A dark-winged bird glides just inches above a quiet coastal lagoon. Its wings move in long, graceful beats, but something unusual is happening beneath its head. The bird’s lower bill …
Why wood storks poop on their legs is one of the most fascinating examples of natural cooling in the bird world. These large wetland birds use an unusual behavior called …
A woodpecker’s bill may do the drilling, but reaching food hidden deep inside wood often requires another remarkable tool. Woodpecker tongue anatomy includes a specialized tongue-supporting system that allows some …
A Black Skimmer glides just above quiet coastal water, its long wings carrying its body only centimeters above the surface. The bird appears almost to be tracing a line across …
High above a rocky mountain slope, a bearded vulture circles with something unusual clutched beneath it: a large bone. The bird releases its cargo, the bone crashes against exposed rock, …
The shoebill hunting behavior is unlike that of almost any other bird. While many predators actively chase prey or constantly search for movement, the shoebill often does the opposite. It …
The sandgrouse water-carrying feathers are among the most remarkable parental adaptations in the bird world. In some of Earth’s hottest and driest deserts, where water may be many miles from …
Few birds look as unusual as the hoatzin, but even fewer surprise scientists as much as its chicks. The hoatzin chick wing claws are one of the most remarkable survival …