Usually bugs birds or intrepid kittens do that job. Now we can add crocodiles to that list.
although not as well understood as for insects mammals birds and even in snakes. The recent study published in the Journal of Zoology shows that for crocodiles almost a quarter of the fruits consumed were of the oefleshy kind.
when in the future they reflect uncomprehendingly on our abuse of hens and orcas appreciate that we are good and decent people moving in the right direction and show some compassion for our obliviousness.
If you had to ask an average Australian the name of a threatened bird in this country many would nominate the Orange-bellied Parrot.
Every year the last birds remaining in the wild leave their breeding grounds at Melaleuca in the remote southwest wilderness of Tasmania to fly to the saltmarshes along the coastline of Victoria and South australia.
And each year hundreds of volunteers go out to count the birds and see how they are faring.
He didn t want any oetrumped up corella (a distantly-related species of cockatoo) to stop his development a name that conservationists subsequently adopted as their newsletter on the species. It was listed even in a recent book as the only bird name coined by a politician.
Ten years later Environment Minister Ian Campbell decided that the bird could be used as an excuse not to allow the construction of a wind farm in a friend s electorate in Gippsland.
The chances of any birds hitting the turbines were vanishingly small and he was forced to reverse the decision
More recently in 2012 the bird was blamed for holding up a marina development in Westernport.
This is despite it being the first bird in Australia to have its own recovery team set up in 1981.
even though the birds have learnt to eat the weeds. The birds are also under pressure at breeding sites in Tasmania.
The birds nest in tree hollows that are favoured also by species introduced to Tasmania-such as the European Starling
-which steal the nest sites. Fortunately few starlings visit Melaleuca. And for most of its history there have been very few people either.
Currently there are over 200 birds in captivity at seven locations. But while they may be secure in captivity what of the birds in the wild?
So far they seem to be hanging on. In the spring of 2012 20 adults returned from migration producing 22 chicks over the ensuing months.
and the birds are feeding on burnt country as well. All females attempted to breed. This year 19 birds returned
and the decision was made to boost the wild population with 23 birds reared in captivity-enough to augment the population not enough to swamp wild behaviours.
Earlier tests have shown remarkably that newly released birds can migrate to Victoria and back. As of yesterday at least 14 pairs of Orange-bellied Parrots are breeding at Melaleuca this year.
Also the first chicks of the year hatched at Taroona and Healesville. Just possibly the wild population at Melaleuca can be recovered with the help of their cousins in captivity.
At the same time the tiny bird's hippocampus balloons by 30 percent as new nerve cells pop up in this part of the brain which is responsible for spatial organization
Other birds sighted during the trip include Adelie penguins and skuas a type of seabird that preys on penguin chicks.
#Bizarre Egg-Burying Birds Hatch at Bronx Zoo Three maleo chicks have been hatched at the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo in New york where keepers recreated the conditions of the birds
While most birds sit on their eggs to keep their unhatched young warm maleos bury their large eggs in underground nests letting heat from geothermal sources the sun
so that the birds can find a warm spot to bury their eggs. Surveillance cameras allow keepers to watch the nesting areas closely
The birds which belong to the megapode family are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In Sulawesi the birds'wild population is shrinking due to humans'unsustainable harvesting of their eggs and predation by invasive species according to WCS officials.
and supporting the national effort to give laying hens more space. And there's The HSUS effort to phase out gestation crates
The majority of pregnant sows egg-laying hens and other farm animals are housed in barren crowded cages and crates barely larger than their bodies.
Other than a few birds that were classified as dinosaurs most notable the Titanis the dinosaurs were gone. Large flightless birds such as the Diatryma thrived.
since these individuals started playing a pivotal role in the counting of birds in the early 1900s.
Because stimuli throughout the day such as car headlights will set off a rooster's crow at any time it was also possible that increasing light was the trigger for the cock's crows.
