pigeon air quality tweet

London Twitter Users Can Request Air Quality Checks from Pigeons

For those who live in London, you can now tweet @PigeonAir to have a pigeon task force dispatched to your neighborhood to fly through the sky and test the quality of the air. Plume Labs has teamed up with a local owner of racing pigeons, whose birds are outfitted with tiny sensors that take readings of ozone, volatile compounds, and nitrogen dioxide.

why do penguins waddle

Education, Featured, Main Feed

Why Do Penguins Waddle?

The penguin’s unique gait sure is cute. But why do they do it?

A study by scientists was done in 2000 that examined the movement of penguins during their waddle and looked at how much energy is used by their locomotion.

bird banding los angeles holding bird

Birding Summary, Education, Featured, Main Feed

Bird Banding in Zuma Canyon

Today brought the opportunity to participate in my first wild bird banding experience. My friend, Dinuk, was invited to help with the banding and was able to invite me along!

I woke up early at 5:30AM and headed over to Zuma Canyon next to Malibu, CA. It is important to get started as early as possible for any bird studies. Birds are very active in the morning when they are searching for water and food. The banding station was ran today from 7AM to noon.

Education, Main Feed

Toucan Beak Heat Regulation

Bird enthusiasts have always been curious about the ginormous size of the Toucan’s beak.

The toucan beak isn’t just beautiful, it’s also an adjustable thermal radiator that the bird uses to warm and cool itself. Researchers have discovered that the toucan can heat and cool its bill at an astonishing rate.