Science

Plan to Lift Roadless Protections Will Likely Cause Extinctions in Alaska’s Tongass
December 20, 2019 — Our biggest national forest is home to species found nowhere else, but proposed logging threatens the habitat they need to survive, writes Natalie Dawson, a biologist and executive director of Audubon Alaska.
Those Big Orange Bills Also Help Puffins Stay Cool After a Workout
December 20, 2019 — Good for more than just attracting a mate, the clownish feature appears to keep the subpar fliers from overheating.
The Key to the Christmas Bird Count's 120 Years of Success? The People.
December 13, 2019 — Drones and trail cams may be increasingly common in avian monitoring, but Audubon's CBC remains dependent on dedicated humans.
Humans Drove the Only Native U.S. Parrot Extinct, Says New DNA Study
December 12, 2019 — The Carolina Parakeet was ubiquitous in the southeast a century ago. A new genetic study suggests it went extinct abruptly, killed off by people.
North American Birds Are Shrinking, Likely a Result of the Warming Climate
December 04, 2019 — A new study found significant declines in bird body sizes after analyzing decades of data collected by Chicago’s Field Museum.
Are Parrots Strategic Eaters—or Just a Bunch of Slobs?
November 21, 2019 — Research confirms that parrots around the world are messy foragers, but some scientists think it could be a strategy to grow tastier fruit.
Florida's Shorebirds Saw a Big Breeding Bump After Hurricane Michael
November 14, 2019 — The hurricane's storm surge created optimal nesting habitat for Snowy Plovers and other beach birds, newly released data show.
Despite Their Tiny Brains, These African Birds Can Form Complex Relationships
November 08, 2019 — A new study finds that Vulturine Guineafowl live in multilevel societies, marking the first time such behavior has been described in avians.
Borneo's Elusive Spectacled Flowerpecker Is No Longer a Mystery
November 08, 2019 — After a decade since its first sighing, the bird has finally been formally described as a new species, but much remains unknown about its ecology.
How Chickens Could Inspire New Treatments for Deafness
November 07, 2019 — Birds can't lose their hearing. So why do we?