How Birds Unlock Their Super-sense, Ultraviolet Vision

The ability of finches, sparrows, and many other birds to see a visual world hidden to us is explained in a study published in the journal eLife. Birds can be divided into those that can see ultraviolet (UV) light and those that cannot. Those that can live in a sensory world apart, able to transmit and […]

Strong Effects of Climate Change on Common Bird Populations

Scientists have shown for the first time that common bird populations are responding to climate change in a similar pronounced way in both Europe and the USA. An international team of researchers led by Durham University, UK, found that populations of bird species expected to do well due to climate change had substantially outperformed those […]

Bird Language

All language, human and otherwise, revolves around turning meaningless sounds into something more. It’s widely accepted that many non-human animals use what’s called referential communication — specific sounds mean specific things to the receiver. Beyond that, there are two kinds of syntax that make speech more complicated, but also more useful: phonological and compositional. Humans have […]

14,000 Abandoned Wind Turbines Litter the USA

The towering symbols of a fading religion, over 14,000 wind turbines, abandoned, rusting, slowly decaying. When it is time to clean up after a failed idea, no green environmentalists are to be found. Wind was free, natural, harnessing Earth’s bounty for the benefit of all mankind, sounded like a good idea. Wind turbines, like solar […]

Why Do Owls “Bob” Their Heads?

Ever wonder why owls bob their heads from side to side so often? Audubon’s recent “BirdNote” podcast addressed this peculiar behavior, explaining that the animals aren’t intentionally trying to weird you out after all. Read More…

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To Save Birds, Change the Rules on Wind Turbines

When the Department of Energy released a report last month championing the construction of larger, more-powerful wind turbines, the wind industry unsurprisingly greeted the news with enthusiasm. Less ardent was the association’s response to well-documented concerns by scientists over the half-million birds that die each year from collisions with existing turbines: Some migrating birds, a […]

Double, Double, Bats in Trouble: Local Efforts to Save Bats

Bats are in double trouble: Bat species that migrate long distances are being killed in wind turbines, while White-nose syndrome is devastating bat species that migrate shorter distances. Meanwhile, homeowners routinely kill bats when they find them in their houses. But we need bats (just not in our attics!), so safe and humane removal can […]