Opinion: Gillian Burke
“Bird and brother would work together with precision timing”
Big birds
Mya-Rose Craig presents the white-tailed eagle on Tweet of the Day They may be our largest raptors, with a vast ‘barn door’ silhouette in the air, but white-tailed eagles are not above scavenging, especially in winter. Young birds couldn’t survive without carrion and often find it by following groups of crows, buzzards or red kites. […]
10 smallest birds
Birds vary enormously in size. Here are the world’s very smallest by length. 1 BEE HUMMINGBIRD 5.5cm, 1.95g The smallest bird in the world weighs about the same as a cashew nut 2 ESMERALDAS WOODSTAR 6.4cm, 2g A hummingbird from the Ecuador coast 3 CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD 7cm, 2.8g Can you spot a theme here? The […]
Meet the scientist: Christoph Grueter
Senior lecturer at the University of Bristol’s school of biological sciences on foraging bees
Throwing tantrums
Octopuses need their personal space, and they have a unique way of making sure they get it
New species discovery: Litoria insularis
NEW SPECIES DISCOVERY Litoria insularis WHAT IS IT? Litoria insularis is a new species of frog described by two scientists from Australia. It’s part of the L. thesaurensis species group but detailed morphological and genetic analysis proved it to be an undescribed species. WHERE IS IT? It is known only from the Nakanai Mountains in […]
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Lost & Found
VAGRANT SPECIES DIARY Alpine accentors, Suffolk/Norfolk UNUSUALLY SUSTAINED SOUTHERLY WINDS originating in Iberia, northwest Africa and the Canaries brought many rare migrant moths and birds to the UK from these regions during late October into early November 2022. Pallid swifts arrived in unprecedented numbers and with them were two alpine accentors. This montane species is […]
Out and about
British winters are no great challenge for pine martens, which are adapted for much colder continental conditions in the boreal forests of the far north. Their ‘flexitarian’ diet means they can find plenty of food year round. But they do spend much longer in their dens. One study in Poland found they were active just […]
Persecution of raptors at a high level
The illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of birds of prey continues THE LATEST ANNUAL BIRDCRIME REPORT published by the RSPB reveals that the illegal persecution of birds of prey remains an ongoing problem, with common buzzards and red kites being the worst-affected species. The report identifies 108 confirmed cases of illegal killing of birds of […]