In a quiet suburb of New Jersey, USA, an unexpected example of avian intelligence has caught the attention of birders and scientists alike. An immature Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) has been observed using an urban pedestrian crossing to aid its hunting — a behaviour that highlights just how adaptable some raptors can be in our...

A groundbreaking study has upended long-held assumptions about the Banda Myzomela (Myzomela boiei. This striking honeyeater is found across three remote island groups in Indonesia. Previously considered to consist of two subspecies, researchers now propose that these vibrant nectar-feeders actually represent three distinct species, based on significant morphological and vocal differences that suggest reproductive isolation....

At an age when most creatures have long ceased reproduction, Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan Albatross, continues to defy expectations. This remarkable bird, the world’s oldest known banded wild bird, recently returned to Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) on February 6, 2025, to find her newly hatched chick. Her mate, who had been diligently incubating the egg, departed...

In arid inland Australia lives one of Australia’s rarest birds: the night parrot. Missing for more than a century, a live population was rediscovered in 2013. But the species remains elusive. Until recently, Australia’s known night parrot population numbered in the tens of birds, scattered across desert in Queensland and Western Australia. But our research...