Elsewhere in the clearing known as the Dzanga Bai I was awed by bongo buffalo sitatunga and hundreds of birds.
Fractals Reveal Birds'Health For birds fractals are a turn on. A new study found that the complexity of fractal patterns on a bird's chest communicates the animal's fitness to potential mates.
Scientists studied male and female red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) which both display complicated black-and-white patterns of plumage on their chests.
and apparently the plumage of red-legged partridges. 5 Seriously Mind-boggling Math Facts In a new study scientists found that the healthier a bird is the more fractal-like its plumage becomes.
or how robust and healthy the birds'immune systems (the body system that fights off foreign invaders) were.
The scientists also studied the relationship between bird health and fractals by restricting the diets of 33 male
This resulted in the first set of birds weighing around 13 percent less than the control group.
and found the complexity of fractals was reduced significantly on the birds whose food had been restricted. After losing weight the same birds would grow in plumage with a lower fractal dimension than they had before while the birds
whose weight stayed steady didn't show any change in FD. Overall the study found that birds'fractals communicated a lot about the health of individuals
which could provide a valuable way for red-legged partridges to judge potential mates. Our work justifies further studies on fractal perception in animals depending on their visual processing abilities the researchers wrote.
The creamy blue-and-brown speckled eggs splashed like a toddler's art project vary among birds
In the wild there is some evidence that birds are often less successful with their first clutch of eggs.
Scientists think birds use patterning on eggs for camouflage but the darker colors may also help strengthen weak spots
One of the world's most critically endangered species the 6-inch-tall (15 centimeters) bird faces extinction within 10 years according to a statement from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology which released the video.
The Spoon-billed sandpiper is one of the most remarkable little birds On earth and it may go extinct before most people even realize it was here John Fitzpatrick executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said in the statement.
and governments to these amazing birds and galvanize an international conservation effort. First moments of life One video captures the first moments of life as the tiny fluffy brown
Much of the little bird's decline is due to habitat loss from development and subsistence hunting along its migratory path
birds and a primary stopping site for Spoon-billed sandpipers. And shorebirds are a food source for people living along the coastal mudflats of Myanmar
and other nearby countries the Cornell Lab said in a statement Documenting a disappearing species Common foraging behaviors here on the breeding grounds are surprisingly different from the way they feed on the wintering grounds according to the Cornell lab. On the breeding grounds the birds feed on insects
Since the pony had been dead for several days before its body was found there was plenty of time for birds maggots blowflies
For instance a team that includes Harvard genetics expert George Church is trying to bring back the passenger pigeon a bird that once filled eastern North america's skies.
They have been able to piece together roughly 1 billion letters (Each of four nucleotides that make up DNA has a letter designation) in the bird's genome based on DNA from a 100-year-old taxidermied museum specimen.
and bird die offs. A canal breach created the Salton Sea in 1905. With no outlet and no water source except for farming run off the lake has been shrinking
Senior condor keeper Ron Webb has been caring for the baby bird with the help of a condor hand puppet.
When the zoo began its captive breeding program in the 1980s there were only 22 birds in the wild.
Since then the zoo has hatched 173 chicks and released 80 birds into the wild. There are now an estimated 400 wild birds.
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#Satellites Spy Beetle Attacks on Forests A new computer program detected a slow-motion decline and subsequent revival of forests in the Pacific Northwest in recent years.
</p><p>Birds can' t taste capsaicin the chemical that gives chili peppers their kick enabling birds to eat spicy peppers
and spread their seeds far and wide without being bothered by the irritant.</</p><p>American people didn'
For example October is a critical month for those that study birds as it's migration time.
(or band) migrating birds to monitor themand keep track of birds banded last season. Bird banding data is used to sleuth out reasons different bird species might be in peril.
Birds help reveal when there are problems in Earth's ecosystems from harmful toxins to the drivers of habitat loss for birds or their response to climate change.
Scientists rely on collective data from the past 50 years to paint a complete picture of birds On earth today.
