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Do you speak elephant? With this new dictionary you will

3 November 2021

An ambitious directory of elephant behaviours and vocalisations offers amazing insights into their minds and culture – and could help save these magnificent beasts from extinction

Stunning birds shown off to glorious effect in new photography book

3 November 2021

By turns majestic and intricately detailed, the birdlife photographed for Tim Flach’s new book, Birds, offers a beautiful showcase of avian diversity

Red feathers determine which common waxbill is the boss

3 November 2021

For a songbird called the common waxbill, dominance isn't governed by body size, intelligence, or even temperament, but by the intensity of the colours in their chest feathers

horned adder (Bitis caudalis), photographed in Namibia

Vipers evolved either nose or eye horns depending on their habitat

2 November 2021

The horns on vipers’ eyes could help camouflage their head in rocky areas or trees, while those with nose horns may blend in better on forest floors

common barn owl ( Tyto albahead ) head close up; Shutterstock ID 379547776; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Barn owls make mental maps of their surroundings while they are flying

1 November 2021

Neurons that help humans make mental maps, called place cells, have now been seen in flying birds for the first time

Birds in Patagonia have a surprising taste for truffles

28 October 2021

Truffles, the fruiting bodies of certain fungi, rely on mammals to eat them and spread their spores – and in Patagonia, it turns out birds help with dispersal too