When a juvenile dusky parrot (Pionus fuscus) fell into the river they fished the bird out
which was published earlier this month in the journal PLOS One the cougars abandon their kills due to harassment from Andean condors a near-threatened scavenging bird Elbroch told Ouramazingplanet.
or Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event often known as K-T. The only survivors among the dinosaurs are the birds.</
></p><p>The oldest known wild bird in the United states has hatched a chick for the sixth year in a row.</
<a href=http://www. livescience. com/26868-oldest-bird-hatches-chick. html target=blank>Oldest Known Wild Bird Hatches Healthy Chick
#Coolest Science Stories of the Week<p></p><p>Mini black holes images of early birds and talking plants topped our favorite stories this week.</
><p>More than 100 million years ago birds living in what is sported now China wings on their legs a new study of fossils suggests.</
</p><p>Researchers found evidence of large leg feathers in 11 bird specimens from China's Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature.
The feathers suggest that early birds had four wings which may have played a role in the evolution of flight scientists report in a study published today (March 14) in the journal Science.</
<a href=http://www. livescience. com/27898-early-birds-sported-4-wings. html target=blank>Early Birds Sported 4 Wings</a p><p></p
Cretaceous period animals During the Cretaceous period birds replaced the Pterosaurs in the air. The origin of flight is debated by many experts.
Confuciusornis (125 to 140 million years) was sized a crow bird with a modern beak but enormous claws at the tips of the wings.
which have devastated large bird populations in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. With these birds which include colorful toucans
and cotingas locally extinct or barely hanging on the palm trees have no way to disperse their largest seeds.
As a result seed sizes are smaller in parts of the rain forest where large birds are missing finds a new study detailed in the May 31 issue of the journal Science.
Palm trees and Lost Birds of Brazil Shrinking seeds The Atlantic Forest runs along the coast of Brazil starting at the easternmost tip of South america and continuing approximately to the country's southern border.
As a result large fruit-eating birds have vanished or nearly vanished from much of the forest.
These birds swallow fruit seeds and spread them through their droppings over many miles making the animals crucial to the forest ecosystem.
Galetti and his colleagues studied seed sizes in 22 populations of palm trees some in fragments where hardly any large birds survive
and others where bird populations are relatively robust. Â They found that seeds are consistently smaller in sites without large birds.
Seed sizes vary but in areas with few or no large birds common sizes range from about 0. 3 to 0. 4 inches (8 to 10 millimeters) in diameter with almost no seeds a half-inch (12 mm
) in diameter. In areas with robust large-bird populations half-inch (seeds are common with some seeds reaching 0. 55 inches (14 mm.
In sites without large birds the researchers found that seeds with a diameter of a half-inch
or larger had nearly no chance of being dispersed away from their parent tree. Other factors such as soil fertility forest cover and climate could not explain the change in seed size the researchers reported.
and his colleagues created computer models to figure out how long it would have taken trees to evolve smaller seeds in bird-free zones.
In the eyes of the United states Federal Animal Welfare Act animals such as mice and other rodents birds fish and invertebrates receive little
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 amended the definition of animal to specifically exclude birds rats of the Genus rattus
and birds and many other creatures including octopuses also possess these neurological substrates. And we need to keep the door open to the possibility that other vertebrates
The collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) a migratory black-and-white bird lives only about five years maximum at that age 95 percent of collared flycatchers are dead.
Brilliantly colored birds like golden pheasants and temminck's tragopans posed for pictures too as did haired yellow-throated martens golden takins and wild boars.
Past studies have shown that cats kill billions of birds and other wildlife a year. But activists say the law is being used as a cover to pick off innocent pets and skin them for their fur The Verge reported.
The birds that fly through Central park you still have to call them wild the trees that grow in Central park you still have to call them wild he said.
and horse slaughter opposed federal animal welfare standards for laying hens and was even against a federal policy to help pets in disasters the amendment is an attack on states'rights to impose reasonable standards on agriculture to protect animals workers the environment and consumers.
