Why do birds have such bright colours and dramatic mating displays? Take the lilac-breasted roller, a bird with bright purple plumage and electric blue under their wings, who fly high in looping circles before tipping backwards in the sky and stalling their flight, resulting in backward rolls through the air. Continue reading
When I say Queen, wipe out any romantic image you have of the beautiful mistress of the Kingdom, the Khaleesi-like war queen who masterminds the movements of her troops and plans to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. The Queen of a termite colony is an obese lump of eggs whose sole purpose is to push out thousands of eggs every single day, unable to move, while her workers constantly feed her royal jelly. Continue reading
Does this track have a dewclaw, or is that just a bump in the sand? Is that the sound of a car being locked, or the call of the crimson breasted shrike? Continue reading
By picking up hitch-hikers, drivers forge bonds within a community of mutual trust and create a common good, which will then be passed on by the hitch-hikers in the future, creating a reciprocal cycle of solidarity. Continue reading
Spontaneity has been one of the best treatments for anxiety I have found so far, as it is difficult to worry about something when you don’t know which direction your feet will be pointing when you wake up, when changing your mind has no consequences. Continue reading
The ten species with the sharpest observed population declines in the last 25 years, and although some you may never have seen before, others may surprise you. If action to stop these declines isn’t taken soon, we may lose wildlife wonders such as starling murmurations and the haunting cuckoo call. Continue reading
From ornate archways surrounded by colourful plastic gardens to the labyrinths of tunnels built inside towering termite mounds, animal architecture is a source of some of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders. Continue reading
Nina Seale interviews Packham about his views on pandas, the badger cull and his aspirations for conservation. Continue reading
Slowly a wrinkled, slimy creature began to unfold itself from its spiral home, gradually morphing into a familiar shape as its delicate eye stalks extended towards me and it slides forward, leaving a shining trail behind. Continue reading
Whatever you do, don’t take your pigeon to the cinema. Continue reading
Flight of a barn swallow 