New research on house sparrows in three Australian towns revealed subtle but disturbing effects of pollution. If city living is harming birds, what about people?
- Professor of Avian Behavioural Ecology, Macquarie University
A secret under-layer explains why songbirds’ colourful feathers look so damn good.
New research reveals how parrots and finches develop their extraordinary colours – and shows that evolution is an ongoing process.
Researchers found blood-lead levels in sparrows were a predictable indicator of blood-lead levels in children – showing how humans and nature are inextricably linked.
Birdsong plays a vital social role in the lives of these gregarious finches.
To stay up, the bird must overcome gravity with a force called ‘lift’.
Sparrows are one of the commonest birds seen in Australian cities. But the first ones didn’t come from England.
The humble sparrow represents a conduit to nature for many, and its wellbeing is connected to ours. That’s reason enough to celebrate World Sparrow Day.
Today’s land birds, from ducks to eagles, shared a common ancestor after dinosaurs went extinct – just one finding from bird gene studies published in journals, including Science and GigaScience…
Why do some species exhibit patterns of reversed gender roles? That question was addressed in a Nature Communications paper published yesterday. Typically in animals, females tend to invest more in caring…
A new study has revealed what many people possibly already suspect – males are more honest when displaying their “quality” to a partner than to an unfamiliar female. These findings, from a study of a socially…
Choosing a mate is one of the most important decisions an individual of any species will make in its life. It is therefore perhaps a surprise that a new study, of which I’m a co-author, has revealed a…
While social networking is something many of us have only recently become aware of, a new study by University of Oxford and ANU researchers shows birds have been hanging out on the social network for a…
In an Oxford woodland a soap opera plays out with the familiar plotline so loved by daytime television devotees – infidelity and the battle between bold and shy personas. The main twist in this tale is…
Why do females cheat on their partners? A new study of songbirds in the US – published today – suggests cheating females are more successful in the long-run and get more grandchildren. Why? Because the…
Long before Elle Macpherson staked her claim to the title, indeed by the end of the 1890s, Australia had inadvertently exported a model to the northern hemisphere that has become internationally famous…
Infidelity between sexual partners is ubiquitous – almost as prevalent as the tight and long-lasting social bonds that couples form. But thanks to a recent German study of Australian zebra finches, a cheating…
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