Birds

What is a chicken wishbone?

Just how useful is a wishbone to a chicken? Find out with our expert guide
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“How worried should I be?” A quest through Australia's rainforest in search of the world's most dangerous bird

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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Songbird slaughter: Almost half a million birds trapped and killed by gangs in Cyprus

Progress to reduce the number of birds illegally killed on the island is at risk if support to tackle criminal gangs isn't maintained, says report.
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Why don't woodpeckers get concussions?

What prevents a woodpecker from experiencing brain damage when relentlessly hammering into a tree?
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Gannet and great skua among UK seabirds devastated by avian flu, finds new report

The impact of bird flu that ripped through the UK's seabird colonies is worse than feared, according to a new RSPB report. But the banning of industrial sandeel fishing offers hope for the long-term future of some threatened species.
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Raptors in freefall: Birds of prey experiencing population collapse across Africa

Rampant development and climate changes are leading to raptors all but disappearing from large areas of the continent, according to new research.
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Is it just a flamingo’s feathers that are pink?

Are flamingos pink on the inside as well as the outside? Paul Rose takes a look
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Common terns vs little terns: what is the difference?

Do you know your common tern from your little tern? Carys McMillan from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust explains the difference
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How do birds sleep?

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.
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Monk parakeets may be able to talk like humans, finds new study

Recordings made in Barcelona show these social birds have individual ‘voiceprints’, like humans.
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How long do bird eggs take to hatch?

Ever wondered how long eggs take to hatch? Stuart Blackman takes a look
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Extremely rare half-female, half-male bird spotted in Colombia for the first time in more than 100 years

The green honeycreeper, photographed and filmed at a bird feeding station in Columbia, is half green and half blue, with an ovary on the female side and a teste on the male side – meaning theoretically it could mate as either.
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Adélie penguins guide: what they eat, where they live - and why they are called Adélie.

How big are Adélie penguins? What do they eat? Learn all about these charismatic birds in our expert guide
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The Emu War of 1932: how these flightless birds defeated the Australian military

In 1932, Australia declared war on 20,000 emus – and lost. This is the incredible story of the Emu War
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Scientists are a step closer to bringing the dodo back from extinction. And it may save existing wildlife on Mauritius

Back in 2022, the dodo's genome was sequenced from a DNA sample. Now the company trying to resurrect the long-extinct flightless bird is working with Mauritian conservationists to restore habitat ready for eventual re-wilding.
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Passenger pigeon extinction: how this once common bird fell victim to human greed

All you need to know about the passenger pigeon, including why this once abundant bird went extinct
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Why is it called a murder of crows?

What’s the rarest bird in the world?

What are the rarest birds in the world? Stuart Blackman takes a look at the contenders
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Hornbill birds: What they are, where they live - and why hornbills have such a peculiar beak

What are hornbills? Where do they live and what do they eat? Learn all about this fascinating bird in our expert guide
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Dracula parrots: what are they and do they feed on blood?

Learn all about the Dracula parrot and what it eats...
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Almost half of seabird species in UK and Ireland in decline, reveals study

A new census covering over 10,000 sites reveals 11 of 25 seabird species that breed in Britain, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Isles have declined over the past 20 years.
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