birds

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Hold On Tight to That Burger at the Beach

Coastal towns are trying everything (even googly eyes on takeout boxes) to stop snack-swiping birds

(Newser) - Lunch by the British seaside comes with a warning: Watch out for gulls. These birds have made a name for themselves as opportunistic snack thieves, swooping in on everything from churros and burgers to discarded festival leftovers. Experts say gulls' ability to digest just about anything has been giving...

Drinking Fountains Are No Longer Just for Humans
Drinking Fountains
Are No Longer
Just for Humans
NEW STUDY
Jun 5, 2025 9:14 AM CDT

Drinking Fountains Are No Longer Just for Humans

Cockatoos in Australia have fun trying to get them to work, with occasional success: study

(Newser) - Wild cockatoos have learned to adapt to life in this human-dominated world, opening garbage cans to grab a meal and, according to a fascinating new study on the birds in Australia's capital, sipping from public drinking fountains. These are no push-button drinking fountains, but ones that use a twist...

Ingenious Hawk Uses Crosswalk to Hunt

Bird learned when cars stopped for pedestrians, they provided excellent cover for an attack

(Newser) - Wildlife in urban areas have to adapt to human ways, but a hawk in New Jersey has taken things to a whole new level. The Cooper's hawk learned to use a crosswalk to hunt prey, reports Smithsonian . Zoologist Vladimir Dinets noticed the bird in action in West Orange, New...

'There's a Pigeon on the Airplane and It Won't Go Away'

Delta flight out of Minneapolis delayed, twice, after 2 pigeons make their way on board

(Newser) - Pilots are constantly on the lookout for bird strikes , but for one recent flight out of Minneapolis, the birds found their way onto the plane. Per ABC News , a pigeon was discovered on Delta Air Lines Flight 2348, bound for Madison, Wisconsin, shortly after the 119 passengers had boarded at...

Closer Look at Bird Feeders Shows 'Evolution in Action'

Study links feeder use to migration north, beak shape and size changes in Anna's hummingbirds

(Newser) - A new study finds that human-provided hummingbird feeders aren't just helping hummingbirds survive—they're changing the physical traits of the birds themselves. Researchers focused on a species called Anna's hummingbirds, also finding that the feeders have helped the birds expand northward, from California to British Columbia,...

A Strange Hollywood Gaffe, Solved
A Strange
Hollywood
Gaffe, Solved
longform
May 18, 2025 7:37 AM CDT

A Strange Hollywood Gaffe, Solved

Forrest Wickman unravels a bird goof in Charlie's Angels for Slate

(Newser) - It is, writes Forrest Wickman at Slate , tongue planted in cheek, "one of the greatest mysteries of recent cinema." Make that "was," because Wickman has cracked the case of a strange bird goof in the first Charlie's Angels movie. Wickman is a newly converted birder,...

In California Town, the Birds Are 'Exploding'

Authorities suspect foul play may be involved in avian deaths in Richmond

(Newser) - There's a mystery in a Northern California town involving dozens of birds dropping from the sky, and signs point to a nefarious cause. Residents of Richmond say they've even seen some feathered friends "exploding," with security footage showing one bird plummeting to its death off a...

Birds Give Us Another Sign of Our 'Slow-Moving Extinction Crisis'

Research finds 75% of bird species in North America are seeing a population decline

(Newser) - North America has a bird problem—not too many, but perhaps too few in the not-so-distant future. New research published Thursday in the journal Science reveals that 75% of the continent's bird species are on a downward spiral, seeing their populations decline between 2007 and 2021. The Washington Post...

Territorial Woodpecker Damages Dozens of Cars
Territorial Woodpecker
Damages Dozens of Cars
in case you missed it
Apr 27, 2025 3:30 PM CDT

Territorial Woodpecker Damages Dozens of Cars

Bird in Rockport, Massachusetts, believes reflections are rivals, expert say

(Newser) - "We have a vandal in the neighborhood," Rockport, Massachusetts resident Janelle Favaloro warned in a Facebook post. "He was described as 18 to 24 inches tall, wearing black and white with a red hat." A pileated woodpecker has been attacking car mirrors and windows in the...

