Birds

From ancient times until today, people have been captivated by these iconic, mysterious birds. What is it about owls that makes them the enduring subject of myth and superstition?

By Jesslyn Shields, Nicole Antonio & Sascha Bos

Starlings are short and thick, with dark feathers and long, pointy bills. Collectively, however, they transform into something else entirely.

By John Donovan

The parrots of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco are legendary, but how did they get there?

By Jesslyn Shields

There's a lot of conversation around what we should be feeding our backyard hummingbird visitors, so we threw the question, along with others, to an expert.

By Jamie Allen

The smallest owls in the world have mad survival skills, like killing poisonous scorpions and playing dead.

By Loraine Fick

Berries are a great food source for birds, but this diet can backfire when the fruit starts to ferment.

By Jesslyn Shields

With the fall migration season for birds just around the corner, we took another look at how to prevent birds from colliding with windows.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

A French theme park has trained a crew of six rooks to pick up after its messy guests.

By Jesslyn Shields

What benefit does one bird get from copying another bird's calls?

By Mark Mancini

It's easy to mistake a crow for a raven or vice versa. But the two birds are actually pretty different.

By Mark Mancini

Spontaneous sex reversal in chickens is pretty rare, but it does happen. Find out how Miss Lucille became Mr. Lucille.

By Alia Hoyt & Talon Homer

Most of the scientific attention to birdsong has been paid to the male of the species. But many female birds sing too — and scientists are starting to understand how important it is to study them as well.

By Alia Hoyt

Does your parakeet understand the cardinal chirping outside its window? Can a pigeon's noises mean anything to a crow? Yes, it can.

By Mark Mancini

Thanks to new technology, researchers have discovered that the common swift flies 10 months a year without landing, setting a world record for uninterrupted time aloft.

By Jesslyn Shields & Mack Hayden

Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate annually from the U.S. all the way to Central America. How often would one need to stop? A new study reveals amazing abilities.

By Christopher Hassiotis & Zach Taras

When a friend decides to ignore their problems, you might liken them to an ostrich. But ostriches are much more likely to face a problem head-on than hide it in the sand.

By Bambi Turner

Nature can be a pretty cruel place. Out in the wild, it's either kill or be killed. But in the spirit of self-preservation, will a mama bird really abandon its young at the slightest sign of human interference? Let's check the facts.

By Kate Kershner

Read the greatest stories of the pigeons who have served as invaluable to people who need to send important messages over long distances.

Check out our list of the most common myths about pigeons, and perhaps you'll learn a thing or two about our familiar feathered friends!

By Colleen Cancio

Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk species in North America. These massive birds are known to mate for life, and, despite their name, to have feathers in a variety of colors.

By Wendy Bowman

Whichever came first, the chicken or the egg, you want to know how to collect the eggs from a chicken. This article will tell you how to collect eggs from a chicken.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You are an avid birdwatcher and would like to know how to identify birds. This article will tell you all about how to identify birds.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Many animals have defense mechanisms to ward off enemies. If you think it’s a good idea to frighten a vulture, be ready for the smell of rotting flesh and acid-like burns.

By Cristen Conger

Did you know that it's the possession of feathers, not the ability to fly, that distinguishes birds from other animals? Take a view of these bird pictures to see how many you recognize.

By Marie Bobel

Geese don't exchange vows or rings, but they do search for their lifelong mate. However, are geese really faithful, or do they take a gander at the opposite sex?

By Jennifer Horton