A recent study speculates that migratory birds have lighter colored feathers because they reduce the risk of overheating (Kaspar Delhey, James Dale, Mihai Valcu, and Bart Kempenaers. Migratory birds are lighter coloured. Current Biology, 2021). They say “We found across nearly all species of birds, migratory species tend to be lighter colored than non-migratory species. …
Research in ornithology is not just a willy-nilly collection of observations while walking through the woods. How does one start a research project? First, you have to develop a hypothesis – a question you would like to answer. Let’s suppose you are curious about the prevalence of partial albinism (leucistic plumage) in House Sparrows. What …
Just returned from a week in New York City. Of course, the only birds I saw in Manhattan were the usual suspects: Eurasian Starlings, Rock Pigeons, and House Sparrows, all well adapted to urban life. Why is it they are so good at surviving the crowded urban jungle? Yes, a number of other species are …
According to The Illustrated Book of Poultry Queen Victoria was captivated by watching her seven chickens in their custom enclosure. While royalty are not known for admiring poultry as do farmers, in 1842 Queen Victoria started what would become an international craze for fancy chickens, just because they were beautiful to look at. These were Cochin chickens or …
