Mountain chickadee chatter: Scientists are decoding the songbird’s complex calls

Mountain chickadees follow systematic grammarlike rules to share important information, stringing together syllables like words in a sentence.

Sofia Marie Haley, Ph.D. Student in Cognitive Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno • conversation
May 27, 2025 • ~12 min

The chickadee in the snowbank: A 'canary in the coal mine' for climate change in the Sierra Nevada mountains

These tiny songbirds have extraordinary memories for the tens of thousands of spots where they hide food. But that doesn’t help when heavy snow blocks their access.

Benjamin Sonnenberg, Ph.D. Candidate in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno • conversation
Jan. 4, 2024 • ~10 min

Why prey animals often see threats where there are none – and how it costs them

False alarms are common in prey animals, but what causes them and how can they be avoided?

Mike Webster, Lecturer, School of Biology, University of St Andrews • conversation
March 2, 2023 • ~7 min

Songbirds with unique colours are more likely to be traded as pets – new research

The pet trade threatens to decimate some species – and dull nature’s colour palette.

Rebecca Senior, Assistant Professor of Conservation Science, Durham University • conversation
Sept. 22, 2022 • ~7 min

Songbirds with unique colours are more likely to be traded as pets – new reserch

The pet trade threatens to decimate some species – and dull nature’s colour palette.

Rebecca Senior, Assistant Professor of Conservation Science, Durham University • conversation
Sept. 22, 2022 • ~7 min

Nature's GPS: how animals use the natural world to perform extraordinary feats of navigation

Migrating birds use both their view of the stars and their internal magnetic compasses to find their way over thousands of miles.

Richard Holland, Professor of Animal Behaviour, Bangor University • conversation
Dec. 30, 2021 • ~6 min

There are over 7,000 English names for birds – here's what they teach us about our changing relationship with nature

Research suggests our names for birds reflect our changing relationship with the natural world: here's why that matters

Andrew Gosler, Professor of Ethno-ornithology, University of Oxford • conversation
June 18, 2021 • ~8 min

From permafrost microbes to survivor songbirds – research projects are also victims of COVID-19 pandemic

Three scientists describe the fieldwork they've had to delay in 2020 because of the pandemic. These are setbacks not just for their careers, but for the body of scientific knowledge.

Miriah Kelly, Assistant Professor of Environment, Geography & Marine Sciences, Southern Connecticut State University • conversation
Dec. 7, 2020 • ~10 min

Birds sing better with some early morning practice

Just like humans, a little warm-up helps birds sing better, researchers say. That could explain why they start singing early in the morning.

Robin Smith-Duke • futurity
Aug. 21, 2020 • ~5 min

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