Citizen scientists play a big role in the study of birds. We ask why?

In response to a mammoth report on the health of America’s birds, The Why Files is working on a new feature about the status of our birds, for our April 2 edition. The report, from the U.S. Department of the Interior , working with conservation groups, highlights the desperate condition of birds in Hawaii. Grassland [...]

The essential skills of bird migration are orientation — knowing north from south, and east from west — and navigation, having some sort of “map” to establish the location you’re aiming for, says Stanley Temple, emeritus professor of conservation.
Birds usually orient themselves by observing the sun and the stars – although some can also sense [...]

Migration of songbirds, butterflies, turtles and seals. Where does the natural urge to move originate?

Conventional wisdom says species form faster in the biodiverse tropics. But a new study shows fast speciation and extinction at the poles. Why didn’t we think up this study?

The gawky walk of a bird: The head is still, then it lunges forward. A new study tells why. (Hint: It’s not just to look funny.)

Sexual motivation for birdsong involves hormones, the medial preoptic brain area and environment in European starlings.