We applaud those who show compassion towards the fat, feathered, bike-lane blocking disease bags that call our city home, be it the NYPD or a St. Francis stand-in. But saving a wounded pigeon is a Sisyphean effort: there's a good chance it will be euthanized, and there is no shortage of pigeons. "I think it's very nice that someone is willing to take care of these sick animals in the city," Dr. Charles Welcott, a former director of the Cornell Lab of Orinthology tells the Times. "But as a nasty biologist I think it probably doesn't make a difference in the big scheme." more ›

Avian enthusiasts who are bummed about the recent death of Washington Square's red-tailed hawk Violet may find solace in the fluffy bosom of New Jersey's new snowy owl. That's right: an owl that normally makes the Arctic tundra its home has been roosting at the Merrill Creek Reservoir in Warren County New Jersey for two months. Experts the Star-Ledger spoke to seem to think that there may be a "baby boom" of snowy owls in Canada, forcing them to travel further south. We're eagerly awaiting Chris Christie's demand that the owl "get the hell over to the Jersey Shore's fabulous casinos and fine dining." more ›

Mozart lovers, have you heard anything strange lately? The sweet sounds of The Magic Flute as filtered through...a parrot, perhaps? If so, you're not actually crazy—an opera-singing parrot has gone missing in Brooklyn, and her devastated owner needs your help finding her! more ›

Brooklyn College is shelling out a cool $3.3 million on their new athletic field, you know, so people can do athletic things, but nevermind about them—the winners here are the flock of exotic monk parakeets that hang by the field, too. Because birds are totally fitness freaks. more ›

Remember when all those birdwatchers were psyched about that grey-hooded seagull that was hanging out at Coney Island a few weeks back? Turns out that was just the prelude to the big show, as a whole slew of rare birds have been pushed into the city thanks to Tropical Storm Irene. more ›

Yesterday, the NY Post reported that the FAA redrew the boundaries of Laguardia Airport's "safety zone" to allow for a huge trash facility. And since birds love trash, there are concerns that it'll become bird strike central, a la Flight 1549 (more fodder for the Post's war on birds). Which is why Flight 1549 hero Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has waded into the debate. And he thinks this is "terrible." more ›

The ultra-rare grey-hooded seagull that had bird watchers all worked up at Coney Island a few weeks back has gone missing! And lest you think it just did what birds do and, uh, flew away, it's not that simple. more ›

Forget the Cyclone—the big tourist attraction at Coney Island this weekend was the appearance of the rare grey-hooded gull, a bird so precious that one swooning birdwatcher called it "a life bird," meaning he's never seen one anywhere else. more ›

A self-confessed pigeon murderer has taken to the Brooklynian message board to chastise the "sinners" who feed the pigeons in JJ Byrne Park. Oh and also, he's slowly murdering the pigeons, claiming it is "for the greater good." FIPS aptly describes this man as the Dexter of the avian world. Here's his proclamation: more ›

After being sucked into a plane that took off from JFK, another bird has gone up to the big…sky in the sky. The Post reports that passengers on the aircraft started salivating shortly after takeoff: "Suddenly the plane smelled like chicken," one woman said, "I thought, 'Wow! They have hot food on the plane!'" Don't give the airlines any ideas! more ›

Toward the end of Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, obsessed bird-lover Walter Berglund wages a campaign against the neighborhood cat population, whom he suspects of killing the migratory birds nesting on his property. Berglund estimates that every year a million songbirds are killed by cats, and describes them as "the sociopaths of the pet world, a species domesticated as an evil necessary for the control of rodents and subsequently fetishized the way unhappy countries fetishize their militaries." The novel failed to turn the tide against this furry menace, but a new study [pdf] in The Journal of Ornithology picks up where Franzen left off. more ›

Since the "Miracle on the Hudson" two years ago, we've grown increasingly wary of birds, whether they're loitering in Central Park, hanging out in Fairway, or just dropping from the sky ominously. Now we have a new reason to be anxious around our winged skymasters: birds are more likely than ever to attack airplanes. more ›

