BIRDS

8 Amazing Animal Photos from National Geographic's Your Shot Community

The assignment "Animals We Love" wraps up June 23; here are 10 incredible images readers have submitted so far.

New App Makes Identifying Bird Species Easy

This electronic field guide can identify 500 common North American birds with nothing but a cell phone photo.

Galapagos Birds Beat Bloodsuckers with Pesticide-Lined Homes

In the 1990s, the fly Philornis downsi was accidentally introduced to the Galapagos Islands, probably in a shipment of fruit. The adult flies are harmless enough as invaders go, but their kids are a real problem for the islands’ native birds, some of whic

Birds Steer Clear of Invisible Roads

Forget about whether the chicken crossed the road or not. The question for some scientists is why other birds won’t even come near a roadway.

These Baby Birds Puke on Predators with Third-Hand Weapons

When Eurasian rollers feed their babies grasshoppers, centipedes, and other insects, the chicks aren’t just getting the nutrition they need to grow—they’re getting an arsenal.

Some Birds Benefit From Having Parasites

9 Bizarre Bird Mating Rituals

Bees do it, and birds definitely do it—in all kinds of crazy ways. Here are nine birds and their mating rituals.

10 Weird and Wonderful Bird Nests

It’s spring, and baby birds will soon be chirping in trees and rain gutters. But not all bird nests are created equal. Whether from mud, leaves, or saliva, here are 10 birds that make some of the most astounding structures in nature.

11 Surprisingly Smart Birds

Next time someone tries to put you down by calling you "bird brain," make them think again by introducing them to these 11 wickedly smart avians.

Mnolf, via Wikimedia Commons: wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strigops_habroptilus,_face.jpg

Tape, Glue, and New Kakapo

When I wrote about the kakapo—a chubby, flightless parrot that looks like a parakeet crossed with an owl crossed with a Muppet—last year, a group of the birds had recently arrived at their new home on New Zealand’s Little Barrier Island.

9 Birds Caught Using Some Very Naughty Language

If you’re going to teach Polly how to talk, you’d better watch what you say! Here are nine of the world’s most “fowl”-mouthed avians.

11 Unexpected Accessories Designed for Experiments

The road to enlightenment has taken some pretty strange turns over the last century. Here are a few of the weirdest pit stops.

Why Are Eggs Egg-Shaped?

There’s only one thing in this world shaped like an egg. Not exactly spherical, not exactly an oval, it’s kind of hard to describe what an egg looks like. “Asymmetric tapered oval”? Sure, why not.

Poultry, a Practical Guide. Hugh Piper, 1877.

7 Facts About Turkeys

Gobble gobble gobble! Whether you’re from the U.S. or abroad, you’re probably going to hear a lot about turkeys in the next few days.

No, Ben Franklin Didn’t Want a Turkey on the Great Seal

Frederique Olivier, Camerawoman on Penguins: Waddle All the Way

Intrepid camerawoman Frederique Olivier has traveled the world capturing stunning images of wildlife in its natural habitat. For the Discovery Channel's new two-hour special, Penguins: Waddle All the Way, premering tonight at 9 p.m., Olivier faced a very

A Parrot’s First Flight

7 Awesome Things Birds Can Do

If you live in any U.S. city, you probably think those pesky, puke-eating pigeons and their feathered friends are pretty brain dead. Don’t be fooled. Birds are capable of some pretty amazing feats, and we’ve provided a sampling below.

11 Things We Know About the Dodo

Careful study of surviving documents and specimens, as well as a little science, have revealed a bit about the dodo.

10 Other Illegal Animals on a Plane

Animal smugglers have some serious baggage.

11 Scenes from "Mummies of the World" in Portland

Signature Song keeps Fairy-Wren Moms from Being Fooled

Talk about "singing for your supper": New research shows that fairy-wren chicks have to sing a specific song to their mother or she will refuse to feed them.

7 Videos of People Rescuing Animals

Some people can be pretty terrible to animals—but most people will try to help cuddly (and not-so-cuddly) creatures when they can. Here are some of the most incredible videos of people saving animals.

Sir Nils Olav, Norway’s Penguin Knight

The United States Marines have their bulldogs and the Army has their mules, but the Norwegian Royal Guard has a mascot a little more accustomed to colder temperatures: Nils Olav, a King Penguin who is also a Colonel-in-Chief and a knight.

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