According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), customers first noticed what appeared to be “something extremely lifelike” on one of the store’s shelves on February 21. Store staff were alerted, prompting a call to conservation officers.

When officers arrived, they found a brown-and-white eastern screech owl perched peacefully with its eyes closed. The owl, a nocturnal species known for nesting in tree cavities, appeared to be taking an unbothered nap. Officers carefully removed the bird from the store and released it into a nearby wooded area, where it immediately flew to a tree.

Uncommon Indoor Visitor

Eastern screech owls are small, elusive birds rarely seen during the day. They are primarily active at night, making the daytime appearance in a retail space particularly unusual. The DEC did not immediately determine how the owl had entered the store, and an email was sent to the shop’s owners seeking clarification.

While such indoor visits are uncommon, wildlife experts note that eastern screech owls may occasionally explore human structures while hunting or seeking shelter. The DEC emphasized that the bird was unharmed and successfully returned to its natural habitat.

Community Reaction

Local residents shared their surprise and delight at the sighting. Social media posts featuring the story highlighted the owl’s calm demeanor and the rare chance to observe a typically nocturnal species up close. “It was like something out of a storybook,” one resident told a regional news outlet.

The incident underscores the occasional intersection of wildlife and human spaces in rural and suburban areas. DEC officers reminded residents that while such encounters are rare, they can provide valuable opportunities to learn about local species and the importance of coexisting with wildlife.

Source: AP News – Sleepy owl found resting among items on a New York antique store shelf

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On the Great Plains, the prairie dog plays an unexpected role: neighborhood watch.

These chubby little mammals aren’t just digging burrows and nibbling grass — they’re also sounding the alarm whenever danger is near. And it turns out, they’re not just helping each other. A grassland bird, the long-billed curlew, has learned to eavesdrop on prairie dog warnings to dodge predators more effectively, according to a new study published in Animal Behaviour.

Nature’s Alarm System

“Prairie dogs are on the menu for just about every predator you can think of — golden eagles, hawks, foxes, badgers, even large snakes,” said Andy Boyce, a research ecologist with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Those predators don’t discriminate. Ground-nesting birds like the long-billed curlew are also fair game. So curlews have developed a clever strategy: they listen in on prairie dog alarm calls.

Prairie dogs live in massive underground colonies and bark out different alerts depending on the threat — whether it’s swooping from above or stalking through the grass. These calls are loud enough to carry over long distances.

“When they hear those warning barks, curlews respond by crouching low, pressing their heads, beaks, and bellies to the ground,” explained study co-author Andrew Dreelin, also of the Smithsonian. “In that posture, their camouflage makes them almost invisible.”

A Clever Experiment

To test this behavior, researchers got creative. They mounted a taxidermied badger — a known curlew predator — on a remote-controlled vehicle and drove it toward nesting sites in the short-grass prairie of north-central Montana. Sometimes, they played recordings of prairie dog alarm calls. Other times, the mechanical badger rolled in silently.

The difference was striking.

When prairie dog barks were played, curlews ducked down much earlier — when the predator was still about 160 feet (49 meters) away. Without the audio cue, they didn’t react until the badger was only 52 feet (16 meters) from their nests.

“You have a much higher chance of avoiding predation if you go into that cryptic posture sooner,” said co-author Holly Jones, a conservation biologist at Northern Illinois University. “And the birds do — when they hear prairie dogs barking.”

More Than Just Burrowers

Scientists have long known that birds eavesdrop on each other’s calls, especially for tips on food or danger. But examples of birds picking up cues from mammals? Those are far rarer.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s rare in nature,” said Emily Williams, an ornithologist at Georgetown University who wasn’t involved in the study. “It just means we haven’t studied it much yet.”

Beyond their role as “ecosystem engineers” — shaping grasslands with their burrows and grazing habits — prairie dogs are now being seen as critical information broadcasters within their environment.

“They’re not just changing the landscape,” said Jones. “They’re shaping how other animals behave by spreading information.”

Source: AP News – A grassland bird eavesdrops on prairie dog calls to keep itself safe from predators

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Australians are known for their fearless nature—after all, they share their country with venomous snakes, deadly spiders, and even the mythical drop bear. But there’s one creature that manages to strike fear into even the toughest Aussies: the cassowary.