At the start of 2011, the apocalypse officially got underway with a series of terrifying, inexplicable events, including thousands of birds falling from the sky, thousands of crabs washing ashore dead, and reports that sea levels are on the rise. Today, we may have a new addition to add to that web of doomsday tokens: a mysterious greenish-yellow goo fell from the sky onto the town of upstate Snyder, NY, leaving homes caked in the strange substance. And officials have yet to determine what caused it or where it came from. more ›

As soon as the new year hit, pretty much exactly at the stroke of midnight, dead birds started falling from the sky. This is either some sick marketing scheme for Angry Birds, or the apocalypse is upon us. While we haven't started seeing dead pigeons raining down on us here in New York (yet), the mass animal deaths are continuing around the world. It seemed to begin with hundreds of thousands of dead birds and fish in Arkansas, which is alarming enough on its own, but then Louisiana saw hundreds of dead blackbirds falling from the sky, and now the Daily News is reporting on the doomsday scenario... though they neglect to mention the thousands of doves that fell from the sky in Italy! More on that later. more ›

As you have definitely heard by now, 100,000 dead fish went belly up last week on a 20 mile stretch along the Arkansas River, and then on New Year's Eve—just before the witching hour—thousands of red-winged blackbirds fell dead from the sky (also in Arkansas). But Arkansas is so far away and we live in New York City and we're all going to live forever and nothing can touch us. Well this thing is moving, people, and yesterday an estimated 500 red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in Louisiana. Necropsies show that the birds suffered internal injuries that formed blood clots, which led to their deaths. As Louisiana local Denise Dickerson proclaimed: "This is really getting kind of crazy with the fish and the birds and these tornadoes hitting during the winter." more ›

This weekend four rehabilitated hawks—three juvenile red-tailed hawks and one broadwinged hawk—were released by the Queens Botanical Garden and Yojibmot at the Origin of the Species was there to capture it. Nothing like watching birds of prey flying off to freedom to brighten the longest night of the year. Probably didn't make it down for the Christmas bird count in Central Park though...
more ›

Ah, Central Park: the perennial favorite spot for unleashed dogs, tree-slumbering hipsters, and a wide variety of feathered friends. Today, the 111th Christmas Bird Count took place in the park; citizen birdwatchers, guided by Urban Park Rangers, spent the morning canvassing the entire 843 acres of green. They came to a final tally of 59 different species of birds and 6,220 individual birds living in the park currently. more ›

Yesterday was the 13th Annual Raptor Fest in Central Park. There were aerial shows and flight demonstrations from thirteen different species of falcons, hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey. By all accounts, it was a fun day, and you can check out a couple photos from the event above. more ›

During this weekend's 9/11 Tribute in Lights display, an estimated 10,000 migrating birds became attracted to the lights, trapping themselves inside the beams and wasting precious fat resources needed for migration south. The city's skyscrapers have already agreed to dim their lights to avoid confusing our avian friends, but could Tribute in Lights pose even more of a danger to the birds? more ›

In honor of 9/11 and all the people lost in the terrorist attacks, the Tribute in Light shone yet again through the sky of the Financial District. Initially a temporary installation that ran through March 11 to April 14, 2002, the lights have become a yearly tradition and sign of remembrance every September 11th. Next year, the 10th anniversary of the attacks, will be their last year. However, there was a bit of a SNAFU with last night's lighting. more ›

While the Canada geese may be putting airplanes in danger, our tall buildings are putting migrating birds in harms way! According to the New York City Audubon, each year an estimated 90,000 birds are killed in the city when they collide with buildings and glass during migration to and from their breeding grounds. NYC Audubon director Glenn Philips told the Daily News, "Millions of birds pass through New York City on their way to their wintering grounds. They fly primarily at night over the city, and they get confused by the lights." The organization notes on their website that "since the program’s inception in 1997, over 4,000 dead and injured birds have been collected and documented in our database." more ›

The Bronx Zoo's Waldrapp ibis population just got bigger. Apparently the feathered flock hadn't been reproducing for the past seven years, but now zookeepers have found the magic formula to get the endangered birds to mate. According to the Daily News, mating calls recorded halfway around the world were played on an iPod in their space, and since then they've hatched six new offspring. more ›

Last month John Huntington at Control Geek noticed mourning doves in one of his Windsor Terrace planters. He set up his camera to take a time lapse every day, and in it he even catches babies hatching! more ›