Category: Everyday

Halloween is just around the corner, so let’s scare up some fun with a look at birds whose spooky style can be downright scary.

Fresno State biology professor Dr. Tricia Van Laar found direction for her next research project in her own backyard when she came across a sick finch that later died. She not only set out to find the cause but it led her and colleague Dr. Joel Slade to discover a trend that is endangering wildlife that also has ramifications for people as well.

Parrots are already known for being among the best mimickers and vocal learners. Now a recent study sheds light on how parrot chicks incorporate a “practice makes perfect” routine early on in their development. Researchers in Venezuela tracked the vocalizations of wild, green-rumped parrotlet chicks (Forpus passerines) and found that the chicks would routinely babble while in the nest, similar to how babies babble before they begin to talk.

When you think of the popular pastime of birding, images of folks with binoculars aimed up at a tree as they zero-in on a bird typically come to mind. However, there’s more to birding than what meets the eye. Earbirding is just how it sounds — identifying birds by the vocalizations they make. Those who bird by ear are listening for telltale contact calls, songs, and other vocalizations to identify a bird’s species. See how this form of birding takes an extraordinary learning process to able to identify a bird specifically – and only – by sound.

As most parrot people know, our feathered companions use their beaks for more than just eating and shredding toys and destroying whatever else they might find. They also use it to get around. A recent study officially bestows parrots the title of the only animal with three functional limbs — two legs and their amazing beak. Learn how a group of peach-faced lovebirds proved that a parrot’s beak functions as a third limb.

Hamlet the Indian ring-necked parakeet has become a viral sensation with his goofy antics and cartoonish vocalizations. See how this feathered TikTok star brightens the day for many.

An unexpected event caused Precious the African grey parrot to take flight and vanish into the great outdoors. Two anxious days passed before Precious was reunited with her family. Precious is more than a family companion — she has become an emotional support companion for 10-year-old Erin, who is autistic. See how this precious parrot has in many ways become Erin’s confidant and best friend.

Which bird is the one birders want to see in the wild most in 2022? Bird Watching Magazine held a bracket contest to find out!

The Maryland Zoo has its very own artist in residence — Echo the African grey parrot. Parrots thrive when offered enrichment opportunities, which can include an assortment of toys, one-on-one interactions, foraging activities, trick training, and more. Echo’s go-to activity is painting!

The sky’s the limit for learning about birds in this Utah high school, where students have the opportunity to learn about birds and participate in their daily care. Take a look inside the school’s fledgling, one-of-its-kind aviary, and meet the teacher who hatched the plan to bring birds into students’ lives in this Lafeber exclusive.

Many of us know parrotlets as one of the smallest parrot species, often referred to as “pocket parrots” in the world of companion parrots. Recently, these tiny dynamos were used as inspiration behind an innovative drone — essentially a flying robot that can land and perch on a variety of surfaces just like a bird.

You can help the wild birds outside your home navigate the challenges of winter months by offering the basics: food, water, and a place to take shelter. Follow these tips to make the colder months easier for your feathered backyard guests.

The colorful and petite gang-gang cockatoo might soon be listed as a threatened species after Australia’s recent bushfire disasters further reduced the cockatoo’s population. To help counteract the gang-gang’s declining numbers, Australia’s Eurobodalla Shire Council is joining the effort to save them by building artificial breeding hollows to replace the natural sites lost in the region. Learn more about this parrot that is adored by locals and the push to save them.

Recent research in Australia shows that trash cans are more like large foraging toys to sulphur-crested cockatoos. When Richard Major of the Australian Museum happened up a cockatoo using its feet and beak to ply open a garbage can, he sent a video of the ‘toos’ feat to fellow scientists, which sparked an in-depth study to determine if genetics is the engine of this behavior, or if it is a learned process. The results were even more surprising than anyone could have imagined.