Birds

A rufous hummingbird preparing to feed at a torch lily.

Hummingbirds Are Popping Up in the Strangest Places

Two master bird banders are at the forefront of finding out why the rufous hummingbird’s migration has changed

Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps)

Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls

A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist's personal collection—the largest in the world

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Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes

The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap

Not only was Ornithomimus feathered, but the dinosaur’s fluffy coat changed as it aged.

Feathery Ostrich Mimics Enfluffle the Dinosaur Family Tree

A trio of feathered dinosaurs tests a longstanding hypothesis and hint that there may be more feathered dinosaur fossils than anyone ever expected

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The Bat-Winged Dinosaur That Never Was

Just when naturalists began to suspect that birds might be dinosaurs, one researcher put forward a truly strange idea of what early bird ancestors would have looked like

Plastic debris and particles are now turning up in the ocean waters surrounding Antarctica.

High Levels of Plastic and Debris Found in Waters off of Antarctica

In the world's most remote ocean waters, researchers discovered unexpectedly high levels of plastic pollution

Black swifts, with their preference for nesting on steep, wet, cold rock faces, are among the most enigmatic birds in North America.

What is North America’s Most Mysterious Bird?

Nesting behind waterfalls and in caves, the rarely seen black swift is only beginning to shed its secrets

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Science Images that Border on Art

This year's Wellcome Image Award winners pull at your "art" strings. The curious seek out the science behind them

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The World’s 5 Most Mysterious Bird Species

Stunning plumage, strange eating habits and extreme rareness characterize these enigmatic birds

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The Past Keeps Getting Cooler

As cartoonist Randall Munroe points out, feathers make dinosaurs cooler than ever

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Who Doesn’t Love Fuzzy Dinosaurs?

Feathered dinosaurs are awesome. Why do so many people hate them?

An Air Force plane sprays dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon spill. New research could produce safer dispersants that include ingredients found in food.

An Oil Dispersant Made From Ingredients in Peanut Butter, Ice Cream and Chocolate?

New research is yielding oil dispersants that are non-toxic and prevent oil from sticking to birds and wildlife

A new study reveals that the African grey parrot is capable of abstract reasoning.

African Grey Parrots Have the Reasoning Skills of 3-Year-Olds

A new experiment showed that the birds are capable of abstract logical reasoning, a trait previously shown only by primates

King penguins are the second largest species of penguin

King Penguins Stressed Out By Scientists And Tourists

The king penguins appear to be habituated to the presence of humans, but a new study finds that even limited human contact may be negatively affecting them

The skeleton of Sciurumimus, seen under UV light. You can see traces of protofeathers alon the dinosaur’s tail.

Did All Dinosaurs Have Feathers?

A newly-discovered fossil raises the possibility that all dinosaur lineages were fuzzy

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A Sneak Peek at a New Dinosaur

Argentina unveils a new dinosaur to celebrate the country's bicentennial

Chicken reigns in the 21st century.

How the Chicken Conquered the World

The epic begins 10,000 years ago in an Asian jungle and ends today in kitchens all over the world

The British pigeon known as Crisp VC brought back news of the sinking of an armed trawler by a German U boat and the heroic death of her captain, Thomas Crisp, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Closing the Pigeon Gap

During the First World War, Allied birds outperformed their rivals and saved thousands of lives–all thanks to the efforts of one London pigeon fancier

A feathery Troodon on the Museum of Life and Science Dinosaur Trail, in Durham, North Carolina.

Dinosaur Egg Hunt

A well-timed analysis suggests that non-avian dinosaurs, not the Easter bunny, are the best candidates for laying the candy eggs hidden away on lawns

Microraptor, covered in iridescent plumage

Microraptor Was a Glossy Dinosaur

The feathered, four-winged dinosaur had a glorious sheen

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