Birds are migrating says Gwen Pearson an entomologist and science communicator. Crops are supposed to be harvested.
Biological (and geological and hydrological! life continues to happen all around us except now scientists are physically
and financially prohibited from studying it. We will have a big hole in our data this year.
me understand the importance of tracking birds during their yearly migration. She also wrote about the implications of the government shutdown for conservation and agricultural science in her column for Wired last Wednesday.
The only other kind of animal where you see that are modern-day birds where it's called a pygostyle
Modern-day birds use pygostyles to help them fly but oviraptors were not flying animals they had feathers
and birds that do have big tail-feather fans such as peacocks and turkeys don't try to use them to run at all
Maybe they were larger in males as we see in modern-day birds Persons said.
and feet that each had one backward-pointing toe similar to those found on birds.
and bird they could import. Charles darwin dined on all the species he described including more than 40 tortoises.
1. Turkey troubles Nothing says Thanksgiving like cooking an obscenely large farm bird. Perhaps it's not surprising then that emergency rooms see a lot of fowl-related injuries on Turkey Day.
when it hits the oil the bird can catch fire or even explode. We've had singed fires that hair
so it's important to cook the bird thoroughly. Food allergies also rear their ugly heads at the holidays.
but it evolved probably in a similar fashion as it did inâ birds of paradise or peacocks a result of sexual selection.
but how does one explain the Christmas cards that show a dead bird lying on its back with the words May yours be a joyful Christmas above?
There really isn't much more known about why dead birds are shown on several cards Grossman wrote in an email.
When it comes to rearing young female cuckoo birds farm the task out to others. Cuckoo moms lay their eggs in the nests of other birds
which raise them unwittingly. Often the other birds are a smaller species and the cuckoo chick hatches first grows faster
and kicks the other chicks out of the nest. The other chicks die and the cheeky cuckoo receives all of the adoptive mother's attention. 3. Bloodsucking ants Count Dracula isn't the only creature with a taste for bodily fluids:
some birds produce additional clutches of eggs; and many insects (including pests such as bark beetles in the West
#What is the'Birds and the Bees'?'The phrase the birds and the bees is a metaphor for explaining the mechanics of reproduction to younger children relying on imagery of bees pollinating
and eggs hatching to substitute for a more technical explanation of sexual intercourse. It is a way of deflecting the inevitable question that every parent dreads:
It does not necessarily mean that parents are explaining how birds and bees reproduce. The connection between human sexuality and eggs and pollination is vague
Though there are some variations the story typically involves bees pollinating flowers symbolizing male fertilization and the birds laying eggs
In another telling of the story a baby is created when a bee stings a bird. Related:
One of the early references to this bird and bees as a euphemism for reproduction is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1825 poem oework Without Hope:
Slugs leave their lair    The bees are stirring birds are on the wing   Â
Another commonly cited use of the phrase is American naturalist John Burroughs 1875 set of essays Birds and Bees Sharp Eyes and other Papers.
Dr. Emma Frances Angell Drake described the birds and bees in a section of the publication The Story of Life which was widely distributed between 1893 and 1930.
How Birds Do it A more direct reference can be found in Cole porter's lyrics to the 1928 song Let's Do it.
And that's why birds do it bees do it    Even educated fleas do it    Let's do it let's fall in love The phrase also appeared in a 1939 issue of the Freeport Journal Standard:
he knows about the birds and the bees. In consequence French films are made on a basis of artistic understanding that does not hamper the story.
A more modern reference to the phrase occurred on The Simpsons. The episode includes a scene has 10-year-old Bart Simpson remarking to his friend Milhouse The sun is out birds are singing bees are trying to have sex with them as is my understanding..
Accounts of that day which became known as New england's Dark Day include mentions of midday meals by candlelight night birds coming out to sing flowers folding their petals and strange behavior from animals.
As you pick up your turkey at the grocery store this week you might wonder why you never see the birds'eggs for sale.
Economically meat from a grown turkey bird is much more valuable than an extra large fried egg.