#Fighting to Save an Endangered Bird With Vomit A psychological warfare program centered on vomit could help save the marbled murrelet an endangered seabird that nests in California's old-growth redwood forests.
and squirrels it's having a real impact on a very rare bird nesting overhead in an old-growth redwood tree Bensen told Ouramazingplanet.
A Western bird the blue and black Steller's jays like to frequent cleared forest edges which are filled with bugs
But when the birds circle picnic areas near murrelet nests some discover the chicken-size eggs make a fine treat.
The smart savvy birds will return to the same spot over and over searching for food. Murrelets to their misfortune nest in the same tree every year.
even more of the marauding birds will invade campgrounds to compete for vacant territory biologists have concluded.
Their fiercely territorial social structure keeps out untrained birds. Long-lived with excellent memories the jays will recognize
If taste-aversion training were to spread through the murrelet's range it would not be the first time a bird would require human babysitters to survive think of condors who need devoted monitoring and care..
and one type of bird said Sarah Sumoski a researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
They make a unique bird-like sound called a chirrup when they're excited or calling their cubs.
Tasmanian devils eat meat from snakes birds fish and insects. Their prey can reach up to the size of small kangaroos.
The olinguitos occasionally also eat birds mice and other small animals. Cloud forests are tropical moist forests with persistent fog or cloud cover.
H7n9 is thought to transmit from birds (in particular chickens) to people. Because the virus does not cause symptoms in chickens it can be harder to spot infected poultry.
and the opportunities of the virus to adapt to humans is to reduce the exposure of people to infected birds.
You have to know where your infected birds are said Webby. If you have a virus that s running around that doesn t kill the chickens you have to be actively out there swabbing chickens Webby said.
Surviving ivories from the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia at Sparta depict birds male and female figures and even a oetree of life or oesacred tree.
The turkey a bird that matures for slaughter in the fall would have made an appearance as would chicken pork beef and goose.
There were six or seven varieties of wild bird that would have been consumed depending on the region of the country Smith told Livescience.
In the last few years Smith said foodies have embraced the past with heirloom turkeys that boast more dark meat than modern farmed birds.
Whole roast birds a giant meal at midday instead of a big evening dinner foods cooked from scratch.
We are more familiar with traditional reproduction as practiced by the birds and the bees. Code of Life:
#How Birds Lost Their Penises How did the chicken lose its penis? By killing off the growing appendage in the egg.
That's the finding of a new study which reveals how most birds evolved to lose their external genitalia.
and most other birds nips penis development in the bud according to the new research published today (June 6) in the journal Current Biology.
Missing penises About 97 percent of birds lack penises entirely. The exceptions are real odd ducks literally.
The 9 Weirdest Animal Penises The most primitive group of birds paleognaths which include emus kiwis
which make up most land-loving birds and lack penises. To understand how this genital gap diverges in development Cohn
Likewise when they blocked Bmp4's expression in chick penises the embryonic birds'phalluses continued to grow.
There are many paths to reach the same morphological end Cohn said The new study reveals how birds lost their penises but not why.
It seems odd that birds would evolve to lose an organ so critical to reproduction Cohn said.
Evolutionary biologists have theorized that perhaps bird penises vanished because female birds preferred mates with smaller penises. In ducks and other species with phalluses males frequently force females to copulate.
By picking mates with small penises female birds could have gained more control over the reproductive process.
Alternatively penis loss could have been a side effect of other changes in the birds'body. Bmp proteins are responsible for the origin of feathers in birds and their loss of teeth.
Bmp4 in particular is responsible for variations in beak size and shape Cohn said. It's interesting that so many of these little details of the bird body plan are associated with changes in Bmp activity he said.
Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitterâ and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebookâ & Google+.+Original article on Livescience. com i
#How Bomb Tests Could Date Elephant Ivory Bomb tests generations ago could indirectly help fight illegal poaching of African elephants new research shows.
#How Deadly H7n9 Flu Could Jump from Birds to Mammals Chinese researchers have found new clues to the origins of the deadly H7n9 flu virus
and also found a new flu virus lurking in birds that could potentially infect mammals.
