News
Turkey vultures gather in record numbers before migration
2+ hour, 52+ min ago (867+ words) Every autumn, vultures pile up at the southern tip of a large island off Canada's Pacific coast and wait. They circle for days " sometimes longer " watching the water and holding for the right wind before committing to a crossing of…...
Tiny fish build underwater nests with snail shells and they get better with practice
9+ hour, 52+ min ago (844+ words) Some fish build nests the hard way. They seize an abandoned snail shell, bury it in sand, and move in. For one small East African species, it is routine. Aquarium guides have covered it for decades. Drop a shell in…...
Parrot species presumed to be extinct is spotted and photographed during a birding expedition
16+ hour, 30+ min ago (876+ words) For almost 100 years, the Blue-fronted Lorikeet was more mystery than bird. Scientists first described the small green parrot in the 1920s after finding specimens on'Buru Island'in eastern Indonesia. After that, people searched the forests and came back with nothing. Then in…...
One of the world's rarest parrots reappears after a decade
21+ hour, 11+ min ago (877+ words) For almost 100 years, the Blue-fronted Lorikeet was more mystery than bird. Scientists first described the small green parrot in the 1920s after finding specimens on'Buru Island'in eastern Indonesia. After that, people searched the forests and came back with nothing. Then in…...
Mangroves, seagrass, and salt marshes: The blue carbon shield is shifting under climate change, and the risk zones are growing
23+ hour, 10+ min ago (866+ words) Saving a coastline has always meant holding the line. If the mangroves survive and the seagrass stays put, the carbon stays locked in the sediment where it belongs. That logic has driven billions in coastal conservation investment over the past…...
Scientists discover that the world's most dangerous birds have bizarre, glowing skulls
1+ day, 3+ hour ago (912+ words) Locals in the rainforests of northern Australia and New Guinea give one bird a wide berth. It can stand as tall as a grown adult, sprint through dense brush, and lash out with a dagger-shaped claw on each foot. Crowning…...
Dugongs could play an important role in fighting climate change
1+ day, 3+ hour ago (997+ words) A dugong looks like an unlikely climate helper. It moves slowly through shallow water, eats seagrass for hours, and leaves feeding marks across the seabed. At first, the scene looks damaged. A large animal removes plants from a meadow that…...
Tiny Scottish birds are turning into island giants and may become new species
1+ day, 19+ hour ago (872+ words) Picture a wren. Brown, fidgety, practically weightless " the kind of bird that vanishes into a thicket before you've even registered it was there. Britain's version weighs about as much as two sugar cubes stacked together. So it's strange news that…...
Bowerbirds use human trash to impress potential mates
2+ day, 3+ hour ago (921+ words) In a park in Townsville, Australia, a male great bowerbird is busy preparing for romance. He is not singing from a branch or flashing bright feathers in the sky. Instead, he is building a display area on the ground, arranging…...
Ocean temperatures may be easier to reconstruct than we thought
2+ day, 18+ hour ago (824+ words) Scientists often reconstruct ancient oceans using clues so small they are almost impossible to imagine. One of the most useful comes from foraminifera, tiny single-celled plankton that build delicate shells from the chemistry of the seawater around them." When they…...