Animals often have preferences: dog lovers can tell you their pet’s favorite toy, or place to sleep, for example. In the bird ...

We like to think that animals follow the crowd. If most of the group does something, surely the individual will copy. But what if the story is more complicated? What if the deciding factor isn't just ...

As winter lingers, lengthening days awaken red-bellied woodpeckers to song, rivalry and romance, offering a hopeful, lively ...

Video demonstrating vocal learning by juvenile zebra finches. A baby’s babbling may sound like nonsense, but it’s actually an extended act of trial-and-error ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. A pigment that colors feathers and hair orange helps prevent ...

A pigment that makes feathers and hair orange helps prevent cellular damage by removing excess cysteine from cells. Pheomelanin is an orange-to-red pigment that is built with the amino acid cysteine ...

Rachel Carson’s landmark 1962 environmental science book Silent Spring was an investigation of the environmental harm caused by the use of the synthetic pesticide DDT. The book took its title from the ...

Dawn is beckoned by choruses of birds all around the world, but we still don't understand why our avian neighbours insist on such a morning ruckus. A new study, yet to be peer reviewed, explores this ...

Revised: This Reviewed Preprint has been revised by the authors in response to the previous round of peer review; the eLife assessment and the public reviews have been updated where necessary by the ...