Science
Scientists Make Plea to Protect a Rare Hummingbird They Just Discovered
September 27, 2018 — By their estimate, fewer than 750 Blue-throated Hillstars remain in the fragile Ecuadorian Andes.
The Real Reason Behind This Year’s Bizarre Spoonbill Sightings
September 21, 2018 — The exotic pink birds appearing up north are part of a larger wading bird wave, driven by this summer's breeding boom on the Gulf Coast.
It's Hard to Know When a Species Is Extinct. A Mathematical Model Could Help.
September 20, 2018 — The first results show that eight rare birds are goners. Conservationists hope they can use the science to focus on species with a chance of survival.
A Popular New Migration Tool Could Save Birds from Deadly Building Collisions
September 14, 2018 — BirdCast can accurately forecast the biggest migration movements days in advance. This is good news for birds and birders alike.
In Alaska, Starving Seabirds and Empty Colonies Signal a Broken Ecosystem
September 11, 2018 — Mass die-offs and breeding failures, now ongoing for years, have marine biologists worried that this is a new normal caused by climate change.
Shrikes Have an Absolutely Brutal Way of Killing Large Prey
September 6, 2018 — Famous for impaling their victims, these songbirds first use a special maneuver to break the necks of small rodents.
This Bizarre Bird Is a Master of Choreography
September 5, 2018 — Queen Bey would approve.
How the House Sparrow Conquered the World Is Encoded in Its Genes
August 21, 2018 — The species, found in urban areas around the globe, can digest starchy grains—which helps explain its close bond with people and its love of pizza.
Why Maine's Baby Puffins Are Growing So Slowly This Year
August 16, 2018 — Many pufflings still have their immature downy feathers and have yet to fledge—signs of climate change tampering with seabird diets and survival.
Bird Population Plummets in Piñon Forests Pummeled by Climate Change
August 14, 2018 — In just a decade, three quarters of birds vanished after drought, heat stress, and beetles killed millions of piñon trees in the southwest.
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