Science

May 08, 2017 — Scientists have long thought that a murre egg's shape kept it from rolling off the ledges where the birds nest, but the truth might not be that simple.

April 27, 2017 — By expanding its breeding range in an unprecedented way, the adaptable swallow continues its spread—while baffling bird experts along the way.

April 21, 2017 — Males are often the default sex for studies, but new research showing sexes are more genetically different than previously thought could change that.

April 14, 2017 — A pilot program called Climate Watch aims to use on-the-ground observations to validate Audubon’s climate modeling, which predicts how birds’ territory ranges will shift in response to a changing climate.

April 12, 2017 — When Antarctic researchers found bones in an unusually smelly sediment core, they stumbled on evidence of how volcano eruptions shape ecology.

April 05, 2017 — In an unprecedented study, scientists used high-tech geolocators to track the paths and stopover sites of the globe-trotting shorebirds.

March 31, 2017 — The Smithsonian scientist combined her eye for microscopic detail with a lifelong interest in engines to found the field of forensic ornithology.

March 29, 2017 — With their quadruple personalities, those little brown birds at your feeder are a lot more interesting than they might appear.

March 27, 2017 — Snail Kite numbers in Florida dipped to a worrying low a decade ago. Since then, an influx of exotic snails has helped the endangered birds rebound.

March 24, 2017 — Neonicotinoids are washing off of their host seeds and into water bodies—threatening not just aquatic insects but the birds that rely on them.