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Tag Archives: birds

Fancy feather gene

By Stephen Ornes / February 15, 2013

This Indian fantail, one of 350 breeds of rock pigeons, has a tuft of feathers called a peak crest. Scientists recently pinpointed the gene mutation responsible for this feather formation. Credit: Michael Shapiro

A tweak in a single pigeon gene causes a distinct feather formation

Posted in Animals | Tagged birds, cells, crests, DNA, feathers, genes, genetic mutations, genetics, getinvolved, Michael Shapiro, University of Utah

Killer cats

By Stephen Ornes / February 7, 2013

Cats kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds every year in the United States, according to a new study. Credit: Emily Krieger

Puss may pose the single biggest threat to birds

Posted in Animals | Tagged biology, birds, cats, conservation, conservation biology, D.C., environment, felines, feral, Gary Langham, getinvolved, mammals, National Audubon Society, nonnative species, Peter Marra, pets, Smithsonian, Stanley Temple, topstories, Washington, wild

Bird malaria moves north

By Stephen Ornes / October 10, 2012

Black-capped chickadees, like the one shown here, stay in Fairbanks, Alaska, year-round. Scientists report that some of the birds have been found with avian malaria, suggesting that the germ that causes the disease has established itself in the far North. Credit: Mdf/wikipedia

Germs that cause a so-called tropical disease make themselves at home in frosty Alaska

Posted in Animals | Tagged Adaptation, avian malaria, birds, blood, climate change, disease, disease ecology, ecology, epidemiology, evolution, getinvolved, global warming, malaria, microbes, microbiology, mosquito, parasite, protozoa, Ravinder Sehgal, Robert Fleischer, San Francisco State University, Smithsonian Institution, tropical disease

No more bubble trouble

By Stephen Ornes / August 6, 2012

Bottlenose dolphins can tell the difference between noisy echoes bounced off of bubbles and other echoes, including those bounced off of prey. Now scientists have figured out a way to tell apart the noises, too. Credit: Emma Jugovich, NOAA

Dolphin’s clicks help scientists sort through confusing underwater noises

Posted in Physics | Tagged acoustics, animals, birds, bubbles, communications, dolphins, echoes, echolocation, engineering, getinvolved, Grant Deane, mammals, mathematics, nonlinear, physics, reptiles, reptiles/birds/mammals, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, sonar, sound, Timothy Leighton, University of Southampton

Underwater Racket

By Emily Sohn / February 2, 2011

As more ships traverse the oceans, the volume of sound traveling underwater is increasing. This change can affect humpback whales and other residents who use sound in their daily lives. (miblue5/iStock)

The oceans are getting louder, and scientists want to know what that means for marine residents

Posted in Environment & Pollution | Tagged beaching, birds, getinvolved, hearing, mammals, marine life, physics, reptiles, reptiles/birds/mammals, sonar, sound, sound pollution, waves, Whales

Lessons from a Lonely Tortoise

By Bryn Nelson / August 27, 2007

In the Galápagos Islands, scientists are struggling to save some of the most endangered creatures in the world.

Posted in Environment & Pollution | Tagged birds, Classification, ecology, endangered species, genetic comparison, Genetic diversity, mammals, molecular genetics, reptiles, reptiles/birds/mammals, tortoise

Out in the Cold

By Emily Sohn / December 12, 2005

With pollution, over-fishing, and shrinking habitats, the life of a penguin isn’t getting any easier.

Posted in Environment & Pollution | Tagged birds, global warming, mammals, overfishing, Penguins, reptiles, reptiles/birds/mammals

Whale Watch

By Emily Sohn / March 15, 2005

Unraveling the secret lives of whales may help keep them from dying out.

Posted in Environment & Pollution | Tagged birds, mammals, reptiles, reptiles/birds/mammals, sound pollution, water pollution, Whales