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Two flamingos forming a heart with their necks
Image: Taketo Oishi/AP Photo/picture alliance

Birds

The air is their domain: our feathered friends are a formidable class of animal. Whether in daily life or through hobby birding, humans have always had a special relationship with avian life.

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All Content on this topic

Indonesien Affe Selfie Gerichtsprozess David Slater

Living Planet: The animals

The cute, the cuddly and the ugly.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 3, 201630:00 min
New York Taube blickt über Manhattan

Counting for conservation

As climate change advances, birds' ranges are changing, and some species may be going extinct. But birds are hard to study: Glimpses of them can be fleeting, and some migrate from as far north as Canada to as far south as Chile. That's why Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society have enlisted an army of volunteer bird watchers to help them.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 3, 201606:06 min
Dr Bhat says he's learned a lot on the job, treating some difficult and charismatic patients

Soaring high

Delhi's vibrant birdlife is indebted to the efforts of a unique hospital.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 1, 2016
Sun sets over the Mekong

Cambodia’s last cranes

Conservationists are working to save the 1,000 sarus cranes left in the wetlands along the Mekong river.
February 16, 2016
Fishing boat resting on dried earth at Lake Poopo

Death of a lake

Once upon a time, it was Bolivia's second-largest lake. Today, it's all but vanished.
February 10, 2016
Rufous-bellied shortwing in Shola sky islands, India (Photo: Prasenjeet Yadav)

Tweet and beat

What happens when a musician and an ecologist team up on conservation? Birdsong with a beat.
February 5, 2016
Vogel­Monitoring im Hula­Tal 4

Flying with birds

Wetlands in northern Israel offers researchers a huge open-air laboratory. A journey in pictures.
February 2, 2016
Symbolbild Wissenschaft Forschung Autoentwickler Ingenieur Designer

Tracking birds, whales, and mob mentality

In this week's Spectrum, mob mentality, new technologies for tracking birds and right whales, plus the Zika virus.
ScienceJanuary 22, 201629:59 min
Israel, Vögel im Hula Valley

New tracking device for birds

GPS transmitters are used for tracking birds, but can be too heavy. Israeli researchers have developed an alternative.
ScienceJanuary 22, 201607:03 min
barn owl Photo: Carsten Rehder dpa/ln

Revealing the secret life of birds

Israeli researchers have developed a tracking device that shows what birds do when humans look away.
January 22, 2016
Migratory birds fly above children taking a boat ride in the waters of river Yamuna during early morning (photo: Reuters)

Upbeat about conservation

All about birds: Bird beatboxing in India, woodpeckers saving the day in Canada and a falcon school in Slovakia.
January 14, 201629:59 min
Migratory birds fly above children taking a boat ride (photo: REUTERS)

Bird beatboxing in India

A conservationist in India is using unusual methods to help preserve some very special birds.
January 14, 201606:31 min
Drohnenaufnahme Toer Bridge London

London from the Air – a Drone Video

An Australian film maker recorded the beauty of his adopted home London - from a drone.
January 12, 2016
Screenshot DW Shift London aus der Luft

London from the air

An Australian film maker recorded the beauty of his adopted home London - from a drone.
CultureJanuary 11, 201600:47 min

A bird's eye view of Berlin

Photographer Robert Grahn specializes in aerial shots of the German capital.
LifestyleJanuary 10, 201604:45 min
A great tit bird with spread wing. (Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa)

Germany's big bird watch

On January 9 and 10, a nature group organized Germany's sixth bird census - citizen science with a conservation twist.
January 8, 2016
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A bird’s eye view of Berlin

Aerial photographer Robert Grahn shows Berlin from a unique perspective.
LifestyleJanuary 8, 201603:57 min
Open seas

British man rows non-stop across Pacific Ocean

A British man has become the first person to row solo and non-stop across the Pacific.
December 27, 2015
Rome plagued by starlings

Rome and the starlings

When in Rome, do as the Romans do - these days, that could mean hide under an umbrella.
December 26, 2015
Hen Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

Bird flu - a never-ending story

The H5N2 bird flu virus has been discovered on a German poultry farm. Here's an overview of the virus and its dangers.
December 7, 2015
Aras Ara hellrot Rüdersdorf Deutschland

Beautiful birds of color

Researchers say a gorgeous plumage is not just a man's business - female birds have splendid colors too. Be amazed!
November 4, 201511 images

How a bird really sees the world

French falconer Jacques Olivier Travers gets funky aerial shots without batteries or a remote control.
LifestyleNovember 4, 201504:26 min
BdW Global Ideas Bild der Woche KW 42/2015 Falken

#POTW: A fine-feathered find

October 23, 2015
Turtle trapped in a fishing net (photo: picture alliance/Mary Evans Picture Library)

Getting rid of discarded fishing nets

An initiative in the Philippines aims at cleaning up old discarded fishing nets by turning this into a source of income.
October 15, 201505:25 min

Bird’s eye city views

More and more amateur filmmakers try drone cameras to capture stunning views.
CultureSeptember 18, 201503:00 min

What birds are monogamous?

