Birds

Birds

A lava covered seashore and palm trees on a tropical island

“It attacks with a short movement, sucking up the prey with an expansion of its tubular snout.” Meet 8 weirdest, bizarrest animals in Hawai'i

From a squid that projects moonlight to hide from predators to a snake that reproduces by cloning itself, Hawai'i's wildlife is stranger than you'd expect
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Lesser kestrel

“They simply moved in.” Thousands of tiny falcons are taking over this ancient Italian city

Thousands of lesser kestrels have been living in and around the ancient Italian city of Matera for centuries
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Peregrine falcons London

It’s the fastest animal on Earth and ruthlessly kills prey in mid-air – and it’s taking over London’s skyscrapers

The fastest animal on Earth is proliferating among the skyscrapers of central London
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Rome starling murmurations

“They produce 7 tonnes of guano – nightly”: Romans in biohazard suits are facing a relentless rain of oily poop. Here’s what’s going on

Millions of starlings descend upon Rome every year, creating spectacular murmurations – and a mess
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Monk parakeet

“These parrot apartment blocks can be the size of a small car” – and they’re causing chaos in a city near you

The monk parakeet has been a colourful, not to mention noisy, addition to the cityscapes of Madrid
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Blue-footed booby

“They stick out like a sore thumb.” This clown-like bird has really weird feet – and here’s why

There’s a lot more to these quirky seabirds than their eye-catching limbs
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A juvenile kingfisher perched on a branch waiting for a fish. © Gary Chalker/Getty

Everything you need to know about kingfishers

All you need to know about the common kingfisher
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Aerial view of a rugged island

70 nesting adults per square metre of cliff face – this is probably the highest nesting density of any bird in the world

Early summer is a busy time of year for Britain's seabirds, as they crowd on coastal cliffs and islands to rear their young.
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Mike the Headless Chicken'

Who was 'Mike the Headless Chicken' – and just how long did he live without a head?

Ellen Husain recounts the story of 'Miracle Mike the Headless Chicken'
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Southern Cassowary

“They're equipped with 15cm claws, can run at speeds of 50kph, clear 2m when jumping and deliver a mean kick – just how worried should I be?”

Deep in the heart of a rainforest in Queensland, Stuart Portugal's childhood dream of encountering a cassowary in the wild could become a reality. But despite being one of the world’s tallest species of bird, catching a glimpse of this elusive creature is easier said than done.
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Seagull perching on fence with Statue of Liberty in distance, Battery Park, Manhattan Island, New York City, New York, USA

This iconic New York landmark is becoming a magnet – not just for tourists, but birds

Does anything live on the Statue of Liberty – and Ellis Island?
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Great bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis)

In an Australian city, birds are collecting handcuffs, medicine jars and banknotes. This is why

A new study in Queensland reveals that city-dwelling male great bowerbirds are using human items to impress females.
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Panoramic view of Aitoliko, a settlement built on an islet in the middle of the lagoon.

"A scale that has never been documented before in Greece." Falcon snatches 8 bats from the air in just 30 minutes

Bat predation by Eurasian hobbies has only been recorded a handful of times, making the sighting particularly significant.
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Green-cheeked parakeets

Masturbation in birds is “healthy, natural and widespread”, say scientists

The research challenges the widely-held belief that stress and captivity encourages the behaviour
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Galápagos mangrove finch

A blood-sucking fly was driving this Galápagos bird to extinction. Then conservationists stepped in

The Critically Endangered Galápagos mangrove finch has had its most successful breeding season on record, with 25 fledglings recorded.
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southern cassowary is a weird bird

"It has a lethally large inner toe tipped by a deadly dagger-like claw..." 15 weirdest, strangest birds on the planet, including one that reeks of fresh cow manure

There are plenty of contenders for the weirdest bird list from the 'stinky' hoatzin to the strange-looking secretary bird. Here are our favourite weirdest birds
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Vadodara, Gujarat / India - August 17, 2012: The view of the nest of the tailor bird.

"While she is doing the needlework, the male brings the threads. Little by little she laces it up to form a cup using dozens of stitches." 

The little bird that's a very adept seamstress
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Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)

This elusive bird can be heard up to 5km away – and the sound it makes is extraordinary

The song of the male bittern – the king of the reedbed – sounds like a foghorn.
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eagle vs osprey

White-tailed eagle vs osprey: what's the difference between these two majestic, powerful birds of prey?

Although the osprey and white-tailed eagle look similar and are sometimes both called fish eagles, the two birds of prey are quite different, says Scottish Wildlife Trust ranger Sara Rasmussen
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Arctic tern

"It sees two summers per year, and more daylight than any other animal on earth..."

Two summers a year? Yes please! Meet the bird that, thanks to its mammoth migration, enjoys two summers a year
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Looming-Eye Buoys

Researchers put a big pair of eyeballs on the coast of Denmark and left them there for 46 days. Here's why

Fish-stealing seabirds can cause problems for fisheries and aquaculture companies so scientists tried to find a harmless way of putting them off their seafood feast.
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Red-necked nightjar in the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park.

This bizarre bird's entire annual cycle follows the rhythm on the moon, groundbreaking study reveals

Moonlight plays a huge part in how red-necked nightjars feed, migrate and raise their young, reveals new study.
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Common poorwill, a bird that can hibernate

Do any birds hibernate?

Are there any birds that can hibernate? Ben Hoare takes a look
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Sir David Attenborough with a photo of Attenborougharion rubicundus, and receiving the Lifetime Patron Award from Australia Museum in 2017

Which species are named after Sir David Attenborough? And how many of them are there?

Sir David Attenborough has over 50 species named after him, ranging from a prehistoric marine reptile to a native British flower only found in the Brecon Beacons of South Wales.
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