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 …

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!
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. Wildlife Protection Solutions (YouTube Channel) Wildlife Protection Solutions (Facebook) Okay, truth be … 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

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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.

This blood-feeding fly sacrifices its sight after...
on June 2, 2026 at 12:26 pm
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A New York cemetery was hiding 5.5 million bees...
on May 28, 2026 at 8:29 am
A casual walk through an Ithaca cemetery led to the discovery of a gigantic hidden bee population — roughly 5.5 million ground-nesting bees packed beneath the soil. Scientists believe it may be one of the largest bee aggregations ever documented and say the insects are crucial pollinators for apple orchards and other crops. The bees have likely lived there for more than 100 years, thriving in the cemetery’s undisturbed sandy soil.
Humpback whale breaks migration record with...
on May 20, 2026 at 3:15 am
Scientists have uncovered an astonishing new chapter in humpback whale migration: two whales were found to have traveled between breeding grounds in Australia and Brazil, crossing more than 14,000 kilometers of open ocean. One whale shattered records by covering at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever documented for an individual humpback whale.
Paleontology rocked by discovery of organic...
on May 14, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence that dinosaur fossils may still contain traces of their original proteins, overturning a long-standing belief that fossilization destroys all organic material. In a remarkably well-preserved Edmontosaurus fossil from South Dakota, researchers detected remnants of collagen — the main protein found in bone — using advanced techniques including mass spectrometry and protein sequencing.
Mammal ancestors laid eggs, and this...
on April 14, 2026 at 2:20 pm
In the aftermath of Earth’s most catastrophic extinction event, one unlikely survivor rose to dominate a shattered world: Lystrosaurus. Now, a stunning fossil discovery—an ancient egg containing a curled-up embryo—has finally answered a decades-old mystery about whether mammal ancestors laid eggs. Using advanced imaging technology, scientists confirmed that these resilient creatures did reproduce this way, likely producing large, soft-shelled eggs packed with nutrients.

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.

Ancient altercations between musk turtles and...
on June 2, 2026 at 5:40 pm
Sometime between 5.5 and 5.6 million years ago, two shell crushers squared off in the languid currents of an ancient Florida river. The fossils they left behind, discovered by paleontologists at the Florida Museum of Natural History, reveal the identity of the combatants and the outcome of their encounter.
Antibiotic resistance turns up in Australian...
on June 2, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Research into a common environmental germ that can cause severe infections in people and animals has raised concern that horses are starting to develop antibiotic resistance towards it. The University of the Sunshine Coast study examined the prevalence of the bug P. aeruginosa in Australian wild birds, native wildlife, livestock and domestic animals.
Twilight hunt reveals falcon feasting on unusual...
on June 2, 2026 at 4:40 pm
Falcons are lauded for their speed and agility. The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), skilled at snagging birds and insects out of the air, is no exception. However, during twilight on one day in October, researcher Apostolos Christopoulos observed several hobbies feeding on something else in a protected wetland in Greece—bats from the genus Pipistrellus.
Bird masturbation appears natural across 120...
on June 2, 2026 at 4:20 pm
New research has found that masturbation among bird species, including parrots, is natural, despite prevailing assumptions that it is a harmful behavior in response to environmental factors.
Vultures on the rise: Study provides evidence of...
on June 2, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) may not be beautiful, but they are certainly adaptable. A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, titled "Turkey Vulture Aggregations at a Water Barrier Provide Evidence of Later Migration and Increasing Population Size Over 25 Years," suggests that turkey vultures in western North America are increasing in number and delaying their migration departure date.