Meet the Cassowary: A Living Dinosaur

The cassowary isn’t just any bird—it’s one of the largest and most dangerous birds in the world. With its towering height, glossy black feathers, piercing eyes, and a dagger-like claw on each foot, the cassowary looks like a relic from prehistoric times.

“There’s just something primeval about them,” says Andrew Mack, a researcher who spent years studying cassowaries in Papua New Guinea. “They look like living dinosaurs.”

Cassowaries belong to the ratite family, making them flightless, like their more famous cousin, the emu. However, unlike emus—which are a national symbol—cassowaries are far more elusive, preferring to stay deep within Australia’s rainforests.

Why Are Cassowaries Feared?

Cassowaries have earned the title of “the world’s most dangerous bird” due to their powerful legs and sharp claws, which can grow up to 5 inches long. When threatened, they are capable of delivering a swift and deadly kick, potentially disemboweling their opponent.

Despite their fearsome reputation, cassowaries are critical to the ecosystem. As the world’s largest fruit-eaters, they help rainforests thrive by spreading seeds through their droppings. They are also one of the rare species where males take care of the young, incubating the eggs and raising the chicks.

Interestingly, most aggressive cassowary encounters happen when people get too close to their chicks or when humans feed them, leading the birds to associate people with food.

How to Be ‘Cass-o-wary’

A viral video from Queensland recently showed a woman trying to protect her McDonald’s burger from a hungry cassowary. While it might seem funny, encounters like these can be risky.

Peter Rowles, founder of the Community for Coastal & Cassowary Conservation (C4), offers key survival tips if you ever run into a cassowary:

Stay calm – Don’t scream, wave your arms, or make sudden movements.
Put your hands behind your back – This makes you seem less interesting to the bird.
Move behind a tree – It acts as a barrier between you and the cassowary.
Hide your food – If you’re holding food, tuck it away instead of dropping it.

“It’s better to be boring than to be seen as a potential food source,” Rowles advises.

Running away isn’t a great option either—cassowaries, like their ostrich and emu relatives, can run as fast as a human.

A 2001 study in the Journal of Zoology found that 75% of cassowary attacks on humans were due to people feeding them. This changes their natural behavior, making them bolder and more aggressive.

In fact, the only recorded fatal cassowary attack occurred when a person tried to kill the bird.

Cassowaries and Their Strange Behaviors

Cassowaries can be unpredictable. In Mission Beach, a seaside town near their rainforest habitat, people have learned to adapt to their quirks:

Avoid black or dark blue cars – Cassowaries sometimes attack their own reflection, thinking it’s a rival.
Cover mirrors and windows – Birds have been known to charge at their reflection in glass.
Statue drama – When C4 placed a statue of a cassowary outside their office, a female cassowary tried to “court” it. After days of being ignored, she decided it was a rival and violently attacked it, leaving the fiberglass statue in ruins.

Final Thoughts

Though feared, cassowaries are a vital part of Australia’s ecosystem. Their striking appearance, mysterious behaviors, and potential danger make them both fascinating and intimidating.

If you ever find yourself in cassowary territory, remember: stay calm, stay quiet, and keep your food out of sight—unless you want to end up on the wrong side of “the world’s most dangerous bird.”

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Birds-of-paradise are known for their dazzling colors, but new research reveals they have an even more extraordinary trait—hidden color signals invisible to the human eye. Scientists have discovered that these birds emit biofluorescent hues under ultraviolet (UV) and blue light, adding a new layer to their already spectacular displays.

A Hidden Glow in Nature

While many birds, like parrots and peacocks, are famous for their vibrant colors, birds-of-paradise take it to the next level. A study published in Royal Society Open Science on February 12 found that these birds’ plumage and body parts glow in bright green and yellow-green under UV and blue light.

This effect, known as biofluorescence, occurs when certain materials absorb high-energy light, such as UV or violet, and then emit it at a lower energy wavelength. Unlike bioluminescence—where organisms produce their own light through a chemical reaction—biofluorescence depends on external light sources.

