Bird News Roundup

From National Audubon, a live Osprey nest-cam: http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/live-osprey-cam
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T. rex has another fine, feathered cousin
A trio of fossils from China may tip the scales on dinosaurs’ public image.
From Science News Online – 5/5/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339679/title/T._rex_has_another_fine%2C_feathered_cousin
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Pigeon navigation finding called off-course
Iron-containing cells that had been reported in beaks look mostly like immune system components, a new study finds.
From Science News Online – 5/19/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/339890/title/Pigeon_navigation_finding_called_off-course
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Albatross forage with fractal-like flight
New data offer support for a modified mathematical pattern in birds’ hunting behavior.
From Science News Online – 6/2/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340221/title/Albatross_forage_with_fractal-like_flight_
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Better bird nesting also good for giant manta rays
Disrupting tree canopies on a Pacific atoll discourages big fish off shore through a long chain of ecological consequences.
From Science News Online – 6/2/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340803/title/Better_bird_nesting_also_good_for_giant_manta_rays
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Egg wars
Birds engage in evolutionary arms race
From Science News Online – 6/2/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340827/title/Egg_wars
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Ancient birds wiped out huge insects
Competition in the air trumped the advantage of extra atmospheric oxygen.
From Science News Online – 6/4/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341275/title/Ancient_birds_wiped_out_huge_insects
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Chicks do worse in noisy nests
Baby bluebirds, and their parents, appear to have trouble communicating over the racket made by nearby humans.
From Science News Online – 6/15/12
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341554/title/Chicks_do_worse_in_noisy_nests
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[Chuck Almdale]