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Some birds are afraid of butterflies
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It turns out that butterflies with eyelike spots evolved to scare off predators. A recent study concluded that about 68% of the birds that were shown an image with eye-mimicking spots, flew away or showed signs of being startled such as chirping a warning call as they flew in for food (within a controlled setting). That’s on par with the 57% showing the same reactions to the owl with open eyes, the research team notes. The full study can be analyzed in the link below: Source: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1806/20150202 ...
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31753 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Nearly every seabird may be eating plastic by 2050
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There’s so much trash floating in some parts of the ocean that each square kilometer of surface water there holds almost 600,000 pieces of debris. Indeed, because there's so much of it, by 2050 birds of almost every ocean-foraging species may be eating plastic.
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30691 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Most intelligent bird species
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Birds are very clever animals. They exhibit a wide range of smart behaviors, including good memories, extensive communication, planning for the future, and remembering the past. Some birds can solve problems, and others are capable of adapting to new environments and conditions. Experts often think of intelligence in terms of creative abilities used to solve problems. Some scientists believe that tool-using birds show such abilities. The woodpecker finch (first from left) of the Galapagos Islands, for example, has learned to use a cactus spine or small twig as a probe to remove carpenter bee larvae from their tunnels. The Egyptian vulture (second from left) uses rocks to break open ostrich eggs. Gulls learn to drop clams and turtles onto roc ...
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18203 |
bio_man |
3 years ago |
This gender-bender exhibits strange behaviour
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This bird might look like a holiday ornament, but it is actually a rare half-female, half-male northern cardinal, with female plumage on the left and male on the right. A new study suggests being half-and-half carries consequences: The cardinal didn’t have a mate, and observers never heard it sing.
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16085 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Penguins hold the secret to long marriages
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Southern rockhopper penguins ( Eudyptes chrysocome) mate for life, reuniting with the same partner year after year during mating season. But even though they're monogamous, a new study reveals that penguin couples really don’t spend much time together. Using GPS trackers mounted to the penguins’ legs, scientists monitored 16 birds over the course of a mating season. The data show that males arrived at the nesting site approximately 6 days before their female counterparts and stayed about 6 days longer. However, the short mating season means the pairs are only united for about 20 to 30 days a year. And when they were separated, it was usually by a large distance: During the winter months, partners were separated by an average distance of abo ...
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15443 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Cats don't have beaks!
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Can you spot the cat amongst the pigeons? This is Hungarian artist's - Dudolf - latest optical illusion that has some several viewers puzzled. The cause of all this difficulty is likely to have something to do with the way in which the brain processes visual information, by identifying repeating patterns and then using this to automatically fill in the gaps in peripheral vision. This makes it very difficult to spot minor details or irregularities in our visual field without focusing directly on these elements, which means you probably won't see the cat unless you stare straight at it. ...
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15344 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
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13143 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Quack! Cheep-cheep! Honk!
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Different bird species have distinct calls that they recognize and pay attention to. Play the compilation video below and see if you can recognize any of the bird sounds; these birds are specific to North America. The first six birds have familiar calls, the next six displays birds that are widespread across North America, and the final set has some trickier birds. If you think that you're an expert or know of someone who is, have them play the video blindfolded - you'll be interested to see how they respond!
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12510 |
bio_man |
3 years ago |
Who knew hawks were a hummingbird's best friend
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Sometimes it pays to have big, bad neighbors! Tiny black-chinned hummingbirds (shown above) have learned to build their homes near hawk nests. The hawks are too big to be interested in teeny hummingbird eggs, and they scare off the medium-sized birds that are. According to the study, of the 342 hummer nests studied over three years, 80% were near hawk nests - and for good reason. The researchers monitored hummingbird egg and fledgling survival near six active and six inactive hawk nests. Those hummers unlucky enough to be near inactive nests lost all but 8% of their young, while those in a “good” neighborhood had a 70% success rate, they report. Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-animals/2015/09/why-hawk-hummingbird-s-best-friend ...
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12325 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Who needs a fridge?
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Male king penguins can store food in their stomachs for three weeks to ensure a supply of food for their chicks.
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0 |
11993 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
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11088 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
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10410 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
What's faster, a falcon or a skydiver?
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Watch the fastest animal in the world - a peregrine falcon - effortlessly accelerate to speeds of more than 290 km/h to chase a plummeting skydiver.
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9492 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
What would a bird with a beard look like?
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Say hello to the umbrellabird! The Umbrellabird is a large, tropical species of bird that is found inhabiting the rainforests of Central and South America. There are three different species of Umbrellabird which are the Long-Wattled Umbrellabird, the Amazonian Umbrellabird and the Bare-Necked Umbrellabird all of which live in slightly different areas. All three species are relatively similar in appearance with an umbrella-like crest on the top of their heads (for which they were named) and a pendant-shaped inflatable pouch on their throats. They are the largest species of perching bird (Passerine) in South America, but populations are currently falling mainly due to habitat loss. ...
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8246 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Have you ever seen a pink-necked green pigeon?
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This is the pink-necked green pigeon ( Treron vernans) and it is honestly not Photoshopped. They\'re found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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7625 |
duddy |
11 years ago |