Science, Tech, Math › Animals & Nature kengoh8888/Getty Images One of the six basic groups of animals —alongside reptiles, mammals, amphibians, fish, and protozoans—birds are characterized by their feather coats and (in most species) the ability to …

1. Put up a birdfeeder You can enjoy watching birds at your feeder year-round, or just in the winter when natural foods are tougher to find, especially with snow cover or very low temperatures. 2. Put up a birdhouse Depending on where you live, a birdhouse …

Hang feeders One simple way to attract rubythroats is to build or buy a hummingbird feeder and fill it with a nectar solution. Providing a complete diet in your feeder is not essential, because the birds will balance their diets on their own. Hang the …

Vultures play a crucial role in our ecosystem. As scavengers, they eat dead animals, removing them from roadsides and other areas. Vultures not only cut down on the number of rotten, smelly carcasses but also reduce the spread of diseases. Rapid Carcass …

As predators, owls play an important role in controlling mice, rats, and rabbits, which can become pests. In the process, they tend to select those easiest to catch — slower, weaker, or diseased — thus forging a healthier prey population. Because one …

Most people know a bird when they see one. It has feathers, wings and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. …

Birds eat insect pests that would otherwise decimate agricultural crops, gardens, and other vegetation. Birds eat 400–500 tons of insects  per year . Birds like crows and vultures scavenge carcasses, reducing the spread of diseases such as rabies and …

The wet winter of 2022-2023 followed more than two decades of drought in the Colorado River Basin. The snowmelt boosted system reservoirs by about 10 percent, an extremely fortunate turn of events. But the reality remains that system reservoirs are more …

When you hear a chorus of high-pitched see! notes overhead, expect a good time: A rambunctious flock of waxwings is on its way. Highly social birds that appear to have no sense of personal space, North America’s two waxwing species—Bohemian and Cedar—also …