Feature Channels: Birds

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Newswise: Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Released: 5-Jan-2023 3:35 PM EST
Effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza on canids investigated
Hokkaido University

Researchers at Hokkaido University have revealed the effects of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection on an Ezo red fox and a Japanese raccoon dog, linking their infection to a recorded die-off of crows.

Newswise: Surf, Sand and Seaweed: The latest breakthroughs in Marine Science
Released: 4-Jan-2023 1:40 PM EST
Surf, Sand and Seaweed: The latest breakthroughs in Marine Science
Newswise

Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Marine Science channel on Newswise, a free source for media.

Newswise: Bizarre cretaceous bird from China shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body
Released: 3-Jan-2023 1:15 PM EST
Bizarre cretaceous bird from China shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body
Chinese Academy of Sciences

It is now widely accepted that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

Newswise: Birds are Jerks Sometimes: how a Mother’s Quest to Defend her Eggs Against Invaders Influences Offspring Development
Released: 30-Dec-2022 6:30 PM EST
Birds are Jerks Sometimes: how a Mother’s Quest to Defend her Eggs Against Invaders Influences Offspring Development
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)

Animals must defend resources critical to their and their offspring’s survival. With few resources, tree swallows become more territorial, which likely increases testosterone allocation in their eggs. This may promote offspring aggression, a trait critical for survival in competitive environments.

Released: 20-Dec-2022 7:10 PM EST
New study finds animals play key role in restoring forests
Yale University

As nations meet this week in Montreal on efforts to address an unprecedented loss of biodiversity — more than a million species are threatened with extinction — a new study published in The Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B points to the unique and vital role animals play in reforestation.

Released: 20-Dec-2022 3:55 PM EST
Research reveals which animals perceive time the fastest
British Ecological Society

New research reveals that the animals that perceive time the fastest are those that are small, can fly, or are marine predators.

Newswise: Opening the black box of bird-window collisions: passive video recordings in a residential backyard
Released: 20-Dec-2022 10:05 AM EST
Opening the black box of bird-window collisions: passive video recordings in a residential backyard
PeerJ

Collisions with glass windows on buildings, transportation shelters, noise barriers and fences are a major source of bird mortality.

Released: 19-Dec-2022 4:15 PM EST
Diving birds are more prone to extinction, says new study
University of Bath

Diving birds like penguins, puffins and cormorants may be more prone to extinction than non-diving birds, according to a new study by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.

Newswise: New research uncovers hidden long-term declines in UK earthworms
Released: 19-Dec-2022 2:15 PM EST
New research uncovers hidden long-term declines in UK earthworms
British Ecological Society

British Trust of Ornithology researchers call for better monitoring of soil invertebrates after new research, collating 100 years of data, suggests significant and previously undetected declines in UK earthworm abundance could have occurred.

Newswise: Wildlife disease ecologist launches project to help DoD monitor quality of bird habitats on military installations
Released: 9-Dec-2022 4:00 PM EST
Wildlife disease ecologist launches project to help DoD monitor quality of bird habitats on military installations
Northern Arizona University

NAU professor Jeff Foster was recently awarded a grant by the DoD for a new study, “Demonstration of Metabarcoding for Monitoring Bird Species Habitat Quality on DoD Installations.” This three-year, $900,000 project will focus on five insectivorous species on four military sites.

Newswise:Video Embedded what-does-polly-say-community-science-data-reveal-species-differences-in-vocal-learning-by-parrots
VIDEO
1-Dec-2022 5:05 AM EST
What does Polly say? Community science data reveal species differences in vocal learning by parrots
University of Pittsburgh

While most animals don’t learn their vocalizations, everyone knows that parrots do – they are excellent mimics of human speech. Researchers aim to add to what we know about animal vocal learning by providing the largest comparative analysis to date of parrot vocal repertoires.

Newswise: Old World flycatchers’ family tree mapped
Released: 23-Nov-2022 10:05 AM EST
Old World flycatchers’ family tree mapped
Uppsala University

The European robin’s closest relatives are found in tropical Africa. The European robin is therefore not closely related to the Japanese robin, despite their close similarity in appearance.

