The song of passerine birds is a conspicuous and exaggerated display shaped by sexual selection in the context of male-male competition or mate attraction. At the level of the individual, song is considered an indicator of male ‘quality’. read more at sciencedaily
Category: sciencedaily
Ski Tourism Stressing Threatening European Bird
Ski tourism is raising stress levels among capercaillie, (wood grouse) the largest member of the grouse family of birds, which could harm the birds’ fitness and ability to breed successfully, ecologists have found. Writing in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology, researchers warn that forests should be kept free from tourism infrastructure if […]
Polluted Prey Causes Wild Birds To Change Their Tune
Considerable attention has been paid to the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in aquatic environments, but rather less attention has been given to routes of contamination on land. A new study by researchers at Cardiff University, reveals that wild birds foraging on invertebrates contaminated with environmental pollutants, show marked changes in both brain and behaviour: […]
Rats On Islands Disrupt Ecosystems From Land To Sea, Researchers Find
Seabird colonies on islands are highly vulnerable to introduced rats, which find the ground-nesting birds to be easy prey. But the ecological impacts of rats on islands extend far beyond seabird nesting colonies, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. read more at sciencedaily
Pioneering Eagle Eye Surgery Removes Cataract, Restores Vision, After Injury
Surgeons from the University of Glasgow?s Small Animal Hospital have restored the sight of a golden eagle. The bird underwent pioneering eye surgery after it flew into electricity cables badly damaging its eyesight. read more at sciencedaily
No Easy Answers In Evolution Of Human Language
The evolution of human speech was far more complex than is implied by some recent attempts to link it to a specific gene, says Robert Berwick, professor of computational linguistics at MIT. read more at sciencedaily
Early Experience Affects Where Birds Breed For Life: What Happens If Habitat Changes?
How young migratory birds choose the nesting location of their first breeding season has been something of a mystery in the bird world. But a new University of Maryland/National Zoo study of the American redstart suggests that the environmental conditions the birds face in their first year may help determine where they breed for the […]
Quick Feather Test Determines Sex Of Chicks
Scientists in Germany are reporting development of test that can answer one of the most frustrating questions in the animal kingdom: Is that bird a boy or a girl? Their study is a potential boon to poultry farmers and bird breeders. read more at sciencedaily
Broiler Chickens Bred For Fast Growth Are Having Difficulty Walking
The huge increase in growth rates of broiler chickens means more than a quarter of these intensively-reared birds have difficulty walking, according to a comprehensive survey carried out by the University of Bristol. The study identifies a range of management factors that could be altered to reduce leg health problems but warns that implementation of […]
Herons nesting in the wetlands of southeast Chicago are still being exposed to chemicals banned in the U.S. in the 1970s, a research team reports. The chemicals do not appear to be affecting the birds? reproductive success, however.
University of Illinois veterinary biosciences scientist Jeff Levengood led the study. Levengood, a wildlife toxicologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, said that chemicals banned 30 years ago for their deleterious effects on wildlife are still showing up in the offspring of black-crowned night-herons in a Chicago wetland. The researchers found PCBs and DDE in […]