Climate change is having devastating effects on our environment, from rising sea levels to severe weather. Here’s one effect that scientists didn’t anticipate, however: murderous, brain-eating birds.
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These birds have fleshy ornaments as long as their bodies
Many birds have fleshy ornaments on and around their faces that make Lady Gaga’s wardrobe seem demure.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/birds-sex-mating-flesh-males/
This superb owl can see with its eyes closed
IF THE ONLY sport you really like is wordplay, you might want to sidestep the Super Bowl for the Superb Owl.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/superb-owl-see-eyes-closed/
Rare half-male, half-female cardinal spotted in Pennsylvania
JEFFREY AND SHIRLEY Caldwell have been attracting birds for 25 years with carefully tended backyard feeders. But the lifelong Erie, Pennsylvania, residents have never seen a creature so wondrous as the half-vermillion, half-taupe cardinal—its colors split right down the middle—that first showed up a few weeks ago in the dawn redwood tree 10 yards from their home.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/half-male-half-female-cardinal-pennsylvania/
Why don’t birds’ feet freeze in the cold?
Sometimes it seems like you can catch a cold just from seeing a bird outside in the middle of winter. How does a coat of flimsy feathers keep sub-zero temperatures at bay?
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/why-bird-feet-dont-freeze-in-winter
New camera gives us a bird’s view of the world
We humans use our vision for many things, but it’s limited because it relies on the primary colors.
Some other animals, like birds, can see on the ultraviolet spectrum. A new camera developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden lets us have a sense of how birds see the world.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/new-camera-gives-us-birds-view-world
6 facts about the strikingly beautiful snowy owl
Snowy owls, despite their white plumage that allows them to blend into their Arctic surroundings, are easily recognizable. They’re beloved as a symbol of winter and as a companion to Harry Potter.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/snowy-owl-facts
How to identify a bird in 5 steps
Identifying a bird can be a challenge, even for experienced birders. And if you’re new to using field guides, it can be daunting to figure out where to even begin searching in the hundreds of pages of species.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/how-identify-bird-5-steps
How can the bite of this little ground finch be more powerful than a T. rex’s?
The large ground finch’s bite is bigger than its chirp — or a T. rex’s bite, for that matter.
https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/ground-finch-bite-more-powerful-t-rex
Birdist Rule #96: Know Which Wrens Live Near You
Wrens aren’t our flashiest birds, but they more than make up for it with their big personalities. Small and brown, they rarely sit still, whether vigorously defending their nests and territories, pecking for food on the forest floor, or just incessantly chattering away. They’ll get into shouting matches and physical confrontations with interlopers, including much larger species and humans, and even destroy eggs of other birds. In other words, wrens don’t mess around.
https://www.audubon.org/news/birdist-rule-96-know-which-wrens-live-near-you