Released: 22-Nov-2022 5:00 PM EST
World’s heaviest bird may be self-medicating on plants used in traditional medicine
Frontiers

Researchers show that great bustards in Spain prefer to eat two plant species with compounds active in vitro against protozoa, nematodes, and fungi: corn poppies and purple viper’s bugloss. Males, who spend much time and energy on sexual displays during the mating season, have a stronger preference for these plants than females, and more so during the mating season than at other times of the year. The authors thus consider great bustards as prime candidates for non-human animals that self-medicate, but stress that more research is needed to definitively prove this.

Newswise: El tratamiento CRISPR reduce la inflamación en pacientes con angioedema hereditario
4-Nov-2022 8:00 AM EDT
El tratamiento CRISPR reduce la inflamación en pacientes con angioedema hereditario
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

Un nuevo estudio que se presenta en la Reunión Científica Anual del ACAAI de este año muestra que un tratamiento que usa una tecnología de edición genética de repeticiones palindrómicas cortas, agrupadas y regularmente interespaciadas logró aliviar la inflamación y reducir la frecuencia de los ataques.

Newswise: Old bone links lost American parrot to ancient Indigenous bird trade
Released: 8-Nov-2022 10:05 PM EST
Old bone links lost American parrot to ancient Indigenous bird trade
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)

For centuries, Indigenous communities in the American Southwest imported colorful parrots from Mexico.

Newswise: Study: More Than One Way to Build a Black Bird
Released: 1-Nov-2022 3:20 PM EDT
Study: More Than One Way to Build a Black Bird
Cornell University

Scientists have so far found at least two genetic pathways leading to the same physical outcome: all-black feathers. This change was no random accident. It was a result of nature specifically selecting for this trait. The new study is published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

Newswise: New species of owl discovered in the rainforests of Príncipe Island, Central Africa
Released: 1-Nov-2022 1:40 PM EDT
New species of owl discovered in the rainforests of Príncipe Island, Central Africa
Pensoft Publishers

A new species of owl has just been described from Príncipe Island, part of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe in Central Africa.

Newswise: Just Like Humans, More Intelligent Jays Have Greater Self-Control
Released: 31-Oct-2022 1:45 PM EDT
Just Like Humans, More Intelligent Jays Have Greater Self-Control
University of Cambridge

A study has found that Eurasian jays can pass a version of the ‘marshmallow test’ – and those with the greatest self-control also score the highest on intelligence tests.

Newswise: Hybrid Songbirds Found More Often in Human-Altered Environments
Released: 28-Oct-2022 12:55 PM EDT
Hybrid Songbirds Found More Often in Human-Altered Environments
University of Colorado Boulder

Hybrids of two common North American songbirds, the black-capped and mountain chickadee, are more likely to be found in places where humans have altered the landscape in some way, finds new University of Colorado Boulder research.

Released: 27-Oct-2022 12:45 PM EDT
Feeling chirpy: Being around birds is linked to lasting mental health benefits
King's College London

New research from King’s College London has found that seeing or hearing birds is associated with an improvement in mental wellbeing that can last up to eight hours.

   
Newswise: Nestling Birds Recognize Their Local Song ‘Dialect’
Released: 25-Oct-2022 4:15 PM EDT
Nestling Birds Recognize Their Local Song ‘Dialect’
Stockholm University

A recent study, published in Current Biology, led by researchers at Stockholm University and Uppsala University, has shown that juvenile songbirds react to hearing the songs they will eventually produce as adults, even when they are as young as 12 days old.

Newswise: Several Beautiful New Bird Species Found on Remote Indonesian Islands
Released: 25-Oct-2022 1:10 PM EDT
Several Beautiful New Bird Species Found on Remote Indonesian Islands
Trinity College Dublin

Zoologists from Trinity College Dublin, working with a research team in Indonesia, have found several new species of colourful, tropical sunbirds.

Newswise: Study: Migrating Birds Attracted by Light Pollution Face Higher Toxic Chemical Exposure
Released: 25-Oct-2022 11:35 AM EDT
Study: Migrating Birds Attracted by Light Pollution Face Higher Toxic Chemical Exposure
Cornell University

The journeys of night-migrating birds are already fraught with danger. Light pollution adds yet another hazard beyond the increased risk of collisions with buildings or communication towers.