#Why Elk Are Robbing Birds Sonya Auer of the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently won the Elton Prize from The british Ecological Society for her research and writing.
have hurt spring breeding success for birds. Â This harm results not just from changing temperature but stem indirectly from climate impacts on elk small predators and even the forest the birds inhabit.
As winter temperatures on the plateau increase more precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow.
But elk opting to overwinter in the canyons is not boding well for the local plants and birds.
and elk and plants mean for bird species like the Red-faced Warbler? Each spring Red-faced Warblers along with two other related species the Orange-crowned Warbler and Virginia s Warbler build cupped nests of grass tucked into the ground at the base of trees.
When the birds divvied up their use of the different nest sites in the past predation on their eggs
and nestlings by squirrels and mice was lower. But now that the forest has changed and the birds are nesting in similar sites their nests are being detected more often by predators
which means fewer nests are fledging young. Fewer young can then lead to population declines.
and tree regeneration to the nesting success of birds in the spring and that points to the complexities through
however the birds have made an incredible recovery reaching levels near those of their precolonial days.
The birds are now found in virtually all parts of their former territory and some new places where they hadn't been said previously wildlife biologist Thomas Hughes of the National Wild Turkey Federation an organization that has reintroduced the animals into the wild.
In Maine for example the birds have been known to damage strawberry and blueberry crops. They have also been found rummaging in the fodder of dairy cattle
loud noises and dogs are effective at keeping the birds away he added. Furthermore the birds are blamed often for damage that they have not caused.
Animals that are active at night like deer and raccoons are more likely than wild turkeys to destroy most crops according to work by researchers at Purdue University.
Since then the bird has made slowly its way back. While populations continue to grow and spread in some areas particularly the Midwest populations in some Northeastern states appear to have leveled off according to Diefenbach and Sullivan.
But the snakes have wreaked havoc on the ecosystem of Guam decimating the island's native bird population.
Within a few years of the invasive species arrival 10 of Guam's 12 native bird species had been wiped out.
And as a result of the plunging bird population Guam is now overrun with up to 40 times more spiders than nearby Pacific islands.
while the rat population continued to soar the mongooses proceeded to destroy Hawaii's native bird and turtle populations.
Blakiston's fish owl (Bubo blakistoni) is one of the rarest owls in the world an endangered bird restricted to Russia China Japan and possibly North korea.
These birds stand two -and-a-half feet tall 75 centimeters have 6-foot wingspans 2 meters
One of the reasons it's so hard to find fish owl nest trees is that the birds are almost unbelievably shy.
Giant birds need giant trees The scientists discovered both the owls and their favorite prey salmon rely on giant old-growth trees for breeding and feeding.
The large trees provide nesting cavities big enough for the birds and when these dead massive trees fall into nearby streams they disrupt the water forcing it to flow around over
Some are even pointing a finger at blubber-eating birds. The whales come to the peaceful Atlantic bays around Peninsula Valdes along Argentina's Patagonian Coast to give birth
and it's really important for us to monitor these birds and see how they're reacting said Alex Hartman a USGS wildlife biologist at the Western Ecological Research center in Dixon California who helps oversee the shorebird-monitoring project.
The researchers track the health of American avocets black-necked stilts and Forster's terns among other birds.
but we didn't want to disturb the birds any further he said. When in doubt in my mind the best thing is to leave something be.
The birds got themselves into this situation. For the most part we just let nature take its course
and the birds can sort themselves out. Both ducklings and avocets are resourceful babies however with the capability to feed on their own soon after hatching.
and even birds'eggs and berries. They like meat best though and will go to great lengths to get it.
For instance researchers on the ground will track where the water flows on the surface examine how it infiltrates the groundwater and monitor vegetation and bird life.
The response of bird populations may also not be evident for a few years. The water agreement remains in effect through 2017.
and how to recognize predators such as snakes birds and wildcats. Learning from watching a video
Falcons To get a glimpse of how falcons hunt their prey midair researchers at Haverford College in Haverford Pennsylvania outfitted the birds with miniature helmet-and backpack-mounted cameras.
which helps the predatory birds intercept their victims. Beastly Academy awards: Stars of the Animal kingdom Cockroaches When you see a cockroach crawling toward you have wished you ever you could just steer it away like a remote-controlled car?