Vultures Have an Image Problem
Vultures Have
an Image Problem
Apr 13, 2025 8:20 AM CDT

Vultures Have an Image Problem

The endangered birds are much-loathed, but are incredibly helpful

(Newser) - Seen as ugly and associated with death, vultures are among the world's least loved animals, reports the AP . But conservationists in Africa are trying to change that, launching an effort to save the endangered birds. A recent report by BirdLife International estimated that vultures are worth $1.8 billion...

Eagle Who Tried to Hatch a Rock Gets His Dad Wish
Eagle Who Got His
Wish to Be a Dad Dies
UPDATED
Mar 24, 2025 4:00 AM CDT

Eagle Who Got His Wish to Be a Dad Dies

Murphy wanted to be a father so bad that Missouri sanctuary let him foster 2 eaglets

(Newser) - Murphy, the bald eagle who won hearts in 2023 when he tried to incubate a rock, has died at age 33. The Missouri sanctuary where the raptor lived ultimately allowed him to foster an eaglet, which was released into the wild, and he later fostered a second eaglet, which is...

Seattle Catches Rare Sight of Orca Bird Hunt

Bigg's killer whales spotted capturing an apparent grebe

(Newser) - A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle's...

Trump Jr. in Trouble Over Italian Duck Hunt

Italian lawmaker says president's son killed a rare bird and violated law

(Newser) - Donald Trump Jr.'s love of hunting is well documented, including by the president's son himself—and that habit has gotten him into some hot water in Italy over the demise of a rare duck. As AFP reports, Trump Jr. posted video to his Field Ethos side hustle...

Finally, a Reality Show That Won't Destroy Our Souls

Livestream runs 24 hours, captures low-drama lives of 2 albatrosses on New Zealand's South Island

(Newser) - It's a reality show about a loving couple waiting to welcome their new arrival, watched by thousands. The 24-hour livestream of the northern royal albatrosses' breeding season at Taiaroa Head—a rugged headland on New Zealand's South Island—was established to raise awareness of the vulnerable species, numbers...

After 242 Years, the Bald Eagle Is About to Get Its Due

Legislation just needs Biden's signature to make it our national bird after House, Senate give the OK

(Newser) - It's become an increasingly rare sight to see lawmakers on Capitol Hill reach across the aisle to pass a generally agreed-upon bill , but earlier this week, an announcement from Sen. Amy Klobuchar showed that it still happens on occasion. "My bipartisan legislation to recognize the Bald Eagle as...

Plane Departing One NYC Airport Swiftly Lands at Another

Apparent bird strike forces American Airlines jet from LGA to make emergency landing at JFK

(Newser) - Anyone who's ever taken off from New York City's LaGuardia Airport knows how close to the water the runways are—and the birds that hang around that water and occasionally pose a threat to planes . Passengers on American Airlines Flight 1722 found that out the hard way on...

Oldest Known Wild Bird Just Laid an Egg

Wisdom the albatross finds new partner, could be mom again at 74

(Newser) - The oldest known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years , according to US wildlife officials. The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the...

In This State, First Confirmed US Case of Bird Flu in Kids

The child has mild symptoms and is recovering

(Newser) - Health officials on Friday confirmed bird flu in a California child—the first reported case in a US minor. The child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication, and is recovering, the CDC said in announcing the test results, per the AP . State officials have said the child attends...

Highway Camera Captures a Surprise, Squawking Cameo

Irritated-looking mynah bird makes a splash on video taken over New Zealand highway

(Newser) - Angry Birds: Down Under? A tropical bird with an attitude has inadvertently become an internet sensation after photobombing a highway traffic camera in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Transport Agency is having a bit of fun with it, reports NBC News . The footage without sound taken over a stretch...

Crows May Hold Grudges for Life
Crows Hold Grudges
for 17 Years
Oct 29, 2024 11:43 AM CDT

Crows Hold Grudges for 17 Years

Experiment finds one finally ended, but only after most of the birds were dead

(Newser) - Seattle resident Gene Carter spotted a murder of crows encroaching on a robin's nest one day, so he grabbed a rake and swung it at the black birds. For almost a year afterward, the crows would shriek at Carter through his house windows and "dive-bomb" him when he...

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