The Quantum Compass: Birds May Use Physics to Navigate
A European Robin, one of the key species in magnetoreception research, may rely on quantum entanglement to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. © Santiago Caballero Carrera
Avian Biology

The Quantum Compass: Birds May Use Physics to Navigate

A light-sensitive protein in birds’ eyes may help them perceive magnetic fields, suggesting that evolution has crafted a quantum compass for migration.

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Engineering Elegance: The Paradise Riflebird As Nature’s Most Theatrical Engineer
A male Victoria’s Riflebird in full theatrical flair, arching his jet-black wings and iridescent breast shield as he engineers a multisensory courtship spectacle – each gesture finely tuned by evolution to captivate the discerning female. This species shares the same extraordinary display mechanics described in recent Paradise Riflebird research. © Paul Maury 

Engineering Elegance: The Paradise Riflebird As Nature’s Most Theatrical Engineer

With a wave of his wings and the snap of a feather, the Paradise Riflebird transforms the rainforest floor into a stage. Recent research reveals that this avian dancer doesn’t just display beauty – it performs biomechanics at its evolutionary peak.
Avian Biology
The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist
Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa
Pied Wheatears breeding at the western edge of their vast Eurasian range take a surprisingly direct migration route through Anatolia and the Arabian Peninsula to non-breeding grounds in Somalia. / Las collalbas pías que se reproducen en el extremo occidental de su extensa área de distribución euroasiática siguen una ruta migratoria sorprendentemente directa a través de Anatolia y la península arábiga hasta sus zonas no reproductoras en Somalia. © Ohad Sherer

Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa

Three closely related wheatears leave southern Europe for different parts of Africa. Tracking birds from Spain, Greece and Romania reveals contrasting migration routes and places Eastern Black-eared Wheatears more than 1,000 kilometres beyond their previously described non-breeding range.
Movement and Distribution
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary
The Alpine Swift was considered a rare visitor to Hungary until breeding was first confirmed in 2020. Six years later, it is breeding in several Hungarian cities, and its numbers continue to grow. / El vencejo real se consideraba un visitante raro en Hungría hasta que se confirmó por primera vez su reproducción en 2020. Seis años después, se reproduce en varias ciudades húngaras y su población sigue creciendo. © James Hoagland

Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary

Six years after Alpine Swifts first bred in Hungary, their numbers are increasing and new breeding sites are appearing. What began as an exceptional event is starting to look like an established population.
News
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?
Common Bulbuls can breed year-round, yet their moult remains strongly seasonal and responsive to body condition and diet. / Los bulbules naranjeros pueden reproducirse durante todo el año, pero su muda sigue siendo marcadamente estacional y responde a la condición corporal y a la dieta. © Jeff Maw

When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?

In Common Bulbuls, the conditions associated with starting moult differ from those associated with completing it quickly. An experiment in Nigeria shows how body condition and diet shape different stages of feather replacement.
Conceptual Notes Avian Diet
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?
Advances in lightweight GPS technology are allowing researchers to study the movements of even small shorebirds like the Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) while carefully assessing the welfare implications of tagging. © Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok

Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?

Solar-powered GPS tags are opening new possibilities in shorebird research — but how close are we to the limits of what small birds can carry without consequence?
Fieldwork and Technology
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly