Birds have fascinated humans for centuries, with their ability to take to the skies effortlessly. But when it comes to sheer ...

Birds, by design, tend to be small, light and streamlined. Yet there are some that push the boundaries of size. Here is the avian world’s best example of an ultra-heavyweight flyer. Birds of prey are ...

Birds are often admired for their lightness—feathers, fragile bones, effortless flight. But in rare cases, nature scales up. Some species grow so large that their ability to take off and stay airborne ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Most bird species don’t fly above a few thousand feet in ...