Crow vs raven: what's the difference between these two very similar-looking black birds?
Don't know how to tell a crow from a raven? Stuart Blackman explains how to tell the difference between these two common corvids
This 2-billion-year-old giant is 14km long and rises almost 3km into the sky. And it's home to a hairy carnivore
Some of the planet's rarest – and strangest – animals and plants live on the top of South America's otherworldly Mount Roraima.
“More than 60% of females gave birth on the same night.” Why do some animals give birth en masse?
This smart reproductive trick can overwhelm predators – or cause a headache for expectant mothers
Into the wild: Where to spot rare species in 2026
Adventure on your own terms
What's the slowest bird on the planet? Clue – it's also a pretty slow walker and fairly dumpy...
Contenders, ready! Stuart Blackman ponders which bird would win the slow race of the skies
Do lemmings really have a death wish and jump off cliffs?
Do these small mammals actually jump to their deaths? We investigate
“I glanced in the mirror and saw a huge, deadly creature crawling out of my shirt. I've never disrobed so quickly in my life.”
Wildlife photographer Guy Edwardes on bad weather, big spiders and a brush with the police
“Security tapped me on the shoulder. A deadly green mamba was slithering across the desk”
While attending the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Luke Foddy had a run-in with a green mamba. Or was it?
“It was moving like a worm and a mole simultaneously.” This strange creature has a pair of ‘hands’ and uses its head as a battering ram
This freakish mole-worm hybrid is well-equipped for burrowing life
“Faced with a rugby scrum of suitors, females have little choice over who to mate with.” Here’s why these weird frogs suddenly turn blue
For a short spell in spring, these male amphibians are suddenly and vividly transformed
Birds
Oregon’s biggest city was drowning in crow poop. Then a new predator came to town
As thousands of crows darken the winter skies above Portland, Oregon, it makes sense to mind your step
“An entire colony of breeding penguins disappeared.” Bird flu is out of control – now it’s reached the Antarctic
The spread of avian flu to Southern Ocean islands is an alarming sign that the virus is out of control
A great predator has returned the towering cliffs of Yosemite National Park
New peregrine nest sites herald a record-breaking year for the world’s fastest bird.
It's the size of a teaspoon, mates for life with their forever partner and lives in a tight-knit village of 50
Discover fascinating facts about the tree sparrow
How do birds sleep? Can they sleep when flying? And why don't they fall out of trees when asleep?
How do birds sleep? Can they sleep when flying? And how do they sleep in trees without falling out? A lot depends on the species.
"Its iridescent green head and wings, spiky crest, blood-red breast, and flamboyant twin tail plumes, is like a carnival dancer." In the forests of Guatemala lives an elusive creature few will ever see
Guatemala's national bird is one of the hidden gems of Central America. Read the story of one woman's quest to track it down in the cloud forest
How to identify wildlife
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: Think you know how they differ? Think again as the differences between these two squirrels will surprise you
We take a look at how the red squirrel differs to its American grey cousin
Brown rat or water vole: How to tell the difference between these two lookalike-rodents
When all you've seen is a flash of brown fur, it can be hard to know whether it was a water vole or rat. Though the two species tend to live in different habitats, there are areas where they overlap, potentially leading to cases of mistaken identity. So how do you tell rats and water voles apart?
Mink or otter? What's the difference between these two slippery, semiaquatic lookalikes?
How do you tell the difference between otters and mink?
LRPs, PG Tips and Jizz: Cracking the secret language of birders
You’re sitting in a hide and overhear other birders talking. The conversation ranges from ‘LRPs’ and ‘roosting Leos’ and you scratch your chin as you try to decipher their code – welcome to the world of birding jargon.
It's the fastest animal in the world and its deadly claws can catch prey mid-air: Meet one of the world's most incredible birds of prey
Peregrines are the ultimate urban predator. Learn all about them, including how to spot them ‘stooping’ to catch prey
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Save 30% when you subscribe to BBC Wildlife Magazine, plus receive Simon Barnes’ latest release, Spring is the Only Season
Plants
"It explodes with a loud bang, flinging toxic seeds at speeds of up to 150MPH." 8 weirdest, wackiest trees on the planet, including one that walks...
Meet some of the weirdest and oddest trees on the planet
"It looks like an extra-terrestrial being that fell to Earth and behaves like a subterranean vampire." 10 weirdest, wackiest plants on the planet...
Meet some of the weirdest and oddest plants on Earth.
It's famous as one of the world’s deadliest flowers – but it became a miracle treatment that changed medicine forever
How one plant revolutionised heart treatment after one curious doctor tested it on himself.
"There wasn't a curve in sight." Straight bananas found growing on remote Caribbean island
Is it the end of the bendy banana?
