Wild Sparrow Study Traces Social Behaviors in the Field to Specific Gene

Jan. 14, 2014 — A unique study of the white-throated sparrow has identified a biological pathway connecting variation in the birds' aggression and parenting behaviors in the wild to variation in their genome.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is publishing the results of the experiments, conducted by the lab of neuroscientist Donna Maney in Emory's Department of Psychology.

The research, which comprised behavioral observations of the study subjects in the field and laboratory analyses of their gene expression in the brain, showed that variation in the expression of the estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha) gene strongly predicts the birds' behavior.

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Squatting Owls Eavesdrop On Prairie Dogs

Cat Ferguson, ISNS Contributor | January 17, 2014 01:52am ET

(ISNS) -- The term "keystone species" was made for prairie dogs. These charismatic critters build vast underground towns across the plains, creating housing for themselves and many other animals. One of the squatters is the Western burrowing owl, a tiny insectivore that makes its home on the outskirts of prairie dog colonies.

New research suggests that the owls don't just gain a free home from the prairie dogs, but they also eavesdrop on the prairie dogs' sophisticated alarm calls, which scientists have described as a rudimentary form of grammar. The owls, less than a foot high, sneak tips about lurking predators from their highly vocal housemates, according to a study in next month’s Ethology. 

Burrowing owls tend to seek out active prairie dog colonies in Colorado, where the study was conducted.

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New Bird Species Recorded on Cocos Island

The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – The magic of Isla del Coco National Park never stops and the Ornithological Association of Costa Rica has recently discovered a number of new bird species to add to the list of records maintained in this sector.

Among the species found is a new type of heron called the Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens), the Kelp Gull, and the bird Empidonax minimus , known as Chebec. According Geiner Golfín, administrator of the national park, these findings were generated in the last two months.

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Wildlife protection: LHC issues notice to federal govt on hunting of birds

LAHORE: 

The Lahore High Court summoned experts from the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the International Union for Conservation of Nature with regard to the safety of migratory birds in Pakistan. The court also issued a notice to the federal government.

The court issued the order on a petition stating that every December millions of birds migrating to Pakistan were hunted in violation of international conventions. The petitioner said the government had issued 25 licences for hunting these birds.

He said wildlife experts had stated that the number of birds migrating to the Punjab had decreased by at least 70 per cent.

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Swanning across the road: Bird gets lost and halts morning traffic on The Mall

A lone swan which wandered on to The Mall caused delays for morning commuters today.

The bird was pictured on the busy central London road outside the Cabinet Office after it blocked cars heading southbound.

It was later rescued and taken back to a nearby park.

The image was posted on an official Transport for London (TfL) Twitter account with the caption: "Supervisor to the rescue, here's the swan from The Mall. Good news is that he's been moved back into the park now."

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Nature network hope for birds threatened by climate change

New research led by the British Trust for Ornithology and involving a University of York academic provides strong evidence that internationally important British bird populations are being affected by climate change, which could threaten their long-term conservation status.

The existing network of special sites, the nature reserves that are protected and managed for these species, will continue to be important for many of the same species in the future.

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Safe haven for rare parrots doubles in size

A coalition of conservationists has bought nearly 15,000 acres of land in Bolivia, more than doubling a key habitat for the critically endangered blue-throated macaw.

The blue-throated macaw is one of the most endangered birds on Earth, down to an estimated 120 survivors in the wild. Any new refuge for such a rare bird is a welcome surprise, but this brightly colored Bolivian parrot just hit the conservation jackpot.

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