Female songbirds can alter the size of eggs and possibly the sex of their chicks according to how they perceive their mate’s quality.
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Swans have long been viewed as a symbol of fidelity and everlasting love. But they are in fact cheating philanderers that regularly flee the nest for extramarital sex, Australian researchers reveal. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing has shown that one in six cygnets is the product of an illicit encounter, smashing the birds’ monogamous image.
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Likely the only time in your life you will see the development of a hummingbird. Includes some props as scale towards the end. It’s quite incredible how small the chicks are!
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These new birds carry inserted genes in their sperm or egg, so any alteration is passed on to future generations.
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Crows make tools, play tricks on each other, and caw among kin in a dialect all their own. These are just some of the signs presented in a recent book that point to an unexpected similarity between the wise birds and humans.
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A Wilson’s Phalarope has been spotted in the U.K. village of Hillesden. The bird, a native of North America, has drawn birders from all over the region. Read more at Buckingham Today.
A high school student in Oregon has used a Pekin duck as her senior project. Megan Plankenhorn raised the bird from hatching to study the effects of imprinting. The duck, Lily, now regards Megan as her parent. Read more in the full article Just ducky: Student imprints with Pekin duck for science project… and forever on The Worldlink.
California is looking to livestock as a means of saving raptors and other birds from wind turbines. Sheep will be used to keep grass levels in the fields surrounding the turbines low enough to drive out ground squirrels. The squirrels are a food source for eagles, hawks and owls. Read more about the project, which will be tested over the next 18 months at Vasco Caves Regional Preserve in the article Sheep may save birds from turbines at the Contra Costa Times.
The first and only breeding pair of White-Tailed Eagles in the Netherlands is attracting birdwatchers to the Oostvaardersplassen in Lelystad.
Despite the rainy weather, lots of enthusiasts tried to catch a glimpse of the eagles over the weekend. Forest rangers were innundated with questions about the nesting birds.
The rangers have kept the location of the nest a secret, to avoid visitors disturbing the endangered birds. The rangers themselves keep a distance of at least 800 meters from the nest at all times.
The success or failure of the nest will probably not be known until late July, when the chicks, if any, would be ready to fledge. The hatchlings from a first nest often do not survive the fledge, because the young parents do not know how best to teach their young how to fly.
A German Shepherd in Edinburgh discovered two lost Mallard ducklings in some undergrowth. Much to the amazement of his owner and the local SPCA, Duke picked up the helpless birds in his mouth and brought them to the safety of his blanket, where he proceeded to give them a tongue bath. You can read the whole story Good shepherd plucks lucky ducks to safety with his jaws at the Edinburgh Evening News.
