Contents
It’s always a treat to discover news stories revolving around the feathered kind, and there certainly some fascinating findings to share. Here’s a must-read compilation of “birds in the news.”
We who share our homes with parrots can see firsthand what research consistently points to – parrots are smart! Now science helps explain how parrots have set themselves apart from other birds. A new study of the blue-fronted Amazon parrot’s genome suggests that parrots are as genetically distant from other birds as humans are from other primates. In fact, one neuroscientist goes so far as to conclude that “parrots are [human’s] parallel in the avian world.” See how similar to the way humans evolved away from primates, parrots evolved away from other bird species.
Hiding In Trees Leads to Evolutionary Spark in Birds’ Shiny Feathers
Recent research links birds’ pretty feathers to their evolutionary move to roosting in trees. This fascinating article reveals that birds’ iridescent feathers evolved after they began to live in trees around 150 million years ago. In essence, trees afforded them refuge from predators and having that “evolutionary peace of mind,” evidently afforded birds the opportunity to develop pretty feathers to catch the eye of potential mates.
Laughter Contagious Among Parrots
Laughter can become contagious among people, and now research on New Zealand’s Kea parrot (the only parrot to inhabit mountainous regions) shows that these gregarious parrots also like to get in on a good chuckle. See how this makes Kea parrots the first non-mammals known to experience “contagious” merriment.
Humans Copied Birds to Make Drones; Now Birds Are Defending Their Airspace
Google “parrot” and your search engine will likely display results for a popular brand of camera drone; essentially a flying, remote controlled camera. Birds’ biomechanics helped inspire drone innovators, but there are also increasing incidents of birds clashing with drones. See how drone operators are meeting resistance from the birds who don’t wish to share their airspace.
It’s very hard to read your articles when you have categories, pictures and the list of authors, etc. stuck on oe side, covering up a lot of the article so I can’t read it.
Thank you for contacting us about this. The type of browser used can affect viewing quality. Use of Internet Explorer, for example, could cause the issues you describe. Our website is optimized for modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. I hope this helps!