This is one im-peck-able performance. An injured bird in an Amsterdam zoo made history as the first in the world to receive two 3D-printed beak prosthetics. The southern ground hornbill at Artis Zoo got the custom-made artificial beaks — printed from plastic and attached with screws by surgeons — to replace his upper and lower … Read more
Tears for Fears star Curt Smith sang about ruling the world — and now he is backing a Hollywood-style bid to transform his hometown soccer club into the next Wrexham. Smith, 65, co-founder of the ’80s hitmakers, is among the investors in an LA-led consortium that has taken over Bath City Football Club, and will … Read more
An American landmark is doing its part by going dark this month. The Gateway Arch, which has triumphantly bent over St. Louis, Missouri, for more than half a century, will now bow to nature. Throughout September, the lights on this Midwestern marvel will be turned off as millions of migratory birds begin their journey south. … Read more
Over the last decade or so, New Zealand’s fantasy landscapes have been transformed by twin aristocratic American obsessions: golf and doomsday. Billionaires and tech oligarchs, half aware of the social destruction their own companies have wrought, bought up tracts of Middle Earth-like terrain to build bug-out bunkers far from potential conflict zones. At the same … Read more
Daniil Medvedev found himself in another bizarre scene at the U.S. Open, but this time, his racket remained intact. A pair of birds landed on the net and interrupted his second-round match Wednesday against American Sebastian Gorzny, leaving the 2021 champ — and No. 7 seed — frustrated over needing to replay a point during … Read more
Was it looking for carrion luggage? A Ryanair flight out of Greece was delayed after an unexpected passenger — a giant flesh-eating vulture — landed on the aircraft and refused to budge. The plane had reportedly been prepping to depart Crete on August 16, when the super-sized scavenger alighted on the tail fin, the Greek … Read more
Diners at a busy restaurant in Sydney’s northwest were treated to a bit of a spectacle on the weekend when a woman stepped up to deal with a wayward bird that had made its way inside. In footage shared on social media, the woman, named Alice, can be seen calmly approaching the ibis, which is … Read more
The eagles’ home has been saved — but will it ever be a happy one? Friends of Big-Bear Valley (FOBBV), which set up a 24/7 cam for Jackie and Shadow, announced they will purchase the land the pair call home after raising $10 million, largely due to a $5.5 million donation by OpenAI co-founder Greg … Read more
West Nile virus has been found in two dead crows in Southern California, officials have revealed — a week after it was detected in a mosquito. San Diego County officials detected the new cases in Rolando in East County and near Encanto and North Bay Terraces. While there are no current human cases reported, the … Read more
“The Thorn Birds” star Rachel Ward candidly opened up about leaving Hollywood behind to become a farmer in Australia. Born to an aristocratic family in Britain, Ward, now 68, launched a successful modeling career across London, Paris and New York City before moving to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to pursue acting. However, during a recent episode … Read more
An adolescent owl that was found stuck in a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah is finally on the mend, flying free and maybe a bit wiser from the ordeal. The great horned owl somehow made his way into the truck-mounted mixer in late October and was discovered by workers pouring concrete at a resort construction site. Lucky … Read more
For four years, a mallard has nested behind a bush near the front door of Caitlin Deal’s home in a Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb, offering an up-close glimpse of nature for her young son and lessons for how people can coexist with wildlife. The duck, dubbed Martha by the family, sits on her nest for about … Read more
Contestants faced off in the Belgian coastal town of De Panne on Sunday at the annual European seagull screeching championship, which brought together more than 70 participants seeking to produce the best imitation of the bird’s distinctive shriek. Competitors from 15 countries took part in the sixth edition of the event. The contest, which took … Read more
Rachel Ward is letting the negative comments fly away. The actress, who starred as Meghan ‘Meggie’ Cleary in the “Thorn Birds,” runs a beef cattle farm with husband Bryan Brown, 78, in Australia. The couple first met on the 1983 miniseries, and Ward, 68, has continued to share glimpses of their life on Instagram over … Read more
In a startling first, a Washington state man has been infected with a strain of bird flu previously only detected in animals and never before in humans. The “severely ill” man was hospitalized with a high fever, confusion and respiratory distress earlier this month and confirmed to have H5N5, a subtype of avian influenza carried … Read more
It wasn’t exactly a hoot to be at the Schottenheimer house this week. The Dallas Cowboys coach revealed he had a winged visitor in his house on Thursday as he was in a game plan meeting, the result of his son, Sutton, leaving a sliding door open. “I don’t know if the owl was looking … Read more
Is it a poop de ville? Humans aren’t the only ones with brand loyalty when it comes to automobiles. A recent study found that our fine-feathered friends prefer certain types and colors of vehicles for pooping — with brown vehicles and Ram trucks topping the list of favorite on-the-fly toilets. “Car owners often debate whether … Read more
There’s a sticky situation simmering in Italy — where the solution might need plenty of legwork. Flamingos have been making themselves comfy in the rice fields of Ferrara, a charming city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for production of the key ingredient in the nation’s signature dish, risotto. To grow the short-grain … Read more
There comes a time for a SKI trip (Spending the Kids’ Inheritance, that is). Because for some destinations, if you’re going to go, you should do it well. It’s true for African safaris, and it’s certainly the case if you’re considering exploring the time-locked archipelago of the Galapagos. The Galapagos’ baddest, sexiest ship is also … Read more
A bird lover has walked 53 miles dressed in a homemade costume to raise awareness for one of Great Britain’s most iconic and threatened birds. Matt Trevelyan, 46, walked the distance dressed as his favorite bird — the Eurasian Curlew — which is endangered in the United Kingdom. The DIY costume was 3 yards long … Read more