Login
Subscribe
Even the Tiniest of Birds Use Smell in Some Situations
Even the Tiniest of Birds Use Smell in Some Situations
Once considered anosmic, birds are now widely recognized as using olfactory cues to aid in a wide range of behaviors.
Once considered anosmic, birds are now widely recognized as using olfactory cues to aid in a wide range of behaviors.
hummingbird
Image of the Day: Tiny Dinosaur
Amy Schleunes | Mar 16, 2020 | 1 min read
A roughly 99-million-year-old piece of amber from northern Myanmar contains the skull of what appears to represent the smallest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic era.
Image of the Day: Fight Club
Carolyn Wilke | Jan 11, 2019 | 1 min read
South American hummingbird males were caught on camera poking and pinching each other with bills adapted for fighting.
Image of the Day: Feather Mites
The Scientist Staff and The Scientist Staff | Feb 19, 2018 | 1 min read
Researchers used scanning electron microscopy to peer at bugs on several hummingbird species.
How Hummingbirds Sense Movement While Hovering
Anna Azvolinsky | Jan 5, 2017 | 3 min read
A visual motion-sensing brain region found in all four-limbed vertebrates displays unique properties in Anna’s hummingbirds.
Many Evolutionary Paths Lead to Same Bird Trait
Anna Azvolinsky | Oct 20, 2016 | 3 min read
Diverse genetic changes lead to remarkably similar hemoglobin adaptations of diverse bird species, a study finds.
Bye Bye, Birdies?
Bob Grant | Sep 9, 2014 | 2 min read
A report from the National Audubon Society suggests that more than half of US bird species are under threat of displacement or extinction in the face of climate change.
How Hummingbirds Taste Nectar
Ruth Williams | Aug 21, 2014 | 3 min read
Hummingbirds perceive sweetness through a receptor with which other vertebrates taste savory foods.
Hummingbirds Out-hover Helicopters
Bob Grant | Jul 31, 2014 | 1 min read
The diminutive birds can accomplish sustained flight that is at least as efficient as that of the most high-tech micro-drone, a study shows.
Behavior Brief
Bob Grant | Nov 10, 2011 | 4 min read
A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research