Archive - Beaks & Bones

Albatrosses listen to the ocean to find their way

Albatrosses follow infrasound signals from the ocean to find feeding grounds and optimal flight conditions.

Jun 18

Birds in same-sex pairs successfully rear chicks

Same-sex partnerships in birds provide direct and indirect benefits for both individuals and whole populations.

Jun 4

May 2025

Scientists built a kestrel plushie with a pigeon beak—here's why

A kestrel with the beak, eyes, and legs of a pigeon is no longer recognized as dangerous by Red-backed shrikes.

May 21

No cuckoos allowed

Redstarts adjust their nests to make them less appealing to cuckoos.

May 7

April 2025

Great tits raised by Blue tits fail to pair with conspecifics

Great tit chicks raised by Blue tit foster parents stayed unpaired or paired with Blue tits later in life.

Apr 30

Molting penguins overheat

Gentoo penguins overheat during their annual catastrophic molt because of a temporary double plumage.

Apr 23

Owls can look to the left by turning their heads to the right

The anatomy and specialized function of their neck vertebrae allow owls to perform head rotations of 270 degrees.

Apr 9

Traffic noise increases aggressive behavior in territorial songbirds

Background traffic noise impairs vocal communication and increases aggressive behavior in songbirds on the Galápagos Islands.

Apr 2

March 2025

Stare at gulls, if you don't want them to steal your lunch

Herring gulls hesitate longer to steal your food if you gaze at them.

Mar 26

The secret ingredients of hoopoes' stinky preen oil help keep their feathers safe

Hoopoes harbor symbiotic bacteria in their preen gland that supplement the birds' preen oil with antimicrobial compounds.

Mar 19 •

Feathers with dual function: the cormorant's secret of success

Cormorants' body feathers both absorb and repel water, improving the birds’ maneuverability while keeping them insulated in cold waters.

Mar 12 •

Why do woodpeckers not get stuck in trees?

Well, they actually do get stuck in trees quite often—but they free themselves within a blink of an eye. Here's how.

Mar 5 •

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