Bird

Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Terrestrial / Life / Animal / Vertebrate / Bird
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bird : any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook

Encyclopedia

Birds, also known as Aves, are a group of endothermic vertebrates, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) ostrich. They rank as the world’s most numerically-successful class of tetrapods, with approximately ten thousand living species, more than half of these being passerines, sometimes known as perching birds. Birds have wings which are more or less developed depending on the species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which evolved from forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in flightless birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species of birds. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. — Wikipedia

Bird (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Bird Guide (All About Birds, The Cornell Lab)
Bird Finder (Ask a Biologist, Arizona State University)
Birds (SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment)

Birds (One Zoom)
Aves (Catalogue of Life)
Birds (WolframAlpha)

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Adventures

Explore related posts on Cosma …

Bird’s-Eye Views - Humans tend to interact with animals as if they see the world in pretty much the same way that we do. However, the more scientists study animal vision, the more they tell us that is just not the way that it is. Furthermore, what scientists know about animal vision goes way beyond the fact that … Continue reading Bird’s-Eye Views
Happy Week ‘o Nature! - This is a busy week for nature lovers! Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day, and Friday, April 24th is Arbor Day! Of course, the typical way to celebrate is to attend events and plant trees. My way of celebrating is to also update Cosma’s Nature pages. Done! Links to the updated pages are below. In … Continue reading Happy Week ‘o Nature!
Hummingbird Parties! - Sometimes a link to a story begs you to click on it. Here’s one that I couldn’t resist. Watch hummingbirds ‘dance’ through waterfalls (Lucy Hicks, Science Magazine) Sure enough, the story has an animation of a hummingbird ‘dancing’ in a waterfall. The research that the story described was a tad odd, but the clip was … Continue reading Hummingbird Parties!
Nutty Nature News - I’ve been updating the “nature” related pages on this site, so I’ve spent an abnormal amount of time perusing nature related sites for the last few weeks. Along the way I came across more than my fair share of odd nature stories. Many of them were viral, so you may have seen some of them … Continue reading Nutty Nature News
Penguin Playtime - Brrr, baby, it’s cold outside! Let’s embrace it, even celebrate it, by watching some penguins play for a few minutes! Here’s a 360° video of magellanic penguins sledding, right up until and after they knock the camera over and have a good laugh. Watch the video below in 360° on YouTube here! Wildlife Protection Solutions … Continue reading Penguin Playtime
Smart Crows - Note This content is not very elaborate as well as a bit dated, but it is important for historical purposes. It was the first adventure (a.k.a. Post) on this iteration of the Cosma website way back in September 15, 2016. Sometimes news just catches your eye. Here’s a video got me today — enjoy! Nature … Continue reading Smart Crows
Under the Ice - To paraphrase J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous words in The Lord of the Rings, “It’s a dangerous business, clicking on a link. You glance at a story, and if you don’t watch out, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” This week I innocently clicked on a link to this story from the American … Continue reading Under the Ice

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Inspiration

Note: This is a 360° video — press and hold to explore it!

Milwaukee County Zoo (YouTube Channel)
Milwaukee County Zoo (Official Website)

Aviary CAM (Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Birds Cams (Explore Live Nature Cams, YouTube Playlist)
Birds – Highlight Videos (Explore Live Nature Cams, YouTube Playlist)

Talks about Birds (TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)
Articles about Birds (Big Think)

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Innovation

Science

Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them. A wide range of tools and techniques are used in ornithology, both inside the laboratory and out in the field. Most biologists who consider themselves to be “Ornithologists” study specific categories, such as Anatomy, Taxonomy, or Ecology lifestyles and behaviors. — Wikipedia

Ornithology (Encyclopædia Britannica)

Introduction to Ornithology (Environmental Science)

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Preservation

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Participation

Education

Feed the Birds (OLogy, American Museum of Natural History)
Birdwatching with Theodore Roosevelt (OLogy, American Museum of Natural History)