Scientists observed biofluorescence in 37 out of 45 known species of birds-of-paradise, which are native to Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, and parts of Australia. These fluorescent signals might play a crucial role in attracting mates or settling territorial disputes, researchers suggest.

Bird Vision: Seeing Beyond Human Limits

Birds have exceptional color vision, and many species—like pigeons, ducks, and geese—can see UV light. While little is known about birds-of-paradise specifically, their close relatives (such as crows, magpies, and fantails) have vision sensitive to violet wavelengths.

For these birds, the fluorescent markings would shine like beacons, making them highly visible to potential mates or rivals. Dr. Jennifer Lamb, an expert in biofluorescence at St. Cloud State University, explains why this discovery is so significant:

“Biofluorescence is a visual signal, yet it has been relatively understudied because it’s something human eyes simply can’t perceive.”

A Surprising Discovery in a Museum

The breakthrough came when Dr. John Sparks, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), decided to explore whether birds-of-paradise had biofluorescence. Sparks, who had previously discovered biofluorescence in fish, suspected the trait might exist in birds as well.

His hunch was confirmed when he shone blue light on bird specimens from AMNH’s collection—revealing fluorescent traces. However, it wasn’t until Dr. Rene Martin, a postdoctoral researcher, joined the team in 2023 that the study expanded.

Armed with high-powered blue and UV flashlights, Martin and her colleagues meticulously examined the museum’s bird specimens. Wearing special goggles to filter out the blue light, they found fluorescent patterns across various body parts, including bellies, chests, heads, necks, and even inside the birds’ mouths.

“Oftentimes, the fluorescent areas were bordered by ultra-black feathers, which absorb light and create a dramatic contrast,” Martin said. “Interestingly, birds-of-paradise that didn’t exhibit fluorescence also lacked these ultra-black feathers.”

Why Do Birds-of-Paradise Glow?

Biofluorescence has been documented in only a few bird groups, including auks, bustards, owls, nightjars, parrots, penguins, and puffins. But researchers still don’t fully understand why birds use this trait.

For parrots and birds-of-paradise, the leading theory is that it enhances communication and courtship displays. However, in other birds, scientists aren’t sure if biofluorescence serves a purpose or is simply a byproduct of feather structure.

Martin explains:

“It could be something that evolved as a useful protein for feather structure that just happens to biofluoresce.”

The Bigger Picture: Biofluorescence Across the Animal Kingdom

Biofluorescence isn’t unique to birds. Scientists have found it in fish, salamanders, sea turtles, marsupials, and even mammals. The discovery of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise suggests this trait may be more widespread than previously thought.

Dr. Lamb believes studying biofluorescence is crucial for understanding how species communicate and evolve:

“This research helps us see how different animals develop unique survival strategies.”

Beyond nature, biofluorescence has practical applications. Green fluorescent protein, first discovered in jellyfish, is now widely used in medical research to track cell development, study cancers, and monitor disease progression.

“If biofluorescence appears all over the tree of life, it likely has important biological functions,” Martin said. “For birds-of-paradise, it could be signaling. For other species, it might aid in camouflage. Either way, it’s another incredible tool that evolution has provided.”

A New Perspective on Nature’s Hidden Beauty

The discovery of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise opens new avenues for understanding avian communication. While humans can’t see these secret signals, birds likely perceive them as vividly as we see neon signs at night.

As scientists continue to explore this phenomenon, one thing is clear: nature still has countless surprises waiting to be uncovered.

Source

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Could bird poop hold the secret to preventing the next flu pandemic? Researchers believe it might, and they’re looking to a unique ecosystem in Delaware Bay to find answers.

The Spring Migration: A Crucial Moment for Science

Each spring, Delaware Bay becomes a hub of activity. First, horseshoe crabs emerge from the waters, laying their eggs under the full moon in May. Soon after, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds flock to feast on these eggs, gaining essential nutrients before continuing their long migration from South America to the Arctic. This natural spectacle is not only a marvel of nature but a goldmine for scientists tracking the spread of flu viruses.

Amid growing concerns over the spread of the H5N1 avian flu virus in the U.S., this year’s research has become more urgent. The flu has already devastated poultry flocks and dairy cattle, raising fears of a larger outbreak.

