Birds began populating my own dreams. A great blue heron glided across the sky of my mind, slow and prehistoric, carrying the world on her back. A million sandhill cranes unspooled from the horizon, ...

Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say May 23, 20257:42 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By ...

Published: April 20, 2025 4:08pm EDT Bird beaks come in almost every shape and size – from the straw-like beak of a hummingbird to the slicing, knife-like beak of an eagle.

There are about 250 million starlings in the United States, and although it might seem like we're seeing them more frequently, their populations in Utah have stayed stable.

They found a surprisingly strong correlation. Using only information on beak shape and size, they were able to correctly predict broad nest material use in 60% of species, rising to 97% in some cases.

The poet W. S. Merwin wrote a lot about birds: birds singing, birds dying, birds “whirled in a rising cloud … dissolving, streamering out.” This poem, “Shore Birds,” was included in ...