Birds

"They can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone." 11 bonkers, rule-breaking birds that can't fly
There are some birds that can't take to the sky, despite having wings. Discover 10 curious and wonderful birds that have lost the ability to fly

“The ejaculation helmet was born.” Researchers built a “hat of condoms” in bid to save world’s heaviest parrot
A YouTube video of Sirocco the kākāpō attempting to mate with a human's head has been viewed millions of times – but he's since become a global icon representing New Zealand's endangered species

“At the height of the breeding season, the males perform this routine in sessions lasting three or four hours.”
The courtship displays of this game bird bring a flurry of flamboyance to its monotonous prairie home
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Ginormous king penguin colony filmed on remote Atlantic island. The sound of it is ear-splitting
Listen to the remarkable sound of thousands of penguins calling to each other in South Georgia.

"It has huge back legs armed with dagger-like claws that can reach 12cm long." 10 bonkers birds that break the rules of nature
Discover the extraordinary birds that defy nature’s norms.

“Viewers have been absolutely hooked.” Over 100,000 tune in to watch rare New Zealand parrot raising her chicks
Reality TV meets conservation – Kākāpō Cam is the most heartwarming thing you'll see all day.

It weighs as much as a piano and is nearly as tall as a basketball hoop: The 10 biggest, heaviest birds on the planet
You wouldn’t want to find these beasts at your bird feeder…

It builds skyscraper cities full of cosy, egg-shaped hammocks 30 metres above the ground
If Coco Chanel gave the common blackbird a makeover, the result would be the oropendola. With a minimalist colour palette and an occasional pop of colour, these mid-sized birds ooze chic simplicity.

“Our guide told us there was a bear cave 300m away. We didn’t take him seriously. It was a miracle we survived”
Boris Belchev on birds, batteries and battling bears with pop music

“At first, we were puzzled.” Scientists track 69 ravens through Yellowstone – and make remarkable discovery
The researchers wanted to find out exactly how ravens find wolf kills in the US national park.

Fiery eyes, fluffy 'horns' and a strange hoot – meet one of Britain's most mysterious predators
Long-eared owls are one of the most secretive birds in Britain.

Researchers in Oxford have been studying great tits for 75 years. They discovered something odd (and human-like) about their song
As part of the long-running Wytham Wood research project, great tits and blue tits are being studied

Why don’t baby birds make less noise to avoid attracting predators?
To be honest making a noise isn't always the best strategy for staying alive...

The 'Great Texas Freeze' killed thousands of beloved songbirds. Scientists are worried about what might happen next
North America’s largest swallow, the purple martin, was hit hard by winter storms in 2021. With erratic weather events becoming more common, experts are concerned about the bird's long-term survival.

Birdwatching may slow ageing of the brain, say neuroscientists
Learning to identify birds could be beneficial for cognition as people get older, according to a new study.

It has a bizarre beak, is twice as heavy as a robin and uses animal hair to make its nest
Meet the common crossbill, the chunky finch with a taste for pine cones.

It has a bandit mask and punk-rocker crest – and can eat a whopping 1,000 berries a day
Meet the waxwing – the exotic-looking bird with a penchant for berries.

It's made from 1,500 tiny white feathers, bound together with spider silk and takes up to 3 weeks to construct
When it comes to intricacy, few animal nests can compete with those constructed by long-tailed tits. This is how they make them

These giants were planted by the Victorians. Now little birds sleep inside them
It’s easy to see how the treecreeper got its name…

Impaling on spikes, water bombing and stabbing – birds are more brutal than you realised. Here's 5 gruesome techniques they use to kill
Discover the brutal techniques used by some British birds to catch their prey - from impaling on spikes through to stabbing

7 astonishing underwater kingfisher photos that show the beautiful bird is just as at home below the surface as above it
These remarkable photographs show how a kingfisher dives and the ingenious way it is adapted for underwater

Forget gender wars! These bizarre birds have had equality sorted for some 44 million years - watch them in action
These ground-loving birds mate for life and work together to protect their young

Power and majesty of bald eagles revealed in 16 staggering photos
Spectacular images of bald eagles – from the snowy mountains of Alaska to the dramatic inlets of the Canadian coast.

“Like being in the middle of a snow globe.” Thousands of noisy white birds are flooding into Pennsylvania, Missouri and Maryland
A whiteout of wings and a riotous racket signal the departure, or arrival, of these beautiful birds
