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Super photos of Ants | NY Times
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Elizabeth Galton]
Click the photo/text below to link to the article.
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Ants are a lot of things. They’re nearly everywhere you look. They’re abundant — at least 20 quadrillion at last estimate. Some wreak havoc. Some are just weird. And many are crucial to the health of their environments.
“They have interesting social structures and complex societies,” added Evan Economo, a biodiversity scientist at the University of Maryland.
And now, in a study published on Thursday in the journal Nature Methods, ants are the stars of a stunning parade of high-resolution 3-D images made by Dr. Economo and his colleagues. The scans reveal the insects’ diverse bodies, inside and out, in exquisite anatomical detail. The entomological catwalk is also available for free at antscan.info.
Bird species loss decline speeds up | NY Times
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lucien Plauzoles]
Click the photo/text box below for the link.
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Birds in the United States are not only declining, but they are declining faster, especially in areas with intensive agriculture, according to new research. Overall drops in bird population, measured from 1987 to 2021, were sharpest in warm and warming areas, suggesting that climate change may play a role. The study, published on Thursday in the journal Science, shows only correlation with intensive agriculture and temperature, not causation. It does not factor in other circumstances that may be affecting birds along migratory routes or while they are overwintering. But it adds to an ever more robust body of evidence that birds — one of the best measured families of animals on Earth, and a sentinel for the health of other species — are not OK.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, suggested by Lillian Johnson]
Prehistoric bird once thought extinct returns to New Zealand wild.
Return of takahē – large, flightless bird – to alpine slopes of the South Island marks a conservation victory in New Zealand
By Tess McClure, 28 Aug 2023
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Tā Tipene O’Regan, 87 years old, leaned into his carved walking stick and reached down to a large wooden box. He paused a second, then slowly lifted the lid. Out shot the hefty body of a bright turquoise bird, legs windmilling, launching from its cage like a football from a slingshot.
“I am now largely blind, but I still saw them,” O’Regan says: a flash of blue feathers and bright red legs racing for the tussocks.
Kingfisher under water | BBC Discover
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lillian Johnson]
7 astonishing underwater kingfisher photos that show the beautiful bird is just as at home below the surface as above it
These remarkable photographs show how a kingfisher dives and the ingenious way it is adapted for underwater
by Daise Bowie-Sell, 27 Feb 2026
Click the link to the article.
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/kingfishers-underwater-photos
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The common kingfisher, or Alcedo atthis, is an iconic sight on the riverbanks and wetlands of the UK. Azure blue with an orange and white sheen, they offer a fast moving streak of colour among reeds and waterways. But despite their distinct look, they can be tricky to spot.
Condors lay egg (maybe) in NoCal | Smithsonian
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lillian Johnson]
These California Condors Might Be Tending to the Species’ First Egg in the State’s Northern Region in More Than a Century
Experts haven’t confirmed the existence of an egg, but the nesting birds’ behaviors suggest one was laid in early February.
By Sarah Kuta, 4 Mar 2026
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Wildlife biologists in far Northern California are beaming with cautious pride, as a pair of California condors appears to be tending to the region’s first wild egg in more than a century. Scientists haven’t been able to confirm the egg, but the behavior of the bird couple suggests they’re taking turns with incubation duties—a welcome bright spot for the critrically endangered creatures.
