For pigeons, follow the leader is a matter of speed

Many birds travel in flocks, sometimes migrating over thousands of miles. But how do the birds decide who will lead the way? Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 25 now have some new insight based on studies in homing pigeons. For pigeons, it seems, leadership is largely a question of speed.

"This changes our understanding of how the flocks are structured and why flocks of this species have consistent leadership hierarchies," says Dora Biro of the University of Oxford.

Lees meer: ScienceDaily

Birds Use Nanostructures To Prevent Graying With Age

Going gray is something most people worry about at some point in their lives. Curiously, birds do not share the same problem, as their plumage always remains a vibrant collage of colors until they die. Scientists have now discovered how this is possible, at least in terms of the Eurasian Jay: It generates its patterns by manipulating the growth of many tiny structures on its feathers, instead of using dyes or pigments that would fade over time. The new findings are published today in the journal Scientific Reports.

Lees meer: IFL Science

Gulls follow ducks for dinner

Gulls in central Europe have learned to follow diving ducks to take the bottom-dwelling mussels that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.

Gulls are well known as one of the most adaptable groups of birds, able to exploit a wide variety of food resources and respond to new opportunities, and a new study in American journal The Auk documents this previously unrecognised behaviour in Herring Gulls and Common Gulls on a brackish lagoon on the border between Germany and Poland.

Lees meer: Birdwatch

Cuckoo sheds new light on the scientific mystery of bird migration

The cuckoo is not only capable of finding its way from unknown locations; it does this through a highly complex individual decision making process. Such skills have never before been documented in migratory birds. A new study shows that navigation in migratory birds is even more complex than previously assumed. The Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen led the study with the use of miniature satellite tracking technology.

In an experiment, 11 adult cuckoos were relocated from Denmark to Spain just before their winter migration to Africa was about to begin. When the birds were released more than 1,000 km away from their well-known migration route, they navigated towards the different stopover areas used along their normal route.

Lees meer: ScienceDaily