birds

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Beak Deformities on the Rise in Northwest

Abnormality at 10 times normal levels

(Newser) - Something is warping the beaks of thousands of birds in Alaska and the Northwest. A recent US Geological Survey found a shocking number of birds with “avian keratin disorder,” which causes the either the upper beak, lower beak, or both to grow abnormally long and curved, often crossing...

9/11 Tribute Traps Thousands of Dazzled Birds

Beams pull birds away from migratory path

(Newser) - This year's 9/11 memorial tribute ended up mesmerizing and trapping some 10,000 birds as they headed south for the winter. The Tribute of Light—beams of light projected where the Twin Towers once stood—was the brightest light in the area on that overcast night and birds relying on...

Hump-Backed Feathered Dino Discovered

Mystery dinosaur offers link to first birds

(Newser) - It had a mysterious hump over its pelvis and feather-attachment bumps on its forearms: Meet the newly discovered Concavenator corcovatus, a dinosaur scientists hope will offer clues about the emergence of the first birds. Paleontologists unearthed the dino, a member of the theropod family, in central Spain. And while its...

NYC Dims Lights for Migrating Birds

Feathered friends confused by the light, scientists believe

(Newser) - The city that never sleeps will be a little less bright through Nov. 1, as buildings hit the lights to protect migrating birds. An estimated 90,000 birds die each year by slamming into buildings in NYC alone; turning lights off can reduce that number by 83%, according to one...

Being Gay Is Good for Birds: Study

And it doesn't hurt reproduction, either

(Newser) - Scientists have been puzzled by homosexual behavior in birds , but a new study shows the proliferation of same-sex mating doesn’t necessarily hurt reproduction—and may help in many other areas. More than 130 bird species engage in some sort of homosexual behavior, from courtship to mating to establishing long-term...

'Terror Bird' Used Beak Like an Axe
 'Terror Bird' Used Beak as Axe 
Aug 19, 2010 4:59 AM CDT

'Terror Bird' Used Beak as Axe

Bird bobbed and weaved like a boxer to corner prey

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered exactly how the giant, prehistoric "terror birds" that once roamed South America slaughtered its prey. Using CT scans and biomedical reconstructions, Argentine and American researchers found that the 5-foot-tall, 90-pound Andalgalornis steulleti wielded its enormous head like an axe, smashing its curved beak into animals and...

Fugitive Vulture Poses Threat to Planes

Escaped bird of prey in Scotland poses 'genuine' danger

(Newser) - Scottish pilots have been warned to be on the lookout for a massive vulture that escaped from a local aviary, the BBC reports. The Griffon Vulture, known as Gandalf, has a 10-foot wingspan and can reach altitudes of 37,000 feet. Handlers for the World of Wings center say Gandalf...

World Cup 'Vulture Smoking' Theatens Rare Birds

Gamblers smoke birds' brains; bird lovers sqawk

(Newser) - As the World Cup gets underway in South Africa, scientists are betting that one of the biggest losers in the soccer championship will be the endangered vulture. In South African traditional medicine called muti, vulture brains are dried, ground up, and smoked as cigarettes to give users what they believe...

Scientist: Just Kill Oil-Soaked Birds

Fowl in path of spill will die painful deaths anyway, expert says

(Newser) - As oil drenches untold numbers of birds in the Gulf of Mexico, one scientist has a message for those rushing to clean and release them: You'd do better to just kill them. "According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," a...

Capistrano Swallows Shun Church for Country Club

Famous California birds move upmarket

(Newser) - The famous swallows of Capistrano have flown straight past Capistrano this year to an upscale country club. The birds, who have migrated from Argentina to nest at the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano church in southern California for decades, have received a warm welcome at the 700-acre Vellano Country Club,...

Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job
Oil Spill: Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job
slick hits shore
Apr 30, 2010 7:51 AM CDT

Oil Spill: Protecting Wildlife Will Be 'Mind-Boggling' Job

As oil reaches land, scientists worry about marshes

(Newser) - Migrating birds, nesting pelicans, and river otter and mink living along Louisiana's fragile coastline are in the path of the oil oozing ashore after the massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Louisiana's coastal islands and barrier marshes are home to hundreds of species. Protecting the ecosystem will be a...

