birds

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Oldest Feathered Dino Found in China

Dinosaur is earliest known feathered species, may have flown on four wings

(Newser) - A fossilized creature found in northern China puts an end to any controversy over whether birds descended from dinosaurs, say Chinese scientists. The dinosaur, who lived some 10 million years before Archaeopteryx, is the oldest feather species ever discovered. The feathers cover its arms, tail, and also its feet, leading...

Exxon Admits Killing Birds, Will Pay $600K

Company fined $600K over deaths of protected birds

(Newser) - Exxon has pleaded guilty in federal court and agreed to pay $600,000 in fines over the deaths of dozens of birds at its drilling and production facilities, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 85 birds, including owls, waterfowl, and hawks, died after being exposed to hydrocarbons at Exxon's natural...

19 Men Busted in Canary Fight Ring
19 Men Busted in
Canary Fight Ring
Jul 27, 2009 3:00 AM CDT

19 Men Busted in Canary Fight Ring

(Newser) - Police busted 19 men suspected of operating a canary fight ring in Connecticut, reports WFSB TV. Some 150 canaries and saffron finches were confiscated in Shelton. “There were 100 canaries fighting, and they were betting on them 'til they were dead. It’s absolutely shocking,” said a neighbor....

Toucan's Beak Really Outsized Thermostat

Toucans control blood flow to outsized bill to raise or lower body temperature

(Newser) - New research reveals an unexpected use for the toucan’s outsized bill, Wired reports. Thermal imaging shows that the bird can regulate its body temperature by increasing or restricting blood flow to its beak. “Bird bills are not ‘dead tissues’ incapable of playing a role in heat balance,...

As Guerrillas Flee, Bird Watchers Flock to Colombia

(Newser) - Colombia’s guerrilla forces have suffered major setbacks in recent years, and bird lovers are singing a happy tune, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last month saw the return of Steven Hilty, the man who literally wrote the book on Colombian bird watching, after a more than 20-year absence. Another...

Lovey-Dovey Hummers Faster Than Jet Fighters

Courtship dive involves G-forces that would make stunt pilots swoon

(Newser) - The courtship dive of an American species of hummingbird involves speeds that—relative to its size—outpace even fighter jets at full throttle, the Independent reports. Researchers discovered that the male Anna's hummingbird moves 383 times its body length each second as it swoops, creating G-forces strong enough to make...

Mockingbirds Know Who You Are, Will Get You Back

(Newser) - Mockingbirds recognize humans who have threatened their nests and single them out to dive bomb even days later, scientists have discovered. When a population of urban birds monitored by researchers spotted a previously threatening human, they screeched and set off to harass the person with swooping dives, at times grazing...

Smuggler Busted With Birds Bound to Legs

Droppings tip off feds to Vietnamese bird-smuggling racket

(Newser) - Two men have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle songbirds from Vietnam after one of them was found with the cheepers strapped to his legs, TMZ reports. Inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport stopped a man with his shoes covered in bird droppings and discovered he had 14 live birds...

Bird Culture Innate: Study
 Bird Culture Innate: Study 

May 4, 2009 2:46 AM CDT

Bird Culture Innate: Study

Isolated finches develop the same song over time

(Newser) - DNA may carry the blueprint for culture, a study of zebra finches has revealed. When raised in isolation, the birds' complex mating song—usually taught by male elders—develops into a harsh clamor. But as their offspring learn the song, they tweak it slightly and recreate the melody within a...

Scientists: Parrots Groove to the Beat

(Newser) - Yes, it's an actual study: Parrots can dance. Really and truly dance. A painstaking review of lab video—and YouTube—revealed that the birds have rhythm, the Boston Globe reports. Frame-by-frame analysis of birds’ motion to music shows that they bob and weave in perfect sync to a beat, a...

All Flu Is Bird Flu: Scientists
 All Flu Is Bird Flu: Scientists 
ANALYSIS
Apr 28, 2009 3:44 PM CDT

All Flu Is Bird Flu: Scientists

... even swine flu

(Newser) - People, pigs, and birds aren’t alone in their influenza woes. Horses, whales, and seals catch the virus, but scientists think all flu is actually avian flu, explains Brian Palmer in Slate. Birds carry each of the 144 types of influenza, which is able to jump species by mutating to...

$40K Reward Offered for Condor Shooter

Green groups hire private eye to probe California attack

(Newser) - Environmental groups probing the shotgun shooting of two California condors have hired a private eye and raised $40,500 in reward money for information leading to the culprits, the Los Angeles Times reports. The condors—two of just 81 in California and 322 in the world—were found last month...

Female Finches 'Pick' Sex of Chicks

(Newser) - The female Gouldian finch can control the sex of her egg to produce the strongest possible offspring, the BBC reports. The species comes in two head colors, red and black, and same-color mates are more compatible. If a female finds herself with a different color mate, her offspring will be...

A Third of America's Bird Species in Trouble

Development sending large numbers of native species into decline

(Newser) - Almost a third of America's bird species are in peril from habitat destruction and other threats, according to a federal report released yesterday. The study, which may spur the Obama administration to increase regulation in some areas to protect the animals, found that  67 of America's over 800 bird species...

Fossil Discovery Hints Dinos Were Warm and Fuzzy

Feathers may have arisen with the earliest dinosaurs

(Newser) - The evolutionary history of feathers just got a whole lot fuzzier, reports the BBC. A 130-million-year-old fossil has been found in China with “protofeathers,” leading scientists to believe that one of the two main families of dinosaurs—previously thought to have had scaly hides—may in fact have...

Songbirds Faster Than We Thought

(Newser) - Researchers have tracked the migratory paths of songbirds for the first time, using small data-gathering “backpacks,” the Washington Post reports. The avian wanderers, who are so small they cannot be tagged with transmitters, move about 3 times as a fast as previously thought. The recovered data shows that...

Feds Find Birds in Both Engines

Investigation confirms pilot's story in Hudson River crash

(Newser) - Federal safety officials say they've confirmed that there were birds in both engines of the US Airways airliner that landed safely in the Hudson River last month. Remains from both engines have been sent to Washington's Smithsonian Institution to have the particular bird species identified. Officials added that an engine...

Black Box Reveals Both Engines Failed

Investigators postpone search for missing engine

(Newser) - Both engines on the airplane that crashed into the Hudson River last week lost power simultaneously at 3,200 feet, a clue from black box recorders for investigators still searching for the missing left engine, AP reports. Tugboats have begun hauling wreckage to New Jersey where it will be examined...

NY Crash Is Sign That Bird Strikes Are Soaring

(Newser) - Yesterday’s US Airways crash is just the most high-profile illustration of the growing problem of bird strikes, Time reports. Such run-ins quadrupled from 1,759 in 1990 to 7,666 in 2007. The problem, ironically, may be improving technology: Most jets now have two engines rather than four, leaving...

Calif. Pelicans Hit by Mystery Illness

Experts puzzled as dying birds turn up miles from coastal home

(Newser) - A mystery disease causing disoriented pelicans to crash to earth in unusual locations near the California coast has wildlife experts stumped, reports the Los Angeles Times. Bruised and fatigued birds are being found on highways and in backyards far from their usual seaside haunts. Some appear to be dying, but...

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