The new research shows that the deadly H7n9 flu virus which emerged in China in March likely originated in migratory birds was passed to domestic ducks
To track the origins of H7n9 the researchers collected thousands of samples from sixkinds of domestic birds in southeastern China:
as H7n9 made its way from migratory to domestic birds it exchanged genes with other types of flu.
Many varieties of flu live in the birds'intestines but they aren't spread through the air.
It's also important to keep sending research teams out to watch the birds. Surveillance in birds is essential to let us know what is happening to viruses in the field and
what threats may be said emerging Guan. Follow Livescience on Twitter Facebook and Google+.+Original article on Livescience S
To prepare a fresh turkey Test Kitchen chefs recommend brining the bird overnight which involves soaking the turkey in a container of salty water for at least 12 hours.
You'll end up with a better-seasoned and juicier bird. Still Bishop cautions that more is not necessarily better
Before placing the turkey in the oven Bishop suggests brushing the raw bird with butter.
The most important tip for using frozen turkeys is to let the birds thaw in the refrigerator before cooking them he added. 5 Myth-Busting Facts for a Safe Turkey Turkey temperature This year alone the Test Kitchen chefs experimented with more than 100 turkeys
For one the shape of the bird complete with a huge cavity in the center means it heats unevenly in the oven.
The Test Kitchen chefs found that basting the bird does not actually improve the juiciness of the turkey.
and flip the bird by hand so it's breast-side-up. We've found that really helps get juicier breast meat
and rather than basting the bird this is one thing worth doing. Finally before carving and serving the turkey Bishop recommends letting the finished product rest for 30 to 40 minutes.
But in order to get up to that temperature you end up overcooking the bird Bishop said. You don't want to be waiting for the stuffing
however Bishop recommends warming it up before the stuffing goes inside the bird. Â Warming stuffing in the microwave so it's not ice cold will at least give it a head start he said.
These forest islands were thought typically of as natural in origin for instance as landforms cut away by shifting rivers or long-term termite mounds or bird rookeries.
and birds and an overlying layer composed of organic refuse containing pottery bone tools and human bones.
But hunting and habitat destruction steered the birds to extinction. The world's last passenger pigeon Martha died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.
Scientists could then breed these birds and select for specific traits as a dog breeder might.
For example the passenger pigeon was a very social bird known to form flocks of millions. When their numbers dwindled to a few thousand the birds stopped breeding Ehrenfeld told Livescience.
De-extinction methods would produce just a handful of birds so who's to say they would reproduce?
he said. What's more the pigeons that raised them would be a different species with differing mothering techniques.
The large birds only produce one offspring per year and maintain broad territorial boundaries of about 1 square kilometer (0. 4 square miles) per male-female pair limiting the density and growth of their population.
Still the charismatic birds maintain stable populations by holing up in branchless dead trees that carnivores struggle to climb.
Until now there have been no records of predation on the birds. But researchers based at the University of North Texas in Denton
While it's possible a mink had found the bird already dead and scavenged it in the den this type of behavior would be atypical of carnivores that tend to hunt live prey said Jaime Jimenez a researcher at the University of North Texas
The team believes this predation could result in a significant decline in the bird population on the island
which could result in other indirect ecological consequences including a spike in insect populations that the birds would otherwise feed on.
Other birds including owls and parakeets also use the Magellanic's vacated holes as breeding grounds
because they reveal more than just bone show that hadrosaurs had pebbly skin not unlike that of today's crocodiles and birds.
In modern birds such combs are used typically for sexual display. They're found in both sexes in birds so the presence of the comb tells researchers nothing about their dinosaur specimen's sex.
The bones they do have belong to the neck and head and don't reveal sex either.
If the suspicions of human-to-human transmission potential is confirmed that alone makes the threat of a pandemic (as opposed to a series of local outbreaks that can be contained with efforts to close down poultry markets or the sale of infected birds) more likely.
