animal behavior, birds, chicken, justice, loyalty, spiritual bond

Birds Seek Justice: The Spiritual Bond Between Humans and Animals

The spiritual bond between humans and animals is very real and has been recognized across cultures and throughout history. Birds, as living beings with a soul, can play a part in human affairs and have even been known to seek justice for their benefactors as can be seen in the following two stories from ancient ...

Mikel Davis

Small yellow songbird having a rest on a twig during early summer in soft warm light.

How to feed your garden birds if you want to attract and support native species

As vegetation is removed to make way for urban development, wild species experience a dramatic loss of habitat, making it more difficult for city dwellers to interact with wildlife. Studies show a lack of connection to nature might lead to anxiety and depression for people in cities. Birds are among the most accessible and aesthetically ...

Troy Oakes

A woodpecker feeding.

67-Million-Year-Old Fossil Upends Bird Evolutionary Tree

The fossilized remains of a prehistoric toothed bird that lived 67 million years ago are turning the bird tree of life on its head. The bird — named Janavis finalidens — shares crucial features with its modern cousins, such as chickens and ducks, which is forcing a rethink about bird evolution. A stone-encased fossil was plucked from ...

Troy Oakes

Artist’s reconstruction of the last known toothed bird, Janavis finalidens.

Animals Predicting Disaster: Birds Knew of the Flooded City

In 1517, during the Ming Dynasty, a flood submerged a huge city called Zhaoxin, and countless people died. However, many people fled ahead of the flood because they believed in the prediction of birds and survived. After the flood, people learned the story from those who made it through.  In the city of Zhaoxin, there ...

Helen London

Flock of birds flying over a river that has flooded over its banks.

1958: Mao Zedong’s War on Sparrows

Many bizarre (and horrific) things have been done in the name of communism in China. One of them was Mao Zedong’s war on sparrows, a campaign waged by the communist leader to eradicate Eurasian tree sparrows. Mao lumped the little brown bird along with rats, flies, and mosquitoes in the so-called Four Pests (or four ...

Rory Karsten

A Eurasian tree sparrow.

3 Things to Know About the Asian Paradise Flycatcher

The Asian Paradise Flycatcher is a species of bird that is native to India, Asia, and Central Asia. Scientists have identified around 14 subspecies of these birds, classifying them based on their plumage. In wildlife, these birds are usually found in well-wooded habitats and thick forests. 3 facts about the Asian Paradise Flycatcher 1. Appearance Adult ...

Jessica Kneipp

A female Asian Paradise Flycatcher bird.

Guandong Man Built Eco-Lake, Attracting nearly 10,000 Herons

He used his hard-earned money, which he had saved up over the past 20 years, to buy more than 1,000 acres of swampy land to create an eco-lake that has turned into an incredible habitat for fish. Liang Huanlin from Guangdong Province, China, took it upon himself to create this unique natural habitat. His eco-lake attracts around ...

Hermann Rohr