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Bird Questions and Facts

A macaw eating a green chili pepper its holding in its claw.
Hot Take—Seems Like Birds Can Taste Spice After All
December 23, 2025 — Peppers in the wild grow only so spicy, and new research suggests that may be to satisfy avian palates.
Bird Science
A Common Grackle vocalizes with its beak wide open and wings outstretched, perching on a cattail.
10 Fun Facts About the Common Grackle
December 10, 2025 — Scrappy, adaptable, and cosmopolitan, this blackbird is a survivor worth celebrating.
A person's hands sort through small bones and bits of fur with a toothpick on a white surface.
Where Do Owl Pellets Actually Come From? Inside the Unusual Business of Bird Barf
December 02, 2025 — From roost to retail, a network of field scouts and suppliers collect and process the regurgitated balls of bones that students dissect in science classrooms across the country.
Bird Science
A Barn Owl stands with its eyes closed on a snowy branch with other branches framing the scene and a snowy white background.
10 Fun Facts About the American Barn Owl
October 24, 2025 — What’s not to love about birds that have heart-shaped faces, hunt in silence, and scream like Banshees?
Close-up portrait of a Common Raven with snow in its feathers, being ruffled by wind.
10 Fun Facts About the Common Raven
October 17, 2025 — Despite their ominous reputation, these clever corvids are affectionate and playful.
Grid of three photos showing physical features of Wild Turkeys.
Get to Know a Wild Turkey's Weird Anatomy
September 19, 2025 — Snoods, beards, and wattles—oh my!
A group of male turkeys, feathers puffed out, walk side by side in a suburban front yard.
How to Defeat a Bully—If That Bully Is a Wild Turkey
September 19, 2025 — Our step-by-step guide to fending off an aggressive gobbler about town.
About Birds
A messy clump of leaves and sticks sits in the fork of a tree.
How to Tell if That Nest Belongs to a Squirrel or a Bird
September 18, 2025 — Squirrels build structures called dreys that can be easy to mistake for a crow or hawk’s nest.
Bird Nests and Breeding
A Chimney Swift flying low over rippling, greenish water.
10 Fun Facts About the Chimney Swift
August 12, 2025 — These little guys were built for life on the wing.
A light gray seabird hovers on a wave with its beak open at the surface.
How Do Seabirds Drink Salt Water?
August 07, 2025 — Albatrosses, petrels, and other ocean-dwellers can stay hydrated without fresh water. The key? Little glands above their eyes.