Bird Migration (Science Trek)
Birds Above You (Biology4Kids)

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources

Community

Occupation

What is an Ornithologist? (Environmental Science)

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)

Organization

Ornithological Council
American Ornithological Society
National Audubon Society

Event

World Migratory Bird Day, October 12

News

Ornithology (American Ornithological Society)
Audubon Magazine (National Audubon Society)

Birds (EurekaAlert, American Association for the Advancement of Science)
Birds (bioRxiv: Preprint Server for Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Birds (JSTOR)
Birds (Science Daily)
Birds (Science News)
Birds (Phys.org)

More News …

Birds News -- ScienceDaily Bird news and research. From chickens to birds of prey, wing design to migration, read all the latest news on birds.

Scientists discover first new penguin species in...
on September 22, 2026 at 3:11 am
Genetic evidence has revealed a previously unknown gentoo penguin species on the remote Kerguelen Islands and shown that gentoos actually consist of four distinct species. The discovery also highlights a growing threat, as warming oceans could leave several island populations with little suitable habitat by 2050.
A 66-million-year-old tooth reveals T. rex was...
on September 20, 2026 at 5:56 am
Chemical clues preserved inside fossilized T. rex teeth reveal that the dinosaur maintained a body temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, almost identical to humans. The finding provides direct evidence that the giant predator was warm-blooded, helping explain how it stayed active and survived in chilly environments as far north as Alaska.
New chemical wipes out 95% of termites without...
on September 19, 2026 at 12:29 pm
A chemical that stops drywood termites from building new exoskeletons killed about 95% of colonies in testing, offering a potentially safer alternative to traditional fumigation. Because termites eventually have no choice but to molt, the treatment turns a normal stage of their life cycle into a fatal weakness.
The U.S. Eradicated this flesh-eating parasite....
on September 15, 2026 at 10:39 am
The flesh eating New World screwworm has returned to the United States, threatening livestock, wildlife, pets and potentially people as it spreads north. A new UC San Diego tracking system aims to predict where the parasite could strike next while officials revive the eradication strategy that defeated it decades ago.
Crocodiles are famous for finding their way home....
on September 14, 2026 at 1:46 pm
Captive-raised saltwater crocodiles released into Bangladesh’s Sundarbans surprised scientists by settling into the wild rather than trying to return to their breeding facility. The result suggests that releasing larger, mature captive crocodiles could help restore depleted populations more successfully than relying only on vulnerable hatchlings.

Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.

Critically endangered species in the heart of...
on September 25, 2026 at 9:20 pm
Slaughterhouses are places most people never want to go, and might seem like unlikely places to search for rare or endangered species. In West Africa, however, they are among the last places one can find a critically endangered species, the Hooded Vulture, which historically thrived as a human commensal species, living in close proximity to people and contributing to waste disposal.
New tools pinpoint where urban trees could...
on September 25, 2026 at 6:40 pm
Cities trying to cool sweltering streets often set broad tree canopy targets. But those targets can overlook the reality that not all shade is equally useful, and not every neighborhood has room for more trees.
Researchers track emerging pathogens at Arctic...
on September 25, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Every year, birds migrate north and gather in a single location in the Arctic, and a team of University of Kentucky researchers is collaborating with Alaska Native communities to study how diseases spread and evolve at this gathering before they reach human populations.
African elephants and medicinal plants: Possible...
on September 25, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Wild African elephants living in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya appear to seek out specific plants when unwell. Local experts also reported mothers administering plant-based "medicine" to their offspring.
Age, not feed additives, affects antimicrobial...
on September 25, 2026 at 2:20 pm
For many years, antibiotics have been added to animal feed to help control harmful bacteria and improve growth. But amid concerns about antibiotic resistance—when bacteria adapt to survive treatments that would normally kill them—poultry producers are trying alternatives, including probiotics, which contain helpful bacteria, and essential oils, which come from plants and may have antimicrobial properties. Researchers at Penn State have now found that feeding broiler chickens an antibiotic, […]