Newswise: FeederWatchers Are More Important than Ever
Released: 18-Oct-2022 1:35 PM EDT
FeederWatchers Are More Important than Ever
Cornell University

Project FeederWatch is back—with more ways to participate, more time to participate, and more ways to keep track of who is seeing what, where. The expanded 36th season of FeederWatch begins November 1 and ends April 30, 2023.

Released: 12-Oct-2022 11:55 AM EDT
U.S. State of the Birds report shows losses in all habitats – except one
Cornell University

A newly released State of the Birds report for the United States reveals a tale of two trends – one hopeful, one dire. Long-term trends of waterfowl show strong increases where investments in wetland conservation have improved conditions for birds and people. But data show birds in the U.S. are declining overall in every other habitat – forests, grasslands, deserts, and oceans.

Newswise: Lagoons from the Arctic’s “Forgotten Coast” Teem with Fish and Birds, Vulnerable to Climate Change and Human Development
Released: 6-Oct-2022 3:35 PM EDT
Lagoons from the Arctic’s “Forgotten Coast” Teem with Fish and Birds, Vulnerable to Climate Change and Human Development
Wildlife Conservation Society

A new scientific review article led by WCS captures the unique and dynamic characteristics of coastal lagoon ecosystems in the Arctic Beringia Region, and discusses how climate change effects and human development could alter these habitats.

Newswise: Just a tiny amount of oil damages seabirds’ feathers, study reveals
Released: 5-Oct-2022 3:05 PM EDT
Just a tiny amount of oil damages seabirds’ feathers, study reveals
University College Cork

Tiny amounts of crude oil on the water surface, less than one percent of the thickness of a hair, can damage seabird feathers, a University College Cork (UCC) study finds.

Newswise: 195 ways to help California’s painted ladies
Released: 5-Oct-2022 11:50 AM EDT
195 ways to help California’s painted ladies
University of California, Riverside

By documenting hundreds of new nectar plants for painted ladies, scientists have renewed hope these charismatic butterflies may prove resilient to climate change.

Released: 29-Sep-2022 2:20 PM EDT
Less bird diversity in city forests
Lund University

A new study led by Lund University in Sweden shows that cities negatively affect the diversity of birds. There are significantly fewer bird species in urban forests compared with forests in the countryside - even if the forest areas are of the same quality.

Released: 29-Sep-2022 11:00 AM EDT
Powered by artificial intelligence, Argonne technology eyes bird activity at solar facilities
Argonne National Laboratory

The World Health Organization says monkeypox is a global health emergency. Scientists use ultrabright X-ray beams and diffraction imagery to understand how poxviruses behave. This can accelerate development of critical vaccines and treatments for monkeypox and other poxviruses.

Newswise: Little rodent, big appetite
Released: 22-Sep-2022 10:45 AM EDT
Little rodent, big appetite
Louisiana State University

On an island 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco, a hoard of invasive house mice are packing an ecological wallop far larger than what their small statures would suggest.

Newswise: Powered by artificial intelligence, Argonne technology eyes bird activity at solar facilities
Released: 21-Sep-2022 3:20 PM EDT
Powered by artificial intelligence, Argonne technology eyes bird activity at solar facilities
Argonne National Laboratory

Near-real-time data on avian-solar interactions will help the energy industry understand risks and opportunities for wildlife at solar energy plants.

Newswise: Drumming in woodpeckers is neurologically similar to singing in songbirds
13-Sep-2022 12:05 PM EDT
Drumming in woodpeckers is neurologically similar to singing in songbirds
PLOS

The woodpecker forebrain contains specialized pecking-related regions that resemble those associated with song and language systems.

Released: 19-Sep-2022 4:10 PM EDT
Bird’s enzyme points toward novel therapies
Rice University

Thank the rare crested ibis for a clue that could someday help our bodies make better drugs.

   
Newswise: Cacao: Multiple Interactions in Its Cultivation
Released: 14-Sep-2022 4:00 PM EDT
Cacao: Multiple Interactions in Its Cultivation
University of Würzburg

It's not possible to grow cacao without insects - that's logical. After all, they ensure that the flowers are pollinated and that the valuable cacao fruits, a sought-after material for the food industry, develop. Studies in Indonesia had shown in the past that birds and bats also contribute to increasing crop yields. However, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows now how large this contribution is.

Newswise: Study Tracks Waterbird Use of Chicago-Area Wetlands
Released: 14-Sep-2022 3:20 PM EDT
Study Tracks Waterbird Use of Chicago-Area Wetlands
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A three-year study in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana found that – even at small scales – emergent wetlands or ponds support many wetland bird species.

