International news in seven languages
Topic
The red-feathered hero of “The Angry Birds Movie 3” looks reassuringly familiar, but DNEG Animation had to rebuild much of him to bring the franchise back to theaters. And as the studio reconstructed Red’s fur, facial rig and expressions, it also developed a system that ultimately automated character-effects work on roughly 75% of the film’s […]
The ‘Great Fall’ of 1965 was caused by harsh conditions forcing migrating species to land on their way to Africa My birding mentor, the late Derek Moore, was also a keen cricketer. But one autumn day in 1965 he was unable to concentrate while fielding because many hundreds of songbirds were landing around him on the pitch at Lowestoft. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of birds along the Suffolk coast that day became known as the “Great Fall”, and it was caused by a weather system bringing cloud, winds and heavy rain. Continue reading...
Medieval experts talk us through the fashion of the near-1,000-year-old embroidered work, and what it says about the people wearing it Don’t get Fashion Statement delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Blood, booze, arrows and boats; these are what you might typically imagine when you think of the Bayeux tapestry, which has become one of the hottest historical tickets since it went on display at the British Museum in London this month. But what about the hair? “The Anglo-Saxons all have these little moustaches, which are brilliant. And then the Normans have these funny haircuts with the back of
Hot and dry summer created conditions for fires in Scotland and England that tore through vital wildlife areas Major wildfires this summer in the Cairngorms, along the Suffolk coast and in the New Forest have destroyed huge swathes of important bird habitats, affecting the populations of some of our most threatened and specialised species. The first to break out, in mid-July, destroyed much of the RSPB’s Abernethy reserve, home to declining species such as black grouse and capercaillie, as well as scarce songbirds including Scottish crossbill and crested tit. Fortunately it was brought under c
Warmer winters and springs are drying out wetlands and the birds are missing out on an abundance of insects to eat When we think of spring migrant birds, it is easy to focus on songbirds such as warblers, flycatchers and swallows. Yet during late spring, many are waders – passing through Britain on their way north to breed in the high Arctic from their winter quarters in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the British Trust for Ornithology’s regular migration blog, it has been a good year for waders: including more common species such as ringed and grey plovers, bar-tailed godwit, sanderling and
Birds are unable to sweat but they keep cool by seeking shade and bathing As we humans sweltered in the record-breaking late June heatwave, we might not have spared much thought on how birds were coping. Unlike us, birds are unable to sweat, so instead they have evolved other ways to avoid overheating. These include seeking shade beneath trees, bushes and hedgerows, spreading their wings to allow cooler air to circulate around their body, and opening their bills to cool down, the same as dogs do when they pant. Birds are also able to pump blood into their bare parts – bills, legs and feet – wh
Many species under threat use the African-Eurasian flyway, one of the planet’s largest mass-migration systems It may still feel like summer, but in the world of birds, autumn migration is already well under way. Cuckoos and swifts have already left us, and while swallows and many species of warbler will not depart our shores until September, many species of Arctic-breeding waders have begun to stop off at our coastal marshes to refuel for their long journey south. This year, however, there could be fewer than usual. A review by the British Trust for Ornithology, working with other internationa
The U.S. bird population is declining at an alarming rate, according to a report published Thursday by an alliance of science and conservation groups. Habitat loss and climate change are among the key contributing factors to the bird population losses, according to the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report. More than 100 of the species studied, have reached a "tipping point," losing more than half their populations in the last 50 years. The report revealed that the avian population in all habitats is declining, including the duck population, previously considered a triumph of conservation. "The