Birds and bats can fly because their bodies are relatively lightweight; the reputed heavy muscles and thick limbs of the Jersey Devil would never work;
Due to its location Lake ontario is host to a number of migratory birds. Swans loons ducks geese grebes and other water fowl are among the wildlife that inhabit Lake ontario.
Birds of prey such as hawks and eagles are also common in the area n
#Land of Giants: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National parks Giants live in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National parks. Soaring mountains rocky foothills deep canyons more than 200 marble caverns and the world's largest trees call these side-by-side parks home.
#Male Birds Like Nice Nests (ISNS)--One bird species may have advice on how to get its dads to take a more active role in parenting:
It s an interaction between sexes. oe Different bird species divide the work of building nests in different ways.
and rosemary to spruce up the homes for their future nestlings. But all of this construction takes energy and puts a female in danger of attack from predators.
 The researchers found that these features influence the care a male will put into the nestlings
As part of the study the team installed bird traps in blue tit nesting boxes a process that sometimes scared the birds away from home
s. Â The team is not certain how this difference in risk-taking actually helps the nestlings.
s is interested in exploring more features of nests built by female birds and the signals they may send to males. oepeople thought that its only function was to form a receptacle for the eggs he said.
But he believes the nests may reveal a lot of information about the bird that built it.
if the behavior exists in other animals such as birds and fish that have been shown to gather information by eavesdropping on others.
Although health officials still haven't confirmed the species of animal that is the source of the H7n9 bird flu outbreak in China most people who fell ill had contact with birds or pigs according to a new report.
Aninvestigation of 82 people infected with the new bird flu virus shows most who fell ill had contact with birds or pigs.
At the other end of the country the Zumwalt Prairie is home to large populations of mammals birds and prey.
and used the movement of the bird's pupils to determine where the peahen was looking.
when a predator was introduced into their environment in this case how the birds'eyes followed a taxidermic raccoon as it rolled past the enclosure on a skateboard.
#Oldest Known Wild Bird Hatches Healthy Chick The oldest known wild bird in the United states has hatched a chick for the sixth year in a row.
bands are attached to the legs of birds to help scientists track and study them. At the time she was estimated to be at least 5 years old.
This is the youngest these birds breed though they more typically mate at age 8 or 9 after an involved courtship lasting several years.
As Wisdom rewrites the record books she provides new insights into the remarkable biology of seabirds said Bruce Peterjohn head of the bird banding program at the U s. Geological Survey in the statement.
The bird has hatched likely 30 to 35 chicks in her long life although that number might be said higher Peterjohn in the release.
The samples included drinking water and soil from the areas as well as swabs from birds'throats. Twenty samples tested positive for the H7n9 virus all from poultry markets in Shanghai.
All three of the parent viruses are thought to have infected birds he said. Poultry markets may provide a sort of breeding ground for such reassortment to happen.
It provides a rather unnatural environment where a lot of these different bird species that may have different flu viruses get together
To control the outbreak Chinese health officials need a way to eliminate the infected bird population
Currently the virus does not appear to make birds ill. A diagnostic test for H7n9 would allow health officials to know where people are getting sick with the virus Pavia said.
Long before birds evolved tetrapods began laying eggs on land for the first time during this period allowing them to break away from an amphibious lifestyle.
which would give rise to crocodiles dinosaurs and birds. Most creepily this era is referred sometimes to as the Age of the Cockroaches
The virus does not cause symptoms in birds so it can spread undetected within poultry populations Rudge
cave drawings showing armadillos birds and reptiles etched into stone thousands of years ago. Archaeologists who examined the rock art say hunter-gatherers likely created the drawings between 4000 and 10000 years ago.
In addition to human figures and geometric shapes many different kinds of animals were represented from big cats and armadillos to birds and reptiles but alas no peccaries.
Other than a few birds that were classified as dinosaurs most notably the Titanis there were no dinosaurs during the Pleistocene epoch.
Birds flourished during this period including members of the duck geese hawk and eagle families.
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