Birds

A drone that mimics the way birds fold and flap their wings could improve the design of future unmanned autonomous vehicles, and could even help the machines withstand midair collisions.

Researchers uses quantitative methods to understand how and why species such as parrots develop complex social societies and how those social relationships compare to other animals.

Flaming sex involves make-up, elaborate group dances and seasonal monogamy.

Whooping cranes raised by humans are turning out to be bad parents, and scientists are testing a new method to boost the birds' numbers in the wild.

New research reveals how dinosaur arms evolved into the wrists of modern birds. Dinosaurs had to alter their very bone structure as they evolved to become flying birds.

Birds didn't evolve in one fell swoop from their dinosaur ancestors, suggests a newly constructed dinosaur family tree showing our feathery friends evolved very gradually, at first.

An international team of researchers studies one slim bird to answer some big biological questions.

Cute photos of baby shorebirds collected as the USGS monitors mercury levels in avocets and other shorebirds at marshes and ponds throughout the massive South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project.

A family of long-legged shorebirds adopted a fuzzy baby duckling in California's San Francisco Bay.

Improving the design of the world's tiniest drones could start with taking a closer look at one of nature's smallest and most efficient flyers, the hummingbird.

COASST studies seasonal patterns of ocean debris to aid in the clean up of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Feed the birds — but not bread, crackers and junk food.

California brown pelicans almost completely failed to breed at their nesting sites in Mexico this year.

Thanks to a group of stubborn ospreys, a traffic cam watching over the flow of cars in Maryland has become an improvised wildlife cam.