Smithsonian Magazine on MSN

These Urban Birds Evolved Longer Beaks During Covid-19 Lockdowns. Then, They Changed Back

Researchers suspect that dark-eyed juncos living in Los Angeles adapted based on the availability of food scraps tossed by ...

The Songbird’s Beak Did a Full ‘Pinocchio’ During and After Covid

With no humans to leave behind scraps, this urban bird evolved and developed a longer beak, which shrank again once people ...
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The Sword-billed Hummingbird: The Only Bird With a Beak Longer Than Its Body

Sometimes nature surprises us with extraordinary products of evolution. One prime example is the extraordinary sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera). These relatively small birds have carved a ...
The Conversation

Hard bites and slow songs: How beak size affects the singing and evolution of songbirds

Maja Mielke has received funding from FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek). The Java sparrow is ready for the video recording. As I hold it carefully in my hand in order to transfer it to the ...
The Conversation

Shrinking wings, bigger beaks: birds are reshaping themselves in a warming world

Sara Ryding does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...
Discover Wildlife

Crushing bone, spearing fish, tearing flesh... These are the 6 deadliest bird beaks on the planet and they are highly effective lethal weapons

The southern cassowary ( Casuarius casuarius) is one of the most dangerous birds on Earth, and while its powerful legs and ...
Scientific American

For the Birds: Best-Adapted Beaks

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