The team trained captive peahens to wear special backpacks that held equipment and a helmet with cameras (one to film what the bird was seeing
Scientists at York University in Toronto used the packs to track wood thrushes and purple martins during the birds'migration from Pennsylvania to Central and South america.
The scientists found that the birds actually traveled three times faster than expected more than 311 miles (500 kilometers) per day the researchers said.
Since only female birds lay eggs the industry has no use for male chicks. Their solution?
those crop calories that don t end up in human mouths probably end up in the mouths of other mammals insects and birds.
there have been spectacular declines in formerly common birds such as skylarks turtledoves and grey partridges as shown in the RSPB State of the UK s Birds Report
which tracks bird numbers since the 1990s. Organic farming has been shown to maintain species diversity on farmland
so it probably does provide one solution to these declines in Europe at least. But in the tropics the situation may be different.
See Newly Hatched Osprey Chicks on Live'Critter Cam'For all you bird lovers out there you can watch a set of newly hatched osprey chicks ruffle their tiny feathers on a live webcam.
A monogamous pair of birds dubbed Steve and Rachel by viewers returns to this nest every year to raise their young.
The bird that can be seen in the burrow is incubating an egg that is expected to hatch in Mid-june.
and egg snatchers but the National Audubon Society's Project Puffin reintroduced the birds in the 1970s.
Ed Louis) Goliath Bird-Eating Spider If you don't like spiders you really won't like Goliath bird-eating spiders as these hairy tarantulas have a leg span that can reach up to 11 inches (28 centimeters.
The Goliath bird-eating tarantula is big and'fangy'and both factors cause some people to fear them said Chris Buddle an arachnologist who studies arthropod ecology at Mcgill University.
#In fact they don't pose much of a risk to birds either. While they have been known to eat small birds amphibians
and other creatures their diet consists primarily of insects. Photo credit: B & T Media Group Inc. Shutterstock. com) Cockroach No list of unnerving animals would be complete without cockroaches
#Birds of a Feather: Whooping cranes Need Parents More Like Them Whooping cranes have made an astonishing comeback in North america thanks in part to some bizarre conservation methods.
The birds raised by humans are turning out to be bad parents and scientists don't know exactly where they're going wrong.
They're matching some chicks with adult bird parents that can hopefully step in where humans are failing.
Some birds live their whole lives in captivity. And then there's the Eastern Migratory Flock
Today the flock has about 95 birds that spend their spring and summer in wetlands at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and elsewhere in central Wisconsin.
When they hatch the chicks are raised by humans cloaked in white costumes with a beaked puppet on their hands to teach the birds to eat and drink.
The chicks are always in sight of actual adult whooping cranes Biologists just don't want the birds to be handled by people in street clothes Olsen told Live Science.
To learn the route the birds follow an ultralight aircraft piloted by a costume-clad human all the way down to the Southeast.
We have great success in doing this in that the birds survive Olsen said. Captive-raised chicks that are released into the wild seem to thrive;
Olsen and other biologists think the birds'strange upbringing might have something to do with their tendency to abandon their eggs.
We know that we can't provide dozens of opportunities for learning that parents that are actually birds can.
We know they get much more exercise from parents that are actually birds. French Olsen and their colleagues are trying out a new method called parent-rearing
and when it comes time to migrate the adults will lead the fledglings southward. Last year two parent-reared birds successfully migrated Olsen said.
Most likely the chicks raised by adoptive parents will pair up with birds raised by humans.
It's hoped that the adopted chicks will be able to pass along good parenting habits.
and were the ancestors of the reptiles including dinosaurs and birds. In the early Permian it appeared that the Synapsids were to be the dominant group of land animals.
and birds insect fossils can provide valuable clues to ancient environments and climates Holden said.
