Latest Aphelocoma Stories

Watch the Video: Western Scrub Jay Funeral Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Mourning is not just a trait shared by humans, but scientists say it is also shared by the Western scrub jays. Researchers say the Western scrub jays summon others over to the body of a dead jay to screech over their dead brethren. University of California, Davis researchers said that the birds' cacophonous "funerals" can easily last up to half an hour. Previous reports show that...

A team of researchers has found a key to the habitat puzzle for improving long-term survival of the endangered Florida Scrub-Jay. New research published online today in The Royal Society's journal Biology Letters shows that "clustered habitat networks" are needed to maintain the genetic diversity of Florida Scrub-Jays, a species at risk of extinction with just more than 5,000 birds left in the world. The new research reveals, for the first time, a direct connection between genetic...

The island scrub-jay is the only island endemic passerine species in the continental United States. Although it is not classified as endangered, the species faces a number of threats to its long-term survival, and climate change is expected to exacerbate those challenges. A new study discusses the conservation management of the island scrub-jay, and highlights how management of this species may set the stage for management planning of many species in a changing world. "The island scrub-jay...

Large birds with low-frequency songs are less likely to nest near noisy sites A growing body of evidence shows that man-made noise is bad for birds, but some species are harder hit than others — particularly bigger birds with low-frequency songs, finds a new study. "Bigger birds sing at frequencies that are more easily masked by the low frequencies typical of human noise pollution," said lead author Clinton Francis of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North...

A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows the strongest evidence yet that noise pollution negatively influences bird populations, findings with implications for the fate of ecological communities situated amid growing urban clamor.The study also is the first to indicate that at least a few bird species opt for noisy areas over quiet ones, perhaps because of their vocalization pitches, a reduction in nest predators and less competition from other songbirds that prefer quiet...