Archive for National Geographic
Prehistoric Bird had wings like Nunchucks
A flightless bird with wings like martial arts weapons once thrashed its foes on what’s now Jamaica, a new study says. (Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News)
Gulf Spill Still Threatens Millions of Migrating Birds
Up to a billion migrating birds stop over in the Gulf of Mexico region on their annual treks southward. Despite BP’s capping of the Deepwater Horizon leak, scientists say the birds may face ill effects from the Gulf oil spill for years to come.
Watching “Sexy” Males Leads to Better Chicks, Study Says
Watching attractive males strut their stuff makes female birds more fertile and leads to healthier chicks, a new study suggests.
Mutant All-Black Penguin Found
National Geographic Traveler contributor Andrew Evans recently spotted and filmed an all-black king penguin—a very rare mutant—on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.
Birds Got Too Fat to Fly After Dinosaurs Vanished?
It’s been long thought that the ancestors of ostriches, emus, and other flightless birds that once flew were flightless too. But a new study says that they only began exploring the ground in earnest after dinosaurs were wiped out about 65 million years ago.
Male great tits with brighter breasts
Male great tits with brighter breasts have stronger sperm, according to the first study to find a link between flashiness and sperm strength. The birds’ vibrant plumage appears to act like a flashing billboard, broadcasting the males’ reproductive superiority to females eager to produce offspring.
Ten US Species Feeling Global Warming’s Heat
According to National Geographic on-line, the already dangerously rare, Hawaii’s akikiki is one of ten already endangered U.S. species that are under added threat from global warming.
Abstaining Boobies Get “Sexier”
According to National Geographic, male blue-footed boobies that take a year-long sex sabbatical get a brighter shade of blue in their feet the following year, which makes them more attractive to females, a new study says.
Bird “Sings” Through Feathers
Solving a longstanding puzzle among bird experts, scientists have found that the sharp, violin-like sounds of a South American songbird come not from the beak but from a suite of specially evolved, vibrating feathers.
