A 24hr guard has been set up at a wetland centre in Western Britain to keep watch over a Crane's nest. In it is the first Crane egg laid in Britain in 400 years. Read about the story here
A rare Forest Wagtail has shown up in a twitcher's backyard in Alice Springs. It is the first time this species has been spotted on mainland Australia. Read about it here.
Paris has welcomed the hatching of the first clutch of Peregrine Falcon chicks in the capital in over 100 years. Read about the wonderful news that has conservationists jumping for joy here.
Australian researchers suggest that Aussie flowers are switching to scarlet hues through evolution because they are birds' favoured colours. Read all about the how and the why here.
Citizen scientist in the US are contributing to our understanding of the migration patterns of birds. Check out the amazing discoveries from eBird - a collaborative project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society.
Fairy-wrens are a pretty special species of bird. Recent research has shown that Superb fairy-wrens can identify the alarm calls of other birds, even when they haven't heard them before. Read more about this on Science Alert.
Research out of Mexico has uncovered the use of cigarette butts in the nests of urban birds. The chemicals in the cigarettes are thought to act as repellents to parasites that might harm nestlings. Read more about this interesting discovery here.
BirdLife Australia is looking for someone to provide environmental education activities and volunteer coordination at our Discovery Centre in Sydney Olympic Park, promoting BirdLife Australia objectives and maximising public support for the organisation.
Reporting to the Discovery Centre Manager, the postholder will be responsible for coordinating and delivering educational activities designed to engage both the general public of all ages and our volunteers in bird conservation. The postholder will also recruit, train and supervise volunteers at the Discovery Centre.
Our Superb Fairy-wrens are ingenious little creatures. New research has shown that, in an attempt to thwart Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoos (who lays their eggs in fairy-wren nests), the females have a particular note with a unique length and tone that the chicks must repeat in order to be fed. Read about how this amazing process works here.
Citizen scientists contribute enormously to our understanding of Australia's birdlife. Here at Birds in Backyards we certainly appreciate everyone who submits surveys to us. Read this article that shows just how important citizen science is.
Researchers at the University Of Sydney have shown how a rat's keen sense of smell and quick learning can be exploited to dramatically reduce their attacks on native birds.
Research from the University of Washington has showed remarkable insight into the ability of crows to recognise faces and their association with positive and negative experiences. Read all about it here.
Our Powerful Owl Project Officer, Dr. David Bain, comments in this article about the potential impacts that the latests spate of road fatalities may be having on the population of Powerful Owls on the north shore of Sydney: read the article here.
Researchers from the Australian National University and Oxford University have found that Blue Tits, Great Tits and Marsh Tits use social networking to find out about the best food sources. Read more here.
News.com.au features an article and photograph series showing a White-bellied Sea Eagle capturing a flying fox in the middle of the Cairns CBD. The story and images are here.
A 5 million year old fossil of a giant prehistoric bird has been discovered in Melbourne. The Pelagornis had a 5 metre wingspan and a serrated beak. read more about the discovery here.
According to Dr Richard Major, a research scientist at the Australian Museum (and member of the Birds in Backyards steering committee), about forty White-fronted Chats (Epthianura albifrons) would fit into a margarine tub.
Research by Liverpool John Moores University and The Royal Veterinary College has found that Gouldian finches have different personalities depending on the colour of their heads. Read more about this research here.