And these plant communities support more than 400 species of birds 53 species of reptiles and 28 species of amphibians.
but a gap in the levee at the New Madrid Floodway allows water to inundate a rich floodplain habitat supporting migratory birds and rare fish.</
and locking egg-laying hens veal calves and mother pigs in tiny cages for their entire lives.
In 2006 the Laywel research project conducted a comprehensive analysis of hen welfare in various housing systems in an effort funded by the European commission and several member countries of the European union.
Their report noted that c onventional cages do not allow hens to fulfill behaviour priorities preferences
The severe spatial restriction also leads to disuse osteoporosis. The study determined that battery cages#the industry's standard confinement system are in fact the only method of housing birds that does't have the potential to provide satisfactory welfare for laying hens.
But the future doesn't look so hot for the blubbery birds. Current models predict that unmitigated climate change will push the polar front south taking the penguins'summer staple of lanternfishes farther from the islands.
When birds land on what appears to be a muddy log covered in useful nesting materials they become dinner for the waiting beast.
#Oldest Known Bird Hatches a New Chick The world's oldest known wild bird just became a mother again.
The tough old bird has hatched a new chick for the past seven years in a row
and captured and treated 10 adult males with pellets containing corticosterone a stress hormone common in birds.
How Snakes Slither Up Trees Corn snakes enjoy a diet of rodents lizards frogs small birds bats and bird eggs.
In doing so the cuckoo tricks the other bird often a different smaller species into taking on the expensive burden of raising the chick.
If it hadn t been for birds I doubt if anyone would have thought even that it might be possible for something heavier than air to get airborne.
The bird s wing performs two separate tasks both of which are essential. By its shape it provides lift
but transferring the power function to an engine and propeller something no bird ever possessed.
The small portion of the wild animals in the leopards'diet consisted of mostly rodents as well as civets monkeys mongooses and birds.
Furthermore while many species On earth#arnacles butterflies birds#re shifting their habitats poleward in search of cooler climates where are the Antarctic animals supposed to go?
and this predator has the longest feathers yet outside of birds researchers say. This new finding yields insights on how dinosaurs may have flown the scientists added.
Microraptorines are thought to be very close cousins of birds sharing a common raptor ancestor Chiappe told Live Science.
or something the common ancestor of birds and microraptorines had that was lost later in the bird lineage.
The area was also home to a great diversity of birds and insects along with some very primitive mammals and some of the earliest flowering plants he said.
and birds in what used to be their guts. We think Changyuraptor may have gone after small prey like birds lizards salamanders fish
and mammals Chiappe said. The fossil revealed Changyuraptor had extraordinarily long tail feathers. The tail is really the crown jewel of the specimen Chiappe said.
At about 12 inches (0. 3 m) long Changyuraptor had the longest feathers seen outside of birds.
The sounds of owls and night birds filled the air. Shivering from the cold I scanned the sky with binoculars until BAM!
They are not as showy as birds or butterflies and millipede identification can be tricky.
Should we look at mammals birds reptiles or plants? What if the two sites have different biodiversity?
or bird diversity lost as a result of mining our estimate of the damage done by the mining was twice as large as the company s estimate.
Despite the impressive size of some species new species of fungi don t get the same recognition as a new species of mammal bird or reptile.
The World's Largest Bird Ostriches are large flightless birds that have long legs and a long neck that protrudes from a round body.
Ostriches are bigger than any other bird in the world. They can grow up to 9 feet (2. 7 meters) tall
The ostrich is the only bird that has two toes on each foot. All other birds have three or four toes according to the American Ostrich Association.
Wild ostriches live in the dry hot savannas and woodlands of Africa. They once roamed all over Asia Africa
Male ostriches are called cocks or roosters and females are called hens. A group of ostriches is called a flock.
Flocks can consist of up to 100 birds though most have 10 members according to the San diego Zoo.
The group has a dominant male and a dominant female and several other females. Lone males come
Ostrich offspring are larger than any other bird baby. At birth chicks can be as big as chickens.
and don't hook together like feathers on other types of birds y
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