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One Scary Chicken—New species of large, feathered dinosaur discovered
Finding a fossil is the first step, recognizing it for what it truly is, is the real challenge. While closely studying three fossil skeletons from museum collections a team of scientists from the...
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These mites should make birds quiver right down to their quills
The black-headed paradise-flycatcher of western and central Africa is a small colorful forest bird that thrives on the flying insects it chases down by swooping, dipping and diving on the wing. Now a...
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Feathers yield mysteries of pigment chemistry to spectroscopic analysis
A research team from the Smithsonian and Arizona State University have developed a new, non-destructive method using spectroscopic analysis to help unravel the complex chemistry of bird feather...
View ArticleThe great night heron mystery at the National Zoo
Each year, a mysterious group of night herons flock to Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Then, they vanish. In episode three of our series, we go behind the scenes with the zoo’s caretakers as they...
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Rare American warbler surprises scientists by adapting, thriving in a new...
Swainson’s warbler (Gary Graves photo) When Gary Graves cranks up his boom box and drives remote back roads through pine plantations in Texas, Louisiana and other southern states, a few locals often...
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Vultures remarkably tolerant to deadly bacteria, study reveals
Black vultures (Flickr photo by e_monk) A new study of microorganisms living on the skin and in the intestines of North America vultures (black and turkey vultures) has turned up a remarkable find. The...
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International team maps ‘big bang’ of bird evolution
Ornate Fruit-Dove (Photo: Bruce Beehler) The genomes of modern birds tell a story of how they emerged and evolved after the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But the family...
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Keeping Warm in Winter is for the Birds
Small birds like this European robin puff up their feathers in order to trap more air in them, which is then warmed by their body heat and keeps the bird toasty on a cold winter morning. (Flickr photo...
View ArticleStudying migratory connectivity of shorebirds on the Texas coast
Scientists from the Migratory Bird Center of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are using transmitters to track the movements of shorebirds–the long-billed curlew, red knot, marbled godwit...
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What squirms inside a tiny bird? Odd new tapeworm species
This image shows a fragment of the avian tapeworm “Cucolepis cincta,” described in 2012 by Anna Phillips. This is 1 of 5 fragments of the worm which broke when it was collected. (Photo by Anna...
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Satellite tracking helps with curlew conservation
A curlew wades on the shore near Corpus Christi, Texas. ( All photos courtesy of Colin Newstead) Ever heard the joke about flying in from Mexico, and boy, are my arms tired? Try telling that to the...
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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Marks 50 Years of Making a Difference
The world’s coasts are home to more than 70 percent of the human population and experience intense development as a result. The rate of environmental change in these areas is accelerating at a rapid...
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Sweet survival: Some birds have a sugar edge
Black-throated blue warbler (“Setophaga caerulescens”) feeding on granulated unrefined sugar left out on a table in Kingstown, Jamaica. (Photograph by Gary R. Graves). For Smithsonian ornithologist...
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Tiny, fierce and disappearing: breeding program aims to help the loggerhead...
Loggerhead shrikes faces are striking, streaked in black across the eyes. (Photo by Lisa Ware) Residents of the southeastern United States might occasionally come across an oddity along a barbed-wire...
View ArticleVideo: Protecting songbirds by Better Understanding their Migratory connectivity
Identifying and understanding the migratory connectivity of birds throughout an entire annual cycle (not just the times of year they are in your back yard), is critical to understanding their biology...
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Drought slows wildlife reproduction on California’s Channel Islands
Island Scrub-Jay, Santa Cruz Island, Calif. (Photo by Aaron Maizlish) California’s Channel Islands are located dozens of miles west of the state’s coast and surrounded by Pacific waters, yet they too...
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Disease carrying ticks hitchhike into U.S. on migratory birds
Migratory Arcadian flycatcher (Photo by Guida) Researchers who examined thousands of migratory birds arriving in the United States from Central and South America have determined that three percent...
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What happens at the National Zoo when it snows?
Mei Xiang, a 10-year-old female giant panda rolls down the snow-covered hill at the National Zoo in 2014. Snowstorms and blizzards send people to raid supermarkets and prepare their homes for days of...
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Smithsonian Scientists Solve Puzzle of Dramatic Wood Thrush Decline
Wood thrush (Flickr photo by Bob Devlin) For the past 50 years, the number of wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) that breed in the United States has decreased more than 60 percent. However, because...
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The Wild Turkey and its Hunting
“He is a gay Lothario and will covet and steal his neighbor’s wives and daughters; and if his neighbors protest he will fight to the finish. He is artful, cunning and sly, at the same time a...
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