Birds
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![The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is North America's largest land bird.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NDxeRvEiEbcdxKXZCZdofG-320-80.jpg)
Condors won't stop visiting (and trashing) this California woman's house. Here's why.
By Mindy Weisberger published
More than a dozen condors have been paying daily visits to a home in Tehachapi, California (and destroying nearly everything in sight).
![A tawny frogmouth bats its enormous eyes at the camera.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/susir3WhcYJz6Hf4oRkouT-320-80.jpg)
This Muppet-faced frogmouth is the 'most Instagrammable bird' on Earth
By Brandon Specktor published
Researchers scoured more than 27,000 bird photos on Instagram to see which ones consistently got more likes than expected. The big winner was the owl-like frogmouth.
![A common cuckoo bird flying over a grassy field](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6MWSkJXUaRNXaNMrfU3w8M-320-80.jpg)
Cuckoo bird has crossed the Sahara 10 times in 5 years
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Scientists began tracking the bird in 2016.
![The brown pelican was photographed on Queen Bess Island in March 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4WrbvUkkvDvAUR2YqGz8DS-320-80.jpg)
Pelican rescued from Deepwater Horizon disaster flies hundreds of miles home
By Ben Turner published
Even today, the Gulf Coast still suffers from the effects of the oil spill. But a remarkable cleanup effort has helped the pelican return home.
![Hummingbirds' wingbeats are the fastest among all birds, flapping 70 times per second.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j4wLX6ZTJqcki9AFrjRcUm-320-80.jpg)
Why do hummingbirds 'hum'?
By Mindy Weisberger published
High-speed cameras and arrays of microphones helped researchers draw an acoustic map of hummingbirds' distinctive hum.
![Bald eagles have been victims of a mysterious neurodegenerative disease at lakes across America over the last 25 years.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zZMj3UWfdwCQKDJGbaFk3h-320-80.jpg)
Cause of mysterious bald eagle deaths found after 25 years
By Harry Baker published
Scientists have finally solved a 25-year-old mystery surrounding a neurodegenerative disease killing bald eagles and other lake animals in the U.S.
![The pine siskin (Spinus pinus) is the species of finch most affected by the outbreak.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zxhNpFYGTmSFt7E4HwM8Kf-320-80.jpg)
Something is killing California's songbirds
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published
Officials are urging people to take down their feeders, where birds are congregating and spreading a bacterial infection.
![Seaside sparrow nests that are close to the ground are prone to flooding. But in nests that are higher up, chicks may be vulnerable to terrestrial predators.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZNZuy4L4jDPtNVYSg4XmJR-320-80.jpg)
Video captures unusual death of baby bird drowned by a fish
By Mindy Weisberger published
Scientists recently captured video documenting the first reported instance of a fish preying on a newly-hatched baby bird, in a flooded nest in coastal Georgia.
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