Starting an environmentally friendly routine at home is a goal for many families who are concerned with reducing their environmental footprints. The age-old reduce, reuse and recycle mantra is a great ...

The more we study nonhuman animals (animals) the more we learn about how sophisticated some of their behavior truly is. In many species it takes both parents to successfully rear their youngsters ...

We are likely all familiar with preening, the well-known and important bird behavior that helps maintain feather health and hygiene. But what is allopreening? Put simply, allopreening is birds ...

Because birds live outdoors, there's an assumption that they're dirty and harbor many insect pests among their feathers. But this is very wide of the mark: Birds are as clean as cats, spending almost ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. A move to a farmhouse six miles from town made us spectators of the neighbor ...

Seabirds called common murres appear to use preening as a way to negotiate whose turn it is to watch their chick and who must find food. And when one parent is feeling foul, irregularities in this ...

Scientists discovered that the preen oil gland secretions, by which all aquatic birds make their feathers waterproof, support a natural mechanism that concentrates AIVs from water onto birds' bodies.

In birds, preening helps maintain feather health and hygiene. Allopreening in the process of one bird preening another. Allopreening helps access difficult-to-reach spots to keep feathers well groomed ...