Newswise: The bolder bird gets (and keeps) the girl
Released: 14-Sep-2022 9:00 AM EDT
The bolder bird gets (and keeps) the girl
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

. In a paper published today in Royal Society Biology Letters, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) demonstrate a clear connection between personality in wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and the likelihood of divorce. Though the link between personality and relationship outcomes in humans is well-established, this is the first study to do so with animals.

Newswise: In Australia, cockatoos and humans are in an arms race over garbage access
Released: 12-Sep-2022 4:35 PM EDT
In Australia, cockatoos and humans are in an arms race over garbage access
Cell Press

Residents of southern Sydney, Australia have been in a long-term battle over garbage—humans want to throw it out, and cockatoos want to eat it.

   
Newswise: Researcher team investigates sex-determination mechanisms in birds
Released: 9-Sep-2022 10:05 AM EDT
Researcher team investigates sex-determination mechanisms in birds
Hiroshima University

Scientists have known that sex-determination in vertebrates happens in the germ cells, a body’s reproductive cells, and the somatic cells, the cells that are not reproductive cells.

Released: 8-Sep-2022 3:45 PM EDT
Bird neurons use three times less glucose than mammalian neurons
Cell Press

Birds have impressive cognitive abilities and show a high level of intelligence.

   
Newswise: Ecological tipping point: 5+ El Niño events per century controls coastal biotic communities
8-Sep-2022 12:05 PM EDT
Ecological tipping point: 5+ El Niño events per century controls coastal biotic communities
University of Utah

Along with implications for the future, the findings illuminate important moments in our past, including human migration into the Americas, the variable human use of coastal and interior habitats and the extinction of the flightless duck Chendytes.

   
Newswise: These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males — apparently to evade aggression
Released: 7-Sep-2022 10:05 AM EDT
These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males — apparently to evade aggression
University of Washington

1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research from the University of Washington shows that this is a rare case of "deceptive mimicry" within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression.

Released: 1-Sep-2022 10:05 AM EDT
Contact Between Wild Birds and Backyard Chickens Is Risky
University of Georgia

Wild birds come into contact with backyard chicken flocks more frequently than people realize, creating a pathway for pathogens to transmit back and forth, according to new research from the University of Georgia. Such pathways increase the risk for spillover events that can threaten the health of all these groups—wild birds, backyard chickens and the people who care for them.

Newswise: How Young Chickens Play Can Indicate How They Feel
Released: 17-Aug-2022 12:45 PM EDT
How Young Chickens Play Can Indicate How They Feel
Linkoping University

It is common for young animals, in particular mammals, to play. Researchers at Linköping University (LiU), Sweden, have for the first time mapped the development of play in young chickens. The results show that the young chickens spend lots of time playing in different ways – just like puppies and kittens.

Released: 16-Aug-2022 4:20 PM EDT
Decreasing backyard bird diversity flies under the radar
Griffith University

A deep dive into bird survey data has found that some of Australia’s favourite backyard visitors considered ‘common’ are actually on the decline as cities and suburbs opt for less greenery.

Newswise: Social Connection Drives Learning in Bird Brain
Released: 16-Aug-2022 4:05 PM EDT
Social Connection Drives Learning in Bird Brain
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University - OIST

In learning to communicate, a good teacher is essential. Take zebra finches, for example. Juveniles of the species learn songs directly from a tutor – usually their father – through a social interaction that keeps them motivated and on-task.

Newswise: Bird behavior influenced by human activity during COVID-19 lockdowns
10-Aug-2022 3:15 PM EDT
Bird behavior influenced by human activity during COVID-19 lockdowns
University of Washington

For birds that inhabit developed areas of the Pacific Northwest, the reduction in noise and commotion from COVID-19 lockdowns may have allowed them to use a wider range of habitats in cities, a new study finds.

Newswise: Birds On Island Time
9-Aug-2022 6:10 PM EDT
Birds On Island Time
Cornell University

A new study examines how the geographic characteristics of the world's islands influence seasonal variation in the number of bird species. The study determines how seasonal species richness of birds is affected by the size of the island, how isolated it is from the mainland and other islands, and the latitude in which it lies.



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