Triple-Tool Crows Stun Scientists
 Triple-Tool-Wielding Crows 
 Stun Scientists 
in case you missed it
Apr 25, 2010 2:30 PM CDT

Triple-Tool-Wielding Crows Stun Scientists

Problem-solving ability rivals that of primates

(Newser) - The crows of New Caledonia are astounding masters at making and using tools and can solve problems that would flummox many primates, say researchers. Three wild crows, presented with a problem requiring them to use a short tool attached to string to retrieve a larger tool from a box and...

Artist Has Birds Rocking at London Gallery
 Artist Has 
 Birds Rocking 
 at London Gallery 
play 'free bird'!
Mar 2, 2010 12:10 PM CST

Artist Has Birds Rocking at London Gallery

Public split on whether sound is avant garde or out of tune

(Newser) - Rock music has gone to the birds at a London art gallery—literally. An installation by French artist Celeste Boursier-Mougenot pairs 40 zebra finches with Les Paul electric guitar resting places and cymbal feeders, and invites visitors to hear the result. “What you hear could be an experimental rock...

Hunting Dog Steps on Gun, Shoots Master

Calif. man sustains minor injury when shot hits him in the back

(Newser) - A man out hunting with his dog got a small taste of how ducks must feel when the dog accidentally shot him. The hunter left his shotgun with his Labrador retriever and went to collect some decoy ducks he’d left about 15 yards away. The dog stepped on the...

Pair of British Swans Gets Rare 'Divorce'

The birds usually mate for life, but not this time

(Newser) - A pair of British swans has done the unthinkable for the loyal species, which usually mate for life: It split up. Sarindi and Saruni had been together for two years, but both returned to an English bird sanctuary from their annual Arctic migration with brand new partners. It's only the...

How Birds, Crocs Escaped Prehistoric Extinction

One-way breathing pattern points to common ancestor

(Newser) - In the midst of the planet's worst-ever wave of extinction some 250 million years ago, the ancestors of birds and alligators managed to survive thanks to a shared breathing mechanism that enabled them to weather low oxygen levels. New research shows that when birds and alligators breathe, air flows in...

Birdfeeding Changes Evolution

Free lunch rocks birds' futures

(Newser) - Darwin never made allowances for birdfeeders, but modern-day scientists have discovered that giving feathered friends a helping hand can have profound evolutionary consequences. Filling up birdfeeders with seeds and suet can convince birds to hang around for the free lunch, rather than take off of their migratory routes, researchers have...

Team Counts on Birds to Sing Their Population

Recordings + math equations = accurate numbers

(Newser) - The intensity of birdsong can be used to accurately calculate bird populations, scientists have discovered. Researchers are using recordings from microphones placed in woods to count birds using mathematical equations. The method is expected to revolutionize the monitoring of other species. Counting animals is extremely time consuming, and many species,...

Breadcrumb Latest Speed Bump for Collider

 Breadcrumb Latest 
 Speed Bump 
 for Collider 
GONE TO THE BIRDS
Nov 6, 2009 6:29 AM CST

Breadcrumb Latest Speed Bump for Collider

$8B science project sidetracked by 'bit of baguette'

(Newser) - The enormous science project buried beneath the France-Switzerland border has seen all kinds of detours in its search for the so-called “God particle”—busted vacuum tubes, al-Qaeda moles—so the latest might not be a huge surprise: A piece of bread dropped by a bird onto an outdoor...

Sore Throat May Have Axed T Rex

Trichomonosis still affects modern birds and makes eating almost impossible

(Newser) - Tyrannosaurus rex could have been laid low not by a planetwide dinosaur holocaust or vicious infighting, but by a parasite that still affects modern birds. Researchers have taken a close look at lesions on T. rex fossils once presumed to be battle scars and concluded that they are the work...

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