According to a recent Oxford University study, the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the only land bird that spends part of its life on floating icebergs. Following 48 specimens from Greenland with the help of satellite transmitters, the researchers found that this falcon, which lives on the coasts of the Arctic and on the northernmost islands of North America and Europe, can spend 40 consecutive days at sea, resting in the icebergs and feeding on other birds.
Flying in a group in a cluster formation, typical in pigeons (Columba livia), requires more energy than flying in a V shape. This is demonstrated by a British research that attributes this behavior to defensive and group strategies. Other birds, such as pelicans, consume 10% to 70% less energy than pigeons.
Birds with high levels of stress hormones mate more and provide better care for their offspring, a new study from Queen's University reveals. "We tend to think that having high glucocorticoid levels indicates that an individual has fewer chances of finding a mate, but in the bicolor swallow ('Tachycineta bicolor') the opposite is true," explains Frances Boiner.
Many species of birds of a certain longevity adopt different strategies throughout their lives that involve gregariousness in the juvenile stage and territoriality, more "solitary", in adulthood. A team of researchers from Doñana has shown that living in a group causes more stress.
The number of ocelli similar to the eyes of the tail plumage of male peacocks determines their success in conquering females. The fewer "eyes" a male exhibits, the more likely he is to be rejected.
Ethology is determined by the environmental factors that surround animals, and in the case of cities even more so. As a group of researchers from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has discovered, birds that live in cities spend more time singing to compensate for noise, paying less attention to other tasks such as defense against possible predators.
Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Washington (USA) are trying to unravel a mystery: why are some penguin chickens losing their feathers? The increase of "naked" penguins - affected by the loss of feathers - in colonies on both sides of the South Atlantic has puzzled scientists for some years.
More than 200 Atlantic puffins have been found dead in March, although the actual death toll could be in the thousands. The swift action of the Iberian Seabird Group (GIAM) of SEO / BirdLife has made it possible to obtain information on this shoreline case of which the causes are still unknown.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
