than a year later to a wild flock still reeling from disease and lead poisoning.
Conservation News
Portrait of a mottled brown Rock Ptarmigan looking straight on at the camera.
It’s One of the Biggest Events in a Bird’s Life. Scientists Can’t Agree How to Talk About It.
September 12, 2024 — Every species replaces its feathers by molting, but a passionate debate among ornithologists about what to call the plumage swaps spans oceans and generations.
Two warblers stand in shallow water next to logs and rocks.
A New Study Reveals Migration Isn’t a Solo Affair—It’s the Social Event of the Season
August 26, 2024 — Migrants face myriad challenges. That's why certain songbird species choose to travel (and possibly even work) together, according to research drawing on a trove of bird banding records.
Bird Migration
A large, drab-colored hummingbird perches on the spike of a cactus.
Scientists Discover World's Largest Hummingbird Hiding in Plain Sight
June 07, 2024 — Groundbreaking research has resulted in a surprising split of the species known as the Giant Hummingbird, and one of the birds just happens to be slightly bigger than the other.
Bird News