Anting gives Japanese Thrushes a chemical defence

Experiments in Japan show that ants can add repellent compounds to plumage and remove louse flies, providing direct evidence for a long-debated bird behaviour. More here >

Jet lag shifts Manx Shearwaters off course

Twenty years of tracking show that rapid east-west flights can desynchronise the seabirds' body clocks and produce predictable sun-compass errors. More here >