Birds

Birds

A male Chaffinch

How this bird changes colour almost overnight without moulting – the truth is truly remarkable

The male chaffinch has a clever trick for making its plumage seem brighter come spring says Nick Baker
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Adult common kestrel perched on log

"Once a target is locked, it transitions from a dead standstill into a rapid dive, accelerating dramatically to  60 mph"

Kestrels, a relatively small bird of prey, are on the Amber List of conservation and their numbers are still on the decline
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Red fox on camera trap with kangaroo carcass

Researchers placed 40 kangaroo carcasses in front of camera traps. This is what happened next

A team of scientists set out to study the behaviour of scavengers in New South Wales, Australia
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black-legged kittiwake Brazil

This bird was just seen in Brazil for the first time ever

A new study documents the first record of a black-legged kittiwake in Brazil.
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Griffon vulture/ Credit: Aan Simpson 

How high do birds fly? One amazing species has been recorded at an astonishing 11,300m

How high birds fly depends on the species and whether they're hunting or migrating says Mike Toms.
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A pied wagtail perched on a fence.

Why do wagtails wag their tails? Possible reasons behind their constant tail-wagging

Mike Toms answers explains possible theories to why wagtails wag
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How long do bird eggs take to hatch

From egg to chick: how long does it really take a bird egg to hatch?

Ever wondered how long eggs take to hatch? Stuart Blackman takes a look
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Extreme close-up of a Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) showing its unique prehistoric beak and intense yellow eyes in Mabamba Swamp, Uganda. Credit: Jeff Kingma

"While she goes off to fetch water, it reveals a dark side to the relationship with its nest mate"

It’s not easy being the younger shoebill sibling…
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A selective focus shot of a Dunnock bird perched on the grass with a blurred background

"Females frequently take not one, but two ‘husbands’ and have been documented copulating over 250 times with both in order to start a family"

Dunnocks breed with multiple male partners – all in the name of good motherhood – as zoologist and broadcaster Lucy Cooke explains.
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How do birds mate? A pair of Cormorants seen sitting on a tree

Do male birds have penises? The surprisingly bizarre way birds have sex

Just how do birds mate and reproduce? Stuart Blackman explains the intricacies of bird sex and why males don't have penises
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Red kite in flight against a bright blue sky over UK

Its wings are wider than a double bed and it can reach speeds of 100kph – and it has a habit of stealing laundry

This magnificently graceful bird of prey is unmistakable with its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail.
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long-eared owl

During winter nearly 1,000 descend onto a tiny Serbian town centre – and at night it's party time

A huge parliament of long-eared owls has made an unlikely home in a Serbian town square
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A majestic shot of a roseate spoonbill among winners of 2026 Audubon Photography Awards

These extraordinary images capture some of rarest and most at-risk birds in the Americas.
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North African ostriches released in Niger

"Priceless joy.” North African ostriches return to wild in Niger after 20-year absence

This first reintroduction marks a milestone in efforts to slowly establish a viable wild population in the West African country.
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Shoebill scariest looking birds

It clatters like a machine gun, has a deadly prehistoric-looking beak, can live for 25 years and can grow up to a whopping 1.5m tall with a wingspan of 2.6m

This bird can can stand still as a statue for hours, will stare you out and cruelly kill its sibling using its huge, razor-sharp bill
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Blackcap male singing deep in bushes

These people listened 123 different birdsongs then ranked their attractiveness. Here's what came top (and bottom)

Songs that were complex, high-pitched and relatively quiet ranked highest, while shrill, loud songs fared the worst.
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Adult and chick emperor penguins

When complete darkness fell on Antarctica, researchers used satellites to spy on one of its most secretive animals

Tracking the movements of emperor penguins is vital for conservation efforts, say scientists
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Coyote near turkey vulture nest site

Coyote finds vulture nest in Texas. What it does next has never been caught on camera before

A remote camera in Armstrong County has captured the first direct visual evidence of coyote predation on turkey vultures.
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 gyrfalcon

Its wingspan is wider than a double bed, it weighs as much as a 2-litre bottle of water and it lives in some of the harshest climates on the planet

Dolly Parton at the opening of the Smithsonian National Zoo's bald eagle refuge exhibit

Dolly Parton helped save endangered bald eagles. Here’s how…

The country singer was known for her philanthropic efforts – including conserving the bald eagle
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Swift or swallow:

Swift or swallow? What’s the difference between these two remarkable birds that travel thousands of miles?Swift vs swallow:

Know your swallows from your swifts? Tom Hibbert from The Wildlife Trusts takes a look at some of the differences…
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Black vultures and American barn owls

Scientists hid cameras in an abandoned house in Argentina – and found carnivores sharing a room inside it

Images captured in the house show black vultures sharing a nest site with American barn owls. In another abandoned structure, the researchers recorded black vultures nesting beside Chaco eagles.
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Scariest looking birds

Don’t think birds can look scary? Think again – these 7 creepy birds look like they're straight out of a horror film

From heavyweight scavengers to flightless giants with horned heads, we take a look at some of the scariest-looking birds on the planet
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Aerial view of Long Point and Lake Erie in early spring as the ice melts

When a solar eclipse cast darkness over Lake Erie, this happened to the birds that live there

What happens to birds when their daytime world suddenly goes dark? A researcher in Canada wanted to find out.
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