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![This photo shows hundreds of empire penguins standing on a snowy hill near the water in Antarctica.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zRMbv6nr7BTXyEzRQmyfwZ-320-80.jpg)
Hidden, never-before-seen penguin colony spotted from space
By Tom Metcalfe published
Satellite photos showing poop stains in the West Antarctic snow and ice have revealed a previously unknown breeding colony of emperor penguins.
![A mating pair of wild red junglefowl (female on left, male on right).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m6BGMEmEQ4x2BL3CkNWFpb-320-80.jpg)
Domesticated chickens could wipe out their wild ancestors — by having sex with them
By Harry Baker published
A new study has revealed that red junglefowl, the wild ancestors of chickens, are losing their genetic diversity as they mate with their domesticated counterparts.
![An artist's interpretation of the late-Cretaceous world of Janavis, an early bird relative. This toothed bird lived in a habitat similar to today's Bahamas and likely hunted fish and squid-like creatures.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wnN7rjpPhktomamuqtBczd-320-80.jpg)
Oddly modern skull raises new questions about the early evolution of birds
By Stephanie Pappas published
A fossil skull from a toothy early relative of today's birds shows a weirdly modern skull configuration, raising new questions about the early evolution of birds.
![A wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) with an impressive red wattle.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7NsAo9mCuEZMLaDVN5naZg-320-80.jpg)
10 terrific turkey facts
By Remy Melina, Jeanna Bryner published
Turkeys can fly, blush and are distant relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex. Read on to learn more about these Thanksgiving divas.
![A team of scientists and conservationists has rediscovered the elusive black-naped pheasant-pigeon, a large, ground-dwelling pigeon that only lives on Fergusson Island, a rugged island in the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago off of eastern Papua New Guinea.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fQCfEN2jfieVBJaciV4RiZ-320-80.jpg)
Long-lost bird species, thought to be extinct, captured in images for 1st time in 140 years
By Joanna Thompson published
Images and footage of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon were recently captured by scientists. This is the first documented sighting of the elusive bird since 1882.
![Scientists recently found that crows are capable of grasping a complex cognitive principle known as recursion.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YXCgJsmsLtCURhdrBsBEvA-320-80.jpg)
Crows outthink monkeys, can grasp recursive patterns
By Joshua A. Krisch last updated
In cognitive tests for recognizing certain types of patterns, crows outperformed monkeys.
![An adult bar-tailed godwit flies across the Pacific on its annual migration south from Alaska.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DRxa5VroSdjfCRfByPEhBN-320-80.jpg)
Juvenile bird accidentally breaks record for longest non-stop flight on its first attempt
By Harry Baker published
A 5-month-old bar-tailed godwit recently flew non-stop for 265 hours as it migrated more than 8,000 miles from Alaska to Tasmania.
![A young emperor penguin chick sits on the feet of an adult penguin, nestled into its belly](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tKSUSeqUT38CAt9cwrpGYk-320-80.jpg)
Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change
By Nicoletta Lanese published
The world's largest penguins have joined the threatened species list.
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