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Domesticated chickens could wipe out their wild ancestors — by having sex with them
By Harry Baker published
A new study has revealed that red junglefowl, the wild ancestors of chickens, are losing their genetic diversity as they mate with their domesticated counterparts.

Oddly modern skull raises new questions about the early evolution of birds
By Stephanie Pappas published
A fossil skull from a toothy early relative of today's birds shows a weirdly modern skull configuration, raising new questions about the early evolution of birds.

10 terrific turkey facts
By Remy Melina, Jeanna Bryner published
Turkeys can fly, blush and are distant relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex. Read on to learn more about these Thanksgiving divas.

Long-lost bird species, thought to be extinct, captured in images for 1st time in 140 years
By Joanna Thompson published
Images and footage of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon were recently captured by scientists. This is the first documented sighting of the elusive bird since 1882.

Crows outthink monkeys, can grasp recursive patterns
By Joshua A. Krisch last updated
In cognitive tests for recognizing certain types of patterns, crows outperformed monkeys.

Juvenile bird accidentally breaks record for longest non-stop flight on its first attempt
By Harry Baker published
A 5-month-old bar-tailed godwit recently flew non-stop for 265 hours as it migrated more than 8,000 miles from Alaska to Tasmania.

Emperor penguins join threatened species list, thanks to climate change
By Nicoletta Lanese published
The world's largest penguins have joined the threatened species list.

Flap Flop: Earth's First Bird Not a Bird After All
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
The new bird on the block? A pigeon-size beast.
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