Sea Birds

Emperor penguins standing on sea ice at the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica.

Satellites Spy Poop-Stained Ice, Revealing New Emperor Penguin Colonies

Researchers found eight new colonies, but all were small and located in parts of Antarctica predicted to be ravaged by climate change

Like statues, animals named after controversial historic figures are sparking a conversation about "relics of systemic oppression" in science.

A Bird Named for a Confederate General Sparks Calls for Change

McCown’s longspur has launched a renewed reckoning over the troubling histories reflected in taxonomy

A double-crested cormorant dives into blue-green water.

See Birds Dive, Splash and Play in These Prize-Winning Photos

Stunning images by amateurs and professionals took center stage in the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards

The ICARUS antenna (right) on the exterior of the International Space Station.

The International Space Station Just Became a Powerful Tool for Tracking Animal Migration

The so-called 'internet of animals,' powered by an antenna aboard the ISS, will track thousands of creatures across the entire planet

A young New Caledonian crow (right) wielding a stick that skilled adults use as tools to probe for food. The adult (left) tolerates the youngsters antics.

A Long Childhood May Be How Crows and Jays Evolved Their Smarts

Like humans, some of the smartest birds enjoy extended periods of parental care

Loons have been known to launch themselves out of the water and stab others in the chest with their dagger-like beaks.

Eagle Stabbed Through the Heart—and a Loon’s to Blame

Birdie, you give loons a bad name

A quick-thinking Boston police officer used an electronic mating call to lure an escaped peacock into a fenced-in yard.

Police Lure Escaped Peacock Into Custody With Mating Call Played On Cell Phone

Zoo officials say it is peacock mating season, and the male bird may have escaped to search for a female

Even if you're stuck in the city, birding is a great social distancing hobby—you can start from your window. Pictured: A male pine warbler perched in a redbud tree.

Here’s How to (Safely) Bird-Watch During Lockdown

Birding can be a lark, but don’t run a-fowl of safety guidelines

Owl-inspired innovations can reduce noise by as much as 10 decibels, similar to the difference in noise between a passing truck and a passing car.

To Silence Wind Turbines and Airplanes, Engineers Are Studying Owl Wings

No one knows exactly how the nocturnal hunters manage their whisper-soft flight, yet it's inspiring the design of quieter airplanes, fans and wind turbines

Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate's Indian runner ducks, which patrol the vineyard for pests

An Army of Hungry Ducks Keeps This Historic South African Vineyard Pest-Free

The vineyard deploys a daily bird-based battalion to pluck snails and insects off their plants

Ducks can apparently eat up to 200 locusts a day, one Chinese researcher says.

Is a Duck Army Coming for Pakistan's Locusts? Not So Fast

In the wake of a social media storm, experts question a popular plan to dispatch insect-eating birds from China

The common merganser appears to have the ring from a plastic bottle stuck around its mouth and neck.

Duck Ensnared in Plastic Sparks Rescue Mission in Central Park

Rangers and bird enthusiasts are searching for a common merganser that appears to be unable to eat due to plastic debris that has become stuck in its bill

This remarkably well-preserved horned lark died toward the end of the last ice age

This Bird Froze 46,000 Years Ago. Now, It Can Tell Scientists About the Last Ice Age

A likely ancestor of today’s horned larks, the specimen was preserved in pristine condition by permafrost

The red-breasted nuthatch eavesdrops on chickadee conversations to get advanced notice of predators like pygmy owls.

Nuthatches Heed Chickadees' Warning Calls—but They're Wary of False Alarms

Nuthatches prefer to check the facts before they 'retweet' chickadees' alerts

'Directional Velcro' on birds' feathers prevent gaps from forming between them when hit by a gust of wind.

‘PigeonBot’ Uses Real Feathers to Fly Like a Bird

The flying robot is better at following directions than its namesake

These scavenging bird could use a lesson or two in manners.

Vulture Poop Has Compromised a Customs and Border Protection Radio Tower in Texas

Officials are scrambling for a solution to the fecal fiasco

Researchers now have video evidence that Atlantic puffins can use sticks as tools to scratch their backs.

In a First, Scientists Film a Puffin Scratching Itself With a Stick

Behold the first evidence of tool use in seabirds

The North Island brown kiwi is a flightless, nocturnal bird that lays the biggest egg relative to its body size.

What Bird Lays the Biggest Eggs Compared to Its Body Size? Where Does 'Lame Duck' Come From? And More Questions From Our Readers

You've got question. We've got experts

See a Bald Eagle and Octopus Tangled in Epic Battle

The big cephalopod was winning until the humans intervened

New York is the largest city to implement legislation requiring bird-friendly construction.

New York Is Poised to Require Bird-Friendly Glass on All New Buildings

Each year, up to a billion birds in the United States die from glass collisions

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