Common swifts, nesting in Jerusalem's Western Wall for millennia, face threats like habitat loss from modern buildings in Europe and disrupted nesting sites due to Iranian missile strikes in Israel. Despite their decline, simple solutions like nesting boxes can help these migratory birds.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Pokémon Go is credited by the author for inspiring a new appreciation for the natural world as a 'playable space'. The game, downloaded 800m times, led the author to explore other location-based apps like Seek and Merlin Bird ID, fostering a deeper engagement with their surroundings.
A study at the Bomhofsplas Solar Farm in the Netherlands found bird sounds suggesting nesting under panels and underwater shelters attracting hundreds of fish and thousands of invertebrates. This indicates that well-designed floating solar farms can support biodiversity, reduce water evaporation, and improve panel performance.
Grand Teton National Park is using lifelike robotic greater sage-grouse decoys, which mimic courtship displays and calls, to attract real birds to restored breeding grounds. This initiative aims to rebuild the critically declining local population by luring them away from disturbances near Jackson Hole Airport.
American oystercatchers, once extinct in New England, are seeing a significant population recovery across US coasts due to conservation efforts like habitat protection, public education, and predator control. Despite this success, climate change and recent changes to the Endangered Species Act pose ongoing threats to their nesting sites.
Scientists found endangered Carnaby's black cockatoos in Western Australia's Wheatbelt are consuming dangerous levels of agricultural pesticides from spilled grain. This contamination, including neurotoxic chemicals, is linked to a mysterious paralysis syndrome and prompts calls for stricter Australian pesticide regulations and improved grain handling practices.
A University at Buffalo study found that wildfire smoke from Canada's record seasons reduced bird sightings in New York State during breeding seasons (2021-2023). Researchers suggest birds changed behavior, becoming harder to spot, rather than declining in numbers, highlighting an overlooked impact on wildlife monitoring.
A Murdoch University study found endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoos in Western Australia's Wheatbelt are regularly exposed to high levels of agricultural pesticides, with 80% of seed samples contaminated. The findings suggest a link to a mysterious paralysis syndrome in the birds and have prompted calls for a review of Australia's pesticide regulations.
Chinese researchers published a paper in Science Advances detailing the evolutionary assembly of the flight-adapted bird body plan, focusing on the pygostyle. They highlighted the difficulty in studying this transformation due to the rarity of early-diverging birds and birdlike dinosaurs.
Eine linksextreme, ökoterroristische Gruppe namens "Kommando Angry Birds" verübt Brandanschläge auf Bahnstrecken. Die Taten erinnern an die "Letzte Generation" und stellen eine Eskalation des linksextremen Terrorismus dar.
South Africa is launching a large-scale project to eradicate mice on Marion Island, a subantarctic island, by dropping 550 tons of poison via six helicopters. The mice, introduced in the 19th century, have begun attacking native seabirds, threatening the island's unique biodiversity and ecological balance.
Hong Kong customs officers arrested two women at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau checkpoints for smuggling a dog valued at HK$3,000 and two endangered birds worth HK$5,000. The birds are protected under international and local laws.
MIT engineers have developed a bird-sized robot inspired by puffins that can fly and swim, a feat previously unachieved. The robot, weighing half a pound with a three-foot wingspan, uses wing flexibility and an open, waterproofed body for efficient movement in both air and water.
Bishop Auckland, once a mining town, is undergoing a cultural and economic revival thanks to the Auckland Project, founded by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer. The project includes art galleries, a heritage railway, a Roman fort, and the Kynren live-show spectacular, attracting visitors and creating jobs.
White storks in Europe are increasingly feeding on junk food from rubbish dumps, leading to weight gain and potential long-term health risks, including DNA damage. While this diet offers short-term energy benefits and may aid population growth, it poses new challenges as landfill access changes.
A new study reveals the algae responsible for a massive marine animal die-off in South Australia last year, Karenia cristata, is the most toxic species of its kind ever studied, with stronger toxic effects than previously known harmful algal blooms.
Donald Trump's administration has repeatedly attempted to halt wind energy projects, leading to uncertainty and job worries for workers like Thomas Kilday. Despite legal challenges and buyouts costing billions, the administration claims no jobs were lost as leases were not operational.
A network of over 20 artificial fish ponds in Hong Kong's Northern Metropolis development is occupying government land without authorization. A green group warns that materials used at the site also threaten the ecology of the nearby Mai Po Nature Reserve and Inner Deep Bay wetlands.
A new study in Yellowstone reveals ravens use memory and mental maps to predict wolf kill sites, rather than constantly following wolves. Researchers tracked ravens and predators, finding birds fly directly to areas with high kill probability, sometimes covering 155 km in a day.
Britain has lost 73 million wild birds in 50 years, drastically reducing the dawn chorus. This 'shifting baseline syndrome' means younger generations perceive current low numbers as normal, unaware of the richer soundscape of the past. Habitat loss, industrial agriculture, pesticides, pollution, and climate change are key drivers.
A massive marine heat wave and the formation of El Niño have led to widespread starvation and death among seabirds along the California coast. Scientists are observing unprecedented numbers of emaciated birds, with species like brown pelicans and common murres struggling to find food as usual prey sources are depleted.
A severe marine heat wave, exacerbated by the formation of El Niño, is causing widespread starvation and death among seabirds along the California coast. Scientists are observing unprecedented numbers of emaciated birds, with species like pelicans and cormorants succumbing rapidly due to a lack of nutrient-rich prey.
Scientists and volunteers in San Diego are finding numerous dead seabirds, including pelicans, loons, and grebes, due to a massive marine heat wave off California's coast. Record ocean temperatures have reduced prey, and the recently formed El Nino could worsen the die-off, impacting marine food webs.
A prolonged marine heat wave is causing a devastating toll on seabirds along California's coast, with scientists documenting alarming numbers of deaths due to starvation. Record ocean temperatures are pushing vital food sources offshore, leading to emaciated birds and fears that conditions could worsen with the formation of El Niño.