Collecting Bird Poop: A Vital Task

For almost 40 years, Dr. Robert Webster, a virologist from New Zealand, and his team have been collecting bird poop (or guano) from Delaware Bay. Why? Because bird droppings are teeming with viruses, including flu strains. In fact, nearly every known influenza subtype, except for two, has been found in birds. This discovery helped Dr. Webster realize that flu viruses don’t just replicate in a bird’s respiratory system—they also multiply in their intestinal tract and are spread through their droppings, often ending up in water sources.

When Dr. Webster first visited Delaware Bay in 1985, his team found that 20% of the bird poop samples they collected contained influenza viruses. They quickly realized that the region was an ideal place to study how flu viruses travel along the Atlantic flyway, the migratory path that stretches from South America to the Arctic.

Tracking Viruses: A Long-Running Study

The project, now led by Dr. Richard Webby at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has become one of the longest-running influenza studies of bird populations in the world. Webby and his team work closely with the World Health Organization to monitor the ecology of influenza in animals.

Predicting pandemics, Webby says, is similar to predicting tornadoes. “To predict the bad things, whether it’s a tornado or a pandemic, you have to understand what’s normal,” Webby explains. “From there, we can detect changes—whether the virus switches hosts or if something else triggers the transition.”

H5N1: The Emerging Threat

The U.S. is currently facing a concerning transition with the H5N1 virus. Initially limited to birds, H5N1 has spread to dairy cattle in Texas, marking the first time this flu strain has infected cows. Though the virus can infect humans, it has not been able to spread from person to person, largely due to differences in the cells affected by the virus in humans and birds.

However, experts are closely watching for any genetic mutations that could allow H5N1 to infect humans more easily. A study published in Science recently showed that a single mutation could allow the virus to target human lung cells, raising the stakes for monitoring its spread.

Collecting the Samples

The research team recently returned to Delaware Bay, carefully collecting bird poop from a range of species. Wearing gloves and face masks, Dr. Pamela McKenzie and her colleague, Patrick Seiler, carefully swabbed fresh guano into vials. Over the course of a week, they gathered over 1,000 samples.

These samples would be sent back to St. Jude, where they would be sequenced and uploaded to an international database that tracks flu strains globally. Interestingly, while H5N1 had been spreading in mammals across the U.S., it was not found in the samples from Delaware Bay.

The Role of Seagulls and Other Birds

One focus of this year’s study was the seagulls, whose droppings were the largest and most abundant. Some gulls are known to carry viruses that haven’t been found in other bird species. The team is hoping to learn more about how viruses are carried by these birds as they migrate along the Atlantic coast.

While collecting samples in Cape May, the team also made use of a mobile lab, a converted RV parked among other campers. Dr. Lisa Kercher, the lab director, tested the samples right in the field, hoping to speed up the research process. Yet, despite these efforts, the team did not find H5N1 in their spring and summer samples from the Delaware Bay and Canada.

The Virus Spreads, But What’s Next?

After spending time at Delaware Bay, the team moved to northern Alberta, Canada, and later to northern Tennessee, where they tested wild ducks. In November and December, they found the D1.1 strain of H5N1, which is responsible for recent human infections. While this strain hasn’t yet caused widespread human-to-human transmission, scientists are on high alert.

In the U.S., the H5N1 virus has already caused significant disruptions in livestock and wildlife populations. Though cases of human infection have been rare and mostly mild, experts are closely monitoring developments to prevent a larger outbreak.

Wild Birds and the Future of Influenza Surveillance

The findings from Webby’s team suggest that wild birds, such as ducks and shorebirds, could be a major factor in the spread of H5N1 across North America. Their surveillance work has shown that the virus is being introduced into farmed and backyard flocks by migrating birds, rather than being contained by culling efforts.

As Webby’s team prepares for another round of sampling in May, their work continues to be crucial in tracking the evolution of the H5N1 virus and preventing a future pandemic. The research in Delaware Bay has proven invaluable, and scientists remain vigilant, ready to detect any new threats that may emerge from the skies.

In the world of pandemic prevention, understanding the spread of viruses in birds may be our best line of defense against the next flu outbreak. The next time you hear the squawk of a seagull, you might just be hearing a warning from nature itself.

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