Rockhopper penguins remain faithful to their partners even thousands miles away. Are they the only monogamous birds?
September 9, 20156 images
Symbolbild Verschmutzung der Meere

Plastic birds

A new study suggests the vast majority of the world's seabirds have ingested particles of plastic
September 1, 2015
Steinadler

Bird's-eye view

A sea eagle named Victor films the world - from his ownperspective.
LifestyleAugust 21, 201504:27 min

euromaxx clipmania - natural phenomena

Three exciting videos portraying nature
CultureAugust 14, 201502:20 min
Herring gull close-up. (photo: picture alliance/ blickwinkel/ McPhoto)

Galling gulls

The birds have killed pets and stolen food. Some say that's normal behavior - but others want the gulls dead.
August 13, 2015
Teaser Benin Vogel – ohne Logo

On the trail of the rare Anambra waxbill

A team of researchers has traveled to the western African country of Benin to find out more about the Anambra waxbill.
ScienceAugust 10, 201507:28 min
Deutschland Lerche

No larking about with rare birds

Iasi is the biggest city in Eastern Romania, and has been an important business and cultural hub for centuries. It’s also a favorite resting spot for several rare bird species, which set up summer camp there to raise their chicks. Now, conservationists fear new national hunting regulations pose a serious threat to the winged travellers.
July 16, 201506:12 min
Artikelbild Global Ideas

Gauchos for environmental protection

Conservationists and gauchos are working together to protect Argentina's Pampas.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 13, 201502:47 min
Hallucigenia

A worm so early, there was no bird

Researchers are closer to understanding a prehistoric worm so bizarre they named it Hallucigenia.
June 24, 2015
Hendrik Jonas Vogelbilder EINSCHRÄNKUNG

Birds of a brush

Berlin artist, Hendrik Jonas, had no idea that birds would become so important to his body of work.
June 19, 2015
Ein Hausrotschwanz schaut nach hinten

Of feathers, beaks and paint

Berlin artist, Hendrik Jonas, has an eye for birds
June 18, 20159 images
Bank swallow

Species in Europe's forests, oceans and skies at risk

Species in Europe are threatened - things are looking especially bad for birds, says DW's Sonya Diehn.
June 4, 201506:43 min
skylark

Europe's eroding biodiversity

Europe and Germany's biodiversity is at greater risk of extinction than previously believed.
May 21, 2015
A gannet flying

Protecting sea birds

Gannets, boobies and frigatebirds will continue to make Isabel island home - but only if the sea is protected.
May 19, 2015

The Obama @POTUS bird flaps official wings

He's probably the most followed Twitter account holder who describes himself first as "Dad, husband..."
May 18, 2015
Teaser Benin Vogel – ohne Logo

An elusive finch

With over 600 bird species, the West African nation of Benin is a bird watcher’s paradise. It’s home to the very rare finch - the Anambra waxbill. But even for ornithologists, this elusive bird isn’t always easy to spot.
May 7, 201505:30 min
Symbolbild Zugvögel

Living Planet: New Ways

Harnessing the power of tides in the UK --- Chasing rare birds in West Africa -- And could Tesla’s home battery revolutionize energy storage?
May 7, 201529:59 min
Photo: Cranes fly over Germany (Source: Jens Büttner/dpa)

Surprising migratory bird facts

We’ve found some astonishing facts about migratory birds. Marvel with us!
May 7, 2015
Symbolbild Zugvögel

Hunt on migratory birds in Malta

Despite massive protests from animal protection activists, Malta has voted to continue the controversial springtime hunt of migratory birds. As a result, many thousands of migratory birds might once again be killed over the skies of Malta.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 6, 201505:07 min
Vogelnester Galerie Sharon Beals

The nest series

Sharon Beals hopes her pictures of nests will invite viewers to start learning about the nests' builders.
May 6, 2015
Vogelnester Galerie Sharon Beals

The Nest Series

Sharon Beals hopes her pictures of nests will invite viewers to start learning about the nests' builders.
May 5, 20157 images
Frisch geschlüpfte Hühner-Küken

State of emergency declared in Iowa over bird flu

A state of emergency has been declared in the US state of Iowa because of an outbreak of avian flu.
May 2, 2015
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Euromaxx - Highlights of the Week

In this edition: a cave replica in France, a bird flight simulator, a luxury exhibition in London, retro games and the 2015 Federal Horticultural Show
LifestyleApril 26, 201526:06 min

Fly like a bird

Scientists have developed a bird flight simulator. Is it the real deal?
ScienceApril 26, 201504:36 min
Russian President, Vladimir Putin

Inside Europe

Taking stock of populist politics across Europe. Will Russia's decision to send a missile system to Iran complicate negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program? Germany pays tribute to one literary giant. Also, Europe and North Africa team up to fight terrorism, Is political mudslinging destabilizing Macedonia? And, an historic referendum in Malta fails to stop spring hunting of migratory birds.
April 16, 201555:00 min